Darkness Rises(125)

A dart hit her in the neck.
Her knees instantly buckled and she hit the floor hard.
“Krysta!”
One tranquilizer dart shouldn’t have felled her like that. It should have only made her woozy. And he didn’t see any other darts sticking out of her.
Krysta!
She didn’t move. Didn’t respond to his shout. Just lay there like a corpse.
Étienne? Lisette said. What is it?
Krysta’s down!
He plowed through the soldiers, cutting as he went.
How could there still be so many?
Melanie burst through the door, zipped over, and knelt beside Krysta.
Either she had heard his mental shout or Lisette had told her Krysta needed help.
Étienne kept one eye on them as he battled the damned mercenaries.
Melanie yanked out the dart. “Listen to my thoughts,” she called over the racket. Can you hear me? she asked as she pressed two fingers to Krysta’s neck.
Yes. Something’s wrong. She was just hit with the one dart. She lost consciousness instantly.
Okay. Don’t panic. She’s alive.
That relieved him a little. Seeing Krysta drop like that had scared the hell out of him.
Melanie delved into a pocket, withdrew an autoinjector full of the antidote, flipped the lid, and jammed it against Krysta’s neck.
Nothing happened.
Bullets peppered Étienne’s chest.
Focus! David rebuked him. He and Seth must be listening in and monitoring the situation.
Étienne impaled the shooter. Dropping a sword, he grabbed the man’s automatic weapon and opened fire on the soldiers rushing toward Melanie and Krysta, still swinging his other sword at the soldiers closest to him.
More bodies sank to the floor.
Krysta’s eyelids fluttered, then lifted.
“Can you hear me?” Melanie asked her, leaning in close to draw eye contact and to be heard over the alarm and screams and sounds of battle.
Krysta nodded. Even from where he was, Étienne could see how sluggishly she responded.
“Can you move?”
Her hands twitched. Her feet, too. Slowly, she dragged her arms closer to her body. “Weak,” she whispered.
Melanie delved into her pocket again and took out another autoinjector.
Wait, Étienne said. He remembered Richart telling him Melanie had freaked out when Bastien had tested the antidote on himself because it was so strong it could kill an elephant. She had feared it might make his heart beat so fast that it would merely flutter instead of beating and cease pumping blood through his body.
Melanie ignored him, jamming the pen into Krysta’s arm.
Krysta gasped. Eyes widening, she jackknifed into a seated position, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths.
“Are you okay?” Melanie asked, taking her by the wrist.
Krysta nodded. “My heart is racing.”
“Any chest pain?”
“No.”
“Difficulty breathing?”
“I’m breathing kind of fast, but . . . I think I’m okay.”
“Let me know immediately if that changes for the worse.”
Krysta nodded and scrambled to her feet, picking up the swords she had dropped.
Melanie caught Étienne’s gaze. Tell the others the mercenaries have upped the dose. One dart will fell them so swiftly they won’t have time to use the antidote. Any immortal felled should be given the antidote twice. “You’re sure you’re okay?” she asked Krysta.
Nodding, Krysta leaped into the fray again, a big grin lighting her face. “I’m fine. Thank you!”
Melanie darted out the door.
Seth warned the others before Étienne had a chance.
Étienne jerked his head to the side just in time to avoid a dart.
Moments later, the last mercenary fell and Étienne raced forward to yank Krysta into his arms.
“I’m okay,” she muttered into his shirt.
He could feel how swiftly her chest rose and fell, heard her racing heart, and wasn’t so sure about that. “You’re practically panting.”
“What can I say? You turn me on,” she retorted.
“Don’t joke about this!” he snapped, tightening his hold on her.
“I’m sorry,” she said and leaned back. “I’m okay. Really. I think double the antidote is a little too strong, but I don’t feel like I’m dying or anything.”
“Forgive me. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“I know, honey. I really am okay. I actually feel . . . great.” And damned near danced in place, seeming unable to remain still. “Really juiced. Like I could . . . I don’t know . . . take out a helicopter or something.” Laughing, she tugged him toward the door. “Come on. Let’s go. We still have lots of ass to kick.”
Étienne steadied her when she nearly tripped over a body in her haste, then followed her outside.