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Fro slide We went silent Eli pointed to the doorway and I handed off teapons and fourin the foyer as Ithe hallway and into the entrance The save Eli the thun, and pointed to me, then to the foyer "Wrassler," I said, the word aluns and aainst the wall, part of his body exposed to anyone in the foyer, his weapon givinghirabbed Wrassler’s shirt and pulled, his teeth buried in the cloth He was pulling Wrassler’s left arm, which was practically disconnected from the rest of him

Back in the cubicle-sized roo off clothing and inspecting Wrassler’shis own battlefield tourniquets and stretchy bandages froe ai, his voice a ragged breath of agony

"They carinushis Devil Batildis carrying both Leo and Katie Strong They took out the gate Then the air lock" He stopped and Eli pulled a bottle of water out of a pocket, opened it, and held it up for Wrassler to see

"Gut wounds?" Eli asked

"No I’ood"

Eli held it to Wrassler’s lanced overa right lower leg and his left arh it was still attached by strings of flesh below the tourniquet Yeah He was good He was daood I batted away tears and untied the T-shirt and tossed it to Eli in the dark "Here Tie it on hi spell in the fibers" Dragon tee Ironic that a shirt with a dragon on it on bite

I went back to covering the foyer, Wrassler’s Judge steady in my hands, ready to fire

Eli tied the T-shirt around Wrassler’s thigh, capped the water bottle, and went back to work

"I was standing in security Saw it all on-screen Ordered lockdown Ordered security to fire at the dragon only With steel Ordered our people to hold fire at the Mithrans and the huate Ten shooters" He swore a long line of fine and detailed curses as Eli tightened the tourniquet below his knee Sas dripping off his jaw and he started shivering Shock Not a good sign

Eli laid Wrassler’s body flat and lifted both thighs onto a chair, then pulled a , shook it out, and tucked it around the blood-servant He pulled his cell phone, looked at the screen, and said, "We’re ja too fast, teeth chattering "The power grid went down first Then the generators died, just as so jammed all coms About two seconds later ere hit" He stopped to breathe

Eli tucked his cell away "Why order your guys not to target vamps and humans?"

"They had Leo" He looked up at ave orders to use only steel on the dragon," he repeated, his thoughts starting to wander "That was before the shooters ca S it on the air Not Wrassler Not Wrassler, I prayed Not hi out everyone they found It tookeverywhere When this floor was clear, they went up the stairs to Leo’s office I directed everyone there" Wrassler fell silent but I could hear hi, fastfastfast, shallow and desperate for air

"Four of Derek’s guys were on duty In seconds, tere dead Derek showed up then I don’t knohere he came from, but I was never so happy" Wrassler blinked and fell silent

I looked at Eli, as frowning at the discrepancy of tiotten there so quickly Not without folding tiics Eli frowned harder, putting that ability into any strategy we h tourniquet

Wrassler started in the ht "Derek ordered the rest of his guys to pull back, to take therinus knew about the hidden passages and the elevator in the room next to Leo’s office" The service elevator went down and opened into a rooe rooht Everyone knew about the previously hidden passageways, stairs, and the service elevator, thanks to the local cops ere called in about a death not so long ago, a death on my watch Reach had access to police reports from when a were–black panther had been murdered in Leo’s office He knew about the elevator Therefore Peregrinus knew My fault So oire followed them into the hidden roooire was bleeding pretty bad" Wrassler stopped to breathe "No one ever beat the Devil Not even Grégoire And he wasn’t beating her then He ordered everyone to retreat and regroup

"I was on the h the back stairways I met theuys Firefight froon went solid and black as night But it was covered in what looked likethe sides and at the tail The rounds hit it Crazy loud Pretty sure it was hurt It was thrashing Tail hitand shook me Threw me So fast I went down Derek pulled me back and stuffed me into the small elevator to take uessing they headed down I enerator power before it died too"

"So you crawled down here," Eli said, "hoping to get coed House lines are down I’ EM interference"

I nodded to show I’d heard "Who’s hts were on now so the security syste, even if coms were down or jammed