Page 57 of Levi

LEVI

Levi could tell that Hannah was still reeling from the encounter with her mother, but he also knew that she would be itching for some action to work out her feelings … whatever those feelings might be. As for himself, Levi had never felt so alive. They had left the car some distance away and crept through the empty suburbs and vacant lots to reach the Lincoln facility, and now they were almost there.

He expected fear to hit him sooner or later. After all, he’d never done anything like this before. What he felt, however, was strength, power, and confidence. As they crept through the dark streets toward the well-lit facility, he could feel his senses sharpening with the rise of adrenaline in his veins.

“Hold up,” Hannah whispered. “Even though this place is out of the way, it’s very well guarded. It also looks like it has very modern security. How are we going to get in?”

Levi was tempted to say he’d tear the doors off with his bare hands, but as soon as the thought flitted through his mind, he smiled at his own ridiculous confidence. His body was practically singing with alpha hormones, and he knew he couldn’t lose his intelligence in exchange for strength.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She raised her eyebrows at him, but he nodded, encouraging her to speak. He might be feeling like he should be on top now, but this was her area … she had the experience where he did not.

“The main entrance is a no-go,” she said, motioning with her head. “It’s well guarded. The back will be the same. We need to find a service door, somewhere that workers pop outside for a smoke or whatever.”

He nodded. “Good idea. So, we circle the place?”

“Yeah. Keep your head down and watch the wind. I don’t want our scent blowing to those guards at the doors.”

“Right,” he muttered, slipping through the shadows with the grace of the cat he now embodied. They stayed on the surrounding streets while circling the massive facility, then darting in close to check out possible entry points.

After they were almost all the way around, Levi began to feel like there wouldn’t be a service door. When he spied a high vent, he had an idea.

“Hannah, can we use that?” he gestured with his head.

She nodded, putting a finger to her lips to warn him there could be guards nearby. Levi was going to ask how they would reach the vent when Hannah leapt up, her fingers digging into the edge of the grate.

She braced her feet on the wall, then opened the vent with one hand and slipped inside. Levi grinned and shook his head. He hurried over to the wall and leapt up the same way Hannah had, surprised when he made it to the grate with one jump. He met Hannah inside, and they began to crawl slowly through the duct.

They hadn’t gone far when they hit a manhole. Hannah took a good look around underneath, then eased the grate up, so it didn’t make any noise. She dropped down, her feet almost completely silent on the smooth floor. Levi followed.

Hannah looked from side to side, trying to figure out which hallway to take. Levi nodded toward one on the right, and Hannah shrugged. He didn’t know why, but he had a strong feeling that it was the right way.

As they moved in tandem through the shadows, they kept each other covered and advanced steadily. Levi couldn’t help smiling as he felt the bond between them making some kind of magic in the air. They truly were meant to be … their bodies were tuned to each other, even in this stressful environment.

Maybe because of it.

They had moved through the facility undetected for some time before they came to an open concrete area. Hannah cursed softly.

“This is a garage or an equipment dock,” she muttered. “We’ve come the wrong way.”

“No, you didn’t, little puppy,” a mocking voice echoed out from the shadows. Suddenly, lights snapped on, and Levi and Hannah were momentarily blinded as they tried to find the source of the voice.

“Joe,” Levi growled as he saw the shifter across the other side of the garage. There were three massive lions stalking toward them, and Joe walked casually behind them, grinning at Hannah and Levi the same way he would at tasty prey.

“You two just don’t know when to quit, do you?” Joe said smoothly. “I’m so glad you came. The boys and I get awfully hungry.”

The three lions roared as they kept advancing. Levi only had eyes for Joe as his minions advanced. He could feel the tiger within him setting fire to his blood, an animalistic rage that would not be quelled until he had vanquished his foe.

“Don’t worry, babe,” Hannah said. “I got this.”

Before Levi could speak, Hannah shifted and tore into the first lion with a powerful shake of her massive head. She had moved so quickly that she tore the lion’s throat out with one strike and leapt back, ready for the other two. Both of them pounced at the same time and tumbled across the room, fighting with Hannah.

Levi didn’t take his eyes off Joe’s while he shifted. When his cat fully took over, the roar that echoed through him was monstrous and seemed to make the walls shake. Joe roared back. Even though Joe was powerful and confident, Levi sensed that he didn’t have the power to rival his own.

He charged and sprang, putting all his effort into a massive leap that would allow him to get his claws deep into Joe’s ribs. The lion twisted under him at the last second and managed to run away and leave a deep gash on his flank in the process.

The tiger and the lion circled each other, snarling. Levi heard Hannah cry out sharply and almost turned his head to look at her, losing focus. Joe took the opportunity to dart in and cut him right across the face. It wasn’t deep, but it did sting.

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