Page 80 of Bubblegum Pop
There was the sound of someone moving, and all I saw was Apollo’s bright blond hair before he shot past me, descended on Gordon, and beat him within an inch of his life.
Apollo
Michael told us not to kill anyone.
He was very explicit.
No killing.
Not a single person.
They had given us dart guns and tasers. No bullets, only casualties.
Arrow’s men aimed for arms and legs. Arrow had given us earpieces, but it only muffled the shouts that ripped from the guards who attacked us at every corner.
The mansion was well-guarded, but Michael’s security team were professionals, and we moved fast. We spread out, taking different floors and corridors, but it was obvious where she was. There was a strong trail of her scent like sugared breadcrumbs.
I didn’t care what Arrow said—he couldn’t stop us from reaching our mate.
They could punish us when we got her back. I needed to know she was safe.
“Apollo!” Arrow barked as I took a left, her scent growing stronger. “Stay in formation!”
I bit my lip as I ignored him. My aura vibrated around me, my instincts telling me that, as pack lead, I had to be in charge of the whole situation. No matter what Arrow said, this was our omega. The added tension from both Zeus and Odin through the bond made me more determined to keep us together. They flanked me as we made quick work of the stairs.
The mansion was in shambles. Everything was rotting, torn, or bare. Empty picture frames on the walls, indents in the carpets where furniture used to stand, spiderwebs hung from rusted chandeliers, peeling paint on every wall, and wide patches of brown from leaks in the roof.
Whoever this alpha was, he wasn’t the same quality of customer who could afford our hosts, and he definitely couldn’t afford Candy.
“For fuck’s sake!” Arrow’s yell buzzed through my earpiece as the three of us raced through the corridors—we were already too close to stop now. “Bones, go after them!”
I kept my dart gun pointed down, all my attention on finding her, no matter what. I’d already thrown away the sling, though my shoulder stung like hell.
Odin and Zeus ran behind me, our bond strong as we moved as a pack, hunting, stalking with one thing in mind. The guards in the mansion had no chance.
We didn’t need to say a word to each other. We’d been through endless training, we’d done our time in the shooting range, and we were in the dojo every week. Arrow’s team might be more experienced, but their omega wasn’t at stake.
My arms were locked in position, ready to fire at any moment. I should have relaxed my muscles, should have been able to focus, but images of Odin and Zeus crumpled on the floor kept assaulting me. Twice now I’d failed them, and I had to fix it.
The three of us held each other steady, an intense calm running between us, firing off darts any second a black masked guard appeared.
“If he’s so much as touched her…” Odin’s deadly tone promised death, his scent an icy storm which blanketed the pure fire raging from Zeus. Not a scratch of emotion from him, as opposed to Zeus’s sparking fury, infecting both of us with his power. If either of them snapped, I wasn’t going to be able to control them. I was burning too brightly. I couldn’t calm myself.
Every shot sent a thrill murmuring through me. My mates were incredible, no matter what they did.
“Let’s move,” I said through gritted teeth.
Bones caught up with us, staying tight as we finally turned into the corridor where her scent was strongest. There were five guards stationed outside the door, but Bones was ruthless. Odin and Zeus took down a guard each, and, by the time the darts had left their guns, Bones had already dropped the other three.
Bones jumped forward, grabbing their limp bodies, dragging them aside, making room for us to burst through the doors with a snarl.
My knees nearly gave way, my heart freezing as our eyes landed on her.
Tied to a chair, an alpha with a knife to her throat, her scent stained with fear as she trembled.
I didn’t think. I couldn’t.
I ran for them.