One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (30 page)

Wheeler appeared, panting heavily and staring at the man slumped over by the tree. “Remind me not to piss you off,” he said to me. “How far away were you? That’s a clean shot into the heart.”

“I don’t want to know,” I murmured, feeling queasy all of a sudden.

Maizy wriggled out of Denver’s arms and wiped off her pants. “I need to get back to my post,” she said, clearly flustered, her braid swinging with leaves stuck in it.

Wheeler strolled over and settled his gaze on Denver’s bloody leg. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Did you get a boo-boo?”

Denver hurled a clump of dirt at him. “Shut it. You’re just jealous because I’m the pretty man in the family.”

“How would the pretty man like to be tied naked to a tree by the stronger man?”

When Denver threw a rock at Wheeler’s head, Wheeler grabbed Denver by his lame leg and dragged him toward the tree.

“Let go of me, dickwad!” Denver shouted, flailing like a fish out of water.

Wheeler laughed darkly. “I think I hear the sound of banjos.”

I rubbed my face and turned to Reno. “If someday I ever have to tell the story about how the Weston pack valiantly fought against the Northerners, I’m leaving this part out.”

Reno touched his earpiece. “Austin relayed the message to Axel’s men. A couple of them spotted cars moving along the roads that lead out here.” He paused for a moment, still listening. “Got it.”

“What did he say?”

“Wheeler, get this damn corpse out of here,” he shouted. “We got more coming in.”

Wheeler tossed Denver’s boot into the bushes and stalked off to dispose of the body.

Reno covered the drag marks Denver had left behind by using his foot and a long branch to scatter the leaves. “A group of men confronted some of Axel’s pack, and they got into it. The rogues aren’t sure if Axel’s men are locals or here to claim land. Either way, they’re obstacles.” Reno picked up the dart and studied the tip. “When I shoot, I shoot to kill. Apparently, they have other intentions if they’re using darts instead of bullets.”

“Anything else?”

I didn’t like the look in Reno’s eyes, especially when he dodged my question by turning away.

I grabbed a handful of his shirt. “What else?”

He turned his head to the side, his eyes downcast. “Judas’s men hit Dallas and Houston. Looks like they’re coordinating an attack against the big cities. The snowball is rolling down the mountain, and there’s no stopping it.”

“So what do we do?”

“Stay out of sight until we know what we’re dealing with.”

We both watched Denver trying to put his boot on, but he couldn’t bend his leg.

“Better put him in the bunker with me,” I said. “I don’t think sending him up that tree is a good idea unless you want DJ Denny to welcome our guests with a song.”

“Good point. Make him sleep it off whether he wants to or not. Both of you need to eat something. We have time before the second wave, so fuel up even if you’re not hungry.”

I approached my packmate and held out my hand. “Come on, Denver. Looks like we’re roomies for a little while.”

His eyes widened when he noticed my round belly. “Have you been eating watermelon seeds?”

***

Denver slept for hours, although I had to suffer through his whispered singing of every song that popped into his head, and most of them were cartoons or songs from the eighties. Somewhere around INXS or Bobby McFerrin, he’d finally dozed off.

I had another sharp pain while he slept, but I breathed through it and stayed calm, remembering the Relic’s warning about stress.

Shortly after eating a handful of almonds, I heard a peculiar sound coming from outside the bunker. I lifted the hatch and peered through the crack, the dimming light telling me it must have been late afternoon.

“Denver, wake up,” I hissed. “Denver.”

“Mmm… muffins,” he murmured incoherently, rolling away from the light.

Oh, for the love of God
.

I removed the cap from my water and squeezed the bottle, sending a giant splatter onto his pants.

Denver shot up, eyes wide, his hair disheveled. He glanced down at his wet crotch, lightly touched it, and then sniffed his fingertips.

“You didn’t wet yourself,” I whispered. “Something’s going on.”

He blinked several times and crawled to the bench, resting his chin on the wall and peering through the crack.

I pointed in the direction of the sound. He tapped his finger against his lips, signaling to stay quiet. I reached for the dagger and strapped it around my waist with the gun. Denver put on his shirt and then lifted his pack, ready to move. I handed him his hat, and he pulled it over his head, tucking his hair beneath it.

“Any dove calls?” he whispered.

“No.”

We both stood up, and I held the door while he quietly stepped out and ran for cover, still missing one pant leg.

I sat back down with only a two-inch gap to watch the action and finished off my water. When I bent over to set the empty bottle down, something whizzed by and hit the cinder block behind me, making a pinging sound on the floor.

A silver dart rolled into the shadows, and my eyes widened. When I braved a quick peek through the crack, I spied a man aiming a gun at me. I ducked just as another dart struck the wood door.

“Shooter!” I screamed out, lowering the hatch door. It slammed shut, and chaos erupted outside.

Fuck dove calls; this guy was trying to take my head off. I didn’t have time to cup my hands and blow out a warning. I gripped the handle overhead and pulled hard.

Four shots fired, and Katharine yelled, “One down!”

Pregnant or not, my family was up there. Torn between two decisions that could save lives, I raised the hatch door and peered out again. Austin ran by, disappearing into the fog, but everyone else was gone.

“Dammit!” I whispered. “Too big to climb a tree, too fat to run.”

My breath caught when a man in black stepped out from behind a tree and into a strip of sunlight that had pierced through a breach in the branches overhead. He was hunting Austin, and my eyes fixed on the serrated knife in his left hand.

I shoved my gun through the crack, aimed, and fired. The man went down, and I shot again, his body twitching. “One down!” I cried out, feeling like I could do a victory dance if it weren’t for the fact I couldn’t stand up in this damn hole. I slammed the hatch door shut, a rush of adrenaline surging through me.

When the door wrenched open, I raised my arm and fired the gun. April flew onto her back, and I trembled in horror.

“
No!
” I emerged from my hideout and fell at her side.

She grimaced, blood staining her left shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’m immortal,” she rasped.

“I shot you!” I exclaimed.

April reached for a strip of sunshine, and it danced on her fingertips. After a few moments, she sighed and sat up as if nothing had just happened. “You owe me, then. Next time I play hooky from work—”

I pulled her collar away from her shoulder. Her smooth skin had only a smear of blood, but there was no wound. I poked my finger through the hole in the fabric.

“Charlie taught me how to heal months ago. Just don’t tell Reno you shot me.”

I sat back in stunned silence.

Her hazel eyes sparkled with humor. “You change into a wolf. Why should this be any stranger?”

“Why aren’t you at your post?”

She wiped the dirt off her pants and stood up, helping me to my feet. “Austin and Jericho are creating a diversion so we can change locations.”

“How many did we get?”

She looked back at the body. “That makes ten I know of. I got two.”

“You’re not even armed.”

“I told you I don’t like weapons,” she said in a huff.

April gathered my gun and bag, and we walked in an easterly direction.

I slowed my pace a step and glanced to my right, noticing the hole in the back of her shirt.

April locked arms with me. “The energy blast I can do is pretty nifty.”

As we climbed a short hill, I struggled for breath. We’d rehearsed different locations to move to based on how the rogues might attack. Reno also didn’t want to lock us in one spot, thus making it easier for the rogues to pick us off.

Several minutes of hiking, and I would have thrown my heavy backpack into the river had it not been filled with needed supplies.

I gripped the strap on April’s pack and yanked her aside. “Careful, there’s a trap on your right. See the mark on the tree?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

We continued walking. “Remember where you are at all times, even if we have to run. One of Prince’s friends helped construct them, and some of them have steel traps at the bottom.”

“Don’t move,” a man said from behind. “Stay right where you are.”

Sticks and leaves crunched beneath the tread of the man circling around us. When he came into view, his gun was aimed right at my chest.

April stepped in front of me and held up her hands. “We’re not armed.”

Well, that was a complete lie. Especially considering her hands could rival any weapon.

“How many of you are there?” he asked. His eyes were barely visible behind blond lashes, and his skin was so ruddy that he looked sunburned. But it wasn’t his stout physique that made me nervous—it was the fresh blood on his pants when he had no apparent wounds.

April scanned the trees above where fog erased the sunlight. She could only heal by the light of another Mage or the sun. It was possible for her to use our energy, but she’d never risk putting my life in danger since taking too much could kill me.

“Throw your bags on the ground,” he ordered.

We both slid the straps off our shoulders and tossed the camouflage packs to our feet.

The rogue squinted, staring at my belly. “Lift your shirt.”

I folded my arms. “I assure you, I’m pregnant.”

“Yeah? What else are you hiding in there? Lift it up slowly. Nothing funny, or I’ll shoot your friend.” He swung the gun at April and my heart skipped a beat.

Holding my hands up, I said, “I’m armed, but you look a little trigger-happy, and that makes me nervous about reaching for my belt. Can you lower the gun while I do this?”

“I’m supposed to kill you after I search you for weapons, phones, and notebooks.”

“And that’s supposed to make me want to disarm a little bit faster?” I said, irritated.

His hand lowered, and he snarled, “Does this make you feel better?”

He’d barely finished the words when an arrow sliced through his neck from left to right. His gun fired, and a clump of dirt exploded to my left. April flashed at the man, blasting him with energy and putting him out of his misery.

Melody appeared from a thicket of trees, a black hat pulled over her head and bright strands of blue hair peeking out. She had on brown stretch pants and a pair of camo shorts. She’d hand-painted the pants with dye so they resembled the bark of a tree when she stood up against it. I never thought a girl who liked to sew would be of much use. After all, Melody was just a kid.