Chapter Thirty Six
Heavily guarded was an understatement.
Taking position in a building at the outer perimeter of the factory, Fhear kept to the edge of the window as he took in their situation. There was a good distance between them and the enemy and he could still smell the stench of lessers through the cracks. With the air full of their scent, no doubt the factory was one of their bases.
At least ten lessers were positioned on the roof while other rotated in guarding the front. Fhear also spotted the enemy taking shifts in watching the windows facing every direction. There were even some in parked cars between the buildings surrounding their base. It was Hhavoc who led them to the closed building with little problem. Now they waited for their friend to find them a safe way inside.
Standing opposite to the prince was Jessie. Although her human eyes lacked the eyesight like theirs, her gaze darted in every direction the enemy moved, memorizing their position in her own way. Dhusk and Ahgony watched through their own window in hopes of finding an opening while Hhavoc sat in the center of the room with his eyes closed. Every now and then, the male ticked his head left or right and snarled as if hearing something he didn't like. They couldn't move until he found them a path and they needed to hurry.
Taking his eyes off the moving bodies and focusing on Jessie, Fhear noticed how calm she was. Surely the tension was killing her inside but she refused to let it show on the surface. Gun in her hand without shaking and eyes trained on the enemy with no flicker of hesitation, Jessie was a storm waiting to be released on those who deserved her wrath. Fhear would just have to watch her back in case she forgot to check her surroundings.
They all jumped when Hhavoc stood. The male strolled right up to the window Fhear and Jessie were sharing, standing right in the middle for the world to see. "The Brotherhood are on their way," he informed their group. "Victoria and Ahnger are ahead of them, leading the others based on Fhear's scent."
"Guess Frédérique got caught," commented Dhusk.
Once Frédérique helped them get out of the mansion with Jessie in tow, they waited as Hhavoc helped sneak her back over the wall. The female had promised not to rat them out since it was her who suggested the idea so someone must've noticed her sudden return with nothing in hand. And given the fact that two of their four best trackers were using their curses in full form, it was only a matter of time before they caught the prince's scent.
Even though the news sounded terrible, Hhavoc gave one of his rare smirks and pointed to the front door. "The guards behind the door are frustrated. I think they're waiting for their shift to end. Same for those guarding the outside. Those watching above have shifted position, taking point at opposite ends. Once they rotate, we go in."
"And the Brothers?"
Hhavoc turned his finger in an opposite direction. "They'll be here in five minutes or less. No doubt the enemy will see them. That'll give us extra coverage to get Jamie out." The male began to head for the door. "We need to go. This is about to go down."
With Dhusk following his cousin and Ahgony right behind, Fhear waved his hand to the front and Jessie took her position with him covering her back. They had discussed the formation before Hhavoc began his listening. Given how Jessie was the weakest link in their group, she was to stay second to last if they needed to move in a single line or stay in the center if they needed to spread out. The human didn't object, acknowledging her weakness for the situation. She easily fell in line as Hhavoc led them outside and down the alley.
Fhear tapped her shoulder which she passed on to Ahgony. The male followed with the tapping until Hhavoc received the message that their back was secure. Bringing his hand up to the side of his face, the male held them in spot for twenty seconds before waving down. Keeping low and silent, the group kept to the shadows as they circled past the vehicles and watchers in the upper windows. And just like the male predicted, the front lessers left their post in preparation for rotation.
They all stopped and went down, Fhear guiding Jessie with his hand on the back of her neck. Forms shifted around as the enemy began to change formation. Once their only opening became visible, their line advanced until they were up against the wall, waiting for Hhavoc to move. The male waved for Dhusk. His cousin nodded and quickly rolled past the opening, the two waiting for the lessers to walk out. Right when the enemy stepped into the open, the cousins grabbed their targets and snapped their necks. Ahgony darted past them and jumped inside the factory, going to his knees and taking out those taking the shift. Silent whooshes came from his silenced weapon, knocking the lessers to the ground from the shots to the head.
Dhusk charged in, watching Ahgony's left as the male checked his right. Hhavoc stepped between the two, tapping them both to let them know they were in the clear. With the male taking the lead once again, Jessie grabbed Fhear with her free hand as she led him with the group as he walked backwards, watching the ground and upper levels. The prince felt her finger press against his back, telling him to stop. He followed her command while keeping track of everything in front of him. She tapped her finger and curled it back into her fist so she could pull him along with the others.
Fhear had to slow his pace a bit as he continued his walk up a flight of stair, his heart beating like crazy from the thought of tripping. None of that happened as he made it safely on the second floor with the third floor empty for the time being. Jessie jerked the prince to the right, him following her into a tiny room with the males on the other end. They all held their breaths as the door held ajar revealed four lessers march pass them. Hhavoc's hand was up in the halt position, his eyes closed as he listened. His hand then formed a fist and knocked against his chest, informing Fhear that the Brotherhood was on location.
Waiting for the coast to clear, they resumed position with the prince anxious to get this over with. It was only a matter of seconds before the lessers found the bodies and alerted everyone. Then they would have to deal with the Brothers storming the fort and catching them in the middle.
Finally, when seconds felt like hours while scouring the second floor, Hhavoc instructed Dhusk to take one side of a door which happened to be in the deepest part of the factory. With two males on each side and Ahgony taking front to watch the railing, Fhear stepped in front of the door with Jessie behind him. He gave the knob a gentle twist and tapped it open, watching it swing wide.
Sitting in a dark room with a bright computer screen was Jamie.
The first thing Fhear noticed was the security feed on the giant screen. Swerving around and peeking past the door, the prince located the tiny camera watching them from its hidden spot. Turning back while waving his hand, he watched himself wave back at the camera. It paused in mid-wave and Jamie spun around in his chair.
"What are you doing here?"
Given how they were the only ones in the room, Fhear stepped aside so Jessie could approach her twin. Jamie stayed put, watching as Jessie approached him. Pale eyes remained unmoved when his sister held out her hand in front of him. "Come on," she ordered. "We're getting out of this place."
When Jamie didn't take her hand, Jessie snatched his arm and jerked him up to his feet. Releasing her brother against the table, she waited for him to catch himself from falling over. She then held out her hand a second time for him to take. Jamie ignored her gesture and looked over at Fhear. "Get your team out of here. I can wipe the feed to cover your tracks."
Understanding Jamie's worry for his sister being in the enemy's territory, Fhear reluctantly shook his head. "We're not leaving without you."
Jamie frowned as he slapped his sister's hand away. "I'm not playing, Jessie. Get out while you can."
She grabbed him by the shirt. Both twins looked one another in the eyes, reflecting each other as if looking into a mirror minus the obvious differences.
"Vous êtes aller maison, frère. Je suis venir arrière."
You're going home, brother. I'm coming back.
It was Jamie who broke their stare. In doing so, Jessie brought her hand between them for a third time. There was complete determination as she looked at her twin.
"Cette ville est ma maison maintenant. Ci est mon choix."
This city is my home now. This is my choice.
Even though Fhear had no clue what Jessie was saying, Jamie obviously did because his eyes widened from astonishment. He choked on what sounded like a laugh and hugged his sister. Pulling back and noticing the waiting hand, he took it in his and squeezed.
"D'accord, ma soeur. Laissons-nous partir. J'ai l'impression que vous voudrez revenir à votre nouvelle maison dès que possible."
All right, sister. Let us leave. I feel that you will want to return to your new home as soon as possible.
"Don't know what you two are talking about, but we need to go now."
Stepping away from his sister, Jamie twisted back to the computer. Fhear was about grab him and start running when he realized Jamie was deleting everything on the machine. Once the screen came up clean, the prince recognized the command Jamie entered was a virus and watched as it was activated. "This will kill everything until the backup team catches on," he told the two. With the screen now flashing red, Fhear was ready to bail but growled as the brother unlocked a drawer at the bottom of his desk. Slipping whatever was inside in his jacket and nodding at the prince, he led the twins outside where the males were waiting.
An explosion went off at the front of the factory.
Shaking the entire building, everyone grabbed onto something to steady themselves when a second explosion went off. Orders were thrown in the air and all Fhear could hear around them were heavy footsteps coming from every direction. Hhavoc recovered first and darted in front of his friend when a lesser came running down the stairs, shooting it before it could raise its weapon.
The male cursed when bullets began to spray them from above. Having nothing but steel mesh protecting them, Hhavoc created a path for them as Dhusk and Ahgony returned fire to the upper floor. Knowing their plan went up in flames, Fhear abandoned his position and sped past Jessie who was protecting her brother and met Hhavoc in front. The male shouted how many lessers were about to make the corner and instructed Fhear where to attack from.
Fhear broke off from the group and used the railing to launch himself in the air. Twisting around and facing the third floor, the prince landed on the opposite walkway with his hands removing eight hira shurikens. Once the enemy was in the line of fire, he threw his weapons, listening as their sharp edges tore through the air. Six bodies fell backwards, the last two leaning forward and falling what seemed thirty feet. Now in charge of protecting his friends from this end, Fhear removed his weapons with lightning speed and threw them with such precision even though the factory shook from the onslaught of explosions.
Spinning on the balls of his feet and fingers releasing hira shuriken after one another, the prince kept up with the others as Hhavoc led and the other two males protected the twins. When an explosion erupted nearby, Fhear caught Hhavoc wave at him to stop and did as his friend ordered when a giant black wolf with white tattoos came crashing down on a lesser. Ripping its head from its body and tossing the part in the air, gold eyes flipped over to Fhear with fury.
A blast of wind tore through the building, knocking the enemy from the third floor and causing a dust storm in the close quarters. Not protecting his eyes in time, Fhear got a load full of dust in his eyes that he could hardly see. The wolf barked and two figures approached behind, one with glowing red tattoos and diamond pale eyes. A section of wind around the four parted, revealing a highly-pissed Sam and Vishous.
"Don't even—"
Ahnger snarled, breaking Fhear in midsentence.
Something hard fell behind the prince.
With the wind protecting them, Fhear turned around and found a body with a bullet hole penetrating its left eye. Across the drop stood Jessie with Jamie by her side, the gun the prince gave her aimed where the body would've stood. Arm steady like it was before the battle, it was Jessie's frightened eyes which spoke volumes about the enemy who tried to sneak up on Fhear from behind.
The body was a vampire.
After the tornado blinded them, all Jessie could hear was Hhavoc order her to aim and shot in Fhear location. Being the one to receive the orders, the only thing she had to go on was faith so she took aim and fired. As if by magic, the wind splintered from the bullet's path and allowed it to hit its target. Jessie figured the enemy was a lesser so she was ready to move on when she saw what she really hit.
Hhavoc mentioned earlier how something sounded strange about the hideout. Now she, along with those nearby to see, knew exactly what the male meant.
A vampire nearly killed Fhear.
"Get down!"
Jamie jumped on top of his sister, them two hitting the deck when where they had been standing burst in flames and was no more. Nails and cement rained down on the two until they deemed it worthy to sit up. Jessie kept her mouth from hanging open when she caught sight of the gaping hole between them and the others.
Hearing the pounding feet coming at them, Jessie hopped up and drew her gun when it wasn't lessers who blocked her path. Hesitating for a second, it was a black dagger which saved her from shooting the row of vampires in front of her. Golden seals ripped out of the dagger and destroyed the path, sending the rogue males falling to their death in the gale winds.
Taking this moment to look, Jessie could see Fhear and those with him who began to retreat to the front of the factory. Her attention was drawn back when Jamie called to her and pointed at a slim black wolf who crawled up the hole blocking their path. Familiar blue eyes stared at the twins before tossing its head over to the stairs looming over them.
"Go!" shouted Hhavoc. "She'll lead you to the others!"
John, Blaylock, Qhuinn, and Z were already leading Hhavoc and the other males in the same location Fhear was being herded to. Glancing back at Victoria, Jessie had no choice but to take Jamie's hand and lead him up with the wolf tailing behind them. Once they reached the top, Victoria leapt over the twins and charged straight at a group of males who were hiding behind a blockade. The wolf ripped through the group and continued the carnage, leaving a safe path for Jessie and Jamie.
The explosions were quickly explained when daggers and knives went soaring in the air, releasing gold and blue seals to wreak havoc on the enemy. Jessie caught a glimpse of blond hair throwing the knives, blue seals latching off her arms and attaching themselves to the knives she threw. One dagger from Hhavoc's twin came extremely close to them, going off and knocking shards of glass from the windows. As the twins covered themselves, a lesser and male jumped out from a room and came running straight at the two. Jessie's body didn't allow her to hesitate a second time. Brining her arm up and pushing Jamie behind, she pulled the trigger seven times with little aim, watching as the lesser went down and the male into hiding. Her new opponent didn't have a chance to return the challenge because Mehrcy materialized and impaled the male with both his sword and clawed hand. Ripping the body to shreds in one swoop, the Brother waved for the two to continue down the path.
As they ran, Jessie couldn't help but feel the distance between her and Fhear grow by the second. What kept her from turning back was the fact that they would meet each other at the end of this. Then she would be back in a few days to start a new life and figure a way to keep what she and Fhear had intact. It was this dream of her that kept her going.
Reaching the end of the walkway, the dusty wind cracked so they had a clear view on where they were going. Even from this height, Jessie could see the floor beneath them was empty and that Ehnvy and Phride was rushing to the stairs at the floor ground. The two males didn't turn back when two lessers went sailing and a dragon chasing after them.
Jessie was knocked off her feet as were the others when a wave of fire ruptured under the steel walkway, sending everyone flying to the ground. Victoria rolled over and bared her teeth, facing the direction where the attack came from. Jessie shouted a curse when she saw two males approach the second floor opposite of them an aim with two strange black guns. Sure enough, they weren't guns but grenade launchers by the soft found and the hell fire exploding around them.
Keeping Jamie near her as they rolled out of the debris, the twins kept low as the black wolf leapt in the air and landed on its feet near the males, chasing after them even though a bunch of grenades were shot at her. Brother and sister crawled to the edge of the walkway and glanced down at the whirlwind. Apparently, the males weren't the only ones with special toys because Jessie could hear guns that didn't sound like they belonged to the Brotherhood go off. This time the explosions were coming from the enemy instead of weapons with seals, pushing the vampires at bay.
"Jamie," Jessie shouted over the noise.
"Sponsors," he shouted back.
Jessie knew about the funneled money. After spending so much time at the mansion, she heard stuff behind closed doors. She just didn't anticipate the people working in the dark against Wrath and his son to have so much money.
Now they had vampires working with the enemy.
Mehrcy grabbed the twins and didn't let go as they grew closer to the stairs leading to their freedom. The brothers down below made it to the second floor and were on the verge of meeting them in the middle when something tipped Jessie off. Past the blaring wind and the sound of war going on around her, a cold shiver snaked up her spine that she tore out of Mehrcy's grasp just for a second.
As the male and her brother began to turn back to see what was keeping her, the sensation continued to grow until her whole body was shaking. Whatever this dread was made her want to look at her brother and she gave into the need. Looking past the pale skin and eyes and white hair, Jamie still looked like the brother she bid farewell to school six years ago. Even now in this dire situation, she could see the identical dark chestnut hair and bluish grey eyes all the Beauvilliers had.
The dark feeling tugged Jessie's chest, guiding her to the right where the walkway led to a kick-in doorway. No one was in there, the room appearing barren to the world around them. Jessie was prepared to push the feeling off as paranoia when the feeling coiled in her chest, nearly chocking her on her feet.
With Jamie beginning to reach out for his sister, that was when the empty room was no longer empty. Seeing the weapon aimed straight at them, the pain released Jessie long enough to shove Jamie with all her might, knocking him into Mehrcy and sending them tumbling to the second floor. Before Jessie's feet could touch the ground, she looked back as the lesser loaded a round in a rocket launcher and gave the male the thumbs up.
Losing the ground behind her or the sense of freefalling thirty feet in the air barely registered in Jessie's mind. The only thing she felt was the rocket hitting her and destroying everything near her. By the time her body could react, pain no longer existed and neither did sound. Jessie could no longer feel her battered body or the rushing wind in her ear.
Her heart gave long before her body hit the ground.
Fhear was this close in getting out when he heard the launcher go off. Unlike the cover Adam provided for the team, a black cloud engulfed on area with fire and a portion of the third floor propelled in the air. Then something much larger than a chunk of steel soared out into the open.
It was Dhusk and Hhavoc who held Fhear back when he saw Jessie falling to her death.
He watched as not even the wind Adam controlled could catch her. All Fhear could do was scream out her name. His voice went mute when the freefall ended with Jessie landing on a row of stacked I-beams. Soon all Fhear could hear was the solid echo of steel carry Jessie's weight through the entire factory. Half her body on top and the other dangling over the edge, Fhear could see her scarred face and blank eyes.
Jessie was already dead before the impact.
The prince took two hira shurikens and stabbed the cousins in the legs to break free. His freedom wasn't long lived. Strong arms secured his body and began to drag him further from Jessie. He tried reaching for his weapons only to feel more hands remove them from his body. Soon, the only thing Fhear could do was release a bloodcurdling scream as he was dragged away from Jessie.
As everyone began to clear out, the last to join the Brothers was Mehrcy and his group. However, as they went behind Adam and Sam, it wasn't just one Beauvillier missing but two. The fact must've escaped their mind because Adam created another windstorm until it took the form of a tornado. Sam placed his hands on the floor and unleashed a great seal, the designs creating sparks and setting the tornado on fire.
It was in the fire that Fhear caught sight of Jamie.
While the lessers and other vampires began to clear out, Jamie stood in front of his sister's body. He placed a hand over her eyes and bent his head, appearing like he was praying. Fhear tried to get the two males to stop their creation but they couldn't hear him nor did they see Jamie. All they were focused on was the burning tornado destroying everything in its path.
Backing out of the factory, Adam continued to focus on the wind aspect while Bayne and Esther joined in on the process. Hhavoc was by Fhear side, keeping an eye on the prince who continued to struggle. With blue and gold seals feeding the destruction, the factory began to fall apart in the burning winds. The roof was then ripped off and the tornado doubled in its size, reaching for whatever was left inside.
Fhear finally gave up in his struggle as he watched the building come tumbling down. Having lost all strength in his body, it was the males who hold him that kept him on his feet. The prince could only stare at the destruction of the factory, half of the enemy perishing underneath its weight while the rest escaped.
There was no sight of Jamie.