26. Chapter Twenty-Six

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

MICAI'S POV

A nnex, Ezra, and I followed Mallyn, hopping into Ezra's car and heading a few towns over to this Erving guy's place.

It was in a city that was the complete opposite of the small quaint town we frequented—one bustling with flashing lights and towering dark buildings reaching toward the night sky. It was filled with sounds falling from all directions: voices chattering and laughing in the distance, the low thrum of music flowing in and out of nightclubs, and the hum of cars moving back and forth on the roads near us.

We get out of Ezra's car and make our way down a dark street abandoned by the bustle from moments ago. The sound of sirens ringing in the distance as orange lights flicker on and off above us.

A group of three large men, covered from head to toe in black clothes, passes us by. They have a shady look to them as they move down the street and into a nearby alleyway.

I glance back at them as Annex wraps an arm around my shoulder.

"They're just the types that frequent the area, Red. Their business is unsavoury but not ours to dabble in…for tonight ." A deranged grin stretches his cheeks as he looks back at the alleyway. "We can play another night."

I shake my head as we continue toward a large building that looks like an old electronics warehouse. Its large sign on the front was ripped and peeling, and all the colours on the posters lining its walls had faded to a murky yellow shade. It looked about three stories tall and as derelict outside as the abattoir did back in town.

A metal door creaks open as we near the building, leading up to a thick cemented stairway.

We make our way in, with the boys huddling around me as we move together up the stairs before reaching another large metal door at the top.

" Password? " A deep male voice calls from a tiny metal speaker and camera beside the door.

"Open up, Erving," Annex shouts, a deranged smile aimed at the speaker as he continues. "Or I'll break each of your precious tip-tapping fingers before taking them as souvenirs."

The speaker quickly falls silent, and only a second passes before the door unlatches. On the other side of the door, a voice sounds out some sort of light chant as the sound of magically-weaved locks undo themselves, and the door finally creaks open.

Annex heads in first, Ezra's hand falling to my waist as he leads us inside.

Mallyn closes the door behind us, the spells zapping back in place as he closes it shut.

The space opens up into a huge room, almost a third the size of the abattoir's fighting ring space. Crates are stacked in front of the furthest wall from us to our left, towering higher than even Annex. Bright-coloured posters, strange weapons, and sculptors cover the wall behind us, and a small retro kitchenette and dining space sit to our right.

Rows of screens and monitors are arranged in the centre of the room and on the wall space in front of us, with a large black chair right in the centre of them all.

The chair spins around, and a pink-haired boy taps his hands on the armrest. He glances around at each of us before his gaze falls on me.

"Who's the chick?" His sea-green eyes narrow, his baby face scrunching up as he leans forward. He trails his eyes down my front before leaning back in his seat and rolling his eyes. "She's not one of your fly-bys, is she? ‘Cause this isn't show-and-tell for—"

"Our wife," Annex barks, cutting him off as a dark scowl slides across his face. He takes a step toward the pink-haired teen, whose hands instantly raise in a pacifying manner.

"I-I didn't know—"

"Show some damn respect, Erving." Annex pulls out his Bowie as a tremor works its way into the boy's hands. "Red's our fucking Queen. And not you or anyone else will treat her like anything below that." He twists the blade back and forth as his glare darkens further. "Where the fuck do you get off making assumptions about our woman?"

Erving flinches back, pushing further into his chair's headrest as Annex takes another step closer, but Ezra reaches out and blocks Annex from nearing him.

"I-I didn't mean any harm, Annex. I didn't know she was yours." He glances back at me. "My apologies."

"Everyone makes mistakes." I give him a small smile before letting it fall into a grin I've adapted from Annex's signature smile. Whatever line of business the boys were in, I couldn't be looked down on by their contacts or subordinates. I wasn't someone they should fuck with either. It's best he learned that quickly. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again." My tone is low and dark and allows for no argument or exception. I was no ‘fly-by' either, and there would be no other woman with the guys from now on. The thought alone pisses me off instantly.

His light, sea-green eyes meet mine before widening. There is a slight shake to them before he quickly nods and turns away.

"That's our girl," chuckles Annex, putting his Bowie away.

"Let's move on," Ezra says, walking over to a large leather sofa and taking a seat. He glances at Mallyn, and we make our way over. Annex opts to hover around Erving, the poor guy flinching with the psycho's presence.

"What happened, Erving?" Ezra asks, his arm wrapping around my back as I take the space beside him. "Why did they not show up? You told us they would be there."

"And they weren't," Annex adds. "Why was that? Did you feed us some bad info?" Annex edges closer to the shaking teen, his eyes narrowing as the boy shakes his head frantically.

"I-I promise the information was good." He looks at Ezra, his eyes flickering back and forth between him and Annex as he takes a shaky breath. "You guys know me. When have I ever given you bad information? I know better. I promise it was reliable. I don't know what happened, maybe the guy had good instincts or got a tip-off…I don't know." Erving's eyes flicker back and forth between the guys. "But it sure as hell wasn't me."

Annex edges closer. "I say we—"

"Annex," Ezra seethes, his tone dark and serious as he turns from Annex and then back to Erving. "He's right. He has nothing to gain from becoming our enemy. He's one of ours."

One of them? What does that mean? That they work together?

How many people did they have working with them, or for them?

How big was the guy's operations?

Is this why Creed always seemed to have a stick in his butt about me being around them? Because he was protecting their little secrets?

Annex sighs before pulling away and glancing my way.

"I wanted to show Red some of my talents tonight." He glances back at Erving as he flinches. "Pity."

Annex makes his way over to me, earning Erving a little breathing space. He sighs a breath of relief before quickly twisting toward his multiple screens, clicking and tapping away before calling Ezra over.

"As soon as I heard they didn't show up, I tried looking into it." The sounds of his fingers on the keyboard ring out around the room as they pick up pace. "I also looked into other sources around us to see if I could get a sample myself. But everyone closed shop. They seem to want a certain clientele, and we do not fit their bill for some reason."

Annex scoffs beside me as Erving continues.

"I offered a fair price, but money doesn't seem to be their motivator…I just can't figure out what is though." His pink brows furrow as he continues to tap away furiously, flitting his gaze back and forth between his monitors.

"I did a mock-up of what it looks like from the descriptions I've gotten. This may not be exact, but…" An image pops up on one of his larger screens: a small, familiar, circular black pill that instantly has me walking toward the screen with my brows pinching together.

The image is followed by a list of its advantages and side effects on the screen.

"This is all the information I could get from what you and my other sources told me. But, Ez…" Erving calls in a hesitant tone as he stops tapping and turns toward Ezra. "If you take more than a couple of them at once, you can overdose from whatever shit they put in it. And it's not a quick or painless death either, from what I've heard."

"From that little pill?" Annex questions, as he pulls himself up and walks toward the screen.

I look at the small pill on the screen and take in everything he's just said. That pill…looked exactly like the one Leon and Dean whipped out when they attacked me in the forest. I knew they had to be on something with how they were acting. And I guess that also explains the increased speed and strength they had as well.

I glance at the screen, my eyes narrowing at the small black circle covering the monitor. What the hell was in that tiny pill to make them like that? And who the hell gave it to them?

And why were the guys looking into it? What connection did it have to them?

"What's wrong, Micai?" A low voice calls softly beside me.

I whip around, surprised, and bump straight into Mallyn. How had he gotten so close to me without me realising his presence sooner?

Had he taken lessons from Gadriel to be so damn stealthy?

His eyes draw together as he watches me, waiting patiently for my response as a strange look grows in his eyes. Was that a look of worry?

"That pill…I've seen it before." I answer, turning to meet each set of eyes now staring at me. The room falls silent.

"Where?" Calls Ezra, urgency laced in his tone as he makes his way over to me.

"Someone better have not offered that shit to you, Red. I swear—"

I shake my head, cutting them all off as they surround me in some sort of protective circle as if the threat was in the room. Anger and worry coat each of their expressions as they stare down at me.

"Who and where?" Calls Ezra, a deathly glare taking over his features as his eyes darken murderously.

But I knew it wasn't directed toward me.

"It was in the forest near the academy, when Dean and Leon—"

I freeze, immediately realising my mistake.

The guys had become quite protective of me lately. Maybe it had something to do with Annex's death or us all spending more time together and growing closer, but they had become almost as overly protective about me as Grey and Ash were about Morgan.

Even knowing I wasn't as weak as everyone had thought initially, they still chose to protect me in their own way.

But they still don't realise how strong I really am.

"Dean—" Growls Mallyn.

"Leon—" Barks Annex.

"Who are they, Micai?" Calls Ezra, cutting off Annex and Mallyn, his tone icy and dark as the room falls pin-drop silent, and a cold atmosphere blankets the space around us.

"You were in the forest with this Dean and Leon …alone?" A low growl rings out from Mallyn, my gaze flitting to his brightly glowing eyes before Ezra speaks up again.

" How did the black pill come up? Did they offer it to you?" Ezra's eyes narrow before flickering back and forth,, lost in his thoughts. He is probably trying to place those names before finally looking back at me. "What happened, Micai? Did they try something with you?"

A growling noise so low and beastly rolls out from around me with Ezra's words—a mixture of both Mallyn and Annex's voices.

"No!" I shout, cutting them all off and meeting their dark stares. "They took the pill in front of me, thinking they would be able to fight me. They tried to attack me, but I put them both down."

I look to each of them, meeting each set of eyes and showing them the truth in my words. "I'm not weak and certainly no damsel in distress. I can handle myself and won't ever let anyone get the better of me again."

"You handled them, Red?" Annex leans in closer, his eyes pulling mine to his with the deranged look in them. "That better have involved a bloody fucking mess before they took their last breath, because anyone laying hands on you will only ever end up in a body bag, or at the deep end of a ditch."

"Shredded beyond recognition," Mallyn growls, his eyes bright blue and beast pushing forward.

"No…" Ezra says in a dark, alluring voice, his eyes glinting. "Death would be a reprieve and only something they would beg for."

"I love it when you talk dirty, Ez." Annex chuckles as he wraps an arm around him. "And I couldn't agree more. Anyone even thinking of hurting Red deserves the most excruciating torture."

Mallyn grunts in agreement as they all grin darkly with Erving flinching beside them.

"I've dealt with them how I see fit." I glance at all three of them. "Do you have a problem with that?"

I didn't need anyone's approval or help on this. If Dean or Leon came at me again, I would finish the job myself.

Annex's grin widens to the Cheshire cat's standards. "You're so sexy when you become bossy, Red. I don't mind you taking the reins when we play." He steps toward me before I raise a hand, stopping him and flicking my gaze toward Erving behind them.

"Let's get back on topic. The black pill. They took it in front of me and became faster and stronger—"

"Red—"

I walk toward the screens near Erving, cutting Annex off before he starts talking again and giving him a small glare he only groans playfully at.

Ezra takes a step toward me, stopping to give me a softer look, all anger fading from his eyes.

"We'll talk about the pill now. But, Micai, we would like to know the details of what happened with them. The full story after we're done here. There shouldn't be anyone around you that would cause you harm." He reaches out, gently brushing the back of his hand down my cheek. "We don't want to be overbearing, but with how we all feel about you…we can't just let something like that go so easily. Think about how you would feel in our position."

I give him a small nod, knowing I would feel just as protective and murderous if someone had tried to hurt them. I didn't want to keep anything from them either. And telling them about Dean and Leon wasn't a big deal. I had already dealt with them too.

I wanted to be as open and honest with the guys as possible. They took me with them on this ‘job' and showed me another side of them as well. It's the least I could do. There was no holding back anymore.

Walls were made to crumble eventually.

"It may have enhanced their shifter abilities," I call, pointing to the image and pulling the topic back to the black pill. "But it also made them more erratic, like they lost a bit of sense. They may have been stronger than before, but it wasn't difficult dealing with them." I shrug, glancing toward the list of side effects and remembering Erving's words about overdosing on it. "I didn't stay around after to see what happened to them. We were interrupted by a faculty member on patrol, and I haven't heard anything about them since. But I don't remember them taking more than one tablet each, so…" Erving nods thoughtfully as our gazes meet before turning back toward Ezra.

"I didn't hear any information of the pill making its way into town, but the academy is harder to get information on…" He adds, his brows pulling down in further thought. "How the hell did they get to the pompous pricks there, though?"

I raise a brow as all three boys give Erving an irked look, the pink-haired teen forgetting we were all students there.

"I don't mean you guys." He rushes out, his face slightly paling. "I just meant those prim and proper pansies that think they're everything. You guys aren't in that category." He lets out a nervous laugh before whipping back toward his monitors. "We need to find out who has it in the school. Maybe we can track the supplier from the students and then find out who's managing and producing the drug."

Ezra steps forward, his eyes narrowing at the furthest screen, which looks like it's taping the area outside the building.

"Are you expecting someone, Erving?" He asks, pointing to the screen with a group of half a dozen figures, all clad in black, surrounding the entrance of the building.

Erving taps on his keyboard, all the monitors instantly flashing before showing the entire building's setup: every corner outside, every door, and each corridor inside.

Five more figures surround the back entrance while the six at the front take out something from a large duffel bag and coat the edges of the metal door outside it. Was that slime, or a potion of some sort?

"Fuck." Barks Erving, tapping ten times the speed on his keyboard as before, his fingers almost a blur now.

The screen facing the front entrance with the six men suddenly flashes a bright light, and a loud boom rings out around the warehouse.

Mallyn walks toward the door we came in as Ezra calls to him. Annex whips out his blade and walks over to a door a few feet from all of Erving's monitors, and to what I presume must lead out into the corridor I had seen moments ago.

"I'll play with the ones out back." He glances back toward me, giving me a playful wink before heading out the door. "Keep the pink sloth company until I get back, Red." He points his blade to one of the screens. "You can watch me from there."

With that, he's gone before I can protest or even argue.

After what had happened the night of the academy's attack, there was no way I was letting him go anywhere alone.

I take a step toward the direction he just left, flashes of what happened in the forest the night of the attack flowing through my mind as a hand grasps my shoulder.

"He'll be fine, Micai. This is a walk in the park for Annex." Calls Ezra, a small smile coating his lips. "He'll be back after a few minutes, coated in blood and wearing his usual demented grin."

Another boom rings out from the main door below us, pulling our attention toward it as we begin to hear voices soon follow.

Ezra looks toward the screens before turning to a bright-eyed Mallyn and nodding.

He turns back toward me. "We'll take the ones out front, you stay with Erving—"

"I'm not staying here and babysitting, Ezra. I told you I can handle myself." I argue, cutting him off as frustration takes over from him once again, asking me to sit still and watch them fight.

"I know, it's just—"

"Just as you worry about me, I worry about all of you." I glance at Mallyn, our eyes meeting, "I can help, so let me."

"She's right," Mallyn calls. "If she can keep up with my beast, then she can handle herself, Ezra."

"But we don't know who that is down there." He argues, his brows pinching together as fear peppers his gaze.

"Exactly. All the more reason you need an extra set of hands." I call.

Ezra shakes his head, still not relenting. "This is business Micai, shit that we started and that you don't need to be dragged into right now." He takes a step toward me, taking my hand in his. "You've had enough to deal with in the academy without being dragged into our groups crap. I know you're strong. I know you can handle yourself. But even we don't know what the enemy down there is capable of or their motive." He places a kiss on my hand, then gives it a tiny squeeze before slowly letting it go, his gaze pleading with me to concede for now.

"I promise we'll explain everything to you after this, and then you can decide whether you want in with our business like this. I don't want you jumping into the fray without all the facts and regretting getting involved with us later."

"That won't happen." I softly call as a gentle smile tilts his lips.

He bends forward again placing a kiss on my forehead before letting me go and heading toward Mallyn.

"I'll always make sure you have all the information you need. And then, the decision will be yours. Always."

They open the door and head out quickly, leaving no room for further discussion, before closing the door behind them.

A sigh leaves my lips as I roll my eyes. These boys need a proper awakening if they think I am the type to sit shit out.

"Well…" Erving says, as a larger boom rings out below us, voices now mixing in with the sound. "I'm happy for the company." He twirls around in his chair, a small, awkward smile gracing his lips before he twists back towards the monitors. Three of the screens flicker out, turning completely black.

Erving sighs, "Great, they used concealment magic and serious grade shit at that." The lights flicker above us. " Annnnd electronic disruptors… wonderful ."

"Anything I can do to help?" I call, glancing around the vast room and the boxes and crates scattered around the place.

"Not unless you have some nullifying wards?" He twists around, quirking a brow before I shake my head. As if I would carry around wards that take years to enchant or tens of thousands to buy.

Nullification magic was a specialty and a rare ability that even elder witches or warlocks could take decades to master.

"Unfortunately, I'm all out," I call sarcastically.

Erving grins. "Now I see why they like you, you've got a little bite to you. You'll need that with Annex." He lets out a small shiver at the mention of the psycho before turning back toward his keyboard and tapping away furiously.

And that's when I see the magic forming on his fingertips and flowing from them into his keyboard.

I take a step closer, never having seen this type of magic being used this way before. I had heard of talented individuals in my past life, geniuses who could combine the modern technology of humans and magic as one, mixing them and making them flow easily together as one form.

"How are you—"

I'm cut off as a ringing noise vibrates along the furthest wall of the room—the one with crates stacked in front of it.

"Do you hear that?" I ask, taking a few steps toward the wall and the scattered crates.

"Hear what?" Erving asks.

"That vibration…it's coming from here." I step closer as a fizzing sound rings out around the room. Erving's eyes widen, quickly pulling up one of the blackened screens before pouring magic directly into it. It flickers back and forth, a hazy image flashing of three large figures in a dark room placing something against a cement wall.

Erving points a shaky finger toward the direction of the vibration and the wall a few feet from us. "They're in the other room."

He starts gathering things around him: a laptop bag, some cables, and a few slender boxes. "We've gotta move quickly. Whatever they're using will blast through that wall soon. I don't have any protection spells cast on it like the others." His face pales as he rushes to grab more things.

And I flit my gaze around the room before returning to the monitors. "I thought those guys were downstairs with Ezra and Mallyn, or with Annex?"

Erving shakes his head. "There must have been more of them. And they want whatever's in this room." His movements become more frantic. "The others must be a distraction."

"Shit." He calls out, his hands frantically reaching for things in the crates around him.

I spot the strange weapons decorating the wall beside his brightly-coloured posters. There's a couple of ornate blades, a long, fancy spear, a mace with crystal-tipped spikes, a strange spiked metal chain, and a bronze axe larger than my head. It seems Erving collected more than just monitors, posters, or games to play with.

"They're collector editions," Erving states, a frown pulling at his lips as his brows crease together. "But there's no time to move them all."

A small whimper seeps from his lips as he takes the spear down, clutching it in his hands as if it were a child and not a dangerous weapon.

My hands trace along the curved metal chain, my eyes catching on its silver spikes and swiftly realising it resembles a whip. I pull it down from the wall as the ringing in the room grows louder.

"Quickly, let's move—" Erving shouts, just as the wall explodes and throws him to the ground, a rumble thundering out around us as the wall crumbles from the magical blast.

I crouch down low, clutching the spiked whip and taking a steady stance as the blowback from the explosion whips around me and through the room, destroying all the crates and posters in the process.

Smoke encases the room, making it hard to see or even breathe properly. I heighten my senses, listening for movement, and hear three sets of heavy footsteps entering the room and heading toward Erving's direction.

"Grab him quickly, and let's move," one of the gruff voices calls.

I guess they didn't realise I was here yet.

I let the metal unravel in my hands, still crouched low and hidden by the smoke billowing around the room.

As soon as it unravels, sharp-scale like spikes open up down its spine, looking like they would cause more damage than any blade.

I flick it outward, getting a quick feel for the new weapon before I gradually stand up and roll my shoulders out, a grin lacing my lips as my eyes narrow toward the three large men.

Erving is still lying on the ground, his hand covering his head and eyes closed tight as he winces. A trickle of blood drips down his forehead as the first figure reaches for him.

I twirl the whip above me once before unleashing it toward him. Its spikes instantly lash out and latch onto its first victim, catching his neck and wrapping around him instantly.

I pull it back toward me, adding a bit more strength for the larger figure, as a loud grunt falls from his lips. The sound of gurgling soon follows, and then a heavy thump to the floor.

I drop the whip to the floor, the spine tangled around its victim's neck as I slink over toward the weapons wall and grab the two ornate daggers.

"What the fuck?" the most prominent figure of the three barks, his head whipping back and forth before he reaches down and drags Erving from the ground with a hard pull.

A pained grunt leaves his lips as he dangles two feet off the ground by his shirt, the brute roughly holding him while glaring around the room, trying to see through the smoke. I can see his golden pupils flickering as he tries to catch me. A shifter, then.

"Clear it. We need to find the one who did that to Beta Five."

The smaller man beside him nods before waving his hand and chanting—t he warlock of the group.

The smoke begins to disappear slowly, but before I'm fully visible again, I dart behind them, striking the warlock just as the smoke fades completely.

He's caught off guard, twisting around too late as I stab the two daggers in my hands into each side of his neck.

A pained cry leaves his lips, blood pouring from the wounds as I pull the daggers back out.

The giant shifter jumps back with Erving still in his grasp as the warlock falls to the ground in front of me.

"A tiny girl?" the shifter yells, gripping Erving tighter as he glares down at me. " You took out my group?" He scoffs. "I won't be so easy."

Erving takes that moment to begin to thrash in his grip, struggling to break free. I throw one of my blades while he's distracted, aiming for the spot between his eyes, but he twists around, dodging it with ease while still dragging a thrashing Erving with him.

Erving extends sharp nails from his fingertips and digs them into the shifter, who growls down at him before flinging him into the bundle of broken monitors behind them.

Erving lets out a pained howl as I lunge forward, gripping the last blade in my hands as I attack the overgrown brute.

He twists around, expecting my attack, and whips out his own Bowie. The blades clash as we move back and forth, his attacks strong but much slower than Gadriel's.

He whips out another blade as I jump back from his last attack and throws it at me. I stop it with the blade in my hand, but its force knocks the weapon from my grip.

A dark chuckle rolls from his lips.

"Playtime is over." He dashes toward me as I leap for the metal whip handle on the floor, its spine still twisted around the first figure's neck.

I grab it, tumbling to the ground as I dodge the shifters Bowie aimed at me. I use my full strength, unravelling the spikes embedding in the corpse, and thrust the body toward the shifter.

I manage to push him back slightly, and Erving makes his own move. While he's distracted, he summons some sort of magic to wrap around the shifter's feet, which has him stumbling backward.

I spin the whip around before letting it loose toward the shifter. He raises his hand to stop it unconsciously, but it wraps around him, pulling his hand into his face as the spikes embed themselves in his skin.

He lets out a low growl, trying to fight against the whip as I tug at it and insert it further into his neck.

His knees buckle with the pain, falling to the ground as his other hand tries to claw at the whip from the outside.

He tries to do a partial shift, but his larger frame only embeds the spikes deeper into him. A pained grunt bubbles from his throat as he glares up at me.

"Who do you work for?" I call, stepping toward him and gripping the whip's handle. "What did you need him for?" I raise my chin toward Erving as he sits himself up and glances our way.

I'm met with a sneer and an angry growl.

So I tug the whip again, pushing for a response.

"I won't ask again."

He opens his mouth slightly, blood dripping down his teeth and flowing into the wounds growing wider on his neck.

"You'll get nothing from us, but I promise you'll regret this day." His grin widens, his eyes looking almost manic as he lets go of the whip with his hands and pushes toward the ground, the spikes in the whip instantly skewering him.

A sickening gurgling noise sounds from his lips before his last breath seeps from them. His arms fall limp to his sides as blood pools around his head.

Erving pulls himself straight, his eyes slightly wide as he makes his way over, a small trickle of blood falling down one side of his face as he winces.

"That was...different." A small smile coats his lips as he glances between me and the body. "How did—"

Erving's words are interrupted as the door flings open as Mallyn and Ezra burst in. They glance toward the bodies on the floor and then at me and Erving, a shocked look taking over Ezra's expression as Annex comes in through the back door. Covered in blood and grinning from ear to ear. He glances at the bodies around the room.

"Looks like we all had a bit of fun."

Ezra shakes his head, pointing to the three bodies.

"That wasn't us…" He stares my way. "Micai?"

Erving nods before I can answer, gesturing to each corpse.

"She took em' all down."

Annex raises a brow before his grin widens.

" That's my girl."