Chapter 130 CHAPTER 130
“Sunshine? Are you okay?”
I must have looked as startled as I felt but I couldn't help it. Those two seconds before his bullet and the book saving me were replaying in my head.
He must have known that it was the book that saved me and must have taken it to study it.
Only God knows what he must have done with it.
“Let's go back home. We'll come back to get all the books here or I'll send someone to do that for me.”
“Come on love, you're leaving me in the dark here and I don't like that.”
“I know and I'm sorry but just know it's not safe.”
“That's what you always say. Going out isn't safe. Talking to the neighbour isn't safe. Watering our garden isn't safe and I get it, you're scared but baby we can't keep living in fear for the rest of our lives. A very long one by the way. Nothing is going to happen, we're safe. We literally abandoned everything to come here because of safety so you have to relax okay?”
“Well, well, well,” I swirled so fast my hair got into my eyes, “if it isn't the magical, teleporting princess. So nice of you to join us again.”
“Baldwin,” I gritted out, fear and anger mixing in my veins.
“She remembers my name,” he declared, “I feel honoured.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I should be asking you that. I mean you escaped, despite how impossible it seemed, you actually did. Of course, you don't have to answer that question, I know you like me and no matter how far you run, you'll always find a way back. It's why I moved over here, had to renovate a bit though.”
“You're sick!”
“Not anymore, whatever is in that book really cleared up my cough. I didn't believe in magic until I met you my special friend. I'm actually thinking twice about killing you.”
“You do that, I won't. Your father should have tried to stay alive a bit longer to warn you about the dangers of messing around with me,” I growled.
“Whoa, whoa, we're getting violent already? I thought we were friends! And who's the tall hunk behind you? You're already cheating on me? We haven't even started!”
“I don't owe you any explanation, leave this place. Now.”
“No can do. I actually like this place. My lab can be a bit noisy sometimes so I come here to read a book and study how villains make the world a better place. Did you notice my vocabulary has improved?” He laughed, as though we were friends and he was giving me a life progress report.
But he wants to kill me and I want to kill him.
“Zade?”
“Yes baby,” he answered, coming out of whatever daze made him speechless all this while, “what do you need?”
“He needs to die. This isn't Kovar, he won't hesitate. He already tried before, I told you about him.”
“He's the crazy scientist.”
“Me? Crazy? You wound me, baby.”
“Who in their right mind would destroy this beautiful place just to catch a girl that disappeared into thin air?” I snapped.
“But you didn't disappear into thin air, you popped into that book and I've been trying to get into it. Mind helping me out?”
“Except you're one of us, you won't be able to get in there,” Zade answered.
“One of you? What exactly are you?” He asked, his voice more serious now.
“Dragon –”
“Don't pander to his whims baby, he doesn't deserve to know shit but death.”
“What my woman said,” Zade nodded.
“Fine. Suit yourself, pussy.”
The first punch came out of nowhere and I felt the shock more than the pain.
I barely felt pain anymore these days but I realised Baldwin wasn't relying on weapons anymore, even though there was a gun by his side.
The book really made him stronger.
But I don't care, I'm dragon kin and he's just borrowing powers.
I've spent weeks under Florian's training and months in the academy.
Plus Zade behind me.
Baldwin doesn't stand a chance.
I threw mine back and he fell.
Into the arms of a robot.
Well, not really a robot like the ones I'm used to seeing but something mechanical, humanoid, and built from materials I didn't recognise.
Its arms caught Baldwin like a parent catching a toddler and set him upright.
"You like her?" Baldwin grinned, wiping blood from his lip. "I built six of them. It's the project I've been working on since I was a child. My father abandoned me to focus on you his special project that'll change the fucking world,” he snarled, “but you changed his status. From living to dead. As much as I hated him for being absent, at least he was alive. In honour of you, I built these. They'll help me kill you after I get what I want from you.”
“All you do is talk,” Zade said from behind me, irritated.
“Oh, you think I'm all talk and no action? Wait till you see what these bad boys can do!”
They jumped on top of desks and one even jumped on top of their owner and came at us.
Six mechanical things, each one the size of Zade, moving with a fluidity that machines shouldn't have.
Not clunky or stiff. Smooth. Predatory. Whatever Baldwin pulled from that book, he'd used it well.
"Zade," I breathed.
"I see them."
Baldwin cracked his neck and smiled. "I was going to do this the civilised way. Ask nicely, negotiate, maybe bribe you. But you don't ever take the easy way do you?”
“Let's take this outside,” I snarl as I hit one so hard it hits a shelf, “books shouldn't have to suffer for human excesses.”
I didn't wait for a response, I rushed forward, hitting Baldwin again to clear from my path and I ran outside.
Zade broke one in two as the others dove into his flesh, trying to dismember him.
The six we'd seen were just a drop in the ocean though.
As we stepped outside, I noticed humans watching from windows, watching as about a hundred of these things piled out into the streets, headed towards us.
“My words from earlier?” Zade began, “I take them back.”
“Apology accepted. Now let's try not to die today.”
“Agreed.”
And we began fighting.