100
He stopped and squinted at her. “Uh, no.”
“Then leave it. It’s more of a liability in an untrained hand. Let’s go,” she glanced outside and darted to the left.
As annoyed as he was, he had to admit she was right. He’d probably shoot his foot or worse, his rescuer.
With a frown, Nate rushed after her.
-=-
Henry inspected the building to find the light’s power source. He finally had to admit it was futile. He made his way to the bushes a short distance from the dock where the yacht was. He saw Camila fighting with another woman. He couldn’t see Marisa and his nerves were buzzing with worry. He jumped when his phone rang suddenly. He pressed the answer button and looked around, but he was alone. He put it to his ear. “Hello?”
“Henry! Where are you?” Roy barked.
“Oh thank god, Roy! Camila is fighting her. You have to get here! Quick!”
“Where. Are. You!”
“Liberty Landing Marina!” Henry blurted.
“Yes but where?”
“Oh! About halfway down the field between the two entrances to the parking lot!” Henry said, his heart in this throat as he saw Camila get knocked back but score a slash across the cheek of the Marquise causing her to reel back.
The phone went dead, and a large SUV pulled into the parking lot with a screech. Henry began to move to it but ducked back when the driver got out and quickly crossed over to the passenger side. It wasn’t Roy. The driver was a tall and slim, dark-skinned woman. She opened the passenger’s door and reached in.
She hauled another woman out of the car and hoisted her over her shoulder. Blonde hair fell forward, and Henry made a noise of surprise as it looked like Sandy. He moved to step out of his cover and hands pulled him back, making him squeak in surprise.
“Henry! Quiet!” Siobhan hissed quietly.
He turned to her in relief then found himself flying back to crash down on the paved parking lot. He dropped the tire iron which slid away into the darkness. His head and shoulders took a heavy blow, dazing him. When he could see straight, he noticed the blonde was laying on her back on the grass. He looked back towards the bushes and saw the woman had her hands around Siobhan’s throat and had her off the ground, choking her out. He was on his feet running for them unsteadily before he knew what he was doing. The woman dropped Siobhan and spun, clubbing him on the side of his face. He cartwheeled into the bushes. She hit like a truck. From his new vantage point on the ground on the other side of the bushes, he saw the woman stop and watch the fight on the dock. She started to move in that direction.
He could hear Siobhan coughing, but Camila and Marisa were in danger now. He couldn’t take this woman as Henry the human. She was just too strong. He pushed himself to his feet again and dropped the glamor. He was grateful for the cloak covering his larger body. He straightened the cowl over his horns to hide them as he began to run towards the woman. She heard the thud of his hooves and spun to face him. He leapt forward and wrapped his arms around her squeezing her against his chest.
Searing pain lanced through his shoulder as she sank her fangs into his thick muscles. Terrified, he ran into one of the light standards and crashed right through it, tearing it from its base. The woman in his arms took the impact across the back of her head and her bite loosened. Henry continued to charge forward and took out the next two light standards as well, each smashing into the woman’s skull. He found himself running back towards the dock. His shoulder was screaming in pain, and he was wobbling on his hooves, but the woman had gone limp in his arms, and he didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, he crashed through the door of the gatehouse and collided with the guard who sailed off the dock into the water. He dropped the body of the woman. Her mouth covered in his blood, she bounced off the side of the ramp and rolled off the dock into the water.
Henry was still moving forward, but his brain was no longer driving. The lights around him went out, but the spots dancing in front of his eyes made him swat at them as he careened forward.
He was a runaway train, and the tracks were running out.
-=-
Camila was approaching exhaustion. The older Succubus looked spent as well as Camila had landed some damaging blows. Camila had managed to avoid deep injuries, but she couldn’t keep it up. Roy needed to get here soon. Or Sigrid. Even in her weakened state, Oletha was too deadly for Marisa to fight.
They were taking a momentary breather, assessing each other for weaknesses and Oletha knew she was wearing Camila down. She smiled. Her endurance was phenomenal, but then Camila’s ability to go toe to toe with the much older Succubus was impressive as well.
“We could have been allies. I would have made you my second in command,” Oletha sighed.
“The second seat in Hell is still Hell,” Camila said.
There was a loud crash back on shore, and both risked a glance to see one of the lights fall. Then a second and a third.
Oletha was no longer smiling. She knew this wasn’t one of hers. Then the gatehouse exploded into pieces, and someone large in a hooded cowl was charging down the dock. He dropped the woman he was carrying, and they caught a glimpse of her bloody face as she bounced off into the water.
Camila saw Oletha’s shock at seeing the woman fall and chose that moment to make her last all-out effort. She leapt past the Marquise and raked her across the eyes, blinding her. The lights on the dock suddenly shut down as Camila fell into the back of one of the parked boats and crashed up against the inner wall, utterly spent. She looked back to see if Oletha was dropping on her for the kill. But instead, she saw Henry slam Oletha down against the dock and charge over her, one of his heavy hooves cracking her skull open like a grape as he stumbled by.
But he wasn’t stopping.
-=-
There were two guards with guns by the back of the ship, and they were well and truly spooked, shooting at everything. Sigrid had to change course, and they ended up in the upper bridge which was empty. Sigrid spotted surveillance screens showing scenes from the bedroom Nate had occupied. She tore the hard drives from the computers and drove her sword through them. That would be sufficient for clearing them.
“We’re on the top deck! How do we escape from here?” Nate growled.
“I have wings so I might be able to glide us down to the dock but suppressing the light and flying is too draining. Carrying you as well would be impossible. I’m too damn visible otherwise.,” Sigrid said.
Nate looked at her nervously. “I have wings too, but I’ve never flown with them.”
“No time like the present. Start by gliding and if it isn’t working too well, drop into the water,” Sigrid suggested.
“Shit,” Nate cursed softly tugging his shirt and pants off, leaving his underwear. His shoes and socks were missing. Then he allowed himself to change.
Sigrid watched him unfold his wings with wide eyes. “You should have no trouble gliding down.” He felt a little better about that. Their attention was suddenly drawn to the lamp posts on shore being knocked down.
“That’s got to be Roy.” She looked at Nate in relief, “The cavalry in other words. They’re a little fierce to look at, but they are all great people-”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
They froze in surprise when the gatehouse exploded then Sigrid saw who it was. “Oh my god! That’s Henry! He’s hurt!” Then everything went dark as the power feed died for the dock and ship. Emergency lights flicked on just as the yacht shuddered from a large impact.
Sigrid was out the door and over the railing in a split second. Wings snapped out in all their blinding glory for the second it took for her to glide down to the doc.
Nate was right behind her, holding his clothes tight against his chest. His descent was slower than Sigrid’s, so he landed midway along the dock. He closed his aching wings. That was fun, if painful.
He saw he was pretty close to Oletha’s dead body. As much as he despised her, he couldn’t look at her this way. It was too brutal and final.
Siobhan raced past him, then he was facing a huge fanged beast.
“You must be Nate,” it rumbled, and he just nodded.
“ROY! HELP US!” Siobhan yelled before leaping into the water after Henry.