259
Roy had come to the grim realization that he wasn’t going to be able to outlast Carl. The bastard’s energy reserves were too great, and Roy was running on empty.
He’d underestimated the impact of Carl’s Wild Magic evolution.
Sigrid’s pissing Carl off had helped, and Roy had scored a killing blow, but Carl’s mind had slipped into a feral state and continued to fight.
There would be two dead alphas on the cold cement floor tonight.
“Roy!”
He flicked his eyes over to Sigrid and Mary. They were both watching him with dread in their eyes. They knew he was done.
“Roy!”
He frowned. It wasn’t the ladies calling him. He felt a sudden warmth against his chest, and it wrapped around his back. Was he being hugged? He recognized this feeling and stood up straight. “Henry?”
His fatigue was fading as Henry’s warmth sank into his body. Roy wrapped his arms around himself, hugging Henry in return.
“I may consider you my old man, but that doesn’t make you old. Stop acting like it! Finish this! I need your help. Mab’s back and the sky’s falling,” Henry growled and dumped his energy into Roy, who tasted… stale donuts and cola?
-=-
Sigrid watched Roy stand up straight and say something quietly as if speaking to someone. He wrapped his arms around himself and smiled with his eyes closed. His red fur began to floof up, making him look like a big fluffy puppy.
That looked so adorable, she almost missed seeing Carl launch himself at Roy. He was definitely slower than he’d been during the fight, but Roy wasn’t reacting this time. She had no time to call out a warning.
Just before Carl’s outstretched claws reached the throat he wanted so badly to rip open, Roy dropped below the grasp. Then he immediately exploded upwards, driving the claws of both hands through the underside of Carl’s jaw, up through his skull, deep into his brain. Carried by Carl’s mass and trajectory, the two crashed to the floor, but Roy twisted mid-flight to ensure he would be on top. Looking into Carl’s terrified eyes, Roy clenched his fists, shredding his brain. The monstrously sized alpha twitched violently, made an odd gasping sound, then went still.
Roy pulled his hands free, stood next to the body, and shook the gore off his claws onto Carl’s corpse. It began to collapse in on itself, shrinking back into his Human form.
Sigrid stared in shock as Roy howled his victory. The vast empty chamber reverberated with the sound and raised the hairs on the back of her neck. The two muscular goons stared at Roy in awe and immediately exposed their throats in submission. He stared at them until they began whimpering, then he switched to his Human form.
“Return to your homes. I’ll be coming to make assessments in the next few days-best civil behavior. If I hear you’ve been fighting, both sides die. Pass that message along to the pack,” he snapped.
They nodded and rushed from the building.
Roy waited until he sensed they were alone, then he dropped to his knees. Sigrid and Mary rushed forward. He sat back on his heels and took some deep breaths as his wounds slowly closed. Mary was rapidly speaking into her mic, alerting the team of Roy’s victory.Content is © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.
“What happened? I thought you’d taken him out much earlier,” Sigrid exclaimed.
Roy shook his head. “I did. I scored a mortal wound about eight minutes ago. He was bleeding internally, but he wouldn’t acknowledge it. He’d gone feral by that point. I could do nothing but wait him out, but I had nothing left, and he just kept attacking. We would have both been dead after this fight.”
Mary grabbed his shoulder. “What was that little thing you did at the end there? Looked like you were praying, and suddenly you’re all Bruce Lee, Fist of Fury!”
Roy chuckled, and his smile spread across his face. “Henry visited me.”
“WHAT?” Sigrid and Mary exclaimed.
“It was a mind walkabout thing? He fed me a shitload of energy. Tasted odd, but it worked for one last burst.” His smile faded. “He said something about Mab making the sky fall?” He looked down at Carl, and the ladies helped him to his feet.
“We’ll call in the clean-up team,” Sigrid said as they walked back to the front entrance. The moment they stepped outside, they froze. It was like the Aurora Borealis had melted and was falling from the sky to rush around at ground level like a raging river. They crossed the lot quickly to get into their SUV, and a nearby curl of the green light swung wide and passed through them. They all picked up the pressure sensation and had to lean into the current to stay on course for the truck. Mary insisted on driving as Roy was still weak from his healing injuries. They climbed in and quickly closed the doors. Looking out the windows, they could see the green light falling here and there from the sky like waterfalls.
“This is going to cause one hell of a panic! We need a master strategy meeting back at VRL!” Roy said. “Call Mahati and let her know this is Mab’s doing, and she should call Ms. Hoek-”
Sigrid’s cell vibrated from an incoming call. She answered as it was Meixiu.
“Are you safe?” Sigrid asked immediately.
“Yes, we’re driving back to the city. Henry is unconscious. I think he went to say goodbye to Roy,” Meixiu answered sadly.
“Roy tells us he did visit him, but not to say goodbye-”
“Hey!” Roy barked indignantly, and Sigrid waved him to silence with a small smile. She continued.
“Henry gave him enough energy to finish the fight. He also told him that Mab was making the sky fall.”
Meixiu made a surprised squeak. “Is that what’s happening with the green light? We saw it pouring down like it’s never done before. Mab did this? Is it affecting anyone badly? It didn’t hurt us!”
Sigrid was looking out the window, and the sky did seem to be falling in green waterfalls, thousands and thousands of them in all directions. She looked back at the docks and was surprised to see it wasn’t falling over the water, only on land. A little further out, it appeared to be landing on a ship. Was it hydrophobic?
“We’re in a pretty empty area. Not too many people down here, but it didn’t hurt us,” she said.
“We’re going back to VRL, and the woman who kidnapped Henry is driving us. He insisted he had to stay with her as he was in her custody,” Meixiu explained, and Sigrid picked up the woman’s unease about that.
“That’s fine. Get back as quickly and safely as possible. We’re going to VRL too. Park in the basement and text me when you arrive. I’ll let you in,” Sigrid explained. “How is Henry now?”
“One moment,” Meixiu said.
Sigrid listened and heard Meixiu speaking to Henry, commanding him to return. When she came back on the phone, she was upset.
“He’s not returning! He always did before!” she cried.
Sigrid frowned with worry. “He’s still breathing?”
“Yes!” Meixiu said nervously.
Sigrid heard Eleanor’s voice. “He’s overextended himself. He was exhausted after he helped me operate on Raymond. We could go to a hospital and get him a glucose and sodium chloride infusion.”
“Meixiu, let her know I’ll have one ready for Henry when you arrive,” Sigrid said.
“Thank you, Sigrid,” Meixiu said softly.
“Be safe,” Sigrid replied and hung up.
She immediately dialed up Mahati, who picked up on the first ring.
“Sigrid! Do you know what’s happening outside?” Mahati blurted.
“Henry says it’s Mab. She’s done something to the Fae healing spell,” the Valkyrie explained.
“Is it dangerous?” the lawyer asked.
Sigrid contemplated that question. “Well, it’s heavily laden with Wild Magic. If you get caught in the middle of it, I assume it wouldn’t behave well with your magic. It might even affect your glam-”
Sigrid’s eyes widened as she froze in shock. “Oh my god! What if that’s what Mab intended. She strips away everyone’s glamors and exposes all of the Hidden Races!”
“Aye, that sounds exactly like something she’d do,” Roy growled.
“Wild Magic affects humans too.” Mary reminded them, and they looked to her in worry.
“Mahati! Stay inside!” Sigrid said urgently to her. “Call the Minister of Security and let her know Mab may have triggered something disastrous. Tell her Henry is no longer at the containment facility but remains in the custody of her pet assassin.”
“Kali’s out there,” Mahati gasped.
“Call her. Warn her,” Sigrid said and heard the line disconnect. She immediately called Camila.
“Sigrid! How’s Roy?” her friend exclaimed immediately.
A smile bloomed on the blonde’s face hearing her concern for Roy. She glanced at Roy as he had to have heard that cry. From his pleased smile, he had. “He’s a little worse for wear, but he won. But that’s not our biggest concern at the moment.”
“Hey!” Roy exclaimed in protest again, but Sigrid ignored him.
“Mab messed with the Fae’s healing spell. It’s falling to the ground, and it’s overloaded with Wild Magic,” she pointed out.
“What? Wait a minute!” There was the sound of drapes being pulled open. Sigrid heard the sound of two voices gasping. She recalled that Lorelei was staying at her place.
“Oh my god! That could burn out glamors!” the Succubus gasped, then her voice became more strained. “It affects Human’s too.”
“Yes. I’ve called Mahati to get her to contact Hoek to give her the head’s up,” Sigrid informed her. “I’ve also heard from Meixiu. She and her friends found Henry. The assassin is with him, and he’s apparently in her custody. He’s currently unconscious and likely having another out of body experience. Meixiu wasn’t able to command him back to his body this time.”