Alone • Liam Dunbar

Twenty-Five

"We have to get to the school."

Derek pushes open the doors to the morgue, stepping out into the hall. Satomi, Liam, and I follow close behind him, while Melissa and Deaton remain inside. They were going to stay at the hospital in hopes they could reach the sheriff and tell him about the reishi, as he was already on-site at the campus. 

Time was running out and if assassins were closing in, it was time to act. 

Satomi stops abruptly, causing the three of us to do the same.

"What about the others at Lookout Point?" she asks, referring to the rest of her pack.

"I'll take it there once we get it," I promise her. Satomi seems taken aback by the offer but gives me a thankful look for it as her surprise fades. 

Our attention drifts from one another when the elevator pings at the end of the hall. 

We all turn, searching for who was coming down to the morgue at this hour. I had assumed it would be a doctor or a janitor, but when the doors opened, we were only greeted by a slender blonde woman and a gun in her hands. 

She aims it directly at us, and time slows as she starts to rain fire. One shot comes after the other without hesitation. Derek leaps in front of Satomi, taking a bullet into his lower abdomen that would have pierced her chest if not for his sacrifice.

I reached behind me to unclasp my own gun from its holster and return fire, but a sudden force yanked me back before I could. Liam tackled me to the floor and pinned me between him and the base of the wall.

Realizing what he was doing, I try to shove him off. 

He was the one who was in real danger here. I should be the one covering him, but Liam uses his strength to prevent me from escaping his grip. I wrap my arms around him instead, pulling him tight against me. It's an attempt to do what I could to keep any stray bullets from harming him. 

Seconds last for hours. 

I squeeze my eyes shut and press my head into Liam's chest to dull the sound of gunfire. The shots soon die down, and all I'm left with is the thudding of Liam's heart. 

He doesn't remove himself from me, only lifts himself slightly to glance over his shoulder. I peer around him, too, stretching to see Satomi standing over the woman's body. There's a fatal wound on her neck, the result of Satomi stabbing it with a steel spike. The Alpha spins the weapon in her hand flawlessly as she pushes it back into her sleeve, ready for it to be used again if the situation arose. 

Deaton and Melissa charge out from the morgue now that the shots have ceased. The latter helps Derek up from the floor, and the three of them stand together to give Satomi a combined impressed once-over, as not a single shot landed on her as she took on the random assassin. 

Satomi smirks at them. "I may have learned to control my anger, but I still know how to use it."

"Well, alright then," Melissa laughs. 

My eyes leave them, returning to Liam who remains above me. He feels my stare and turns, his face hovering over mine, only a few breaths away. His hand that cradled my head when we fell comes to the side of my face, his touch light and filled with concern.

"You aren't hurt are you?" he asks softly, his breath tickling my skin.

"No, are you?" My question brought a gentle smile to his face and I could feel his thumb move slightly, as if stroking my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Liam, Jac?" Melissa calls for our attention. 

I look over Liam's shoulder again, finding four adults watching us with raised eyebrows. I can't help but feel mild embarrassment as I realize Liam and I are in an odd position now that there's no threat of imminent danger, yet we're still tightly embracing.