The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 17i

I raise my gun to fire at him, but he disappears to a corner of the lobby. I fire again, and he disappears again. I abandon the gun after the clip runs empty and dart back to the elevator. I frantically press the close button, but as the doors are about to shut, the black mist seeps through the cracks. "Where are you running off to?" His English accent makes his naturally creepy voice sound like Jack the Ripper. He holds a blood-drenched blade to my throat with one hand and muffles my screams with the other.

"Daddy dearest told me to clean up the place – no witnesses, no survivors. He also told me to bring you home, alive and unharmed. He still seems to think that there is something special about you. But I decided that you should get to know your big brother a little bit first." I struggle against the blade as it draws blood from my neck. "Selena tried to do things the easy way, and you threw it in her face." He slowly moves the blade along my skin, and I cry out in unheard agony. "She always was the nice one. I however, am not so agreeable."

He opens the elevator doors and pulls me out by my hair. I let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoes through the emptiness. "Somebody, help me!"

"Now, now, little sister, be a good girl and stay qui..." Bang! Just when I thought all hope was lost, one round is fired from the main entrance. Nathaniel takes a hit straight to the abdomen, releasing me from his grip.

"Scarlett! Get out of the way!" Adrian's voice rings through the lobby, and I scurry away from Nathaniel. I turn to see Nathaniel lying on the ground but with no blood. He is wearing Kevlar. As Adrian approaches, he gives me a final death glare before teleporting to safety.

I press my hand against my neck in order to slow the bleeding. Adrian rushes to my side, and the pain vanishes in a glow of white light. I throw myself into his arms. "It's ok now. He's gone." Adrian whispers.

The team of three men who accompanied him secure the lobby. "Where did you go?" I cry.

"I got a phone call in the middle of the night, saying they needed me at the docks. It was a diversion. They wanted to lure me away while they came for you." He covers my exposed body with his suit and makes a phone call. "This is Adrian. Dispatch a full tactical team to 101 Park Avenue ASAP. Nathaniel Ashcroft attacked the place, and he may still be inside. I only have three men with me; we won't stand a chance if he shows up again. And prepare a clean up crew."

He tells one of his men to hand me a sidearm. "Be ready to defend yourself. We're not out of the woods yet." The five of us form an impromptu circle for mutual protection, knowing that Nathaniel could appear anywhere, anytime. My god. He singlehandedly took out the entire building with his abilities!

The Praesidium convoy finally arrives, and we move in formation to the SUV. I was expecting Nathaniel to leap on top of the car like Spider Man. "Where are we going?"

Adrian wipes his ashen face, more worried than I've ever seen. "The airport."

"What?" I ask.

"We underestimated their spirit for vengeance." He replies. "The Ashcrofts aren't playing around anymore. I can't protect you here."

"So where are you taking me?"

"Shanghai. It's the only place where the Ashcrofts can't follow you." He pulls me into a bone-crushing embrace. "I am so sorry, Scarlett. I knew my dad was playing with fire when he involved you."

And just like that, we are fleeing the country. We wait in the car for hours until the G650 arrives. Even inside the plane, I am still shaking right up until the moment we take off. Despite my exhaustion, it is impossibly difficult to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Nathaniel appear behind Adrian and put a dagger through his back.