Page 5 of Remnants
This man’s insane.
I can’t let him near Raegan or Dane.
I’m killing the bastard right here and now.
With a loud roar, I launch myself at him, swinging a fist strong enough to break bone. He dodges my attack faster than any normal human, easily jumping back with that stupid smile still lighting up his face.
The pain hits before I hear the sound of a gunshot.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Four bullets lodge in my chest in seconds. They should have gone right through, but my gift doesn’t activate. This fucker shot me withhollow-point rounds.
I hunch over instinctively, grunting as I work to dig my fingers into the first hole. Charles studies me with a furrowed brow.
“Do you still feel pain? Of course, you must. You look uncomfortable, but any ordinary human wouldn’t take four bullets to the chest without a single scream. And here you are, calmly making your wounds bigger to get to the bullet. Have you always had a high pain tolerance, or is this some aspect of your gift?”
“Are you actually asking, or do you just like to hear yourself talk?” I manage through gritted teeth.
He laughs—fuckinglaughs—like I’ve just told him a joke.
“You’d have been a much better choice for Gordon. But, no matter. The end result is the same.” Charles bends to retrieve the knife in his free hand, then holds up his other arm and slashes the blade across it. Crimson flows freely down his arm.
Then the bleeding stops.
And his skin fills in with burnt bronze scales.
I freeze, staring at my gift he’s somehow using.
“See? My questions are sincere. I needed to test this for myself, and I’m very pleased with it. But there are still too many unknowns I’d like answers to.”
Did he steal my gift? Was it when he drank my blood?
My fingers pinch around the first bullet, nails digging into the groove at the end and then roughly jerking it out. The effort and type of bullet do a number on me internally, but as soon as it’s free, my gift takes over to fix it.
Charles’s eyebrows rise. “Ah, so you have to take them out first?”
Ignoring him, I force my fingers into the next bullet hole.
A gunshot fires, and the bullet hits the back of my hand. I clench my teeth, straining through the pain to lift my hand again when another bullet hits my arm.
Another shot to my kneecap, and I fall on that side just before the other knee goes down with it. I crash to the floor, my knees screaming from the wounds and impact all at once. The amount of pain singing through me is almost enough to make me black out. My vision darkens.
Raegan and Dane aren’t safe. The rest of the Guild members are in danger. I can’t let this man leave this room alive.
It’s those thoughts that keep me awake. That fight off the sweet promise of falling unconscious that tries to drag me under.
“Alright, now sit still so I can see how this works. I’ll bring you back with me, of course, so that I can monitor the results. Anything that happens to you is what will happen to me now. So, again, this is all in the name of science. A good cause.”
Cold metal presses into my forehead.
I open my eyes, glaring at him.
My heart hammers wildly, blood roaring in my ears so I couldn’t hear him even if he bothered to say anything.
