I immediately switched to the shortest of the trio. I shot him in the chest, and then I tried to hit his arm, but I got his handgun instead and the bullet dinged as it ricocheted off.
That’s five bullets used, I mentally counted—I needed to keep track so I’d know when to change magazines.
Light flickered around the third gunman before a bolt of blue lightning struck him. He yipped and dropped his handgun before falling to the ground, his body armor smoldering.
Brody picked up one of the wolves and tossed it at an incoming one, while Tetiana dodged another wolf who jumped for her and then she struck it on the back of the head when it sailed past her.
So far, so good.
I side stepped an incoming werewolf and kicked it in the head, shifting my balance so I could aim at the second gunman.
Six.
He toppled. I turned to shoot an incoming wolf who was leaping at April, nailing him in his hindquarters.
Seven.
More werewolves howled. As April fried the second gunman with enough electricity to power a house, I kicked a wolf in the gut and then used one of the spare sets of cuffs I’d grabbed from the car to secure one cuff to his front left paw and the other to his back right paw, effectively hobbling him.
While I worked, I saw about twelve more wolves loping up the street.
Oh, no. Not today.
“Brody, are we downwind or upwind?” I asked.
Brody paused, holding a howling wolf by the scruff of his neck, and thought for a moment. “Upwind.”
“Great.” I pulled out the crowd control potion I’d gotten from Grove—it was going to be even more effective on the wolves than it would have been on the Telliers—and threw it at the incoming werewolves.
The glass shattered on the asphalt. The potion splashed across the road instantly evaporating into red colored smoke that flowed around the twelve wolves, cloaking them from sight.
It only took a second or two before I heard the howls of pain, which grew louder and more hysterical with each second.
The potion created an effect similar to pepper spray—which would be especially wretched for werewolves with their stronger senses.
“What the heck was that?” Tetiana asked. She and a wolf were eyeing each other. She tapped her vampire speed and got under him, savagely punching his underbelly.
“Crowd control potion,” I said. “Grove,” I added for clarification before I shot the remaining gunman, further shredding his vest and getting a yip of pain out of him while April summoned her lightning. “Stay away from it, Brody.”
“Yeah.” Brody caught another wolf that had been jumping at Tetiana’s back and wrapped his arm around its neck. “I got that.”
More howling tore through the night, bouncing off the large industrial buildings and giving the noise a tinny sound.
“Do you have any more of those potions?” Tetiana asked hopefully.
I shook my head. “Just the one.”
Blue lightning flashed and my ears popped with a deafening clash of thunder as April fried the last gunman. “Then we better pray backup gets here soon,” she grimly said.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
Considine
Iwatched, somewhat bored, as Jade mowed down the werewolf mercenaries, while orbiting her squadmates and keeping them safe as they focused on their individual fights.
She was efficient, seamlessly moving from one target to the next while effectively keeping the mercenaries back.
The wolves she’d thrown that awful potion at had finally staggered free of the smoke, but they were alternatively coughing and puking from the effects of the cloud. I didn’t think they’d recover anytime soon.
I was standing in line with the peppered wolves, but I was far enough away—in the shadow of one of the industrial buildings—so the potion hadn’t reached me.
There was a new incoming group, however, of eight that ran in from the east.
That dragon shifter swerves from extreme to extreme.
I leaned forward so I could peer down the road.
Gisila was seated in a car. I couldn’t make out much more than her fingers tapping on the steering wheel with irritation. She was parked out of sight of Jade’s group—I could only see her because I’d positioned myself halfway between the two. I’d figured it was an ideal place to watch the ensuing battle.
I’d wandered down to Goldstein too late to see the initial disturbance—which is what had attracted my attention. But I had arrived in time to watch Gisila, standing in the middle of the road, chew out her hired mercenaries. She ordered them to send more mercenaries after Jade and once Jade and her teammates had evaded the first truck, Gisila had ordered all but a small team after them.