Page 76 of Stone Seduction
I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, scrambling for a clue, my synapses all higgledy-piggledy.
An explosion. Fire around me, the café burning.
Whoa.
Screaming, screaming, screaming. Luke inside the SUV.
Muddy puzzle pieces slammed together, reality kicking down any confusion.
“Luke!”
The vehicle was upside down, the windows smashed, smoke billowing from the engine, engulfing the rest of SUV’s insides. I sprang into action, diving onto the ground, ignoring all the pain.
Seth crawled out of the smoke, coughing his lungs up. Luna followed him.
“Luke!” I called, sliding to the next window, sticking my head inside. My eyes burned, the smoke immediately overwhelming.
I choked and coughed, reaching for him, pawing at leather seats and broken glass. Every time I opened my mouth to call his name, I gagged, filling my lungs with smoke.
Shit.
I pushed myself out into the fresh air, staggering away to cough and vomit, trying to sense him.
A body crashed into me, tackling me to the ground. Such a move from a human wouldn’t normally take me off my feet, especially with my stone skin on. But this knobhead succeeded in catching me off guard.
I landed on my side, springing back to my feet in an instant. Fresh adrenaline forced me through the effects of the smoke, my knight skills firing on all cylinders.
The gas mask human swung a curved blade at me. I jumped back, lashing out with my tail and swept him off his feet, then rushed him as his spine crunched on the ground, driving my sword into his chest.
He bled out quickly.
Another came at me with an axe, going for a downward slice. I twirled, fury descending like a veil. My sword cut through her neck, her masked head bouncing away, the rest of her crumbling into a heap.
“Luke!” I cried, choking on my words.
Pissing smoke!
Seth got to his feet, stumbling forward all bleary-eyed, slipping in blood. “What’s going on?”
“Sir!” Billy appeared, soot smeared on his lovely face, his blond locks filthy.
I froze, watching him watch me, stunned into stillness.
For about four seconds.
Only Luke mattered.
Returning to the SUV, I pushed myself back inside. Hunting like a crazed dog. Exploring every area as meticulously as possible. But there were no other bodies in this vehicle.
Shit!
Crawling out, taking a moment to recover, I took to the air, smoke-induced tears streaming down my face.
“Luke!”
I scanned the area, really getting a sense of the situation now.
What remained of the café blazed furiously, debris everywhere. Dead bodies smoldered, injured survivors screamed as others tried to help them or hid from the flood of gas mask humans running around the place.
