Page 22 of The Darkest Hour

She winced but stood again, wiping away the trickle of blood that seeped from a cut on her forehead.

Her gaze didn’t falter as she charged again.

“I hope you know you’re not walking out of here alive.” My voice echoed around us.

My heart pounded as we circled each other like predators sizing each other up.

Then out of nowhere, the crazy bitch crashed into me, knocking me into a wall.

She jumped back before I could punch her.

“This ends soon.” I kicked at her.

She ducked, spun around me, jabbed my throat with her elbow, and then slammed a dagger in my thigh.

Arhh!

It had been so long since someone got close enough to stab me that I had forgotten how much it hurt. I collapsed, yanked the dagger out as I rolled my body, and somehow avoided the blows from her foot.

She damn sure wouldn’t make it easy for me to get free of her as my usual enemies did.

I glared at her. “That wasn’t nice.”

“Sorry, but I told you I was a bitch.” She reared back and kicked me in the side several times.

I caught her heel on her third kick and then shoved it upward. She somersaulted backwards, landed on her feet, drew the last dagger, and hurled it across the room.

The damn thing stabbed into the floor an inch from my head.

GODDAMN IT!!

“This was fun, but all cool things must end.” She pulled a tiny gun out of her side holster.

It appeared more like a toy weapon, something for a little kid with small hands.

Still aching from the dagger, I jumped up. “What the fuck is that?”

“Thanks for the entertainment. . .Havoc.” She shot me.

In seconds, a tiny arrow hit my neck.

What the hell?

The whole area stung and then went numb.

Then suddenly, I realized what she had done.

No.

I grabbed at the arrow and yanked it out, but it was too late.

Drowsiness set in.

I struggled to keep my eyelids open. “Who are you?”

“Onyx.”

My vision blurred. “And what will you do with me?”