Page 157 of The Satyr's Guilt
Dax pushed her aside, palming the knob.Pop. It opened, but they dodged to the side when bulletsstreamed out in their direction.
“Don’t shoot.” Denim grabbed the vampire’sarm. “Ram might be in there.”
“Fuck.” Dax stormed in, ammo thudding intohis Kevlar. He marched up to a white-coated male, firing pointblank between his eyes. “Outta my way, mutherfucker.”
Another guy in white crouched behind aturned over lab table. Denim rushed him at full speed. He fired,the bullet hitting her vest.
Oomph.
She fell to the floor, grabbing at theprotective gear. “Shit. That hurts.” Satisfied she was still alivedespite the pain, she kicked out, sent the guy’s pistol flying, andjacked to her feet. She planted her boot on his chest, lifting herBeretta.
Who lives?Him or me. I choose me.Bang.
Thorn took out another shooter. He shiftedto his human form, bloody and naked. His golden eyes sought atarget.
Sabine and Nico guarded the door, firing offrounds while they dodged bullets flying into the lab.
Denim’s gaze flicked toward a steel table.Ram was strapped to it, his chest flayed open, his body still. Anolder man in a suit tapped a gun barrel to his skull.
Bile rose from Denim’s stomach when shedidn’t see the satyr breathe. She had to believe he was alive orfall to the floor, a puddle of ineffective soldier.
“I’ll kill him.” The man’s hand was steady,his thin lips curled into a snarl, his finger on the trigger. Hewas as Skyler had described Dante.
“I can’t see if Ram’s breathing.” Denimshouted to anyone who’d listen.
A dust devil started small, swirling at herfeet. It grew stronger, tearing her hair from its ponytail,whipping it around her. While the storm’s circle widened, debrisfunneled throughout the room. Beakers and test tubes shattered.Papers whirled like a blizzard in winter. Airborne metal embeddedinto walls.
A bolt of lightning struck a counter, sparksshooting from one wall to another. Thunder rattled the foundation.Dax grabbed a table and rolled with it. Nico and Sabine clutchedthe doorjamb, the nymph’s feet leaving the ground. Thorn flattenedhimself to the floor, gripping a desk leg. Ram’s out-of-controlgurney wheeled around the room, the man with the gun hanging ontothe edge.
When Dante lost his grip on the cart, hisweapon waved in his hand while shots pinged wildly off cabinets,carts, doorframes.
Caught in Denim’s whirlwind, junk continuedto roil. A shard of ragged metal lodged in Dante’s neck. In orderto stay the flow of blood with his hand, he dropped his gun.
In the eye of her own tempest, Denim stalkedtoward him. She was an untamed force of nature, her hair swirlingaround her head, her eyes stormy, lightning sparking from herfingers.
She forced Dante’s hand from his neck,dispatching deadly jolts of lightning into his arm. Kicking his gunaway, she willed the squall to calm. Though the air stilled, theresidual energy pinged from steel table to table.
Dax rose, wiping dust off his leathers.Thorn pushed off the floor while Nico checked Sabine for injuries.Ram’s cart stopped rocking and rolling.
Denim unfisted Dante’s shirt, letting himfall to the concrete while she rushed to Ram’s side. No pulse. “Geta healer,” she screamed, trying to tuck the satyr’s parts backinside, trying to piece his flesh together.
Dax and Thorn pulled alongside her at thecold, sterile slab. Sabine and Nico continued their watch at thedoorway, firing into the courtyard occasionally.
A healer rushed inside and pushed Denimaside to work on Ram. She did a much better job of re-arranging hisorgans, re-aligning his split chest, and laying some quick stitchesto his flayed skin. She touched the area of his heart. His bodyjerked. Again. His hips popped off the table.
Denim was helpless. She could do nothing tohelp Ram.
The healer shook her head.
“Again, damn it,” shouted Denim, her loudplea sounding rattled. She grabbed Ram’s hand, squeezing tight. “Donot give up, satyr. You promised Jonquil you’d be home.”
The healer zapped him once more. This time,she nodded. “I’ve got a weak pulse.” She faced hisfrerons.“This is a temporary patch. It’ll last until we get him to themedical center. I need to wake him.” She touched his temple.
Ram’s lashes fluttered.
“That’s a nasty cut, man.” The claw marks onThorn’s jaw twitched. “Kinda goes from sternum to navel.”
“Waited for you.” Ram’s lids dropped like anapping cat.
