Page 17 of Psycho Pack

In all the years I've known him, I've never seen Wraith's mangled face for more than a few seconds. None of us have. Not even Thane. He never takes off his damn mask. Good to know I wasn't completely hallucinating when I woke up after Valek poisoned me and got an eyeful of razor-sharp teeth roaring at me.

But Ivy's not scared of him at all. And she doesn't seem particularly afraid of the Knight, either. When her gaze lands on us, a relieved smile spreads across her tired, perfect features.

Then she gives us a little wave and my heart bottoms out.

Fuck, I love this girl.

The Knight's head snaps toward them. Those blue lights behind his mask flare brighter as he takes a thunderous step forward. Wraith's eyes narrow, a snarl ripping from his ruined throat. In one fluid motion, Wraith sets Ivy down behind him, shielding her with his massive frame.

For a split second, nobody moves.

Then all hell breaks loose.

Wraith and the Knight collide like two freight trains. The impact shakes the entire facility, sending cracks spider-webbing through the walls. Wraith isn't quite as massive, but close,and he's got that feral rage driving him. He slams the Knight backward into a support beam hard enough to bend the steel, and the monster flinches noticeably when the iron spikes sticking out of his back twist and bend.

The Knight retaliates with a snarl, his foot-long talons raking across Wraith's chest and catching what's left of the side of his face. Blood sprays, but Wraith doesn't even seem to notice. He grabs the Knight's mechanical arm and digs his fingers into it with a snarl of his own, the blackened iron bending and folding beneath his crushing grip like it's aluminum fucking foil.

Roaring in pain, the Knight yanks his sparking arm free, staggering backward like a wounded beast. A strange hollow growl that sounds almost like a moan echoes from his mask as he grips his mechanical arm with his other hand. The gesture is strangely human. So is the way he staggers back, his muscles tensing in obvious pain.

For a second, I feel a little bit guilty.

A little bit.

Wraith holds up his palms in a calming gesture, holding the Knight's gaze as the beast straightens to his full height. But I don't think this thing is half as sapient as my pack brother is. The hollow growl rattling in his scarred, partially armored chest is straight from hell itself.

Then the blue light in the eyeholes of his iron mask flicks to Ivy.

"Don't," Ivy murmurs, like he can fucking think. "Please."

And he does the last thing I expected.

He hesitates.

That moment of hesitation is all the opening Thane needs. He fires again, hitting the Knight's exposed back between the metal rods and armor.

Big fucking mistake.

The Knight whirls with a roar that shakes the whole goddamn building, charging past Wraith and straight for Thane. His smoking mechanical arm catches Thane in the chest, slamming him into the ground hard enough to crack the concrete. Before Thane can even try to get up, the Knight grabs him by his assault vest and lifts him like he weighs nothing.

Then slams him back down.

Again.

And again.

Each impact drives Thane deeper into the forming crater. Blood sprays from his mouth, staining his teeth red. His head bounces off the floor with a sickening crack that makes my stomach turn.

Fuck this.

My ribs scream in protest as I haul myself up onto one of the big chemical tanks. The Knight's still focused on turning Thane into paste, giving me the perfect shot. I launch myself off the tank with everything I've got left.

"Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!"

I crash into the monster's back, wrapping one arm around his neck in a chokehold. He ignores me, slamming Thane down again. This time, he stomps on his head with his iron boot and starts bearing down on him with a deep, rumbling growl.

Thing has a one track fucking mind.

My free hand grips one of the iron rods sticking out of his spine. "Wonder what this lever does?" I sneer in his ear before yanking it with all my strength. The metal tears free with a wet crunch. Black blood sprays everywhere, hot and sticky on my face as a hollow moan of utter anguish echoes from the monster's mask.