Page 16 of Pact with the Alien Devil

“You’d need to live long enough to use such weapons.”

Iria’s voice came low, meant only for me. “Three more behind the south shelves.”

I’d missed them. She’d spotted what I hadn’t. My estimation of her rose further.

“You know I can’t do that, Vex.” The suggestion alone made my blood run cold—using those weapons would make me no better than the Consortium.

“Then we do this the fun way.”

Everything happened at once. Vex drew his weapon. I shoved Iria toward a stack of crates as blaster fire erupted from multiple directions. I dove in the opposite direction, drawing my own weapon and firing as I rolled.

My first shot caught a mercenary in the chest. He fell without a sound. My second shot missed, as Vex dove behind cover.

Plasma bolts scorched the air around me. I kept moving, using the shelving units for cover. From the other side of the room, Iria had positioned herself strategically, laying down covering fire with surprising accuracy.

Two more mercenaries closed in on my position. I holstered my weapon and extended my claws, waiting until they rounded the corner. The first one never saw me. I struck with Vinduthi speed, claws slashing across his throat. The second fired wildly, but I grabbed his weapon, wrenching it from his grasp before disabling him with a precise strike.

Across the room, Iria was holding her own, though her fighting style lacked formal training. She compensated with quick thinking and unpredictable movements. When one mercenary rushed her position, she used a metal pipe as an improvised weapon, striking with enough force to stagger him before finishing him with a well-placed shot.

I circled back toward the container, eliminating another Black Spike who attempted to flank Iria. The skirmish wasturning in our favor when Vex emerged with a heavy assault cannon.

“Down!” I shouted.

Iria dove as a barrage of plasma fire cut through the shelving units. Metal warped and melted under the onslaught.

I sprinted toward Vex, dodging fire as I closed the distance. He tracked me with the cannon, its barrel glowing hot with repeated discharge.

I almost reached him when pain exploded across my side. A stray bolt had caught me, burning through armor and into flesh. I stumbled but didn’t fall, pushing through the pain as I’d been trained to do.

“Korvan!” Iria’s voice cut through the chaos. “Are you?—”

“Focus on the fight!” I barked, straightening despite the white-hot agony searing my side. Blood soaked through my uniform, but I forced it from my mind.

Vex smiled when he saw my injury. “Not so invincible after all.”

IRIA

The plasma bolt singed past my ear, heating the metal wall behind me with a hiss. I ducked behind a crate, clutching my blaster with white knuckles. The air stank of burning metal and ozone, making my nose wrinkle. The shadows danced around us as the emergency lights flickered, turning the Black Spikes into ghostly figures one second and invisible threats the next.

My heart hammered against my ribs. This wasn’t my kind of fight. I ran from trouble, not toward it. I’d spent years perfecting the art of slipping away unnoticed—not standing my ground.

Why the hell did I agree to this? One month of this insanity, and I’m already about to die.

I risked a glance at Korvan. He moved with brutal precision despite the dark stain spreading across his side. The wound hadn’t slowed him down much, but I noticed the slight hitch in his movements. Blood dripped between his gray fingers as he fired back at our attackers.

He’s bleeding, and he’s still going. How does he do it?

I fired a couple of shots to give myself cover, then ducked back down as return fire peppered the crate.

“We need to move!” Korvan called out, his back pressed against a pillar. “They have us pinned.”

I scanned the room, my brain racing. The Black Spikes had taken positions on the upper walkway. Three of them, maybe four. And by the sounds echoing down the corridor, more were on the way.

My stomach dropped. Korvan’s movements were growing stiffer, the injury clearly taking its toll. Each dodge a fraction slower than the last. I’d seen enough wounds to know when someone was running on borrowed time.

We wouldn’t survive unless I did something.

I spotted a stack of crates to my right. They formed a rough staircase up to the level where the Black Spikes had positioned themselves. If I could get up there...

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