Page 38 of The Magic of Destiny
Well, when he put it like that...
We arrived at a large door that had a biometric thumb scanner for entry. A quick glance through the window proved to be useless, since they'd used frosted glass for privacy.
“This is it,” Fish said. “I can sense around thirty people in here, along with Kai. There is a child in there too, though. I don't know for sure that it's Annie, so just be aware. I'm going to latch onto their psyches and determine friend or foe. Think you can send out a freeze compulsion? Leave Kai, Sloane and the child, if possible.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I can do that.” It would be the largest blanket order I'd attempted, but I’d practiced earlier in the week and was easily able to compel ten people in town at once. I was ready.
“Let's do this,” Fish growled, his eyes going blacker than the bottom of the ocean.
Inhaling deeply, I let my consciousness spread out, picturing a wave pouring from me, seeping under the door and overtaking the room, one person at a time.
‘All enemies. Willing enemies,’Fish's voice drifted through my head. A glance to my right showed he was still very much in his trance, so he must've spoken telepathically.
“Then they die,” I replied calmly. With a bit more effort, I pushed each target toward their own demise.
When only one remained, I heard my brother in my head again.'This one's mine.'His tone was deadly. A moment later, Fischer returned to reality, and we stared at each other, both of our chests heaving with exertion. It hadn’t been easy to pull off such a coordinated attack with that number of targets, but we did it.
We grinned at each other, and in that moment, I think we both realized that we actually weren't so different.In fact, I think we’re pretty damn similar... Too bad for him I’ll always be the sexiest.
“The thumb reader.” I gestured to the device currently denying us access to the room we needed to get into—the sooner the better.
“There's got to be another door... We can keep looking?”
“Oh, I can't believe I didn't think of this before.” I snapped my fingers. “Back in a jiffy!”
The pile of bodies were where I'd left them, so I did what anyone would in such a situation. Lifting the hand of the man closest to me, I bit his thumb clean off.
“Blech. Dead blood tastes like bullhanky,” I muttered. Just as I turned to speed back to Fish, I had another moment of clarity.What if this man's thumb isn't authorized?Sighing, I quickly removed the thumbs of the other two dead dudes and stuffed 'em all in my pocket, then I was off like a shot.
Fischer's hair blew around his face when I came to a stop next to him. “Where did you go?” he hissed.
“Got these gems,” I replied, pulling a couple of the severed digits from my vest.
He blinked in surprise. “That’s actually a great idea.”
“I know, right? Like, just imagine, if I was still inside you then this might've been your idea. But then you would've had to bite off those thumbs with your dull, basic bitch teeth and that would've taken so long,” I rattled off, pressing the first thumb to the pad. It flashed red. "Damn." I tossed the gross thing over my shoulder.
“Look, you have to stop saying it like that. 'When I was inside you.' It sounds like you were fucking me or something.” Fish gagged in disgust.
I pressed the second thumb down and again, the screen flashed red.
“No, brother. The only one who was fucked in our prior situation, was me,” I replied coolly, digging out our final option. He shook his head at my statement, but didn't dispute it. I didn't want to get into it right now anyway—not when we were working so well together.
Before he could speak, I looked him dead in the eye. “Let's hope this works.” Just then, I heard people approaching. A lot of people.Fuck.“Incoming,” I whispered.
“Well, then hurry the fuck up before thumb—I mean, before somebody sees us,” Fish urged, and I couldn't help it. I barked a laugh as I pressed the thumb to the pad.
“You almost said thumb-body. I can't wait to tell Firefly.” I chuckled, but immediately paled when the thumbprint reader started blaring an alarm.
“Oh shit,” Fish cursed, his eyes trained over my shoulder. I’d already sensed the men there, sprinting toward us.
“Let's party, brother,” I said gleefully, spinning around. Using the momentum, I hurled the thumb directly at the group of approaching guards. There was nothing a man could do against a thumb flying toward him at one hundred and fifty miles per hour, and the ensuing scream of agony proved it.
By the sun, that looks so fucked up. The thumb was sticking out of the eye socket of one of the men, and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse before he fell face first down to the ground, dead as a doornail.
‘Take them down, I'm right behind you,’Fish spoke in my head, and I sprang into action. I'd already tested my mental abilities; I was ready to spill some damn blood. There were maybe fifteen men converging on us, some of them shifting into full-blown demons. No doubt there’d be more soon—that fucking siren call would alert everyone in the building that something was up.
I was nothing but a flash, as I weaved in and out of the guards. Reaching down, I retrieved the axe that was strapped against my hip. With a spin, I kicked out and my boot connected with a solid chest. I pushed off of the big beast and flipped backward. As I sailed through the air, my eyes connected with a demon who had been ready to sink a sword into my back. Landing behind him, my entire bodyscreamedwith adrenaline. I felt that desperate rush, that furious need to protect my family.
