“Not every pack is approved for Shifter land, so they buy up large apartment buildings or abandoned warehouses. Wyatt couldn’t find the blueprints on this place; that’s why we didn’t have a meeting. There’s not much to discuss. Here we are.”
Wyatt stepped out and twisted his ankle. He leaned down, gripping his leg. “It’s not that I couldn’t find it. The blueprints weren’t in the public records. Someone deleted them. Ow…”
Viktor joined us. “Cowards erase their existence so they are off radar.”
Christian peered around the van. “You’re not concerned they’ll see us?”
“Nyet. Shepherd scouted the building yesterday.”
Shepherd folded his muscular arms. “They only have a few windows in the back, and they’re up high. It’s a two-story warehouse. They welded shut all the doors. The only way in and out is through a garage door.”
“That’s how Niko and I went in,” Blue explained. “We parked just inside, and I guess that’s when the girl snuck into the trunk. There’s a staircase that goes to the upper level and a walkway that takes you through the building. It’s an open plan, like a running track. You can see the entire first floor over the railing. We didn’t get the full tour, so I don’t know where they keep the kids or if they have a bazooka. We’re all going in blind.”
“Who volunteers to guard the front door so no one escapes?” Shepherd asked.
“I will.” Niko squared his shoulders.
Shepherd shook his head. “No offense, but if someone slips by, you’ll stumble all over the city trying to chase after them.”
Niko pulled one of his swords halfway up, revealing the shimmering blade. “Perhaps I should make it clear: no one will get by me.” He pushed the sword back in place.
Viktor gripped Gem’s shoulder. “I need you to get us inside like we talked about.”
Gem’s fingertips sparked, and she seemed to stand a foot taller. “I won’t let you down.”
Viktor addressed everyone in the group. “I do not want one child hurt. Not a single one. Do whatever you must—I give you permission to send those devils straight to hell, but protect the children first. We must get them out.”
Blue took a deep breath, and we all stole a moment to ready ourselves. This wasn’t a delicate operation with a lot of moving parts. We didn’t have to collect sensitive data or capture someone alive. This was a rescue mission, and the only ones leaving alive were the children.
Shepherd drew his gun. “Let’s roll.”
We marched up the street like vigilantes. The building was located in a desolate industrial area. No streetlamps, no traffic, and no witnesses. The weeds had taken over the sidewalks and random potholes.
“No movement on the roof,” Christian confirmed. “No cameras that I can see.”
Gem’s purple hair bobbed up and down like ribbons as she jogged to the front of the line. Blue light dripped from her fingertips like broken spiderwebs dancing in the breeze. When we reached an oversized garage door, everyone stood aside and let Gem do her thing.
She smiled blithely and widened her stance. “Watch this.”
Gem cupped her hands in front of her until they began to shake. As a Wielder, her energy balls were typically blue. But this time, a powerful orange light illuminated her hands.
Blue took a giant step back. “Maybe we should pick the lock instead.”
Gem’s hair stood on end, charged with static electricity. Remembering how her energy could reduce an immortal to nothing more than charred remains, I put more distance between us.
“Worry not,” Christian said. “The wee lass has improved her aim.”
Gem’s hands were spaced apart, and between them formed a blinding orange ball. Once the light was as big as a softball, she gripped it in one hand and swung her arm like a pitcher. I drew in a sharp breath.
The metal door exploded. I shielded my face with one arm as hot sparks shot out and quickly dissipated before hitting the ground.
“Holy Toledo,” Wyatt said. “That’s a perfect hole.”
Shepherd held up his gun and marched forward. “Save that line for your next date.”
When Shepherd disappeared inside, we heard rapid gunfire. Everyone rushed in at once and immediately split up in different directions.
I jumped over a body by the door and jogged up a set of metal stairs, a dagger in hand. As I rounded a corner, I ran into a Shifter. It was tempting to toss him over, but he’d only become someone else’s problem. I sliced his neck and delivered a powerful electric shock to his chest, knocking him unconscious. He would bleed out before waking in time to shift.
The walkway on the second floor looped all the way around, but you could easily shortcut across the bridge. Below, I saw people scrambling and heard screams. Without overhead lights, it was difficult to make everything out. I noticed a playground, a seating area, and a kitchenette. Focusing on the second level, I busted open the first door on the right.
A man shot up from a chair. “What the fuck?”
Christian barged past me, scooped a young girl off the bed, and put her in my arms. “I’ll be right with you.”
When the door closed, I heard nothing but bloodcurdling screams.
I set the girl down, who looked to be around six. I still had a dagger in my hand and no idea what to do with her. She screamed and covered her ears when gunshots went off.
Panicked, I scanned the building. On the other side, Shepherd kicked down a door, Wyatt behind him with two kids in tow. A wolf lunged at Shepherd, who brandished a large knife.
I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Wyatt!”
Then I took the girl’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Don’t be scared. We’re the good guys.”
She jogged alongside me in a daze, tears streaming down her face. When I reached the walkway that crossed over, I ran to the center to meet Wyatt. “Take her.”
I turned back and spotted a man running toward a door in the back. I flashed down the walkway and came up behind him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
When he turned, I latched onto his neck. My fangs punched out and pierced his main artery as I delivered an electric shock. He pounded his fists against my back, but I gripped him like a boa constrictor killing its prey until I crippled him with weakness.
His blood was so vile that I almost threw up. When he collapsed in a heap, I staked him.
“I’ll finish this one,” Christian said, blood staining his lips and beard.
“You didn’t drink that guy’s blood, did you?”
“Viktor asked me to collect evidence should anyone question us. I’ve tasted his sins, and now this one gets my special attention.” Christian dropped down on his knees, slowly unbuttoning the man’s shirt. He was too weak to shift and barely conscious. But his soulless eyes went saucer wide when Christian yanked out the stake and trailed it down his belly. “Have you ever been disemboweled?”
I spat out as much blood as I could before heading toward another door. Claude’s roar filled the open room, as did the sporadic gunshots and terrified screams of children. I flung the door open, and two children cowered in the corner—a boy and a girl.
“Come with me,” I said, trying not to imagine what I must have looked like with blood on my mouth and a knife in my hand. “Hurry up!”