Chapter 406: Escaping The Everen House
Not long after killing their pursuers, Nikolai and Alexei returned down the tunnels towards where he mentioned finding an exit. The only issue for Nikolai was where his two wives ended up falling. At this point, he regretted choosing to split up a little.
'Damn horror movie trope...'
Little did he know, there was no need to be worried.
***
Crack!
The deformed body of a wolf smashed against the metal wall, creating a slight indentation.
"Phew..." Lunaria clapped her hands and let out a long breath, turning back to see Amphitrite sitting by a filtration machine, messing with the wires, sparks flying as the machine slowly ground to a halt.
The smell of burning copper and wire filled the area while they waited for something.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, well, when we were fighting, I accidentally kicked a wolf against this panel, now it's smoking, and so I wanted to destroy it."
Lunaria looked at Amphitritre with the strangest look, before shaking her head and turning away. "You're so strange, why bother?"
The mermaid flicked her sweaty pink hair back, fiddling with the wires despite having little knowledge of what to do. "Well, I figured if it breaks, then Nikolai would know where we are and rush here."
Lunaria sighed, "That's smart..."
The two women sat beside each other, their bodies damp with sweat, and their bodysuits torn in various parts from the hybrid wolves that continued to hunt them through the tunnel. "We're lucky they stopped coming..." The wolf whispered, her ears twitching as she looked down the tunnel.
Amphitrite couldn't help but notice the change in Lunaria; before, when they were fighting together, the two women seemed more unified.
So she asked. "Do you not hate me anymore?"
"What? When did I hate you?" Lunaria tilted her head, confused at the mermaid's words.
'Well, it's true that I was jealous that he slept with her and left me wet and alone... But now I know his true feelings that kinda faded...'
Lunaria wasn't the most sociable person, so thoughts like these rarely became words; instead, she shrugged and leaned against the cold wall, closing her eyes. "I don't hate you, it was just petty jealousy."
"Oh my?"
Amphitrite looked back and smirked. She noticed the slight change in Luna's talk, wondering for a moment what could have made her jealous, but then remembered the night that Nikolai made them all his. "Is it because he didn't fuck you, back then?"
"Ack!? Do you need to spell it out?" Luna's cheeks turned red.
"Haha, you're much cuter than you appeared. I thought you didn't care about stuff like that."
"Who wouldn't!? I love him!"
"Then why don't you say it to his face?"
"I... don't want to... If I do, then I don't know what I'll do if he rejects me..." She pressed her fingers together and let out a long sigh. "Did you forget what I did to him? I lied and broke his trust. Unlike the other, I cannot just forget that either." Lunaria knew that Nagisa and her parents also hid things from Nikolai until recently and didn't want to come across as overly eager.
Tap Tap Tap!
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong, Luna?"
"Shhh!"
"There's something..."
The sound of footsteps, heavy and utterly ignorant of stealth.
"I think more of those bastards are coming."
"...It's them..." Amphitrite whispered while peeking around the corner. She looked at Lunaria, then nodded and stood up. The wolf girl took a deep breath and stepped into the open. Her white tail snapped out as she checked her revolver, flicked the chamber back inside, and pulled the pin back. "Looks like our moment of rest is over."
"Haah... don't they ever get tired?"
The footsteps grew closer as the pair aimed at the broken doorway with bent doors.
One behind the wall, the other opposite, beside the filtration machine.
"Ready?"
Amphitrite's blue eyes shimmered as she focused on the doorway, prepared for another fight.
"Of course, after this, you owe me a drink."
"Heh, whoever gets the most kills pays for the night."
"Hmph! Deal."
The pair of girls looked at each other and nodded once more before returning to the doorway, their hearts pounding with adrenaline. As they waited for something to happen, the silence grew deafening until they could hear their breathing.
"..." Amphitrite's ears twitched.
"Hmm?"
The sudden sound of something approaching from behind made her turn around.
Lunaria noticed the change in Amphitrite.
"Shit, two groups?"
"Fuck! Dodge it!"
Bang!
She was about to ask how many, but Amphitrite jumped forward and pressed herself flat against the wall, avoiding a silver bullet that whizzed past her head.
No... it wasn't aimed for her...
The wolf that leapt from the original broken door slammed against the floor, dropping from mid-air with a bloody hole in its head.
From the flash of the pistol, Nikolai's figure appeared, causing the two women to grow excited.
'He's finally here!? Took him long enough!'
But the pair of beauties remained composed, while Alexei and Marianne appeared.
"Ngh... Brother, I told you we shouldn't split up." Alexei grumbled at Nikolai, who shrugged as if he had done nothing wrong.
"Well, I didn't know that the entire filtration System would loop on itself to get to the exit, blame this woman." He slapped Sasha's buttocks before taking aim and shooting with a fast burst.
"Kya!?"
Three well-aimed bullets
The werewolves growling in the other tunnels dropped as another emerged behind them, the bullet ricocheting off the walls and into their bodies.
"Amphi! Luna! It's great to see you both."
When they saw the werewolves drop and their source of security appear, it truly felt as if everything ended... "You bastard! It stinks down here, and you took too long!"
Nikolai grinned as Luna ran towards him, tears in her eyes, but he knew she was just stressed. "Hah, sorry, sorry, I didn't know you were so lost without me."
"Shut it!"
Her body slammed into his left shoulder because the blonde was occupying the right.
The damp heat of Luna spread through his chest as she hugged him tight, burying her face in his side. "I hate you."
"Haha, well, I am happy you're alright."
Amphitrite strolled towards them slowly, not as eager because she knew how to approach Nikolai best, so she waited. Luna would let go sooner or later.
But for now...
"We need to shut down this room to leave."
"Wait... Do we shut down these filtration points...?"
Sasha and Amphitrite started speaking; it seemed their wavelengths matched after she snapped out of her strange mood.
"Come help me, scientist."
"I'll come too!" Marrianne offered her help and hopped down from Alexei's arms.
***
Not long after Luna started, Nikolai's moment finally ended. "Did you worry about me?" She asked, wiping her nose with both ears curled like her tail.
"Of course I did, but I also trusted you would do fine."
"Really?"
Luna stood on her tiptoes, swaying slightly with a smile on her face.
Nikolai wrapped both arms around her waist, enjoying the musky scent that came from her body. He didn't mind that she was warm or damp; instead, the relief that he didn't mess up was greater.
"Idiot, I smell so bad... and I'm all sweaty, yet you're all over me. Yet when I was clean, you left me waiting."
Luna looked at him with soft eyes, her tail swaying behind her.
"Hey, I had a reason, and I promised I'll make it up to you."
"You better had! I am... your wife, too, you know?"
The sound of something turning echoed before he could respond, and his eyes lifted to see the massive pool of filth drain into different tunnels. The scent was horrible, but Luna's bright eyes and cute expression made him lean in.
Their lips locked, both tasting the sweat of each other, but Luna wanted more.
With the sound of steam hissing and metal twisting, the moonlight seeped into the room through the open doors. Nikolai closed his eyes, enjoying the wet feeling of Luna's tongue, before noticing she wasn't alone... 'Another?'
Another set of lips pressed against Nikolai's cheek, forcing his eyes open to find Amphitrite, who had joined them.
"Darling, it's time to leave. We can do this... later, after a shower."
"...Amphi!" Luna's voice echoed with complaint as a thread of saliva dripped from her lips to the ground, torn from her kiss so soon.
"Come on?! It's filthy here, do you want to kiss here or back at the hotel?"
It wasn't like Amphitrite had a point, so Nikolai bitterly smiled and pushed away. He then lifted Sasha and brushed Luna's lips with his thumb. "Later..."
Lunaria's cheeks turned bright red as she noticed everyone watching her, and she huffed, turning away towards the exit and snorting back. "G...Good point."
The group headed towards the exit, with Alexei giving Nikolai a strange look, while his sister Marianne's eyes remained locked on the pair after seeing their kiss.
Suddenly... Nikolai's eyes shone, and his nose sniffed the air.
"This scent!?"
"Nikolai?"
"Brother?!"
Before they could react, Nikolai darted outside, down the rocky cliff tops, leaping from stone to stone as he sniffed the air and landed with a loud thud.
Standing beside a huge van, wearing a pair of black shades, was a familiar figure.
"Good work, Patriarch."
It was Alaric, and someone sat in the passenger seat...