Omega Bound Chapter 268

Raven

I was gone into the hall in a blur, Mikhail’s footsteps scrambling after me but never quite catching. The guard there didn’t even have time to blink before I slammed him into the wall, the impact rattling down the hall. My fangs punched into his throat, tearing through muscle and vein, hot copper flooding my mouth as he jerked and sagged in my grip. I dropped him before the spray even hit the floor, already pivoting, speed thrumming through my veins.

The next one lifted his rifle, but my hand was already on him. His bones snapped in my grip, his chest caving beneath the heel of my palm with a wet crunch. Another charged; I caught him by the jaw, ripped his throat open, and flung him aside. The last one tried to run, and that pissed me off most of all. I was on him in a blink, fingers tangled in his hair as I slammed his skull into the wall again and again until it burst, hot and slick down my arm.

Sirens shrieked overhead, red lights bathing everything in chaos, but all I felt was clarity. I tore the weapons from their bodies, shoved one into Mikhail’s trembling hands, and wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my wrist.

My chest heaved, my pulse wild, but there it was, the pull, the bond sparking alive inside me. “I can feel him,” I snarled, every word dripping with certainty. “My mate’s close. Which means Thane is close. And that means we’re all getting the hell out of here.”

Mikhail stares at me, covered in blood, and swallows hard. “Can you use that thing?” I nod to the gun he’s clutching to his chest.

“Yes, and I’ve spent ten years listening and learning. Eric’s lab is in the lower levels. If she’s with him, that’s where she will be.”

“Fine, we'll go down now, but we need to move!”

The corridor opened up into another stretch of chaos, alarms blaring and guards shouting. Two of them spotted us first, rifles raised, but I was already a blur. I slammed into the nearest one, fingers digging into his throat as his knees buckled, blood spilling across my hands.

The second guard swung at me, and I ducked under the swing, ripping the knife from his belt with one swift motion. Cold metal in my hand, I slashed across his chest, the blade sinking deep as he dropped with a choked scream.

Mikhail moved alongside me, firing without hesitation. Each guard who thought they could stop us dropping before they even realized what hit them. I didn’t slow, spinning toward another who tried to flank me, plunging the knife deep into his side before ripping it free and pivoting again.

“Grab that gun!” I barked, tossing Mikhail another rifle from one of the dead, blood still dripping from my hands and chin. Knife in hand, I carved a path, my speed and feral strength unmatched, while Mikhail’s shots kept any reinforcements at bay. “No one stops us,” adrenaline burning every one of my nerves, “Keep moving.”

We run down the poorly lit hall and encounter more guards to slaughter. The sound of gunshots echoes throughout the area, fueling my need for blood. I snarled, pivoting on my heel to drive the knife into a guard lunging from the side, blood spraying across the polished floor. “You’ve been shot!” Mikhail explains, grabbing my arm, which earns him a snarl as I rip it away.

“I don’t even feel it. Don’t slow me down, or you’ll be the next throat I rip out.” I look and see dark blood my arm.

Mikhail’s eyes flicked to my arm, “You can’t just ignore that. Even if it doesn’t slow you down now, a lodged bullet’s a risk. It can cause damage to the muscle, and it's worse if it hits a vein or nerve. You need to get it out before it turns into something serious.” I shot him a glare, blood and adrenaline painting my face, but he didn’t flinch.

“My mate can dig it out while he’s buried in me.” I leave out the part that we will probably have to cut it open again to remove it because of my speed healing. Regardless, it will be a good time. “Continue to slow me down, and I will leave you here.” I bolt down the hall, my eyes locked on the stairwell.

The stairwell door slammed behind us, rattling. The fluorescent lights flickered, casting the narrow concrete steps in sharp, shifting shadows as we tore downward. I kept my knife ready, senses straining for any movement, while Mikhail’s rifle stayed trained ahead, fingers tight on the trigger. “Lab’s got to be at the bottom,” he muttered, eyes scanning the walls for signs.

“I thought you knew where it was?” I snarl at Mikhail.

“I have heard where it is. I haven’t actually seen it. Anytime they take me from my cell, I am gassed, just like Ayla was.”

“Then you'd better make yourself useful while we look for her.” I place my ear up against a door, listening for anything that sounds like Ayla or lab equipment.

“You can stop threatening me now. I’m clearly helping.” Mikhail growls.

“Tell me what to do again and you’ll wish you didn’t.” I turn on him, holding my knife to his neck.

“You remind me of my wife’s sister.” His throat bobs under my blade.

“You shouldn’t have naughty thoughts about your wife’s sister.” I pull it away and decide to go down more stairs.

“What? No, I mean that she was quite the bitch.”

“I’ll allow that.” The stairwell ended in a heavy steel door. I slammed my shoulder into it, and it groaned open, spilling us into the dimly lit basement. The air smelled of chemicals, and the low hum of machinery vibrated through the floor. Mikhail’s hand tightened on his rifle as I edged forward, knife ready, senses straining. Then the lights flicked on fully, and we came face to face with a half-dozen guards.

They raised weapons in unison, and I snarled, fangs bared, heart hammering.

I moved first, a blur of speed and bloodlust, launching at the nearest guard. My knife sank into his side as his rifle went off uselessly, tearing a scream from him before I twisted the blade free. Another came at me from the left. I caught his wrist, snapped it with a sharp crack, and drove him into the concrete wall. Mikhail covered me, shooting two guards advancing from the far end of the hall.

I spun, catching a guard lunging from behind, my fist crushing his throat while the knife ripped across his chest. Blood slicked the floor beneath my boots. I was a storm of claws, teeth, and metal, unstoppable, while Mikhail’s rifle sang death from every corner.

We had become a single lethal force, him with his weapon, me with my knife, and together we carved a path straight toward the lab door. When the final body hit the ground, chest crushed or head split open, I kicked the last rifle from a dying hand to Mikhail. “Let's go!”