Page 36 of The Magic of Destiny
‘We need to take care of him,'I told Napoleon.'With him out of the way, the others will be able to get in with no problems.’
‘Hang onto your beret then, we're going in,’Napoleon announced, squeezing through a crack in the wall, and then we were doing a damn vertical tightrope walk down an electrical cord. A sliver of light cut through the darkness, showing us where the next exit would be. Thankfully, this one seemed a bit larger than the last two.I swear, I'll never get used to that squeezy shit.
Our tiny mouse butt wiggled with anticipation. When we lunged forward into the guard station, I broke apart from Napoleon. The guard turned the page of his book, but must've sensed someone watching him because he suddenly glanced up. I couldn’t resist giving him a wave. Face paling, he scrambled to grab a weapon, but I was on him before he had a chance.
Since I wasn't sure what everyone's involvement was here—who was innocent or guilty—I knocked him out with two quick jabs right to the temple. He collapsed like a sack of shit. Not wasting any time, I yanked open the drawers of the desk, searching for duct tape, or rope, or something to tie him up with. My eyes landed on handcuffs and I grinned. Perfect.
After securing him to a steel beam, arms cuffed behind his back, I tapped the monitor screens. I laughed out loud when I saw my crew standing there on the video display, in plain sight. If only the bastard had been doing his job... What a shame.
I pressed the intercom button, chuckling when everyone on screen jumped at the sudden noise.
“Guard is taken care of. Come on in,” I announced.
Faris grinned. “That makes things a hell of a lot easier.”
“Any issues?” Cam asked.
“None. Napoleon and I are going to continue; Sloane and Annie’s scents are already much stronger in here. Fischer and Faris, be ready to utilize your magic as soon as you're close enough to do some damage. Gotta go,” I said, pressing a button labeledTunnel Door.Looking back at the screen, I waited until everyone disappeared into the tunnel before ripping the cords out of everything.
‘Put that book in the door to keep it open for them,’Bagheera suggested helpfully.
Snatching the book from the desk, I peeped the title. Rooksgrave Manor. Damn.
‘Don't you dare open that book,’Bagheera growled, and I sighed.
‘Fine. But it's up next on my TBR as soon as we're out of here.’I pouted, pulling the door open and propping it open with the novel. Fuck, what a waste of fine words...
I quickly merged back with Napoleon and we tore down the hall, with me directing the route. Finally, we arrived at a set of double swinging doors. The scent of Sloane's dad was so strong here, I knew he must be close. All of them were close, perhaps just on the other side of these doors.
Said doors swung open without warning, and we pressed ourselves up against the wall, staying hidden.
“...will be here soon. If he doesn't cooperate, bring them in and do what's necessary,” a man's voice said, and fuck if I didn't shudder holding back the urge to shift into Bagheera immediately. Darrell Sullivan. The man I'd sworn to kill so long ago...
‘Not now, géant. We will bathe in the blood of our enemies after we get the dragon and the girl,’Napoleon reminded me, and immediately darted through the open door. He easily found a perch on a shelf along the back wall, staying close to the exit.
What in the name of the moon was this place? I suppressed a roar of outrage when my eyes landed on a clear enclosure in the middle of the room. A massive dragon was locked inside, the ice blue eyes telling me everything I needed to know. This dragon was Sloane.Holy fuck.I mean, he’d told us... but actually seeing him? Unbelievable.
‘The girl. Over there,’Napoleon whispered as we looked around, and I saw Annie painting off toward the side of the room.
‘Roger that,’I acknowledged. We surveyed the room for a few more minutes, taking note that there were probably thirty or so people. A few of them were armed and a fair amount, if not all, were demons. Asrael's scent was nowhere to be found which told me he wasn't on site, and hadn't been for a couple of days at least.
‘It's showtime, Napoleon. Hope you're ready for victory and blood.’
‘I was born with a warrior's heart and a penchant for death, géant,’he vowed.
Within moments, we watched in fascination as a silent slaughter swept through the lab. As the last man stood shakily near Sloane's cage, we dove from the shelf and raced forward. The action was just getting started and I'd be damned if I didn't have a front row seat.
“They're here,” Annie murmured to Sloane's dragon through the glass.
A smaller door off to the right of the main ones swung open, and in waltzed none other than the man whose death belonged to me.
‘This is where we part ways, Napoleon. Hang on for the ride,’I warned and then jumped forward, shifting from myself to Bagheera in a flash. A wild cry exploded from our throat as we raced across the lab. Darrell's eyes widened when he saw us coming, recognition flickering there.That's right, motherfucker. Death has come for you today.
That's when we saw a small button in his hand, which he promptly slammed his thumb down on. We slowed, because shit... what if he had a bomb? A loud hissing filled the air, and we looked back just in time to see a smoky vapor filling Sloane's enclosure. An ear-piercing alarm started wailing somewhere outside of the room at the exact same moment Sloane’s dragon roared and began throwing his mass around, clearly desperate to break out of the cage.
“Stay close, princess,” Bram said softly to Saige.
“You don't have to worry about that,” she replied, her eyes widening as she took in the unconscious guard in the surveillance office.
