CHAPTER TEN
Blades flashed, and living nightmares fell.
Cassander had arrived. Exactly as he promised.
He grinned from the doorway, his swords swinging in merry—deadly—fun. He shouted with glee, “I have arrived to save the day!”
Finn straightened from his crouched position next to Poppy, unsurprised, his eyes on his slash-happy friend. “You know, Cass, one day, it would be nice if you helped prevent the need for saving others instead of riding in on your white horse like a hero.”
Cassander sidestepped a flying hand full of lethal nails, his smile only widening on his face. “Aww, come on. You know you love this shit.”
Finn grunted, a smirk tugging at his wide lips. “My friend, you have me there. I’ve needed an outlet for a while. Killing a few golems will do just fine.”
I flinched back when the white tiger brandished his blades, cutting down two…golems…with expert ease.
Megan leaned toward me, muttering under her breath, “What the hell is a golem?”
I stood a bit straighter, ready to teach. “From my ancient studies of civilization, golems were once believed to be magical creatures created by clay and then animated to life.”
Megan stared in disbelief. She grumbled, “You’re talking about magic again. Crazy shit.”
I waved a hand at the golems before us, my own eyes staring at their bodies—not their glowing mouths—in incredulity. “I can’t believe I’m saying it, either. But how else would you explain this?”
She snorted. “A new form of machinery.”
My lips thinned. I didn’t say more on the matter.
Megan hadn’t witnessed men turning into beasts.
Magic would be farfetched for someone in the dark.
“You two need to get Poppy inside with you while Cass and I take care of the…,” he glanced at Megan, apparently offended by her tone with me, “golems—because that’s what they are.”
Her blue eyes rolled. “Mina can drag the fainting princess in here. I’ll fight with you.”
“No, you won’t. Poppy said you wanted to be in the CA, right?”
“Yeah. To get away from my dad.”
“Well, a good soldier knows when to protect the innocent.” He tipped his head in my direction, holding her narrowed gaze. “Mina can’t fight, and Poppy is down. You need to watch over them. If you can get out of the locked enclosure, then the golems can get in twice as easily with their numbers.”
Her lips thinned, properly scolded.
I grumbled, “How do you know I can’t fight?”
“I read your file on the way here. You graduated from New City University two years early—with honors—and you’re now a professor there. You’re a scholar, not a fighter.” His eyes heated as they ran down my curvy body, pausing on the most indecent parts. He purred, “And I like it, Mina. Don’t think I don’t.”
I shuddered, my legs weakening from his erotic expression and promising words. I wanted to rub my body all over this man. It was so very distasteful, but the idea grew with more merit every single second I was in this monster’s presence.
Swaying toward him, I sighed, “Okay.”
Another brilliant response.
Megan snorted and choked until she laughed.
She pointed a finger right at my face. “All that education and one man makes you lose your wits? You’re going to get fucked so good that you won’t be able to walk in a straight line to pee afterward.”
“Megan!” I admonished, my cheeks flaming.
“What? It’s so true.” She winked.
Finn shrugged a shoulder when I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. He was in agreement with her, his expression smug, a man who knew he was exceptional in the carnal acts.
My cheeks still burned in embarrassment, but my tone was droll as I muttered, “Don’t you have some golems to kill, Mr. Baker?”
He chuckled at my snub, enjoying my uptight attitude. “You’re right. I can’t let Cass have all the fun.” He pointed one of his knives at Megan. “Get Poppy inside and make sure the three of you aren’t killed.”
With his parting words, he raced into the madness surrounding us, his blades sure and steady as he sliced off golem heads with expert ease. Even wearing a tuxedo.
“Damn, he’s amazing with blades,” Megan murmured.
I nodded, reluctantly agreeing with her.
“Okay, let’s get Little Miss Princess in here with us. I don’t want General Carvene—or Mr. King—hunting me if she dies on my watch.”
“You’re exactly spot-on to the truth,” I whispered.
More than she knew.
Mr. King would love hunting her.
We slipped out of the glass room.
I took Poppy’s arms. Megan took her feet.
Together, we lifted her slight weight with ease, carried her carefully into the glass room, and placed her on the floor. While Megan raced to slam the door shut, I stayed crouched next to Poppy and ran the pad of my finger over the blood on her arm where she had been cut. There wasn’t even a scratch beneath the blood, her body healing in a few minutes—or sooner.
Was she a beast too?
Perhaps a magical creature? Immortal?
I wanted answers to all of my curious questions.
If only I were brave enough to ask a monster.
I wasn’t sure if I was. Even if he was a hottie.
Though, I did have one question I wasn’t afraid to ask. I turned my attention to Megan as she peeked under the bottom of Poppy’s dress.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Weapons.” Megan grinned, sticking her hands far under Poppy’s dress, her arms disappearing all the way up to her shoulders. “I knew she wouldn’t go without.”
She extracted two short blades hidden beneath the princess’s dress. Megan spun them in her hands, staring at the shiny and well cared for steel. She hummed in appreciation. “These will do.”
I pulled the hem of Poppy’s exquisite dress back down to her black combat boots. I hissed, “Let’s not tell anyone you touched her like that.”
“Good idea.” Megan chuckled, but her blue eyes were serious as she stood and surveyed the fighting around the enclosure. “Those things are slow, but they’re getting closer.”