Free Winter's Warrior: Mark of the Monarch (Winter's Saga 4) by Karen Luellen

his bloody weeping eyes nonchalantly, as though he just had a little dust in it. “Well done, Miro.  You’re worth your weight in gold, dear boy.”
    “As for you, wretched human, as you can see, you cannot touch me.”
    Even as he finished his sentence, a wide-eyed Margo heard boots running toward them. 
    “You’ll have to forgive their tardiness,” Williams continued calmly as though he hadn’t just been seconds away from sporting a bullet between the eyes. 
    “You see, tonight was a special Moonlight Retribution Match on the other side of the compound.  Most of my metasoldiers were in attendance as this was a much anticipated battle between two of my Perfico Re z.”  He sighed lovingly.  “I had to leave my new second-in-command, Dr. Chaunders, to handle the proceedings, though I would have loved to have attended myself.  Alas, Miro warned me at the last minute I was to have some unexpected guests.”  He nodded toward the Research Hospital.
    “It looks as though someone has been playing with the electrical power over there.”  His bloody lips made a wet tsking noise that sounded sickening to Margo’s traumatized senses.  She was fighting the waves of unconsciousness that crowded her line of sight, but the fight was becoming futile.
    “I must go attend to them, dear, but don’t worry.  My soldiers will show you to your new quarters.”  Dr. Williams’ voice rose as he called to the approaching metahumans.
    “Please assist Dr. Winter to the second floor of my administration building.  Room two-hundred has been prepared for her arrival,” the doctor growled the last word.  “No need to be gentle after you disarm her, evidentially, she’s nearly impossible to kill!  Nearly.”  He laughed wickedly at his own humor even as meaty hands reached to grab the fallen human. 
    “Later, we’ll see how mortal you are, Dr. Winter .”
     
    ***
    “Oh dear God, no!” Evan called.
    “Is she alive, Meg?”
    Pant, gasp, pant… nod.
    Creed started the van and rolled off the lawn to get back to the main road.
    “Just point me in the right direction, Meg.  We’ll get her.”
    Meg’s whole body began shaking—adrenaline pumping, ready to fight.  “It’s too risky with everyone.”  She was looking down at the baby in her arms through the tears that sprung into her dark eyes.  “She’s been shot in the back,” Meg managed to say, a sob catching in her throat.
    Desperately, she moved to hand the baby to Farrow who instinctively opened her arms to receive the little bundle.
    “Stop the van.  Let me out.  I have to save her!” Meg gushed.
    Creed obeyed immediately.
    Meg was trying to untangle the baby’s sticky little fingers from her hair as quickly as possible.  He ended up with a chunk still in his grasp, as Meg was determined to run to her mother no matter what.
    “Listen to me,” Meg turned to the occupants of the van.  Her eyes seethed with equal parts anguish and determination.  “I need you to blow up the Research Hospital, no matter what.  Can you do that Evan?”
    “What if M om’s near the hospital?”
    “She’s not.  She’s in the middle of the courtyard.”  With still shaking hands, Meg yanked her duffel bag open and pulled out two hand grenades.  “When you hear these go off, that’s your signal.  Don’t hesitate, Evan.  I can’t live with the thought of what has happened in that building, or what has yet to happen, and there isn’t an innocent soul left there.  End it. ” Meg cringed at the thought of her harvested eggs thawing in some petri dish somewhere in there—or Creed’s seed waiting to be added so Williams could create thoroughbred metahumans. 
    He wanted to dissect her children. 
    No.  Never.
    Creed jumped out of the van, grabbing his gun.  “How far away can you be from the building and still remote detonate the explosives?” he asked Evan.
    Evan narrowed his eyes, thinking.  “About fifty yards.”
    “Good, get going and listen