Part 7 (2/2)
”Come on.” He took off toward a stairway he'd caught sight of, and taking the steps two at a time, raced to the second floor with Tess right behind him. The stairwell was small and narrow, and the Banoth would have trouble getting through it. That might buy him the few minutes he needed to figure a way out of the building. They reached a small landing, then turned to run up a second flight.
No matter what she said, he was determined to get her the h.e.l.l away from the beast. If it sank its fangs into her, she was dead.
”By the way,” she said as they raced up the stairs, ”thanks for leaving me alone. Really. I appreciate it. It shows how much confidence you have in me.”
He wasn't sure if she was serious or not, but he didn't have time to decode female speech at the moment. They were about to collide with a metal door. Why the f.u.c.k was there a steel door at the top of the stairs?
Tess b.u.mped into him. Her eyes must have been on the steps and not where she was going. He couldn't blame her. He saw just fine in the darkened stairwell, but imagined she didn't.
”A little warning next time,” she said.
”We've got a problem,” he answered, releasing the locked door handle.
”Yeah, I know. And he needs a haircut.”
”There's a steel door here and it's locked. We need to go back the way we came.” As he stepped next to her, he noticed her blink a few times to adjust her vision. Or maybe it was to adjust to the sight of him in his Night Runner form.
”Huh. Probably two different companies lease the building. You can't break it down?”
”I'm strong, but not that strong. The good news is I don't think the Banoth followed us this way.” He started down the stairs with tentative steps. ”Stay behind me.”
She grabbed the back of his s.h.i.+rt like someone would if they were in a crowd and didn't want to get separated. The gesture felt too comfortable, too meaningful. He gulped. Whether he cared to admit it or not, he wanted much more than to see her to safety.
”So about these fangs,” she whispered. ”Are they like vampire teeth, or worse?”
He didn't answer right away, instead trying to keep his mind focused on the task and not her warm breath making the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention again.
”Because the way I see it, with a mouth the size of my arm, I'd say worse. And where does all that stinky slime come from?”
Ignoring her questions, he turned the corner on the small landing. As he'd suspected-given the narrow pa.s.sage-the flight of stairs was empty. That didn't mean the Banoth wasn't lurking nearby, but he'd take the opening.
”Also, you mentioned a friend. Do you think the second Banoth is about to show up? Because I'd really like to be prepared for that.”
The woman obviously talked when she was nervous. Or talked to hear herself. Either way, her voice made it difficult for him to concentrate. ”Shh.” He took the last step to the warehouse floor. His ears perked up, his nostrils flared.
”Don't shush me.”
”Okay, shut up.”
He visualized the building. Every inch of it, until he heard footsteps above his head and knew the Banoth was visiting the second floor. He had about thirty seconds to get Tess back to the door they'd entered through, and kick her a.s.s out.
”Screw you.”
That warranted a glance over his shoulder. A few comebacks came to mind but he decided to smile instead. Let her stew in her own words. With a touch of pink in her cheeks to match a touch of want in her eyes, he didn't need to say a thing. Really shouldn't say a thing.
”Remember where the door is that we entered?” he asked, eager to get her to safety and out of his sight. If he had any hope of salvation, he needed to cut ties immediately.
”Of course I do.” She b.u.mped his shoulder in a playful gesture that amazed him, given their situation.
”Good. We're going to haul a.s.s there. Ready?”
”As I'll ever be.” She nudged him to the side and took off. ”First one there wins.”
Following her was no hards.h.i.+p. The dress wrapped around her body like cellophane and all he could see was every delicious curve. G.o.d, how he wanted to strip her. Lick her between the legs until she came on his tongue. Touch her until she came on his fingers. Move his c.o.c.k inside her until she came screaming his name. His attention was so focused on the slope of her back and how much he wanted to enter her from behind that a moment later, he didn't even see the terra cotta pot coming.
Pain blasted into the side of his head and he fell to the floor. Large, jagged pieces of brown clay surrounded him, one lodging into his palm as he cus.h.i.+oned his fall. He didn't stay down longer than two seconds before jumping to his feet ready for battle, claws bared.
The Banoth had other ideas.
Tess's scream hit him like daggers pelting his chest. Granted, the scream rang more ornery than frightened, which gave him some slight consolation, but not nearly enough to stop his heart from racing.
When he turned down the aisle where the shriek had sounded, he found her in the Banoth's clutches. Her feet were dangling in the air while the beast held her by the shoulders, shaking her like a piggy bank. She swung her legs, trying to kick him, but the animal's outstretched arms were too long.
”Put me down, you son of a b.i.t.c.h!”
As amusing as the picture was, Hugh knew the Banoth didn't plan on playing for long. Chances were the creature had never handled a beautiful blonde in a blue dress before. Add in the wiggles she was doing to free herself, and no warm-blooded male of any species would refuse that show.
”G.o.ddammit! If you don't let go of me right now, I swear to G.o.d I'll-”
”Put her down, Banoth. Your fight's with me.” He strode into the animal's line of vision, ready to do whatever it took to free Tess.
As the beast turned its oddly shaped head and melancholy face his way, Tess continued to squirm. The Banoth glanced from him back to her before it opened its mouth and launched a giant smelly spit wad at him. d.a.m.n, he hated those things. The only other time he'd had the pleasure of coming face to face with a Banoth was four years ago and the thick liquid had hit him in the back. It stung like h.e.l.l.
Ducking out of the way, he lunged toward the beast.
The Banoth halted Hugh's advance by decking him with a sideswipe from his horns. Hugh landed on his backside, and watched in horror as the Banoth quickly opened his mouth and revealed its fangs.
Tess screamed. No matter how hard she kicked and carried on, she was no match for the Banoth's overwhelming strength. Hugh's jaw tensed. He didn't understand why the creature wanted her if he'd been sent after him, and the thought riled him into action.
Without consideration, he lunged for the Banoth's legs and sank in his claws. A blood-curdling wail came from the animal's open mouth and it dropped Tess. She back-peddled out of the Banoth's reach until hitting the side of a shelf with her back.
”Get out of here!” he yelled.
”Not without you,” she hollered back.
Hugh let out a snarl. If she wouldn't listen to him, he had no choice but to kill the Banoth. Or die trying.
With his claws digging in deeper, he flipped the Banoth onto its back. No easy task, and a move the animal didn't care for. One abnormally long arm extended to grab Hugh by the nape of the neck. The beast pulled with enough force to lift him off the ground and rip his claws out of the animal's legs. The Banoth rose, taking Hugh with him until it was his turn to dangle in the air. But he was taller than Tess, and swinging his legs vertical, he shoved the heels of his boots into the Banoth's chest. The beast grunted and threw him across the room.
The Banoth followed up far too quickly for a creature its size, rus.h.i.+ng at him before he had time to catch his breath. The beast sank a fang into his shoulder at the same time Hugh drove a claw into its torso.
The gouge was enough to get the Banoth to lift its fang, and the two of them rolled across the cold concrete floor, each grabbing for the other like professional wrestlers. They tumbled into a shelving unit, knocking down pots that crashed over their heads. The sickly scent of the Banoth-a combination of vomit and dirt-made Hugh's nose itch. It tried to spit poison on him, but Hugh jerked out of the way. Only to roll over the slime a minute later. The sting didn't stop him.
He clawed at the beast, taking out chunks of hair and flesh. The Banoth nicked him again with a fang, this time on the upper arm while Hugh pinned him down. When he flipped Hugh over, the creature went in for the kill, two fangs landing in the center of his chest.
It didn't matter that he was a half s.h.i.+fter-any significant amount of poison would have dire effects. Mercury tipped bullets or darts would get the job done quicker, but good old-fas.h.i.+oned venom, if left to circulate in his blood stream long enough, would also be deadly.
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