The KnightShift: Call of the Moon (Wattys2019)

Chapter 17:

Emersyn

I felt something was wrong even before I turned the corner. I felt Octavia and Elfrida's energy, but I also felt a bunch of other supernatural creatures not far from them. Elfrida came into view first. She looked up when I called her name. A brief smile passed over her face before Octavia shoved the man who had been driving the van out in front of her. Octavia all but drug the man over to me.

"This is the asshole that was in charge of this place. We need to take him with us, so we can find out what he knows," Octavia said, looking almost too much like her brother.

"And he has reinforcements right behind us, so we need to go," Elfrida said.

I wanted to throw my arms around her and weep but now was so not the time.

"The wolves are getting the women out. Octavian is waiting for you," I said.

Octavia nodded. I turned as men began to file out of the office Elfrida and Octavia were just in. Their rifles were up and aimed directly down the hall where we were standing.

"FREEZE! RELEASE THE DOCTOR AND WE WILL NOT USE EXCESSIVE FORCE," the man in front yelled.

I began creeping along the edge of the hallway.

"Why should we believe you? This man has been holding more than a dozen women against their will for the last 3 months," I said, drawing their attention to me.

"What are you doing," Frida asked.

"Keeping them from filling you two with silver. When I say so, run," I said.

"What about you," Frida asked.

"As long as the bullets aren't iron, I will live," I said.

Octavia nodded but Elfrida looked slightly horrified as she realized that I planned to use myself to shield them, if need be.

"Release the doctor and I promise you will serve out your sentence is one of our more comfortable research facilities," the man said.

"Umm, yeah. No thank you," Octavia said.

The man nodded to the others and I heard 10 safeties being clicked off at the same time.

I screamed out, "RUN!"

Elfrida was in front with Dr. Claw behind her being pushed by Octavia. I noticed the guns were trained on her wide open back and she and Elfrida weren't moving fast enough. I was more than a little relieved when I saw Octavian open the door to the stairwell. I moved in the way as the bullets left the chambers. The last thing I heard as the silver laced iron ripped into my body was the sound of Octavian yelling my name. Lightning rained from the ceiling as my body hit the ground and all went dark.

...

I regained consciousness some time later. Burning pain no longer coursed through me. I had to force my eyes open and I flinched when they did. I was in a hospital room. I tried to move and found that I could. No restraints kept me lying in this bed. I sat up and looked around.

I was more than a little shocked to find Octavian sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He was no longer wearing the clothes he'd had on when we rescued the women and I began to wonder how long I had actually been out. Octavian wasn't looking toward me but out the window. I took the opportunity to stare at him. He ran his fingers through his long hair in a frustrated fashion. He looked so broken and worried that I actually wondered if Octavia and Elfrida were okay.

"Octavian," I uttered, and his name came out rough.

He looked up with surprise written all over his handsome race. The brokenness and worry seemed to drain out of his face as though someone had pulled the plug from a drain. My heart began to race as the surprise became something else. I waited for the moon fever to burn over my skin, but it didn't meaning it had been at least two days and I had completely missed the full moon. Octavian moved to sit on the bed next to me.