novelxo Chapter 26 Chapter 26
In minutes, we effortlessly took down the guards outside. My pregnancy and the full moon was serving its purpose. I found that one punch could knock a six-foot man to the straight ground.
"Damn girl," Max said breathlessly as the last guard hit the snowy floor with a thud and a groan. "We could all do with a little full moon pregnancy from time to time."
We then made our way through the front door only to be faced by a wall of guards all armed with guns pointing towards us.
"Fucking shit," Max cursed.
"Well, well, well," A voice said in an Italian accent from behind the guards. They parted and a man stepped slowly towards them. "If it isn't Loren's little bitch and her exile of a cousin.”
It was only when he stepped into the light that I recognised who it was. The descendent of Hecate we had first met in Naples only a couple of weeks ago.
"After the amulet I presume?” he asked lifting his hand to reveal a dangling a chain and pendant.
"Please give it to us. Milia Megestanis is worsening every day. We are desperate,” I begged.
"So now you are asking nicely?" he said with an amused expression. "Remember how you left me paralysed on the floor?"
"Can we cut the crap?" Max growled. "Give us the amulet or we will take it”
"You'll never get it. I've got hundreds of guards here and they're all armed," he replied. "However, I suppose it shall be entertaining to watch you try. Let's make it fair though. Guns down,” he added gesturing to his guards.
Each guard followed his orders and put their guns into a holster on their belts. For a few agonising moments, everybody stood motionless before one brave guard launched forward. I knocked him down with one punch and then smiled sweetly at the crowd of shocked looking men.
"Who's next boys?"
That's when shit went down.
More guards just kept pouring out of every door and shadow but Max and I kept fighting. He was having a little more trouble than me without a) a paralysing sword and b) a five-day-old foetus in his stomach but he still seemed to manage sufficiently.
The best part was watching the descendent of Hecate's confident expression slowly deteriorate. He was unable to hide the fear and shock on his face.
Eventually, the guards stopped coming and the floor was scattered with groaning and paralysed men.
"Well, Luna. I must say I'm impressed,” he said looking at his “oh so strong’ Mafia. "But I have one last thing for you,” he added whistling.
A door opened at the end of the corridor and two enormous men came out.
When I say enormous, I mean enormous. Both were practically the same height as Leo but larger and denser. One of them could probably kill both Max and me purely by sitting on us.
"I present to you: Magnus and Cadmar. There isn't a wolf in Russia that doesn't fear them," the descendent said with a smirk plastered on his face. "And you're about to find out why."
Sure they had strength and weight but agility and speed? I don't think 0.
"I'll take them, you get the amulet,” I said to Max.
"You think you can-"
"Don't underestimate me,” I interrupted.
He nodded.
"You're just gonna let her boss you around, Megestanis?" he asked looking more amused by the second. "I wouldn't have thought that a man like you would stand for that from a girl like her.”
"Like she said, don't underestimate her,” Max growled before beelining towards him. "She's more than she looks."
Max began giving the Descendent what he deserves whilst I got to work on the Sumo wrestlers. They were hard. And I mean that literally. I punched one in the chest (as high as I could reach pretty much) and he hardly flinched but my hand was throbbing.
I cracked my neck and held the praesidium Deae Astra firmly in my hand.
"Come on then!" I shouted at the motionless rocks. "What are you waiting for?!"
One swung a punch. I dodged it, tucked behind him and attempted to drive the sword into his back. Unfortunately, the other one got to me first, grabbed me around the waist and threw me across the room into the wall. I groaned at impact before slowly getting back to my feet, determined not to be defeated too easily.
I fought hard and long against them but they didn’t seem to tire. They were invincible.
Max was having less trouble.
I looked to my left to see the descendent clutching his stomach on the floor with the amulet in his hand.
"Go!" I hissed in his direction. "I'll keep them back.”
“I'm not leaving you,” Max said.
"Tell Leo where I am. He'll come and get me and I'll be fine," I said. "Go!"
He hesitated for a moment before realising I was entirely correct and nodding. Unlike my cousin, I have a safety sheet. Even these emotionless warriors I was facing wouldn't dare kill me for fear of Alpha Leonardo Loren.
Max marched out of the building and out into the blizzard as I continued to fight. Eventually, I ended up with one of the giants huge arms around my neck. I could hardly breathe, let alone move.
"You don't want to kill her. Unless you want to face Leonardo Loren that is," the descendent warned in between winces. He was still clutching his stomach from the damage Max had done only a few minutes before. The Descendent's slight distraction gave me the opportunity to drive my sword into the nearest flesh of my captivator. He immediately froze, loosened his grip around my neck and (very fortunately) fell backwards. Not sure I would have survived if he fell forward.
"Let her go,” the descendent said a few moments later in a strained voice. "They'll never make it down the mountain in this weather and we'll just take the amulet back off their dead bodies in the morning. Leonardo Loren can't blame us for that.”
The remaining guard stepped away from me and left me to catch my breath.
"Fuck you,” were my final words before I left the building to find my cousin.
"Max!" I shouted through the pitch black blizzard. "MAX!"
"OVER HERE!" a voice replied from not too far in the distance.
I soon caught up with him. He was wearing one of the thick coats from the guards we left outside and he was holding another in his hand. "Here. I got two just in case you fought them off," he said handing me the warm jacket. "That was quick though.”
"They let me go,” I replied. "He said we'd never make it down alive and they'd take it back from our dead bodies when this weather has passed.”
"Weather isn't going to kill us. Compared to everything we've done, snow and cold is nothing," he said optimistically as he tightened the hood of his “new’ coat.
I didn't reply because truthfully I wasn't so sure. The temperatures were well below freezing and the snow was coming down thick and fast. Even if we did make it to the car, we'd never get down the mountain if the roads are piled 2 metres with snow.
Trying to push that thought out of my mind, I put my head down and followed Max. The snow was already knee deep and after just five minutes of trudging through it, my boots and jeans were completely saturated.
"We need to find shelter, Max!" I called after about two hours. "We can't survive this!"
Weakness and exhaustion were beginning to set in and the feeling in my toes and fingers was long gone.
"Where?!" he replied. "We are on an exposed mountain face! There is no shelter!"
"Then we should go back to the Mafia base!"
"We would stand no chance. The lower we go the less cold it gets!" He said. "The walk will get flatter and more sheltered by trees soon as well!"
I tried my best to trust him although I wasn't convinced. As we continued to inch our way down, I thought fondly of my home and children and Leo's warm arms. I'd never appreciated warmth more than this before.
"Ella!" Max called another hour later.
"Yes," I said weakly.
"I don't understand. We should have reached the trees by now," he said pausing a metre or so ahead of me. "I think we are lost."
"I can't do this anymore," I said falling to my knees.
"No, no, no. Get up,” he said wading through the snow to me and placing his hands under my armpits.
I could practically feel my body closing down as he hauled me to my feet.
"Go," I whispered. "I'm holding you back and someone needs to get the amulet to Milly.”
"I am not leaving you, bitch,” he said lifting me up into his arms. "Even if I have to carry you down this fucking mountain myself."
"Milly needs you, Max," I replied.
Still holding me, he managed to reach into his pocket and withdraw something.
"No. Milly needs you," he said putting the amulet in my hand.
I was so far into hypothermia that I had gotten to the stage that I no longer felt any part of me. The shivers had stopped and I was unable to move a single part of me. I'd always felt the cold more than average but I thought I was stronger than this.
He must have carried me for an hour before I lost consciousness. I vaguely remember my body landing on the soft snow beside Max's and a bright light shining on us.
I never believed in the afterlife but in my delusional, hypothermic state of mind, I was convinced that it was that tunnel of light that they say that takes you to heaven. I was close to death. Or maybe I already was. Sayonara planet earth. It's been fun.
So today someone put my previous book, “Alpha Loren’, in a reading list called 'okay books. Like bitch, I spent two years writing that thing and you're going to openly shove it in a folder with 70 other “okay’ books? I don't mind constructive criticism and I get that not everyone is going to love my stories but it just seems a little rude and uncalled for. Ever heard of a private library? Or if it's not worth reading, why bother at all?
If Wattpad had a block function, I would definitely be petty enough to use it on them. Unless they can appreciate my hard work, they don't deserve it.
Okay, rant over.
Have a nice day 3)