Page 49 of Rise of the Witch
“Do not move from this spot,” he whispered, his hazel eyes betraying the concern behind his harsh order. I opened my mouth to retort, but he curtly shook his head before disappearing around the boulder.
A minute later, I heard an engine approaching, the mechanical sound growing louder until a string of cracks and thumps followed by the screech of brakes signaled Asa had struck. An unfamiliar male voice barked orders, feet scuffling across the dirt as more gunfire ended with the shattering of glass.
Then, silence.
Unwilling to stand idly by while my men were possibly in danger, I crept out from behind the boulder to a nearby cluster of fir trees. Peering toward the road, the first thing I saw was the truck—tires deflated and windshield destroyed—abandoned in the middle of the road. Expecting the worst, I exhaled in relief at the sight of Nox and Tan looming over a cluster of disarmed men, guns drawn and faces schooled into menacing snarls as they harshly questioned their cowering captives.
Completely capable indeed.
Asa walked into view and approached the rear of the truck, knocking off the busted padlock with the butt of his gun before starting to roll up the door. Suddenly, a man leaped out from the cargo area and tackled Asa, causing his rifle to fly out of reach as they hit the ground.
Tan’s attention shot to the scuffle, distracting him long enough for one of the men beneath him to kick out a leg and send him stumbling backward. Claws lengthening, I started to run to their aid, rage thundering in my veins, thinking only of how I would kill our enemies. Nox yelled something at me just as white light exploded from where I’d last seen Tan, blinding me to what happened next.
When my spotty vision finally cleared, every man that wasn’t mine was dead.
Chapter 40
Nox
This was not how shit was supposed to go down. I was actually speechless as I looked at the remains of the men at my feet—skin bleached ghostly white and paper-thin, eyes wide and milky, mouths frozen in silent screams.
What the fuck just happened?!
I didn’t even care that these men had died. It was one thing to unwittingly tag shifters and then reluctantly continue to do so after the truth was revealed, but to knowingly abduct them was a line I wouldn’t have crossed, and I knew Tan and Ace would’ve agreed. We all would have found a way to be transferred or leave our jobs entirely, no matter what it took.
Never mind that the Facility never let people simply walk away.
Maybe getting lost in the woods was a blessing in disguise...
What I could not wrap my head around at the moment was the fact that fuckingTaneerhad just blasted thesesvolochswith a light so powerful it killed them instantly. Any small, stubborn part of me still clinging to the belief that there was a rational explanation for everything I’d witnessed since encountering Vasi had officially changed its tune.
Because whatever just happened wasmagic.Dark, powerful magic that somehow took out half a dozen men while leaving the four of us unscathed.
“Is he...okay?” Asa appeared beside me, a streak of blood on his temple from being tackled, but otherwise no worse for wear. He was eyeing Tan warily as Vasi bent over the other man’s shaking form but made no move to intervene.
Smart move. Tan might toast his ass next.
I didn’t know what was going on between the two of them but was determined to let them work it out for themselves. Of course, my initial reaction was to be pissed—to see this as just another example of Vasi intruding on our band of brothers. However, on the ride to the ambush site, I’d finally admitted to myself what a fucking wreck I was over her as well. I couldn't imagine trying to work throughthismess of emotions while also having feelings for someone else...who also had feelings for her.
“Tan, get up. You’re fine,” Vasi’s voice was more stern than comforting as she bestowed her signature flavor of brusque bedside manner.
“Everything hurts,” Tan groaned, the sound of his voice sending a wave of relief through me. “My fucking insides feel like I just ate ten of Chef’s pepper bombs…”
I had to smile at that. If Tan was able to make jokes about the extra-spicy stuffed peppers back in the mess hall on base, then he was going to pull through. Turning to Ace, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s search the truck and get the hell out of here before the next convoy comes through.”
Ace nodded, shooting one last worried glance at Tan before following me to the rear of the truck. As expected, it was full of empty cages—ready to be loaded with tranquilized shifters, no doubt. I snapped a few photos with the new phone before helping myself to some extra guns and supplies. A closer look confirmed that this unit was still armed with the standard lethal ammunition and tranquilizer darts, which I assumed meant the new bullets weren’t ready for the field yet.
Or, the Facility’s saving them for something bigger than a routine patrol...
We moved to the truck's cab next, rifling through the various compartments for any evidence Vasi could relay to the clan leaders. If you’d asked me a few months ago whether I even thought shifters existed, I would’ve laughed in your face, but here I was, choosing these supernatural beings over my fellow humans.
Over my own father.
Growling, I slammed the glove box shut, collecting myself before I answered the unspoken question in Asa’s patient gaze. “All I’ve wanted for the last twenty fucking years was to become my father. To rise up in the ranks, make a name for myself, and somehow earn his respect. How could I have been so fucking stupid?”
Ace surprised me by huffing out a laugh. “I would say, don’t be so hard on yourself. But then I think of howIentered the military and accepted a highly lucrative job offer from a mysterious Russian company purely tonotbecome a politician like my father…” He smiled sympathetically as he reached under the passenger seat to retrieve something. “How about we both start making decisions forourselvesfrom now on? Instead of for family who doesn’t give a flying fuck about us anyway?”
I nodded in agreement as he handed me what appeared to be a Google Earth printout of Siberia, with the telltale pixelation over the Facility’s location. Seemingly random areas of the vast forest were circled, surrounded by symbols I recognized as tactical graphics for military operations. A random notation caught my eye on the far right side of the map, thousands of miles away from the Facility, Vasi’s hut, and civilization in general.
