Second Assault — Bond And Treason —

Chapter 36 - Second Assault, Pt. 2

ALEXEI

I give a signal to all my men and watch as one by one, they enter the tunnel, using the flashlights of

their weapons as the only means to illuminate the narrow path. Yaakov and I stay behind the group,

accompanied by three other henchmen. The long passage is cold and our footsteps are heard loudly,

echoing. My pulse quickens and my breath stirs as we advance, I force my senses to remain active and

sharp, my wolf is taking more and more control over my body.

When we reach the entrance, everyone stops while Adrik takes out the special key from his pocket,

which Angelo gave us a few days ago. He takes one last look at me to ask permission to continue and,

with a simple nod of my head and a twist of his wrist, our attack is unleashed. The passage opens

slowly and the grip on my gun tightens, watching the wall slide aside. A dim light welcomes us as we

move forward, watching our steps.

The longer it takes them to detect us, the better. I recognize the shelves full of uniforms and other

cleaning supplies shown on the video that Xander was able to capture. Nikon opens the door quietly

and I can see that his eyes are now yellow, indicating that his puma has taken over. He takes a quick

look down the hall to see if there are any enemies in sight. He raises a thumb-up, giving the green light

to continue.

Yaakov and I give silent directions to the men to follow and spread out, I can see several of them

adjusting their weapons to shoulder height and trying to keep their steps stealthy. I move in with my

cousin next to me once all the henchmen have left. A few steps away, I hear a thud behind me and

when I turn around, it's to check that Derek has slit a man's throat and left his lax body on the floor

carefully. Yaakov nudges me to focus again, so my feet resume their walk.

I hold the gun in both hands and my bulletproof vest is a little tight, but I pay attention to it. I only have

one target between my eyes and plan to find him before the night ends.

Further ahead is Adrik kneeling and pointing to a corridor in front, indicating the path I should take. I

nod and head in that direction, but just then, there is a loud shout coming from the garden... And that's

when all hell breaks loose.

Without giving me time to react, debris falls on my head as bullets hit the walls and destroy valuable

objects distributed along the huge property. My men struggle to defend themselves as best they can,

and soon after, a potent alarm sounds, causing an annoying ringing in my ears, and the light, once dim

and white, is now bright red, making it difficult to tell who is who among the crowd of armed men.

—Magnus, we must hurry! — Yaakov's yell stands out among all the other noises and we both run

through the corridor that had been indicated to us earlier. Several enemies tried to block our way, but

Yaakov and I quickly got rid of them with our nimble aim.

My wolf is now in charge, I feel the change in my eyes just as my fangs now scrape the skin of my

lower lip and my claws are fully extended, making it a little difficult to maneuver control of my weapon,

but I quickly adjust it for my comfort. We keep running, but when we reach the end of the corridor, it

opens in two directions, leaving two possibilities to go to.

—Damn it! — I mumble, just before one of my bullets hit the skull of a bastard who was rushing at us.

—We could split up, but I don't know if that's a good option now — we both ducked behind a wall as we

heard the footsteps of more men approaching our direction.

—Don't be reckless, Yaakov — I scold him and we shoot to defend ourselves from the group that

targeted us —. We must stay together, we don't know how long it will take for the others to get rid of...

— I shoot one in the leg, finishing him off in the head once he falls to the ground screaming in pain —.

Get rid of the other motherfuckers.

—I fucking know! — grunts —. But if you manage to find fucking Dimitri and finish him, that will be

enough to stop them all — we hold our position and I had to use two of my rounds to counterattack. My

body is covered by a layer of sweat and the odor of gunpowder and blood in the air is dense and

annoying to my sensitive sense of smell.

—We must move forward, Yaakov! — I urge him, continuing the fire blasts —. We can't stay here

forever! — My muscles are throbbing with tension and excess adrenaline.

More steps can be heard on the way we came and we both prepare to continue killing, when I perceive

who it is, I cannot avoid the sigh of relief that escapes my lips.

—But what the hell are you still doing here?! — Derek grunts, crouching next to us.

—Wow, Captain Obvious. In case you haven't noticed, we're cornered — then another rain of bullets

falls on our heads. The three of us are doing our best to protect ourselves. We aim aggressively at our

targets and manage to eliminate most of them. I get shot in my shoulder, but luckily, it hits my

bulletproof vest. I pull the still-warm piece of metal out of the hole and toss it aside. The skin on my

shoulder starts to burn.

—Fuck, you gotta go, Magnus! — Yaakov growls, then gets up, shoots twice, and ducks again —. We'll

take over here, we'll cover you!

—Well, Captain Intelligence — I focus my attention on my cousin —. I remind you that there are two

paths to take and I have no idea which one will lead me to him.

—Shit! — The three of us fired at the same time and when we thought we had the situation under

control, more men appeared on the scene —. Can't you smell him? — I change the cartridge for a fully

loaded one and shoot.

—There's no time for this shit — Derek proceeds to take off his vest and shirt, I watch him in confusion

until I figure out what he's going to do —. You'll have to improvise, Magnus. We'll cover as long as it

takes for you to leave, it's up to you to find this fucker.

—Make sure he suffers, partner! — my cousin screams and then fires again, giving Derek a chance to

invoke change. Where once a man stood, now a big, burly Bengal tiger rises. Wasting no time, he

rushes towards our enemies, using his powerful strength and fluid movements —.Now, Magnus! —

Yaakov stands and presses the trigger, giving me the distraction I needed to make my way down one of

the corridors, hoping that my decision was the right one.

I run with all the force and speed that my legs allow me and I listen to the screams of pain and thenovelbin

animal grunts at my back. I glance over to notice that Yaakov has joined Derek too, now wearing the

body of a powerful, reddish wolf. I swallow thickly at the bloody scene and keep running. The corridor is

quite long with not many doors around it, but I still keep my eyes open for any attack.

After a few minutes, I take advantage of my loneliness and stop. I close my eyes, tilting the head back,

the flaps of my nose move as I sniff the air, trying to detect his trail. After a few seconds, I succeed.

There it is. Quite weak and subtle, but it certainly belongs to him. I open the eyes and my feet move

forward automatically, chasing the thin thread of his unpleasant existence. My lungs burn from the

effort of breathing, I ignore it, too concentrated on finding my target.

Finally, at the end of the corridor, I find a large dark wooden door with a round golden knob.

The smell gets more and more intense as I get closer, so I run faster until I am in front of it and without

wasting time in cordiality, I push myself and open it wide with a powerful kick. That's when I see him.

Sitting behind a desk, with an arrogant smile on the fucking face and a relaxed pose, as if he didn't

have a care in the world.

—Until you finally arrive, Magnus — slowly gets up and goes around the table —. I was waiting for you.

—Soon you'll wish you hadn't — I take two steps forward, entering without looking away from him —.

You and I have business to settle, you piece of shit.

—Oh, come on — proceeds to take off his suit jacket —. Do you seriously want to fast-forward to the

fun part? — drops the tie and unbuttons his shirt —. What do you say we settle this with our animals?

Honestly, my hand trembles from pulling the trigger, putting a bullet right between his eyebrows and

watching the little bleeding hole for a long time. But, I must admit, the urge to feel his skin tearing under

my claws, seems the most attractive option at this point. I place the gun on a small table in front of me

and release the clips and zippers that attach the bulletproof vest to my body.

He smiles at the fact that I have accepted his proposal, taking off his pants and shoes. Our glances

never divert from each other, and without the incentive to worry about little things, I rip my shirt off. The

buttons fly out into the air, jingling on the floor.

—Let the show begin — hums, with an arrogant smile.

In the blink of an eye, a huge lion stands defiantly in front of me. His dark, huge mane encircles the

skin of the neck, exposing his long, big fangs as a sign of threat. With a powerful growl he pounces on

me, trying to hurt me with the claws, though he doesn't succeed as I quickly dodge him.

The bastard plays dirty, he hasn't given me a chance to change when he's already trying to bury the

fangs in my throat again. I back up and my hip hits the desk, so I climb up and roll on my back, manage

to fall on the other side. This time, though, he does injure me. Four long but thin scratches run down

my arm, pearly drops of blood spurt out and slide across my skin.

The pain is not so intense because my healing ability starts to work, but it is the rage that explosively

expands inside me. I quickly take off my shoes and although I struggle a little with my belt, the pants

and underwear slide down my legs, until I am completely naked. I invoke change. The skin contracts,

the bones break, and readjust, a heavy layer of fur covers my whole body.

Now it is my wolf who rises defiantly from his paws, provoking the lion back with ferocity and

determination.

We stared at each other, fangs exposed in threat, grunts flowing from the throats, and claws extended,

ready to puncture everything within reach. It is he who attacks first. I'm bigger than he is, so much so

that the office space has been significantly reduced.

In addition to keeping an eye on each other, we also have to be careful not to bump into any objects

and clumsily lose our balance, leaving flanks exposed and vulnerable. For him it is an advantage as he

must know every corner of the place, that is why he throws himself confidently with an agile movement,

trying to close the jaw on my throat, but I can avoid it by jumping aside, my tail collapsing ornaments

lined up on a shelf.

That takes him by surprise and I take the opportunity to jump on my hind legs and bury my fangs in his

side. The lion squeals and snarls in pain, his head hits my body, pushing me away. I groan in

satisfaction when I see the large stain of red liquid forming on his fur and dripping on the carpet.

But before I can taste my victory, his claws pierce the flesh of my back, tearing and pulling away a large

patch in its path. My legs get a little unsteady and I stagger away from him. I gasp with grief, an

explosive pain spreads quickly through my bloodstream. I feel my hair getting wet from the piles of

blood that I lose uncontrollably. Fuck, this is going badly, which is a surprise.

He arranged for the wound to be deep, one of those that are made with the special purpose of

weakening the opponent. I can barely dodge a new attack aimed at one of my hind legs and he seems

to notice my weak state, as he launches himself again without giving me a chance to react.

Now he scratches the left side of me at the level of my ribs, pulling out a howl of pain from me, and I

stumble away from him. I feel dizzy, the rapid loss of blood is starting to affect me. The energy is

leaving me and I'm having trouble breathing. At this stage, I don't know what to do anymore... And I'm

afraid he's going to get away with it once again.

«Come back to me, Magnus». His words resonate in my mind and images of his beautiful face flash

through my closed eyes. Xander... My sweet Xander.

I feel like fire is flowing through my veins, my heart is pounding with frantic beating inside my chest, the

sudden flow of energy slowly strengthening me. «Promise me you'll come back».

«I will, my love. I always keep my word». I open the eyes and the determination runs through me with a

force I've never felt before. I feel ready, my chest vibrates from the deep grunt in my throat, my eyes

are fixed on my target.

And I attack. He didn't expect my sudden move as it takes him a few seconds to respond, but it was

more than enough for me.

My claws dig into the skin on his side and his head leans back, wailing in pain and that's just the break

I've been waiting for. My jaw blocks on his neck, my fangs pierce the flesh, and flows of blood flood into

my mouth. He squirms and twists, trying to get me to release him, but instead, I press even harder if

possible.

He moves and bumps into the furniture and the desk. I don't know how long we go on like this, until

finally, he collapses to the floor, staining in red the white carpet that adorns the center of the room. We

are both panting and injured, but it's him who is in the worst condition, limbs lax and without the energy

to keep moving. I planned to terminate and tear his throat, but then, he trembles and bends, until it's

now a man's neck I hold in my grip.

—Get off me, you m-motherfucker... — mumbling, his fingers pushing my fur, trying to force me away

—. S-stop it... — struggles a good amount of time under me, but I don't let go until his arms fall weak

and my jaw starts to hurt. Reluctant to swallow his blood, I let it drip through my teeth. I close the eyes,

take a deep breath, and call for change.

Now I'm on my feet and I rush to obtain my pants behind the desk, sliding it up my legs and closing the

button once the fabric hugs my waist. He doesn't move, he just lies there on the floor, panting and

grimacing. His wounds still bleed profusely and I doubt they will heal because of his debilitating

condition. Satisfaction causes me an indescribable euphoria, I approach and stand, watching him with

all the contempt and disgust accumulated in my soul.

—K-kill me already, you fucking b-bastard — a hand covers his neck and squeezes, trying to ease the

pain or the bleeding, I'm not sure —. If you d-don't, I won't r-rest until I get him in my power again —

the rage burns through my veins, but I remain still —. Did the little b-bitch tell you h-how much e-

enjoyed when I took him? How m-much I made him c-cry like the whore he i-is? —I swing one leg back

and push it forward, giving him a powerful kick in the ribs. He squirms, taking a fetal position, struggling

to breathe again.

—You'll never lay your filthy hands on him again, you fucking scum — I mumble and spit on his bloody

body —. Today will be your last day alive, you'll cause no more damage, Dimitri. Not to him, not to

anyone — laughs... A stifled laugh, which sounds more like gargle because of the blood in his mouth. I

can't stop the hair on my skin from standing up.

—Did he e-ever tell you that I w-was the one who m-made him deaf? — My eyes open in surprise, and

he must have noticed the disbelief on my face as he laughed again —. He caught m-me having a d-

delicate conversation with m-my father on the phone. He t-told me that he d-didn't hear anything. But s-

still... — His eyes connect to mine and his smile widens, teeth red with blood —. I made s-sure he

didn't did it a-again.

—You're a fucking son of a bitch! — I get on my knees and start punching his fucking face.

Punch, after punch, after punch.

My knuckles go numb as they continue to impact the bones. After a while, the blood disfigures his

features and continues to drain into the carpet. The moans and groans are no longer heard, but still,

my anger is not appeased. I don't know how long I lasted like this, covering his inert body and beating

without mercy. Until some arms surround me from behind and force me on my feet.

—That's enough, dammit! — Yaakov screams in my ear, trying to bring sanity to my brain clouded with

rage —. You already killed him, Magnus! — releases me, and before I pounce again, spins me around

and slaps me hard —. Enough!

It was exactly what I needed. I stare into my cousin's eyes and silently thank him for intervening,

otherwise, I don't know what else would have happened. I reach for my gun, put the safety on, and

place it in the waistband of my pants.

—Are you sure he's dead? — my raspy voice, my throat burns from exertion. He is silent and for a

moment, disappears from my sight.

—Positive — wraps an arm around my shoulders and pushes me towards the door, my feet move with

difficulty, but I still move forward —. The situation's under control, buddy. Luckily, we have no

casualties, but many are injured — the relief takes a weight off my back and my cousin snorts, smiling

sideways —. Lev will have a lot of work when we get there.

—Yaak — I stop and watch him straight in the eye —. Are you sure he's dead? — I need to confirm it,

and I can't go there, because I don't trust myself to keep control if I return to that room.

—I promise, Alexei — The honesty reflected in his gaze reassures me, after a long time of being

immersed in tension and fear that something else might happen to Xander, I can finally breathe in

peace.

—Let's go home.