Setting Fire to the Stars (a MM Sci-Fi Romance)

Chapter 15: Malik

**(note: this chapter contains physical violence, profanity, gore, blood, and character death)*

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Peter
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Gunfire rained down as I stood in the middle of a war zone. Reese and Reva fired upon the our attackers, providing covering fire for the twins as they dragged Malik and Flynn out of the room. Josiah huddled near the doorway, shooting at the monsters with a handgun. No one made a move to help Silas, his screams of agony lost in the background. One of the assailant's knives struck him in the back and only then did his screams finally stop.

The three assailants launched forward, the brown charging at Reese while the red, Luc, sprang for Reva. Reese whirled around the behemoth like a whirlwind, unloading his weapon into the big guy while Reva met her attacker head-on in a clash of iron and steel. She moved with the precision of a lioness, countering a blow with her weapon before rolling out of the way as a spiked whip lashed the spot she'd been standing.

Unsurprisingly, Blue Mask came right for me. Last time I'd escaped it had clearly been a blow to his ego. The creature had a vendetta against me and I was all too familiar with the feeling. Stepping away from my attacker, I barely had time enough to spin away to avoid the deadly arch of a wicked blade aimed for my neck. Chilling fear coursed through my veins as I fumbled backwards. That same knife had nearly ended my life mere hours ago.

A thin tray with surgical instruments caught my peripheral. Throwing the pitiful scalpel at him, I quickly grabbed the tray from a rolling rack and held it up in front of me like a shield. The head of his dagger stabbed through the tray like a gnarled tooth, hilt catching on the meta rim.

With a dark cackle, Blue tore the object from my hands. "You escaped once, vermin," he rasped, flipping his onyx knives in the candlelight with ease. "Best believe that will not happen a second time."

I spat a curse, my feet nearly tripping as I stumbled back. The hunter tilted his head like a bird of prey as he raised his weapon at me, knife aimed at my face. Thinking quick, I used my foot to push over a rack filled with med supplies, sending it careening right into his legs. The masked assailant muttered something in a foreign language as he paused to smack the rack out of his path.

"Heads up, Pete!"

My head snapped up at Josiah's call just in time to see a black object sail through the air. Reflex kicked in and my hand sprang out to snatch the item, a sense of relief sinking in when my fingers wrapped around the hilt of a gun. With a practiced hand, I leveled the barrel of the pistol with the swirling mask.

My attacker cocked his head, interest sparkling behind the slits in his mask while weathered boots slide a step toward me. Bracing my muscles, I fired a bullet straight into his chest. My opponent recoiled, grunting as the bullet knocked against his cloak. The corner of my mouth upturned before a deep chortling wiped away my relief. Blue lifted his head, brushing off the bullet like a dog shaking off water. My throat worked as my heart kicked up in my chest.

Shit. Where these bastards were bulletproof?

Blue reached for something inside the weathered folds of the mud-caked cloak wrapped around his stout frame. Before he could make a move, I sprung forward, kicking out at the creature's knee. My boot flew past his leg when he dodged swiftly, before he struck with a dagger. I barely caught myself fast enough to whirl back, the knife slicing a thin line through the material of my shirt. There was no sting, no blood, hadn't been cut. But shit, that was too close.

Okay, keep distance.

Raising the gun, my finger slammed back on the trigger again and again, two more shots firing. The cloak was flung across his middle, two bullets bouncing off like they were made of plastic. Unfortunately for him, one of his weaknesses was now exposed. A wicked grin curled my lips.