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KAELIN

I yanked my hand away from the button.

Both Vetticus and I whirled at the sound of the door. Relief washed through me when I saw Theron standing there. He looked like a demon straight from hell. He was covered in blood—literally covered in it. He slouched against the doorframe as though it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. But the fire and rage in his eyes was beyond this world. It was searing in its intensity and I momentarily forgot how to breathe altogether.

“Just the man I was hoping to see!”

Vetticus said.

Theron lunged for Vetticus and I stood up from the chair so fast, it tipped over behind me. Vetticus and Theron collided. Theron managed a few quick hits before Vetticus threw him into the bank of computer monitors, sending it all crashing to the ground. While Theron struggled to get back to his feet, Vetticus tried to get to me. He grabbed my arm but I managed to get a punch to his jaw and Theron dragged him bodily away from me.

“Go!”

Theron shouted.

I froze at the doorway. It was obvious he was in bad shape, even though he didn’t look any less dangerous. I wanted to help but I didn’t want to be another weakness or a distraction for him.

“Kaelin, go!”

Theron barked again.

I internally cursed then climbed over a fallen table to grab a gun and a tablet as I ran out the door. The last thing I saw was Theron take Vetticus to the ground with a knife in his hand.

I raced through the hallway and found myself in an empty sitting room. I pulled open a screen on the tablet. If I couldn’t help Theron by being there with him, I’d find another way. I quickly began the process of transferring control of the drones to the tablet. It was difficult on a touch screen and painfully slower than I was used to. I was still breathing heavily, my adrenaline out of control and every creak and sound around me made me jump. The loading bar appeared on the screen, initializing the transfer to the tablet.

“Come on,”

I muttered as it inched its way to one hundred percent.

I heard movement at the door and saw two guards pop around the corner. I dropped the tablet. I didn’t have time to pull my own gun so I threw myself at them, barely avoiding a gunshot to the face. I knocked the gun away, dragged his wrist around and shot his friend. The guard landed a hit that dazed me and shoved me hard into the wall. My vision dimmed dangerously.

I drew my gun and turned, only to have it batted away and barely deflected a knife as it swung towards me. I avoided him stabbing me in the neck, only to block and have him stab me in the side. We locked together—his larger size forcing me backwards and the pain took my breath away. My gun was useless trapped between us. He shoved the knife in further with a snarl, his breath hot in my face.

I headbutted him savagely, gaining just enough space to bring my gun up to shoot him in the thigh. He stumbled back, taking the knife with him. With a hiss of pain, I leveled the gun at his face and pulled the trigger.

In my anger, I unloaded the clip into him. The memory of the forest with Vandal suddenly the only thing on my mind. All I could see was him, feel his hands on me and hear his voice in my ear. With a cry of rage, I fell on the guard. I grabbed the knife that he’d stabbed me with and viciously drove it into him over and over again. All that existed was blood and fury and all of the pent up rage I still didn’t know I had. It all needed to go somewhere.

My breath came in wheezing gasps and my arms gave out. Chest heaving, I leaned heavily over the bloody mess of a body I was straddling, nausea coming up strong when I looked down at my handiwork.

“Kaelin.”

I scrambled off the guard and grabbed my gun, leveling it at the door. I lowered it when I saw it was Graham and Lachlan. I closed my eyes in relief and picked myself up off the floor.

“Are you okay?”

Graham asked, looking me over with concern.

I grabbed my side as the movement jarred the stab wound.

“I’m fine,”

I ground out.

I stumbled across the room to where I’d dropped the tablet and picked it up. The status bar said one hundred percent and the interface for the drone controls appeared. I typed in some commands, my hands bloody and shaking.

“Are you sure?”

Lachlan asked. “I really hope that’s all his blood.”

I didn’t have the breath to answer. I heard the rip of fabric tearing, but I wasn’t paying attention until the pain of the stab wound flared violently.

“Jesus—”

I hissed. Graham had come up and pressed the bandage to my side. I cursed viciously again, glaring at him briefly as he finished tying it off.

“I’m not having you bleed to death on me,”

Graham said dryly. The hum of drones filled the air and Lachlan and Graham turned quickly, ARs raised as they swarmed into the room.

“It’s okay—they’re mine,”

I said. I looked up with a smirk of satisfaction, then typed in a few more commands, grouping a swarm outside on the grounds. “I’m in control now.”