“I got your back. Trust.”
Sienna did what I said. I glanced behind me to make sure she faced the door. “Don’t turn around,” I said. “No matter what, don’t turn around.”
Momma Jo threw her spear.
I ducked and leapt, knocked her onto the ground.
I couldn’t even enjoy ripping her flesh. There were many others to finish off. I would make it fast for them and for me, because I was pretty sure this would haunt me. I’d killed many males and never blinked an eye, but females were different, softer, weaker in body than males, and I’d never hurt one. Until now.
I mauled, bit, snapped, sliced, but didn’t feast even though I was hungry, even though I wanted to. The last one twitched under me, and her blood spilled onto my tongue. I lapped it up, my tongue working over her jugular the only sound in the room.
I lifted my head and looked around.
Bodies.
Bodies covered in deflated balloons.
Blood.
A few weak cries.
They wouldn’t last long.
No survivors.
The chemicals had cleared out. I breathed more easily, and the air didn’t sting my eyes as much as it had immediately after the initial attack. I speculated the half-life of the chemical was short and that was why the women had acted quickly. They knew it would last only so long and serve as a distraction.
I limped over to Sienna. Good girl. She’d stayed on the floor, her nose pressed under the door to catch the fresh air from outside. I gritted my teeth, terrified to check if she was alive. I sort of stood there, frozen, unsure if I wanted to check.
“Torrent?”
I exhaled a breath.
“Torrent?”
“Yeah, uh-huh. I’m here.” I didn’t recognize my voice. Like gravel got stuck in my throat.
“Is it over yet?”
“It’s over.”
“Did Hasel make it?”
I glanced behind me. The old female’s eyes stared at the ceiling. Something in my chest squeezed my heart. “Maybe,” I lied to my mate. “We gotta get out of here.”
“The door is locked.”
“Gotta find a way out.” I banged three times with my fist. Solid wood, maybe reinforced with metal like the one in Community Three. This meant that if I were not missing a leg and had Jamie and Vice with me, we might be able to break the door. Frustrated, I banged twice more, then glanced at the east and west exits. I presumed those had been blocked off too, but the doors would be easier to break. Why hadn’t I thought of it earlier? I couldn’t think straight. My mate was here in the middle of mayhem, and my brain didn’t think right. It thought only of killing everything that threatened her.
Click.
I glanced at the door.
Sienna opened her mouth, but I put my palm over it, then pointed to the left. She nodded. We pressed our bodies against the wall. When the door swung, it would hide us.
The door swung. I put her body between me and the wall and crouched, ready.
Soft footsteps sounded, but the door blocked my view.
I widened my arms, muscles prepared for a leap, lips peeled back.
“Momma?” Cole said.
“It’s better if you stay outside,” a man answered him.
“Momma?”
“Get away from here!”
I heard fast steps hitting sand. Cole had run off, but the man stayed.
He walked farther down the sanctuary hall, and I could only see his back. He wore boots, jeans, and a black T-shirt. He looked around, then reached into his pocket and got something. I released a warning growl, and the man froze.
“Daddy?” Sienna said.
Chapter Twenty-One
Torrent
To hell with me. With that one word, Daddy, the way her heart must’ve leapt at the sight of him, the way she’d said it, I knew I’d lost her. Forever. There stood her number one. The man who cared for her, loved her unconditionally, the man who’d alleged himself to be with us, his mortal enemy, if it meant he’d keep his girl safe. I was jealous and happy for her at the same time.
The man froze, then turned his head to the side so I could see his profile. He didn’t glance back. “S…Sienna.”
“Yeah, Daddy, it’s me.”
He cleared his throat. Choked up. Cleared it again, then he spun around, a big grin splitting his face. It was out of place for this night. I didn’t think he cared about the bodies. He’d finally gotten his kid back. And she was safe and as beautiful as the day I saw her by the lake.
I expected her to run to him, forget about me completely, so he’d take her back home. That was all Sienna wanted. For her dad to find her so they could return home and move on with their secluded lives.
The moment he saw me, the grin disappeared from his face. Cold gray eyes locked with mine, and then he whipped out a shotgun from his waist. Steady and calm, he approached us and put the barrel between my eyes. “Torrent, is it?”