Page 14 of A Witch Out of Time
“Shit,” Nox cursed as he joined me at the window, his face crumpling with concern as he took in her wretched state. “They didn’t...none of the men..?”
I gritted my teeth. “Your fatherclaimedno one raped her. Yet. That’s what actually prompted our discussion of the breeding program,” I muttered before turning in the direction I believed would lead us to the cell door.
Nox grabbed my arm, spinning me around and forcing me to face him. “Tell me you don’t think I ever would’ve agreed to that, Vasi.” Although his tone was demanding and his expression angry, I could feel the worry down our bond.
I let him sweat for a moment, chewing my lip as if mulling it over before replying. “No, of course not. You’re a good man, Nox, even if you act like a fuckingmudakmost of the time.”
Turning away, I yelped as Nox’s hand sharply connected with my ass. Unfazed by the glare I sent him over my shoulder, he replaced his face mask and winked at me. “I warned you. Now let’s get Anthia out of here.”
Trying not to focus on the deliciously lingering sting on my backside, I allowed Nox to roughly grab my arm again for effect in case we happened upon any guards. Rounding the corner, we found one leaning outside Anthia’s door, looking bored. I had no way of knowing if he was the one I’d seen enter her cell earlier, or if he was responsible for any of her injuries. It didn’t matter either way because he was about to die.
They all are.
“Open up,” Nox barked in the same authoritative tone I’d heard him use when my Riders ambushed the convoy truck. “Bossman wants to see if the shifter can hold her own against a witch.”
The guard wrinkled his nose in my direction as he turned to face the security panel. “He couldn’t find a hotter witch? I’d fucking pay to watch them bump tacos if this bitch looked half as good as that cum catcher in there.”
I didn’t understand half of what this peasant had said, but my claws were already sliding out, aching for blood. Nox must have sensed my mood as he released his hold on my arm and stepped back, nodding at me in affirmation. The instant the panel beeped, I attacked.
Brutally ripping open the guard’s throat, I reveled in the feel of my claws tearing through muscle and tendons; in the thick liquid coating my skin. He dropped to his knees in shock, and I impassively watched as he vainly attempted to staunch the outpouring of blood from his throat, gurgling incoherently. Annoyed that he was taking too long to die, I then punched my claws through his eyeballs and into his brain, quickly removing them again with a wet, sucking sound.
That was immensely satisfying.
“Well, that was...fucking metal,” Nox murmured before glancing at me with a mix of wariness and hunger. “I guess you have a soft spot for me after all, huh?”
“I’ve tolerated you, yes,” I replied, wiping my bloodied hand on the guard's uniform and helping myself to his security card. “But you would be wise to remember this the next time you feel inclined to displease me.” Nox snorted and held the door for me so I could race inside.
“Anthia!” I cried, stopping short as I watched her sit up, unnaturally slow and groggily blink at me.
“Vasssssi?” she slurred as she attempted to stand, swaying once before falling backward onto the bed.
Oh, this is going to make things more difficult.
“I’ve got her, Vashka,” Nox rumbled, unlocking Anthia’s harness with a set of keys he must have found on the dead guard. His dark eyes narrowed as he took in the extent of her injuries, removing the contraption with more care than I thought he was capable of. “Let’s get out of here before anyone realizes I’ve jammed the feed,” he muttered, briefly glancing at the security camera in the corner as he gently eased Anthia over his broad shoulder.
“What do we do now?” I asked, following him out the door that he’d propped open with the guard’s body. “I can’t imagine they’ll let us simply walk out of here, especially with an unconscious shifter in tow?”
Nox grunted in agreement as he briskly headed in a different direction than we’d arrived from. “They won’t, which is why I’m looking for another exit from this restricted area. There’s no way my father doesn’t have a built-in escape route for his top-level officers…”
“Which didn’t include you?” I hedged, wondering why we hadn’t seen more of these important officers in the halls and hoping it didn’t mean we were walking into a trap.
He laughed, the sound muffled by his mask. “Oh, Vasi...I hadn’tearnedthat privilege yet. If the Facility ever came under attack, I’m sure my father expected me to fight—and die—alongside the rest of the basic recruits.”
I frowned, increasing my pace to keep up, although the hall was so narrow I could only run along behind him. Nox had offered little about his childhood, but from what I’d gathered, Matthew had willingly collected him after his grandmother died. I highly doubted Nox was his only illegitimate child, so why bother reconnecting when he had no interest in being a father and mentor?
Before I could contemplate further, Nox abruptly stopped, quickly shifting his body so Anthia was shielded from whatever lay before us. Peering around his towering frame, I saw a glowing red sign marking the exit and a dozen armed men standing between us and the door.
Including Matthew.
“Sometimes I wonder how you are related to me at all,” Matthew drawled, absently drawing a gun from his shoulder holster and fiddling with it. “You’re so predictable in your actions. So blinded bybeautythat you make one stupid mistake after another.”
“Sounds like you’re also a bit pussy-whipped at the moment, father,” Nox retorted, his free hand moving toward his gun as well. “And that you’re under the mistaken impression that what belongs to me is also yours.”
Matthew growled so loudly a few of the men deftly moved away from him, clearing a path between father and son. Instead of addressing Nox again, Matthew then turned his darkening gaze on me. “Vasilisa, if you come with me now, I will let my idiot son leave this Facility alive, along with the shifter. Otherwise, both will die. It’s your choice.”
Nox stiffened, although he had no cause for alarm. I had no intention of being separated from my men again. And thanks to whatever strange conduit had formed between all four of us, I could finally feel magic simmering in my veins again, ready for a fight. Suddenly realizing that I’d heard Nox’s voicein my headbefore Matthew led me from the dining room, I sent a clear message to him through our bond.
“Kill them all, my Darkest Midnight.”
