Alpha Mine (The Alpha Council Chronicles) (32 page)

When the second guard rounded the corner of the house, Marcus once again set his crossbow and sent an arrow flying. It too found its mark and the second guard dropped to the ground. This time Nicholai ran up to dispose of the body. Just as he reached the body, footsteps sounded. Apparently the third guard had realized something was amiss and was coming their way at a full run.

Nicholai slid a large knife out of his front pocket and crouched down low against the side of the house. When the guard rounded the corner, the Alpha stood, bringing the blade of the knife up under the third male’s chin. He pushed it through the roof of the guard’s mouth, lodging it in his brain. With a quick pull of his hand he dislodged the knife, grabbed the male’s hair with his empty hand, and used the sharp blade to slice off the male’s head.

The guard’s body dropped to its knees before flopping over onto the hard ground. Sightless eyes stared in the general direction of the hidden Alphas from the head held in Nicholai’s hand. Nicholai looked calmly down at the two bodies lying on the ground.

With perfunctory ease, Nicholai wiped the blade of the knife off on the back of one of the bodies before tucking it back in his pocket. The severed head still in one hand, Nicholai grabbed a body under each arm as if they were footballs and trotted over to rejoin his fellow Alphas.

“I’ll do a quick perimeter check,” offered Michael.

Before Stephan could agree, the Alpha jumped up and hunched toward the house. Finding the way clear, he motioned for the others to join him along the side of the house. Stephan silently motioned for Nicholai, Alexander, and Michael to move around to the back of the house then pointed to himself, Marcus, Demetri, and Vlad and motioned around the front. Next he counted on his fingers. One. Two. Three. The Alphas separated into two groups rounding their perspective corners in perfect synchronicity.

****

Nicholai tried the back door and finding it locked, gave it a hard shove with his shoulder, bursting through. He stumbled into the kitchen with Alexander close on his heels. Michael however, hung back in the shadows, as if he didn’t want to join the melee inside.

“I’ll stay out here,” he whispered to Alexander and Nicholai. “Cover the back.”

Nicholai opened his mouth to protest Michael’s offer when they suddenly heard a commotion from the front of the house. He glanced in the direction of the noise then looked back to find Michael gone.

The next second, all hell broke loose. Gage’s men scurried from every orifice of the house like ants protecting their nest. Alex and Nicholai pulled their weapons and used them with the speed and grace that only their breed could do.

The first man to enter the kitchen approached Nicholai as he stepped further into the room. With a knife in each hand, Nicholai slashed him quickly across both his stomach and neck simultaneously, causing a spray of blood to arc out coating not only himself, but the guard who approached him from behind. Nicholai spun, taking advantage of the momentary blindness the guard suffered from the blood spraying into his eyes. He brought his knife in one swift motion, up in a diagonal slice, splaying the guard open from waist to heart. He then drove the second knife into the male’s exposed heart, causing instant death. The guard dropped to the floor, dead.

Wiping the blood from his face, his gaze found Alex busy with his own attacker. With a guard bearing down, Alexander had time to draw his weapon, but his attacker grasped the gun as well as the hand that held it and pointed the semi auto toward the ceiling. The two men struggled in a test of strength for control of the weapon. Alex brought his free hand over his attacker’s, their arms waved back and forth as each struggled for dominance.

Time slowed for Nicholai as he watched the blond Alpha gradually begin to take the upper hand in the conflict. Alex brought the gun down to the guard’s chest and fired one titanium bullet clean through his heart, dropping his attacker instantly.

The bullet exited the body, taking a trail of blood splatter with it as it hit the next guard in line. The bullet lodged in the second male’s stomach. The second attacker slumped forward, one arm wrapping around his waist, and Alex paused briefly to catch his breath.

The guard saw his advantage in the break, and grasped it like a lion clutching its prey. Heedless of his own pain, the male lunged toward Alex, taking him to the floor, the gun spinning away from them.

Arms and legs slipped in blood as the two males wrestled on the tile floor. Alex came to rest on top of the guard straddling his injured stomach. Squeezing his muscular thighs, he bore down on the bullet wound causing the guard to bellow in pain and writhe beneath him.

Nicholai picked up the gun. “Alex, here.” He tossed the gun toward his friend. In one smooth motion, Alex caught the gun and fired a round into the guard’s brain, ending the struggle.

“Let’s go find the humans.” Nicholai pulled Alex to his feet.

Brushing off his pants and shirt, the blond Alpha nodded his agreement to Nikko’s suggestion.

“The only place I have not seen in this house is behind that door,” he informed Alex, motioning to the white door to their left. “Let’s try there first.”

****

Demetri bounded first through the front door with Marcus and Stephan quick to follow. Bringing up the rear, Vladimir entered with guns drawn just as three guards came running toward them from the living room.

“Go. You three go,” barked Demetri. “I’ll hold these guys off. Find your female, Stephan.”

Following Stephan and Vladimir up the stairs, Marcus hesitated and looked back over his shoulder. “Are you sure, Demetri?”

Demetri tsked. “Since when have three puny males ever been a challenge for me? Go!”

He rounded on the three burly guards surrounding him at the base of the stairs, removed his sword from its sheath and held it tightly in both hands. Bracing in a fighter’s stance, Demetri swung his long sword at the first of the three guards. The male easily jumped back out of the way. As his sword continued its arch, the other two guards followed suit, each one in turn jumping back away from the blade’s reach.

Demetri advanced, continuing to swing, trying to push the guards away from the stairs so his fellow warriors could ascend. He needed to keep their attention squarely on him so he swung his sword in long fluid arches, the blade seeking flesh. As Demetri advanced forward, one of the guards circled around behind him and lunged.

Chapter 38

Stephan, Marcus, and Vlad flew up the stairs at a furious pace. Stephan followed the draw of his blood, every cell seemed to pulsate the closer he got to Kat. He knew instinctually where she was and followed the internal vibration leading him.

As Stephan turned to head down the hall to the right, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He scanned quickly down the hallway to the left, and realized what was there.

“Down!” Vladimir yelled to Marcus and Stephan who immediately followed the order, diving onto the floor as a hail of bullets rained over their heads, peppering the walls, grating the paneling. Vlad jumped up, his eyes taking in the nuances of the hallway before him. Realizing he needed his hands free, he tucked his guns in his pockets and threw himself at the guard, tackling him down the hall, giving Marcus and Stephan a chance to rise.

As they began to run down the hallway, Trace and Alvero burst out from a doorway, with fists balled.

“Go,” yelled Marcus to him. “I’ve got these guys. Go get Kat.”

Marcus’ eyes shifted from Stephan to the guard still standing in the hall. With Alvero advancing on his position he quickly raised his crossbow, and shot his last arrow toward the male. The guard pivoted on the ball of one foot, gracefully avoiding the deadly object. Marcus threw down his bow and turned sideways into a fighting stance with his fists in front of him, ready for the fight to come.

Stephan put on a burst of speed. As he ran forward, he stuck out his arm and clotheslined Trace in the throat, taking him to the floor. He barely registered the whump sound that escaped from Trace’s mouth as the air was knocked from his lungs before Stephan turned and disappeared into the opening from which the two guards had just emerged.

****

As the guard launched at Demetri from behind, he shifted the hold on his sword and quickly thrust it behind him blindly. He felt the draw on the sword when it sliced through the male. A gurgling sound told him his sword found its mark. He felt the resistance when he withdrew the blade out of the body. The male behind him went down onto his knees, grasping his wound with both hands. Demetri knew it was not a killing blow, but it would at least take the male out of the fight for a few minutes.

He turned his attention to the two guards in front of him. The large Alpha circled around, bringing his back to the front door, thereby assuring that neither of the two guards standing could approach from behind. One of the guards dove forward, grabbing Demetri around the waist, sending him careening back into the door. He raised his sword up above his head and brought the hilt down against the back of the male’s head. A crunch sounded when the sword broke through the skull. The Alpha watched the guard collapse to the floor in an unconscious heap.

The guard with the wounded stomach rose to his feet, his body already beginning to heal. He and the uninjured guard charged Demetri together, each grabbing a thick arm.

With a growl that reverberated off the walls, Demetri brought his arms together in a surge of strength. He sent their bodies careening into each other, their heads made a snapping sound when they collided. They stood for a second before Demetri, stunned into immobility. That second was all he needed. With one swipe, he cleanly cut through both the guards’ necks, one after the other. Their bodies fell to their knees for a moment before slumping forward to ooze their blood onto the floor at the same time their heads came to a rolling stop beside the door.

The third guard slowly pushed himself up to a standing position. “I’m going to see you pay for their deaths,” he threatened.

Demetri beckoned him forward by wiggling his index finger. “Come on if you think you have what it takes to defeat me,” he challenged, raising his blood-stained sword.

****

Vlad and the gunman crashed to the floor, and the concussion from the fall sent the automatic weapon flying behind them. They came to rest with Vlad atop the guard. The Alpha could feel something running down his arm and saw red seeping from his shoulder. One of the bullets had caught Vlad in the shoulder as the two men had gone down.

The guard jammed his thumb into the bullet wound, twisting it deep. Vladimir threw his head back, a roar of pain erupting from his lips. The resulting surge of adrenaline coursing through him increased his strength tenfold. He reached down swiftly and removed one of his nine millimeters from its holster. The guard knocked the gun from his hand, sending it crashing against the opposite wall.

As the guard’s eyes followed the Nine across the hall, Vlad unsheathed a dagger strapped to his thigh. He gripped the knife with both hands and raised it above the guard, aiming for his heart. The movement brought the guard’s attention back onto the figure towering over him, and he covered both of the warrior’s hands with his own.

It was a test of strength to see where the blade would land. The bullet still lodged within weakened Vlad’s shoulder. The dagger began to turn back toward the Alpha as the struggle continued between the two males. The knife shook from the battle, and Vlad felt himself weakening.

With welcoming relief, Vlad suddenly felt a rush of power as Marcus mentally sent him a surge of strength through their mindlink. Vlad slowly turned the tide, sent the dagger back in the direction of the guard. At the last moment, the guard angled the dagger away from his heart, causing Vlad to strike him in the breastbone, doing little damage.

The guard grunted when the blade sliced him, but both males knew it was an inconsequential wound. The guard pushed Vlad off, heaving him into the wall, which knocked the dagger from his hand. The injured guard jumped to his feet, and grabbed the Alpha by his neck with one hand. Vlad’s feet dangled as he was held against the wall by his neck. He struggled, grabbing the guard’s meaty forearm with one hand while bringing his other hand up against his elbow. He pushed his hands in opposite directions, breaking the male’s bones in two.

Having lost control over his arm, the guard dropped Vlad, who landed gracefully on the balls of his feet. Vlad reached down, grabbed the knife with cat-like reflexes and brought it up swiftly, plunging the dagger into the guard’s heart. The guard staggered backwards clutching at the knife in his chest, until he slumped against the wall, taking his final sleep.

Vlad stood for a moment, catching his breath. He looked down the hall and discovered Marcus faced down two burly guards by himself. Fetching the blade from the dead guard’s chest, he took off down the hall to assist him. As he made his way past the stairs, he glanced down and witnessed Demetri taking out the third of his assailants. Realizing Demetri needed no help, he quickly turned his attention back to Marcus.

He reached Marcus just as he twisted Trace’s head, ripped it from his body, then threw it to the floor with a warrior’s yell.

“I got this other one. Go help Stephan,” Vlad instructed as he approached. Alvero turned their way.

****

A horrific stench of stale human assaulted his nose when Alexander opened the white door. He descended the stairs cautiously, while Nicholai stood guard at the top, waiting, watching for the enemy. When he reached the bottom, Alex peered around, surprised to not find any guards. He turned back and motioned silently to Nicholai that the situation was not dangerous.

He stepped into the room cautiously, looking around. The cellar was a thing straight out of a nightmare. The air, thick and filled with a dark sense of evil, smelled of stale sweat. There were pallets made of worn blankets on the floor upon which both women and men lay in various states of undress. Some were fully clothed; others dressed only in shirts, while some lay completely naked. They all were caged in cells with rusting metal bars. Bowls with bits of food were left scattered about and each cell housed a spigot for water.