Chapter 178 Damian's POV
Marcus's finger tightened on the trigger.
I had maybe a second to react.
I dove sideways, pulling Kira down with me. The gunshot exploded in the small room, deafening.
The bullet missed me by inches, embedding itself in the wall.
Kira was already moving, she grabbed a metal pipe from the corner of the storage room and swung it hard at the nearest guard's head. He went down with a sickening crack.
I lunged at Marcus, knocking his gun arm upward, the second shot went into the ceiling.
We grappled Marcus was strong, enhanced by dark magic like Xavier. But I had been pretending to be weak for so long that he underestimated me.
I drove my knee into his stomach, he grunted and doubled over. I grabbed his head and slammed it into the doorframe once, twice, three times.
He collapsed, unconscious.
Behind me, Kira was fighting the other two guards. One had her in a chokehold, the other was raising his weapon.
I grabbed the fallen gun and shot the one aiming at her. He dropped instantly.
The one holding Kira released her to reach for his own weapon. She spun and drove her elbow into his throat, he staggered back, choking. I shot him too.
Silence fell, four bodies on the floor al dead or dying.
My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking. "Are you okay?" I asked Kira.
She nodded, breathing hard. "Yeah, you?"
"Fine. But we have a problem, these bodies. If Xavier finds them, if he realizes his men are dead-"
"He will know that we are traitors, he will hunt us down."
"Exactly." I looked around the storage room. Old supplies, cleaning chemicals, combustible materials.
"We need to burn them, make it look like an accident an explosion in the storage area."
"An explosion will draw attention, bring people running."
"I know but it is better than leaving bodies that point directly to us."
I started gathering the most flammable materials. "Help me, we don't have much time."
We worked quickly, piling materials around the bodies,.soaking everything with chemicals.
I checked Marcus's pulse, still alive barely.
For a moment, I considered letting him live. Leaving him to wake up and accuse us but I reconsidered.
I put my hand over his mouth and nose, held it there until he stopped breathing.
"Damian," Kira said quietly. "We need to go, now."
"Right." I set up a delayed ignition using some electrical equipment and a timer. "We have five minutes before this blows, let's move."
We slipped out of the storage room and into the shadows of the compound.
"The cave," I said. "You need to go free those prisoners, arm them, get them ready to fight."
"What about you?"
"I need to get back to my room before Xavier realizes that I'm gone. If he finds me missing, if he suspects anything, this whole plan falls apart."
"How will you explain being cured? He thinks that you are dying."
Kira grabbed my arm. "This is too dangerous. You're walking back into the lion's den."
"We're both walking into danger, at least I have Xavier thinking that I'm on his side. You are going into that cave alone."
"I know the layout, I know the guard rotations. I can do this."
"Then we synchronize, you hit the cave in exactly thirty minutes. That gives me time to get back and establish my alibi. When the explosion happens, it will cause chaos, use that chaos to free the prisoners."
"And if something goes wrong?"
"Then we improvise, like we always do."
She nodded. "Thirty minutes, don't be late."
"Same to you."
We split up. Kira disappeared into the darkness toward the maintenance tunnels. I headed back toward the main building.
I checked my watch. Twenty-eight minutes since Xavier had left me. I was cutting this dangerously close.
I made it back to my room just as footsteps approached in the hallway.
I threw myself onto the bed, trying to look exhausted and weak.
The door opened. Xavier entered, carrying a small vial filled with dark liquid.
"Brother, how are you feeling?"
"Terrible, the pain is getting worse."
"I thought it might be, that is why I brought this."
He held up the vial. "A temporary measure. Something to ease your suffering until Erebus arrives to break the curse properly."
I took the vial, studying it, the liquid inside was definitely magical. Probably laced with dark power.
"What is it?"
"A healing potion. Infused with Erebus's magic. It won't cure you, but it will strengthen you. Give you enough energy to attend the ceremony when Erebus arrives."
"Thank you." I uncorked the vial and pretended to drink it. Actually, I kept most of it in my mouth and spit it into a cloth when Xavier turned away.
But some of it did go down my throat. I felt the dark magic trying to take hold, trying to corrupt, trying to bind me to Erebus.
The lunar pulse from Adrian's blood in my system fought back. Burned away the darkness, rejected the corruption.
I nearly gasped from the sensation but I controlled myself. Kept my expression neutral.
"Better?" Xavier asked.
"Yes. Much better the pain is fading."
"Good. Rest now in a few hours, we march on the Blue Moon Pack. And you will be there beside me, brother. Fighting as we should have always fought, together."
"Together," I repeated, the word tasting like ash in my mouth.
Xavier left, closing the door behind him.
The moment he was gone, I pulled out my phone. Texted Kira on the encrypted line.
‘Are you in position?’
A moment later: ‘Almost, approaching the tunnel entrance now. Guards are changing shifts. Perfect timing.’
‘Be careful. If you get caught-’
‘I won't, see you on the other side.’
I stared at the phone, wanting to say more. Wanting to tell her to stay safe, I needed her to survive this.
But there wasn't time for sentimentality so I deleted the messages and hid the phone.
Then I poured the rest of Xavier's potion into a container. I would analyze it later. See if there was useful information about how Erebus's magic worked.