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Mila

“Maybe you’re not so precious,” Dave said, stalking close to her and Bec. “It’s several minutes after midnight, and he hasn’t shown up. Leave it to some woman to fuck up all my plans.”

Mila didn’t point out that she wasn’t a willing part of his plans and would like nothing better than to see everything go wrong for Dave and his men. She kept quiet and stared at the floor between them.

“Please,” Barb said, pulling Dave’s attention away from Mila. “We’re all innocent. My husband is seriously ill, and my daughter is a naive, sweet girl. If you let us go, we won’t tell anyone about this place.”

“No one is innocent,” Dave said. “All of you are guilty by association. Vampires are minions of Satan. Shifters are abominations. You people might be human, but you’re in league with evil. I come from a long line of hunters who—”

His self-righteous speech was cut off when a man near the truck yelled across the hangar.

“He’s here!”

“Raise the door,” Dave shouted back, rushing to the front of the hangar. The massive front door that took up the center third of the front wall lifted to reveal Gio standing there with a large duffle bag hanging off his shoulder.

He walked forward with both hands up. “I’m unarmed.”

Mila’s heart beat fast, and she looked over at Bec. Her friend nodded, it was now or never.

Before moving, Mila looked at Barb. “When things start happening, try to get Dad in the office.”

“What do you think you're doing?” Barb whispered, shaking her head. “Mila, don’t be stupid.”

Mila leveled her mom with an angry look, all the years of insults flashing through her mind in an instant. “According to all your little comments, it’s too late for that warning.”

She knew her parents loved her, but she could finally admit the relationship was one-sided and probably toxic. If they survived this, things were going to change.

Turning her back on her mom, Mila got to her feet and ran to the back of the hangar. Bec made her way in the same direction but veered to the table full of items.

Mila’s face still throbbed in pain from the punch and one of her eyes wasn’t focusing well. That couldn’t be good, but there was no point in worrying about it now.

“Drop the duffle and step back,” Dave ordered Gio. Mila spared a glance over to see Gio following instructions. She couldn’t believe he’d come alone. There were so many people in their life, how could he have—

All the lights suddenly went out. She stumbled in the dark, coming up hard against the back wall of the hangar.

Several of the men cried out in surprise, but back-up lights illuminated the large front door, casting weak light into the rest of the hangar.

In the split second the place was completely dark, Gio disappeared, leaving the duffle bag behind.

Dave stepped up to where Gio had been standing and turned in a tight circle. “I still have the girl! She dies if you don’t get back here!”

“Dave, the girls!” one of the men yelled. Someone noticed she and Bec weren’t sitting near Barb and James any longer. Mila saw her mom was still in the same spot next to James, but was staring at the partially open door to the office.

Good! Hopefully she’d follow instructions.

“Everyone except Billy, hold your position,” Dave yelled. “Billy, find those women.”

“I’ve got the smaller one!” someone yelled.

Mila crouched down to see one of the men with his arms around a struggling Bec.

Her first instinct was to rush to her friend's aid. Pushing that aside, she kept her focus on the truck. There wasn’t anyone in the driver seat, and Brad was cowering low in the passenger seat.

Grabbing a prybar laying on the floor with some other items, Mila rushed to the truck. She wrenched open the driver door and jumped in.

“What the fu—” Brad didn’t get a chance to finish his startled statement. Mila hit him as hard as she could with the prybar. She didn’t have a lot of room to swing, but it was enough to make Brad howl in pain.

She kept hitting him as he begged her to stop at the same time as he fumbled with the door. The moment he fell out of the truck, she turned her attention back to the task Bec had given her.

The keys were in the ignition and the thing started right up.

The man standing with the gun mounted in the back didn’t get a chance to do anything before she slammed the vehicle in drive and jammed the gas pedal to the floor.

The truck shot forward, right at the back wall.

The building was made mostly from sheet metal and the truck tore right through the wall, accompanied by the screech of metal.

What she didn’t know was that there was a narrow ditch right behind the hangar. The truck dived into it. The abrupt stop slammed her forward. Her poor abused face hit the steering wheel and pain exploded across her forehead.

If she survived tonight, her face was going to look like she went ten rounds with a combine harvester!

The door of the truck was pulled open and the man who’d been in the back grabbed her and pulled her out. She tried to grab the prybar, but it had skittered into the passenger foot well.

“You dumb bitch!” the guy cursed as he dragged her from the truck and back to the hangar. She stumbled and had a hard time staying on her feet. If the man hadn’t had a gun, she would've sat down and refused to move.

“She drove the truck into a ditch!” the guy yelled as he roughly pulled her to the front of the hangar where Dave was still standing near the bag.

Except now Dave was holding a gun to Bec’s head.

When Mila got close, he lowered the gun and shoved Bec to her knees.

Other than being dirty, Bec didn’t look hurt at all, only pissed.

Their plan hadn’t worked, but at least the men didn’t have that massive gun anymore. That had to be helpful, right?

Brad rushed up to them. “She hit me!”

He had a small scrape on his neck that wasn’t even bleeding and a few bruises while she was standing with narrowing vision in one of her eyes.

If she had more room to swing that crowbar she could’ve done more damage!

For a moment, she thought Dave would turn on her, but then he laughed in Brad’s face.

To everyone’s shock, he slapped Brad, sending the taller man to the ground. “Stop being a little bitch. We’re going to war.”

Mila couldn’t help it, she laughed. “That ground looks good on you,” she taunted Brad, then winced when pain radiated through her jaw.

Her comment made Dave laugh before he shoved her down next to Brad. “Watch her. If she gets away again, I’ll cut off your balls and hang them from my truck hitch.”

She kept her gaze on Brad as Dave walked away. She expected Brad to hurt her, but he totally ignored her and reached out for the duffle bag. Of course he was drawn to the money.

Bec moved to kneel next to her. “I’m sorry that didn’t work.”

“You couldn’t have known there would be a ditch,” Mila whispered. “It was a long shot anyway.”

As they whispered, Brad opened the bag. They watched his eyes go wide with surprise before he screamed and scuttled backwards.

A shiny emerald green snake slithered out of the duffle. The creature coiled on the ground next to the bag and seemed to be looking around. When the snake’s gaze settled on her and Bec, she could've sworn the creature looked relieved.

It uncoiled and slithered to them. Bec sucked in a sharp breath. “What kind of snake is that? Do you think it’s dangerous?”

Mila had no idea! It wasn’t like any snake she’d ever seen before.

As it got closer, it got larger. By the time it was circling them, the snake was massive.

It looked like it could’ve easily swallowed a moose!

The enormous creature circled its coils around them.

She and Bec had to sit close to avoid touching the creature's scaly sides, but the coils weren’t squeezing.

The snake lifted its large head high in the air and opened its mouth. “I've got the girls! They're safe!”

Bec’s mouth dropped open. “I’m dreaming,” she croaked, slumping down. “That snake went from being a few feet to as long as a big rig and thick as my car. Then it talked. This can’t be real.”

Mila cupped Bec’s cheeks, making the woman meet her gaze. “This is all real. Whoever this snake is must be a friend. They’re protecting us. Rescue is coming, don’t panic.”

Bec didn’t respond, she looked like she was in shock. Hopefully that meant she’d stay within the safety of the coils.

The sound of yelling and gunfire filled the air. Standing up, Mila could almost look over the serpent’s bulk. Jumping, she got her arms over the top of the snake's body, much like she and her siblings would get up on the neighbor's patient old horse.

Kicking her legs, she managed to pull herself up. Resting her chest on top of the snake, she had an excellent view of chaos.

Giant wolves were darting in and out of the shadows, avoiding gunfire and occasionally managing to drag a man into the darkness beyond. Several creatures that looked like a combination of lions and other animals were roaring and advancing through the hole she’d made in the back wall with the truck.

Suddenly the snake’s giant head was in front of her. She let out a meep of surprise, then he was nudging her back down into the coils. Once she was standing shoulder to shoulder with Bec again, the snake looked satisfied.

“Stay there,” he ordered. “I’m bullet resistant, you aren’t!”

“Thank you, Mr. Snake,” Bec said, then covered her mouth with her hand. “Did I really say that?”

“My name’s Danzig,” the snake said without a single sibilant word. “I’m not a snake, I’m a Jormungandr, a world serpent.”

Mila blinked up at Danzig. “Nice to meet you.”

“This is real,” Bec whispered, petting Danzig’s coil. “This can’t be real, but it is.”

“Trust me, I’m real,” Danzig said, his voice a little choked. “Please stop doing that, I’m sensitive there.”

Bec pulled her hand away with a horrified expression. “Sorry!”

“You’re welcome to stroke me later.” Danzig flicked out his tongue. “You smell good.”

Was Danzig flirting with Bec?

Suddenly his head lifted to look at something they couldn’t see. “Crap!”

Very much like a snake, he opened his mouth wide and two enormous fangs emerged.

His head shot down out of sight, and she heard a garbled scream.

She half expected Danzig’s head to reappear with human legs sticking out.

Thankfully, when she could see him again, there weren't any legs or gore on him, but he looked disgusted.

“Eww,” he said, spitting a few times. “Do these people not believe in soap?”

“Mila!”

The familiar sound of Gio's voice made Mila lift her arms and jump up, trying to wave over Danzig’s coils.

“I’m here!” she screamed. Gio appeared on top of Danzig’s coil, covered in blood. “Oh god, you’re hurt!”

“It’s not mine,” Gio said as he reached down and effortlessly lifted her by both hands onto Danzig’s coil. “Oh, your face! Will it hurt if I hug you, bellezza ?”

She answered by wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tight. His arms went around her, and he held her gently.

“That’s sweet, but not comfortable,” Danzig grumbled and the coil under them shifted. She gasped but didn’t have a chance to panic. Holding her close, Gio slid them down Danzig’s scales until his feet hit the ground with her cradled in his arms.

“You’re safe,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”

She thought he was assuring himself as much as her.

“Is she okay?” That was Carter, running up to them completely naked. He didn't stop until he was on her other side, wrapping his arms around her and Gio. Now she was cradled against both their chests.

It felt good.

“I’m so sorry,” Carter said. She felt something hot drip on her, and she pulled her head back to see that he was crying.

“Shhh, not your fault.” She cradled his face in her hands. It was awkward, but she was driven to soothe him.

“Your poor face!” he said, voice thick with tears. “If I’d been there, they wouldn’t have taken you and Bec. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt! You might have—”

“They had a plan,” Mila said. “They were going to find or make an opportunity to grab me. If not at the cliff, then maybe in the bathroom at the restaurant. We couldn’t have known I was being targeted."

The tears slowed, but she could tell it was going to be a while before Carter stopped blaming himself.

“I’m equally at fault,” Gio said. “There were rumors of tooth-pullers in the region banding together, but I ignored it. They’re usually opportunistic, and I’ve never heard of more than one or two working together. My arrogance almost got you killed.”

Mila dropped her hands from Carter’s face. She needed to be standing for this conversation. Thankfully being near the two men was already making her feel so much better. The throbbing in her face was minimal, and she was starting to be able to see out of her injured eye again.

“Put me down,” she demanded. With obvious reluctance, Gio set her on her feet.

“Mila, I’ll understand if—”

She interrupted him. “Don’t say you’ll understand if I want to leave.”

She took one of Gio’s hands in hers. When she reached for Carter’s hand, he was already presenting it. Warmth flowed between the three of them, giving her energy and strength.

She forced her face into a reassuring expression. “I’m not an idiot, so why would you think I’d blame you for any of this?”

Gio’s expression relaxed, and Carter’s shoulders sagged a little. She continued talking because this was important. “No one is to blame except Brad, Dave, and the men who followed him.”

“I promise, they’ll never be a danger to anyone ever again,” Gio said with deep satisfaction. She assumed they were all dead, but where had the bodies gone? Mila didn’t ask because she didn’t want to know.

“I wasn’t scared,” Mila lied. “I knew you’d rescue me.” That wasn’t a lie.

“Is that why you drove the truck through the back wall?” Carter teased.

“I was trying to help you guys out,” Mila said. “I would’ve been even more helpful if there hadn’t been a ditch.”

The men chuckled, but she could tell it was forced. At least she didn’t see deep guilt on their faces anymore.

“I need to check on my parents,” Mila said. “But after that, can we go home?”

The men crowded close, almost smothering her with their bodies and bathing her in their warmth. That was answer enough.