New Species 05 Brawn by Laurann Dohner Read Free Book Online Page B

widened as his body hit hers before she realized
what was happening.
    The air was shoved from her lungs by the force of his heavy
body slamming into hers. She hit the floor on her side and his weight crushed
her mercilessly when he covered her. A blast of painful, earsplitting proportions
stabbed through her head and bright light blinded her even though her eyelids
were closed. The floor even shook under her back and thighs from the force of
whatever had exploded.
    A roar tore from Brawn, further deafening her since his
mouth was inches from her ear, and he rolled away. The weight was gone from her
body, her eyes jerked open and she fought to suck air back into her lungs. She
caught sight of him rushing out the bathroom door as the lights in the room
were turned on and smoke hovered near the ceiling. It was white and billowed
fast.
    Brawn opened fire, the sound of the shots made her flinch
and she gaped at the sight of him in just a pair of dark-gray sweats, a
Berretta clasped in his hand. The muzzle flashed as bullets were discharged.
Someone screamed, barely distinguishable in the melee. Brawn roared again, a
fierce, terrifying sound, and threw his body backward into the bathroom.
    Weird metal things slammed into the bathroom door inches
from him. At least six of them, a few inches long, dug into the thin wood.
Brawn lunged out of the bathroom, threw his big body at the bed and opened fire
again. He only got off two shots before the gun either jammed or ran out of
bullets.
    Becca panted, too shocked to move and her eyes widened as
three men in all black suddenly threw themselves on top of the New Species. He
used his legs to throw one of them up off his body as she watched in horrified
shock. The man hit the ceiling hard enough to make it rain plaster before he
crashed to the bed, hit the side of it and bounced to the floor.
    Move ! Her mind screamed and she somehow scrambled to
roll over. Her limbs felt heavy, disjointed from her brain and her ears rang
from the loud noises. She was dizzy as she pushed up and slammed her palm
painfully on the sink countertop. Metal brushed her fingertips and propelled
her to struggle harder to rise to her knees. She turned her head to stare at
Brawn.
    Another of the attackers was thrown off him toward the
bedroom door and the hallway. Brawn twisted his body, flipped his legs and
sprang off the bed in the blink of an eye with the bed now between him and the
bedroom door. He backed up, growled viciously and roared. His fingers curled
clawlike at his sides and he bared sharp teeth. The man who’d hit the ceiling
sat up and struggled to his feet.
    Becca gripped the gun, swayed on her feet and stumbled
closer to the bathroom door as she put her finger on the trigger. Brawn was
defenseless without a gun, trapped between the bed and the windows and faced
danger. She knew how to shoot and damn well would. Her father had raised her to
never fire a gun unless she was ready to kill with it. She was.
    She nearly reached the door when the stupid bastard who’d
just risen from the floor tried to tackle Brawn. She froze as she watched the
Species swipe his big hand at the guy in black, hit his throat then shoved hard
with his other. The guy flew her way.
    Something warm and wet sprinkled her face as the man Brawn
had slashed collapsed on to the floor between the bed and the bathroom door.
The attacker’s face was turned her way and there was no missing the horrifying
sight of his slashed open face, from his ear to his mouth. The stranger’s eyes
were wide open, terrified and he blinked. Blood flowed from the horrible wound,
pooled on the floor under his mouth and he made a hissing sound. Lifeless eyes
stared at Becca after he took his last breath.
    Time froze. It was surreal, too shocking for her mind and
her responses shut down until the blood slowly spreading across the floor
nearly touched her toes. That yanked her to the present. Only seconds had
passed, but she realized the wetness on her face