Page 46 of The Dawning
“Copy that,” she said. “Good luck.”
I hurried into the greenhouse and stalked down the aisle between the rows of lush green plants with yellow flowers. “Carly,” I called out in a low voice.
The petite Aberdeen emerged from around a table halfway down. She wore a dour expression as doom and gloom oozed off her in waves.
Well, fuck. “What’s wrong?”
Her short shiny black hair had a blue hue beneath the moon’s rays spilling in through the glass roof. “We have a problem.”
Of course we did. “Fix whatever the fuck it is. I’m under a time constraint.”
The power would be out momentarily, then the fireworks would begin. And once the explosions rocked the house, I was sure the sound would echo, power on or not, rousing those within a good distance—so time was limited, particularly since Wyman wasn’t sure how long he could control the power company’s system. We figured we had twenty minutes at most.
My fangs slid out. “Unless, of course, you lied to me.” That electricity pulsing in my arms was now in my hands. I wouldn’t be throwing fireballs but bolts of lightning charged with a shit ton of electricity that would kill a human in an instant.
She rolled her shoulders back. “Everything I told you is true. Except when I got off the phone with you, I learned Rianne had injected Layla—”
I had her by the throat in a flash, lifting her so her feet were dangling off the cement surface. “If you say your serum or whatever it is you’re calling it, I will end you.” I actually liked Carly, but I was serious. I had no problem snapping her neck. Her push and pull between good and evil would be her downfall for sure.
Her brown eyes bugged out, her pulse beating rapidly against my fingers as her fear invaded my nostrils. I lapped up every bit of it.
“I’m sorry. I had the SS2 locked up.” Her voice was strained. “You know Rianne.”
Rianne’s name brought out the animal in me, and I growled, deep and loud.
“The power will be down in five seconds,” Rebekah announced in my comm.
I released Carly from my clutches, then waved my hand down the aisle toward the door. “It’s time to pay up.”
Fists clenched at her side, lips pursed, Carly brushed past me.
Just as we left the greenhouse, the facility went dark, followed by a series of explosions.
Excitement and nerves swirled together. I lived for missions but was also itching to see my huntress.
Carly came to an abrupt halt. “What have you done?”
I pushed her. “You didn’t think I would only rely on you. Is Roman on-site? Where’s Adam?”
“They’re not here.” She rushed inside the lab building.
I relayed that to the team in my comm, followed by, “Heading to the target now.” I flicked on a light attached to my flak vest, though I could see just fine in the darkened hallway.
“The emergency generators should turn on,” Carly said over her shoulder.
“No, they won’t,” I returned. Dane’s role was to take them out.
I held my arms at my sides as the prickly feeling began to pulse. It had been a while since I’d used an electrical charge to zap my enemy. Oh, I could burn down the building, but I wouldn’t with Layla inside.
Heavy footsteps pounded in the distance, causing me to jerk my head. Did I have my vampire hearing back?
The question vanished when a man—or rather, beast—dove at Carly as she was passing the adjacent hallway that veered off from the one Carly and I were in. She hit the wall with a loud thud as air whooshed from her lungs.
The monster, tall and ugly, rose, pivoted my way, and bared his fangs.
I laughed through the shock that had me rooted to the floor, especially when claws grew out of his fingernails. “Noah Aberdeen? Is that you?”
He smirked, damn fucking proud of what he’d become.
