Darling Wildfire (Red Rabbit #2)

49

NYX

We’d lost North somewhere back near the creek and I couldn’t see Kane, Preacher or Red nearby.

“North—”

I called over comms. “North come in.”

No answer.

Two men appeared out of the trees, too close for guns and I lunged for one while Atlas went after the other. The man landed a solid hit to my jaw sending me stumbling back against a tree and I barely dodged a bullet as he fired nearly point blank. He fired again and the earth near my head exploded.

I have no idea what kind of luck was on my side to avoid a death shot—twice—but I wasn’t complaining. The devil obviously wasn’t ready to see me yet, and I was just fine delivering others to him in my place.

I whipped onto my back and fired, hitting the man in the face. I heard another gun go off and looked over to see Atlas get the upper hand only for a third man to appear out of the trees behind him and level a gun at his head.

Atlas slammed a knife into the man under him. I lunged to my knees and fired over his shoulder just as his eyes rose to meet mine, a feral look in them. He looked over his shoulder as he heard the man fall and I climbed to my feet and ran over. I offered him a hand up.

“Nice shot,”

he panted.

I pulled him up and grabbed his neck, frowning as I ran my thumb over what looked like a ricochet bullet that grazed his neck and disappeared just under his ear. My adrenaline was going too heavy to feel any real emotions, but I bared my teeth at the sight.

“I think that was meant for you,”

he said with a smirk.

I met his gaze and his eyes darkened. I realized we were very close to each other and the sight of him covered in blood was sending heat through me at an alarming speed.

“Wanted to match me?”

I asked, my voice coming out gruffer than I anticipated.

He flashed me a quick grin, stark white against the blood splattering his face.

“Where are the others?”

I let go of him and took a step back as I ran a hand over my face and looked off through the trees.

I shook my head. I didn’t know.

“North—come in—North,”

I said over comms. Nothing.

“Nyx—”

It was Preacher, but he wasn’t speaking over comms.

“Fuck,” I hissed.

Preacher was stumbling to his feet several yards through the trees, his head and face covered in blood. A lot of blood. I jogged over and Atlas followed.

“What happened, where are you hit?”

I demanded.

“Fucker hit me with a rock,”

Preacher said. “A few times.”

He had blood running down his face. Atlas gingerly touched the back of his head.

“You’re going to have a nasty headache later,”

he said. “But I think you’ll live. It’s just bleeding a lot.”

“Where’s North? Kane?”

Preacher asked.

“Can’t reach them on comms,”

I said. “Where’s Red?”

“She ran off—two of them went after her but so did Kane.”

“Kane—”

I said over comms. “Kane, come in.”

“Where are you fuckers?”

Kane’s voice crackled in my ear. “I’m about half a mile east from where the grenade went off. Managed to kill one of the fucks that took the girl but the other now has her held up as a hostage.”

“Copy that. On our way,” I said.

I holstered my pistol and picked up my discarded AR, checking it over before motioning for Atlas and Preacher to fall in behind me.

We crept up on Kane’s position and saw he was in a standoff between one of the opposing teams in a small clearing. Both men had guns pointed at each other. Kane was half hidden behind a tree and the other man was holding Red in front of him. Before we were noticed, I motioned for Atlas to flank him.

“We’re in position,”

I whispered to Kane over comms. “Hold.”

“Copy,”

he muttered.

“Just shoot him!”

Red shouted to Kane.

“Shut up, bitch,”

the man holding her said, tightening his hold around her neck.

“Fuck you, Dogtail, I’m not going back to Kai,” she said.

“Keep him talking,”

I whispered to Kane.

“What kind of a name is Dogtail?”

Kane called out.

“Your mom gave it to me,”

Dogtail called back.

“Your mom didn’t have time to give me a nickname,”

Kane said. “She was too busy choking on my dick.”

I had to hide a smile and Preacher let out a breath that sounded very much like a laugh.

“Jesus,”

I muttered under my breath. “We really trading mom jokes right now?”

“I’m in position,”

Atlas called in.

“Finally—put us out of this misery,” I said.

A moment later the crack of a rifle rang out, and Dogtail dropped, dragging Red with him. Red scrambled up and raced across the clearing to Kane who wrapped an arm around her, gun still outstretched. Preacher and I joined them and Atlas appeared at a jog through the trees.

“Let’s go,”

she said urgently. “He said Kai was on his way.”

“Kai?” I asked.

“He’s the leader of one of the other teams,” she said.

There was genuine fear shining in her usually detached cold eyes. I nodded and signaled for us to move out. I took point with Red behind me while Atlas and Kane watched the rear guard.

We were almost to the lookout where we’d found the cage when we heard gunfire and Kane went down with a curse and grabbed his leg. A group of soldiers came out of the trees. Kane lunged for Red and pulled her towards cover as I dodged bullets. I collided with one and we slammed against a tree. I used his gun to shoot his friend coming up behind me, then used my own to shoot him point blank.

The body fell, and I followed it. I slammed the butt of my gun into his face for good measure.

Then again, because it felt good.

The rage bubbled up, unstoppable and suddenly the man under me wasn’t a nameless soldier but Vetticus. I continued to beat him with the gun. Everything disappeared except his face, leering at me. I was out of control and in that moment I lost who I was completely. It should have scared me but it didn’t. There was only white hot rage that overflowed and spilled out of control around me.

I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop.

The release was intoxicating.

Warm blood dripped down my arms and sank into the ground under me, churning to mud with every movement. Then my gun was torn from my grip and hands grabbed my face. I was pulled roughly forward and Atlas swam into view, followed by his voice yelling at me. Reality rushed back to me so fast I got lightheaded.

My vision focused and his eyes, hard as steel, pulled me back to myself.

“Nyx!”

He was shouting at me. “It’s not him! It’s not him!”

I blinked and when he saw he had me; he released my face and sat back on his heels. I looked down between us to see a body that was barely a body anymore. I staggered to my feet and turned to see the rest of the group watching me with varying degrees of emotions on their faces.

Kane was looking at me with amusement. Red looked terrified. Preacher gave me a quick glance of resigned annoyance before he went back to scanning the trees, watching our backs while I had my little breakdown. Atlas handed my gun back to me and I saw his gaze quickly sweep over me with a look that I could have sworn looked equal parts concern and hunger before he turned and motioned for us to move out. The clarity I had now was potent and for the first time in weeks, I knew I’d moved past the worst of the trauma.

Violence begets violence.

In this world, in this life, it was the only thing holding me together.