Page 15 of The Union
No fucking way was she about to mess with my brain or strap me to the table in that glass room.
Think, man.If I tried anything, the two SWAT dudes would pump drug-filled bullets into me. I knew they didn’t have cobalt bullets, but only because Carly needed me alive.
I lay back, visualizing snapping off Rianne’s head, slitting Lester’s throat, and burning Noah over a firepit. As I did, rage consumed me, a prickly heat blazing down to the tips of my fingers. I inhaled, the searing feeling growing hotter and stronger, as though I was touching a plug with a wet hand, only fifty times more powerful.
Heat filled my palms, but it wasn’t enough to melt the cobalt. I had to set myself on fire, scorch my skin so I could slip my hands and ankles through the cuffs, or allow the cobalt to burn me to the bone. Gritting my teeth, I kept feeding my fire element with my intense fury. I tuned out all the sounds as the table beneath me quaked like a ten on the Richter scale.
Carly rushed over just as I had one hand free. “Impossible. Your powers shouldn’t be working.”
I lurched forward and howled like the animal I was. When I did, my other hand slipped through the cobalt.
Carly shouted, “Shoot him!”
Come and get me, motherfuckers.In a flash, I vaulted off the table and dodged medical equipment, throwing fireballs at one guard and then the other. My aim was off, and I set a cabinet below them on fire. The water sprinklers engaged, and alarms blared.
I had maybe five minutes at most before the cavalry came in. I hauled ass toward Carly, who was running in the direction of the elevator.
I loved a good chase, but I was faster than her. I caught her before she had a chance to either hit a big red emergency button or dart onto the elevator.
She stumbled backward under the low ceiling beneath the room above. “Mr. Mason. You don’t want to do this. Think about Layla.”
Iwasthinking about Layla, which was fueling my powers like gasoline.
My fangs dripped with saliva as my skin sizzled. “Where is she?” I desperately needed blood if I wanted to heal quickly.
“She’s going to be okay.” Her voice cracked. “She got caught in the helicopter basket when we captured you.”
My heart stopped for a beat as I grabbed her by the throat, not sure if I believed her. But if she was telling the truth—fuck me. What did that mean? I couldn’t remember much past her scream. “Is she hurt?” Knowing Layla, she would do everything in her power to save my ass. She had once before when Noah and Rianne strung me over an open fire. But with our child growing in her, she wouldn’t put the baby in jeopardy. Then again, if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t think twice about risking my life for hers. “Answer me!”
Carly choked, her face turning scarlet red.
I loosened my grip. “Speak.”
“She’s fine.” Her voice was squeaky. “She’s in a room on level four.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “You’re lying.” Her heart was racing too fucking fast.
She swallowed, her brown eyes staring right through me. “I’m not.”
I didn’t believe her, but I had an idea. “Take me to her, then once I see Layla isn’t hurt, I’ll be your pincushion or whatever the fuck you want to do to me.” I was the one lying now, but I doubted she could tell.
A deep crease dented the smooth spot between her eyebrows. “You’re serious?”
“Whether or not you believe me, you have no choice. Live or die.”
She frowned as though she was losing her best friend. “Fine. But you need to do one thing for me. There are guards on every floor, and Adam Emery will have an army waiting for you, so I need you to be a good vampire and not attack anyone. I’ll handle the rest.”
In part, I believed she would ensure I wasn’t harmed, since she needed me awake. But I also needed her. Other than her boss, she was the key to driving whatever fucked-up plans they had for me, so she was about to become my human shield, my ticket out.
“Adam Emery was the man standing beside Lester, and he runs the show? Is he related to Fred Emery?”
She grabbed my hands, trying to pull them away from her throat. “Yes. Adam owns Intech and Camden Industries. Fred is Adam’s brother and is head of security for both companies.”
I set her on two feet, and she was whirling around toward the elevator when I caught her arm. “One more thing.” I sunk my fangs into her neck.
She yelped like a dying animal. But I didn’t care. The only way to take on guards was to have my powers at 100 percent. I drank, pulling in her sweet fear.
She cried again. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”
