Page 117 of Secret Gifts
Get them out. It’s important you keep them away for at least two hours. I’ll fill you in on what I find when I can.
I push the phone back into my pocket, and I quickly make my way back to the front just as the general turns to find me. He motions for me to take lead when the tunnel really does become a mess of passages.
How am I supposed to keep them away for two damn hours?
I wish I could tell him there was a damn scorpion in custody right now. Maybe he would show up early and eliminate the problem before our men could probe him for information.
I find the right door, and I step aside for the men to ready themselves. The general motions for them to break through, and they charge in with their assault rifles firing immediately.
Sparks fly, singed barrels fragrance the air, and dead bodies fall to litter the floor. I keep my body pressed against the wall as my mind races to come up with a strategy. More and more bullets pelt against metal, glass, and skin. I hear the screams, but I do as I was ordered before this mission started and I stay out of the line of fire.
I can’t afford to be shot if I’m going to find a way to distract the general.
“All clear,” General Marks yells, and I walk into the disaster zone that is a massacre.
Several of our men sit while sipping blood, and so many of the scorpion-tattooed men lie lifelessly on the ground. The blood stains the room, and finally I think of something.
“We need to pull them out and ash these bodies. We have humans with us. We can’t risk infection, and there are full bloods bleeding everywhere.”
If a human has a cut, the blood could meld with the bloodstream enough to force an infection.
“She’s right, General. We need to pull out and burn this group before continuing with our inspection," a captain interjects.
General Marks grumbles under his breath. I can see his overly eager ambition staining his eyes, but this is protocol. He has to do this.
“Very well. Let’s get started. I want to return as soon as possible,” he growls, and everyone starts grabbing bodies to slide out as our human soldiers walk out empty handed to avoid the blood still spilling from the gaping wounds of the dead.
They'll throw in a blood disintegrator once we've cleared the bodies, but it won't be enough time. This could only take an hour, so how do I stall for another?
I follow behind the rest of the men while dragging a full blood female. I see the split in the tunnels, and something compels me to look behind me as we pass. I smirk as my night vision catches my masked stalker running down the hall with silent footsteps leading his way.
You better fucking hurry.
We get outside, and I see the bloodied face of our human captive as he lies face first in the ground. Obviously they’ve already begun their interrogations.
Shit.
“Has he said anything?” General Marks asks in his domineering tone.
“Nothing of any value. He spit in my face,” our interrogator gripes with his nose turned up.
Thank fuck Mom isn’t the one interrogating him.
“Well, give him something to wake him up. Go easy, he’s only human, and we need to know what they’re up to.” Then the general turns to the captain we freed before continuing. “What did they demand to know from you?”
“They wanted to know the names and locations of our gifted fleet. We gave them false Intel, and then they beat the fuck out of us for a month straight. Then this past week they were more specific-”
The captain’s sentence is cut short, and his eyes fall to mine as if something has occurred to him. The others seem oblivious to whatever it is, and they all gorge on food and water as if it’s heaven in solid form.
“What?” General Marks urges.
“It’s probably nothing, but they wanted to know exactly how to break into Seminole. I suppose it’s because we have the most gifted residing there. None of us are from Seminole, so they eventually gave up beating useless information out of us.”
Damn it. They want me. They’re coming for me.
Mom hasn’t lived in Seminole for centuries, so they’re not after her. They want me because my damn gifts are so fucking passive right now. I really am an easy target and a fucking liability, just like Jase said.
“I’ll call Captain Fricks and have him bump up security,” the general murmurs under his breath, and he pulls out his phone to break silent stalk and make the emergency call.
