Chapter 35

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

MIKO

B ullets sprayed the hallway, cracking the glass.

Fucking. Hell.

We took out the biters in the lab, Ori beheading the final biter with his axe, a replica smiling proudly at him.

Feeling is mutual…

"Everyone okay?" my mate asked, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

All still standing. But there were only three replicas here.

Shit. We'd lost the other three, unless they'd somehow pulled through the worm and bullet bollocks.

The gun stopped firing, bullet damage pockmarking the window. Another round and it'd come down.

At that moment, the door malfunctioned, sliding open.

"Error," the robot voice said. "Please alert the maintenance department for repairs."

Dammit!

"How did you enjoy that?" Dawn called. "This is only the beginning."

Yeah, yeah.

"Miko…" Ori took my hand. "The replicas…"

"I'll check."

I didn't need to with Dawn stomping into view, filling the doorway. The two Mikos were still ensnared by the paw worms. The wriggly things were fatter, leaking pink liquid through slits in their flesh. I barely saw the replicas under all that pink.

The worms pulsed and the Mikos exploded. Their blood became a murky golden liquid as it hit the floor, rapidly losing what was left of its color.

"Three down," Dawn said, retracting the worms, its machine gun gone. "The other chosen wolf hardly possessed the stamina to withstand the onslaught of metal slugs." It cackled, moving into the lab. "Now to end every Miko."

Orion moved, shocking the hell out of me.

"Ori!"

He sliced his palm open with his axe as he ran, flinging blood at Dawn. It struck the crocodile head, fizzing like caustic soda. He got the fucker in the left eye.

His cherry aroma filled the room.

Dawn howled, retreating into the corridor. "Fae! Fae! Fae!"

My God. My pride for Ori swelled. "You're crazy." I tore off part of my sleeve for his hand.

He took it rather than let me wrap his wound for him. "Basil should've come with us for the double dose. Anyway, let's move before the assbug recovers."

Banking some kiss-related rewards to dish out later, I led the charge. Dawn continued to stagger back, thrashing its head against the sizzling blood.

Outdone by my man. How do you like that, dickhead?

We reached Lab 8, James about to use the fob, but he froze like Ori did under the blood magic.

"What's wrong?" I asked, taking him by the shoulder.

"Dawn!" Ori yelled.

I saw it then, the pink smoke smothering the floor. Probing me, then thinking better of it. But it filled my beta quickly, making his arm drop, the fob slipping from his fingers.

He snarled, facing me with pink eyes, baring his teeth. I backed off, two more snarls behind me.

"Miko… The others…"

James lunged, releasing a bloodthirsty hiss.