Free Up in Flames by Trista Ann Michaels

thrust forward. Alex tried to dodge the sword. Unfortunately he wasn’t fast enough, and the tip of the sword sank into the left side of his stomach, just below his ribs.
    Alex gasped. Searing pain raced through his midsection as he raised his arm and backhanded the Mundi. The bones in Alex’s hand broke as it slammed against the Mundi’s face. He’d hit him hard, but the Mundi barely moved in response.
    This wasn’t good.
    With an angry glare, the Mundi took one step and forced his sword forward. Alex tried to dodge it but again wasn’t quick enough. He just didn’t have the Mundi reflexes. It sank in his right side, going clear out the back.
    Blood coated his side and thighs, each wound bleeding profusely. Dizziness overwhelmed him as the Mundi jerked the sword free, allowing Alex to drop his knees. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex spotted the blaster, just a few feet away. Forcing himself to fall in that direction, he landed close enough to get his hand on the weapon.
    “Where’s Cara?” the Mundi snarled.
    “Fuck you,” Alex snarled.
    Ignoring his wounds, Alex turned and pointed the blaster at his attacker. His eyes widened as Alex pulled the trigger. A loud piercing sound echoed just before he watched the Mundi’s head explode, spilling blood and brain matter all over his walls.
    Alex let his head and arm fall. He stared up at the spinning ceiling and struggled to breathe. Pain coursed through his body like a molten-hot rod. How long before someone found him? He was tempted to just close his eyes and let himself pass out, but his stubbornness wouldn’t allow it. He had to get up.
    He had no idea how much time went by as he continued to lie there, staring at the dimming lights above him. He’d lost too much blood. He really needed to get up and call someone.
    “Move, Alex,” he growled out loud, trying to force himself to act past discomfort.
    Groaning in frustration, Alex rolled to his side and tried to get his legs up, only to fail. He never realized just how much he used his stomach muscles until they were injured. He cursed and tried again, forcing the pain to the back of his mind.
    Using one hand, he pushed himself to a sitting position. He gnashed his teeth so hard he had no doubt he would probably crack every one of them before he managed to get up.
    His front door slid open, and he tensed, praying it wasn’t another Mundi coming to finish him off.
    “Alex?” Chris called out as he stepped into his apartment. “Are you here? I need to talk—” Chris stared across the floor at Alex in shock, then quickly rushed forward, demanding, “What the hell happened?”
    “Mundi,” Alex said, barely able to breathe.
    Relief washed over him at the sight of Chris. Thank God Chris never knocked. Chris’s assistant Sharna walked in and screamed at the bloody, headless body just a few feet away. “Please tell me that’s not Alex.”
    “We’re over here,” Chris said with a wave of his hand as he knelt down by Alex. “Get a medic. Fast.”
    Sharna nodded and ran to the communication system on Alex’s desk. Alex raised his hand, trying to get Sharna’s attention, but he was so weak, his hand fell back to the floor. “The password,” he murmured.
    “What’s the password, Alex?” Chris asked.
    Alex sighed and let his eyes drift closed. How the hell was he going to explain this one? “Green eyes.”
    “Green eyes?” he heard Chris repeat.
    “Don’t ask, Chris.”

Chapter Nine
    Hayden stood over Cara as she stretched out along the weight bench in his father’s basement gym. He positioned his fingers just under the bar she held, ready to catch it if she dropped it. She was doing well. She kept it steady and balanced, and she’d been able to increase the weight quickly.
    Her strength surprised him. She was already bench-pressing close to half of what he could. “Again,” he said and moved his hands so she could lower the bar. He kept himself ready to grab it just in case her muscles failed