The clashing of metal is the only sound I hear as I become nothing more than a soldier fighting in battle. My mind fires off commands as the Elite and I dance to a very familiar tune. They might have outnumbered a mere mortal, but though I am young, I have two decades of experience under my belt. I am calling on every drop of training I ever had now.
Thrust. Lunge. Duck. Fire. Repeat.
Seconds become minutes, as I am nothing more than a fighter. Someone slashes my cheek, and I stab them in the side.
Another Elite manages to get close enough to cut the fabric of my pants. Cursing him, I turn on the balls of my feet and slam the butt of my gun in their head.
My blood roars in my ears. As Helena and I push forward, the smell of gunpowder mixes with the acrid scent of blood. From my peripherals, I jump as one of the Elite lunges towards me. He rams into my arm, knocking the gun from my grip.
It clatters to the ground, and the Elite pulls out a dagger. He snarls, the sound silent and deadly, as he thrusts his weapon. I jump out of the way, kicking as I move. My foot comes in contact with his chest as I swing my sword.
The Elite’s eyes fly wide open as my blade descends in a smooth arc toward him. The merman ducks out of the way, but he isn’t fast enough.
My arm reverberates as the weapon meets bone, and I yank my sword back. A sickening crunch comes from the Elite. I watch as blood pours out of his chest, blanketing the slick cobblestones of the port in a red river. The male’s mouth opens in a soundless cry of pain before he drops, lifeless, to the ground.
I don’t have time to process what happened before heavy footsteps come from behind me. Reaching down, I grab the taser from its sheath on my thigh. Narrowing my eyes, I aim it towards one of the other Elite.
Pressing down on the button, my eyes widen as a flash of silver light comes from the small rectangle. Instantly, the smell of burning flesh assaults my nose as the soldier stumbles backward.
Bile rises in my throat as I realize I can seethroughhis body to the cobblestones below. He isn’t even bleeding as black smoke rises from the hole in his chest.
Well. That’s definitely going to give me nightmares for years.
Before I can more than blink at the corpse in front of me, the sound of a body hitting the ground comes from behind me. Wide-eyed, I turn just in time to see Helena pulling a knife out of the neck of another one of the mermen.
Now, there are three.
The air in the courtyard seems even thicker than before as Helena and I return to our original positions. My heart is pounding in my chest, my lungs tight as I relish the feel of her back against mine. I brush my hand against the back of hers, squeezing her fingers lightly as we breathe heavily.
“Remember, Princess,” I whisper. “I love you.”
In response, she presses her ass against me. Stifling a moan, I tighten my grip on my sword.
Less than five seconds after my back lines up with Helena’s, one of the mermen charges towards us. His face is contorted as his lips pull back from his sharp teeth. His eyes glimmer with threats of violence as a silent snarl escapes him. The Elite raises his sword, clearly aiming for me as he runs at full speed.
I lift my sword and meet the merman’s blow with one of my own. My blade slices across his stomach, shoving him backward when another Elite appears out of nowhere. His eyes are wild as he rushes towards me, a dagger held aloft.
I duck just as the Elite’s eyes bulge out of his head. He falls face-down on the ground, the hilt of a dagger protruding from his neck.
Raising my eyes to Helena’s, my lips tilt up into a smile. For a split second, she meets my gaze, grinning, but then her face falls. Her eyes widen, and her mouth opens in terror as she reaches for another dagger sheathed on her forearm.
I inhale sharply when something heavy hits the back of my head. Pain, sharp and devastating, rushes through me. Black spots fill my vision as I careen forward toward the bloody cobblestones. Throwing out a hand, my sword falls away with a clatter as I slam into the ground.
Every single piece of me hurts as I fight to remain conscious. Gasping for air, my hand scrambles for my sword when a gray blur streaks past me.
Lifting my head, my mouth falls open as Helena vaults over my body. Her mouth is open in a silent scream of fury, the daggers in her hands glimmering. She moves as fast as a water wraith, her limbs barely visible as she slams her weapons into the Elite behind me. The male stumbles backward, and Helena yanks her blades out of his chest. Blood pours from the wounds as she repeats her assault once, then again.
Blood spatter from the fallen Elite is covering Helena’s entire body. Others might be scared at the sight of this warrior princess, but I am filled with intense pride.
She ismine.
Not finished with her attack, Helena turns on her feet, engaging the other Elite in battle. They seem to be evenly matched as they dance around the docks.
Groaning, I push myself to my knees. Two Helenas appear before me as my vision blurs. Cursing, I rub my hands over my eyes.
Just as I get to my feet, a bloody Elite careens towards me. Crimson coats his body, leaking from his wounds, but he doesn't seem to care. His face is contorted into a silent scream of rage as he raises a dagger.
"Damn it," I curse as I clench my fist, turning on unsteady feet before punching the injured Elite in the side. It holds him back for a moment, but that's all. I don’t even have time to consider where he came from as his mouth opens in a silent roar.