Wicked Burn

  “Tied up in the second-story lab,” Logan said. “I tossed my knife at the security guard, so they should be free soon.”

  “I hit nine-one-one on the phone before tackling that demon out the window,” Garrett said, poking at a purple bruise on his left cheekbone.

  Sirens trilled in the distance.

  “Good job,” Talen said. “Cara? Call Emma and ask her where we should send those samples now. This lab has been compromised. How the demons found it, I’d sure as shit like to know.”

  “Me too.” She tugged her cell phone from her back pocket and quickly texted a message to her sister. “We have five more labs in the area that we could use, but that one had the best facility, I think.”

  “Stupid purists,” Logan muttered, resting his head back on the seat. “What’s the big deal, anyway?”

  Cara swallowed. “Are you two sure you’re all right?”

  “Yes,” they both said.

  Talen tensed, looking out the back window as he drove rapidly past high-rise buildings. “Good. We have a problem.”

  Cara turned to look through the back window to see a black truck eating up the distance between them. Her frontal lobe began to ache. “Demons,” she whispered.

  Talen kept an eye on the truck as well as upcoming alleys. If the demons had waited for them, then surely the bastards had a trap already set in place. “Everybody armed?”

  “I gave my gun to Garrett.” Cara fumbled in the glove box and drew out a new purple prototype. “Whoa. What’s this?” She turned the sleek gun over in her hand, her finger inching down the barrel.

  “New gun the wolves have been working on,” Talen said. “It’s a laser that turns to bullets upon impacting flesh, but these are supposed to explode at that point. Like a hollow point.”

  Her eyes widened. “Cool.” She hit the button to roll down her window and visibly stiffened in preparation.

  “Relax your body, baby,” Talen said, jerking the wheel around another high-rise building and almost careening right into a huge crane. Fucking construction. There were several cranes in the area, all surrounding at least three half-finished high-rise buildings. “The more relaxed you are, the better the aim. Deep breaths.”

  She nodded and blew out air. “I remember.”

  “Wanna trade guns?” Garrett asked, hope in his voice.

  “Not a chance. Purple exploding gun is mine,” Cara said with way too much anticipation.

  Where was the trap? The truck kept on their ass but didn’t make a move to intercept. Talen drove around the construction zone on high alert.

  A low-flying black helicopter suddenly zoomed around the nearest crane.

  “Shit.” Talen yanked the wheel to the left just as the helicopter opened up fire. Bullets impacted the pavement and crane, flashing sparks in every direction. “Hold on,” he yelled, turning quickly into the partially finished parking garage at the base of the nearest high-rise.

  He slammed the accelerator to the floor. Steel beams, orange traffic cones, and boxes sped by in a blur. The Jeep jumped as he ascended through the parking area and screeched to a stop against the concrete block used for the central stairwell. “Out.”

  Everyone jumped out of the Jeep, and Talen looked around, quickly finding the door to the block. He grasped Cara’s arm and all but carried her inside. “Stay here until I come get you.”

  Garrett and Logan fanned out, both taking sniper positions toward the two entrances.

  Cara shoved against him. “Wait.”

  “No. Shoot anybody you don’t recognize.” Talen shut the door on her protest.

  He turned back and waited, his senses sweeping out.

  Vibrations. The helicopter. He gave hand signals to the boys, ordering them to stay in position and protect Cara. They gave twin nods, both well trained, suddenly looking like killers and not boys.

  He ran for the open area outside the concrete ceiling, turned, and jumped to grab the cement floor above. His hands caught and he swung over, rolling to stand. Wood, metal, and cables littered the ground, which was still open to the air. Columns rose in several areas, concrete and round, all with rebar sticking out the tops.

  The helicopter went high around the nearest building.

  Timing. It was all about timing. He rushed full-bore for the nearest yellow climbing frame to a huge crane, swung inside, and started running up the ladder as fast as he could.

  Thunder clamored, and the sun disappeared behind thick clouds. The first drop of rain hit his head as he went up, hand over foot, running up a ladder and trying not to look down. When he was at least fifteen stories up, he paused and set his ass against the heavy metal cage.

  Drawing his weapon from his waist, he set it on the opposite metal bar and waited.

  Chapter 8

  Cara crouched in the stairwell, her ears straining to hear anything. The cool air over her shirt sent chills through her body. While she understood taking cover was a good idea, especially so Talen could fight, the idea of waiting inside while her son was in danger made her fingers itch to shove open the door.

  The fact remained that she was human without immortal strength or speed, unlike Garrett, Logan, and Talen. Even so. Sitting and hiding didn’t set well with her. Plus, she had trained as much as possible during the last couple of decades.

  The weird pattering of gunfire came through the door, and she jumped to her feet.

  Slowly, she inched the door open.

  Logan and a demon fought hand to hand over by the entrance, their guns already on the floor and spinning away from them.

  Garrett ran between stacks of steel beams, firing both in front of and behind him, trying to angle around closer to Logan.

  Panic rippled through Cara. She held her breath and slipped from the safety of the stairwell, her gun out and her hand steady. She crept along the edge of the Jeep, letting it shield her. Slowly, she reached the rear bumper, crouched down, and waited.

  Garrett barreled out from behind the beams, and a demon leaped out from behind some huge round ducts, tackling him into concrete blocks. They fell hard, and at least two blocks split open. Another demon rounded the corner from behind Garrett, his gun pointed.

  Cara closed one eye, aimed, and fired.

  A purple beam shot out of her gun, zipped through the air, and slammed into the demon with the gun. He frowned, and his arm lowered. Pop! His shoulder exploded.

  He screamed, grabbed his arm, and dropped his gun. Blood spurted between his fingers and coated the cement in red. He turned and ran full-bore for the rough cement steps in the center of the area and quickly disappeared while going down.

  Garrett rolled the guy on the ground over and punched his face three times, really hard. Blood spurted up. The crunch of cartilage and bone cracking made Cara nauseated.

  Logan flipped his attacker over his shoulder and pile-drove him onto the floor. The guy passed out with a muffled roar, his face in the concrete, blood filling the area around his head. He might have twitched a few times.

  Cara stood and took inventory of both boys. They were bloody and bruised but both standing.

  Garrett shoved hair from his eyes, his chest panting. “Are you all right, Mom?”

  She nodded, gulping down bile. “Yes. Where’s your dad?”

  Garrett shook his head and jogged out from under the concrete, then looked away and up in the air. Rain instantly coated his hair and face, mingling with the blood on his chin.

  An arm slid around Cara’s neck and yanked her back. Her head instantly hurt, and her eyes stung. She tried to struggle, but the barrel of a gun pressed against her jugular. Where the hell had this guy been hiding?

  Logan strode toward her, his hands up, his gaze concentrated above her right shoulder. “You don’t want to do this, buddy. Trust me.”

  Garrett’s gaze swung down, and his entire being seemed to still. He moved toward them, his gaze dangerously intense. “Let her go, and I promise you, I won’t rip your fucking head off your body today.”

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sp; Cara shivered. She’d never seen her son in killing mode, and he was almost as frightening as his father. His metallic-gray eyes darkened to flint.

  The demon holding her jerked her tighter against his body. He seemed to be holding off on the demon mind attack for the moment, because she could still see. “Back off or I blow a bullet through her pretty neck.” Deep and hoarse, definitely a purebred demon voice.

  Garrett stalled and held up a hand for Logan to pause. “You have to know we’re not letting you take her. So let go, run, and we’ll see what happens next.” His fangs dropped.

  Cara angled her wrist around, trying to keep her grip on the gun. The demon pressed his leg against her hand, trapping it against her thigh. “Drop the weapon, lady.”

  She didn’t have much of a choice with his gun shoved into her neck. “Fine.” She relaxed her body, waited until his hold lessened, and then tossed the gun toward Garrett. It clattered across the concrete and finally came to a stop a foot away from him. He smiled.

  The demon stiffened. “Move for that gun, and I’ll take her out.”

  Garrett studied him, edging left while Logan went right. “I don’t think so. You need her alive, right?”

  “Nope. Just need her, period. They can do as many tests on a corpse as on a live chick, if you ask me.” The demon dragged her toward the exposed part of the level. The overhead concrete disappeared, and rain dropped down on them.

  Cara blinked away rain and tried to find an opening to fight as the boys stalked them, their steps even and in sync. “This is silly,” she whispered. “You can’t halt progress. The virus may not even negate mating bonds for still-living immortals.”

  The demon shrugged. “Don’t care about halting or progress. You’re just a job to me, lady.”

  Fantastic. Demon mercenaries. She tried again. “You don’t understand. There’s no new information to be gained from testing me. Just take the samples, and you’ll know everything the Realm knows.”

  “My job is to take you, so I’m taking you.” The demon’s boots scraped over rocks as he moved.

  Logan cleared his throat. “My brother is Zane Kyllwood, the leader of the demon nation. We are now aligned with the Realm, and I can assure you, he takes that seriously.”

  “So?” the guy hissed.

  “So? Well, now. You’re a demon, and he takes that kind of thing seriously, as well. He really won’t like demons attacking the Realm, especially his mate’s mother.” Logan shrugged. “You know that you’re holding a gun to Zane’s mother-in-law, right?”

  The demon audibly swallowed. “I don’t give a shit.”

  Logan shook his head, his body tense and ready to strike. “Believe me, you don’t want Zane on your ass.”

  “I’m not afraid of some vampire-demon breed, boy.” The demon shoved the gun harder against Cara’s neck, and pain lanced through her throat. Tears filled her eyes, and she had to fight to keep from crying out.

  Logan’s chin lowered, and his green eyes darkened to almost black. “Now, that just isn’t nice.”

  Garrett edged to the side. “Let her go.”

  The rain increased in force and pinged off the concrete.

  “Get back,” the demon said, jerking his head toward the enclosed part of the construction. “Get out of the way. The helicopter is going to touch down here.”

  Cara tried to eye the area. Sure, it was big and flat, but building materials littered the entire ground. There wasn’t a decent place to land. She ran through self-defense techniques she’d learned. If the demon would just move the gun a little, she could take her chance.

  The hum of the rotors competed with the driving rain, and the black helicopter seemed to glide around the nearest completed building, a hotel with blue windows. She blinked water from her eyes, unable to move her arm to wipe her face. While she couldn’t move her head, her gaze caught Garrett’s as he looked over and up. His eyebrows rose.

  She tried to swallow around the gun at her throat and glanced toward the long ladder part of a yellow crane. A flash caught her eye. She lifted her gaze and bit back a gasp. Talen was halfway to the top, at least ten stories above them, aiming a gun at the helicopter. His concentration was absolute, and his face was set in fierce lines.

  He fired.

  The green laser ripped through the front windshield of the helicopter and hit the pilot. He fell forward, blood coating the window. The helicopter jerked up and spun around. A man holding a long machine gun fell out the open side door and yelled, plunging stories down to the ground several floors beneath them. The crash when he hit the ground reverberated up.

  The helicopter continued to swing around and around, emitting an odd whine. The tail swung toward the yellow crane ladder, and Cara screamed.

  Talen’s eyes widened, and holding on to the sides, he jumped away from the steps. He pummeled toward the ground like he was attached to some odd zip line, his knees up toward his chest.

  Cara’s entire body shook, and she gagged.

  “Stop it,” the demon said, jerking her.

  The helicopter’s tail smashed into the yellow cage. The impact was deafening, and the entire building seemed to rock.

  Talen fell with a loud roar, hitting the cement and rolling. He came up, his fangs flashing.

  Thank God. He was okay. Cara’s knees wobbled.

  The helicopter whirled around and dropped, disappearing from sight. It crashed hard, and fire flew up to flare hot and bright before dropping. Another clatter echoed from down below. Smoke and debris burst up and then cascaded down with the rain.

  Talen ran toward them, blood on his face, his eyes swirling with fury. Barrels were tossed out of his way along with several pieces of rebar. He reached Garrett and stopped. His gaze ran over Cara, head to toe, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. Then he turned his attention to the demon. “Looks like you lost your ride.”

  The demon tightened his hold and backed away. “I have insurance.” A wave of pain emanated from him in the form of a mind attack, dark and sharp.

  Cara winced, and dots danced across her eyes.

  Logan held up a hand, and the demon’s head jerked back.

  The pain receded from Cara’s brain, and her vision cleared. Wow. Logan had completely halted the mind attack. But not without cost. His body was one rigid line, and blood dripped from his nose, but his green eyes focused and didn’t blink once.

  Cara took a deep breath. “Let me go, and I won’t let them kill you.”

  “No.” The demon shuddered and backed away. “Come with me, and I won’t kill you.”

  She tried to dig her tennis shoes into the wet concrete, but he easily dragged her toward the rough stairs.

  Rain slashed down around them, but his hold didn’t weaken.

  The three soldiers tracked them, keeping spread out, their gazes intent.

  Cara allowed her body to relax. They reached the stairs. The demon moved quickly, sliding an arm beneath her chin and cutting off her air. He then pointed the gun at Talen.

  Finally. Cara instantly pivoted into the demon, loosening the hold on her neck. She shoved one knee up into his groin and punched him full-on in the eye.

  He howled and stepped back.

  She finished with a one-two kick to the chin. His head snapped back, and he fell, rolled, and came up firing.

  Garrett tackled her out of the way just as Talen dodged forward and knocked the gun from the demon’s hand. With a roar that sounded much more animalistic than vampiric, Talen lifted the demon by the armpits, swung around, and threw him down to the next floor.

  Cara lifted her head and then pushed up to sit. She looked over the edge. The demon had landed on several prongs of rebar that now stuck up from his neck and various points of his body. Blood gurgled from his mouth.

  Garrett helped her up. “We have to go. Now.”

  Talen nodded and reached her in long strides. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded and tried to shake out her hand. The demon’s head had been like rock.

&
nbsp; “Good.” Talen ran a knuckle down her neck, anger pouring off him.

  “Got the guns,” Logan said, jogging up with his hands full.

  Talen nodded, taking Cara’s hand. He turned and led the way, tapping his ear communicator as they ran down the stairs. “Kayrs 45738 calling in. Backup no longer needed, but we require a cleanup crew. With a truck for a downed helicopter.” He hustled to the SUV and opened the passenger-side door. “We also need safe haven for the night . . . get me a secured location.”

  Cara slid inside. “Talen, I—”

  “We’ll talk later, mate.” He ran around to jump into the driver’s side and gunned the engine as the boys leaped into the backseat. “Let’s get to safety, sweetheart.”

  Chapter 9

  It was supposed to be a time of peace, damn it. Talen finished scrubbing off blood and cement in the dark-tiled shower, his anger nearly splitting open his head. The secured location was the penthouse of an exclusive hotel, and after Cara had showered, he’d taken some time for himself.

  When he’d seen the demon with a gun at her head, he’d nearly lost his mind. A gun. At her head.

  They hadn’t spoken while finding the hotel and reaching the penthouse. He finished his shower and dressed in old jeans and a black T-shirt that he’d had in his bag for Hawaii. Taking a quick inventory, he determined any injuries he’d sustained in the fight had already healed.

  Unfortunately, his temper had not.

  He stalked out of the bathroom to find his mate on the bed, pale and plucking at a thread on the bedspread. “Are you in pain?” he asked, trying to sense any vibrations from her.

  “No.” She lifted those stunning blue eyes. “Are you?”

  He shook his head. Three sharp raps came from the main door in the other room. Grabbing his gun from the bedside table, he hustled out to the main living room of the penthouse, where Garrett and Logan already waited, guns at the ready. Both boys had showered and thrown on jeans and button-down shirts.

  He nodded for Garrett to open the door.

  A hulking vampire stood waiting, his stance casual while wearing flak boots, a black jacket, and cargo pants no doubt stuffed with weapons.