---
The words had barely left Sekhmet's mouth when the next wave reached them.
The guards came down the central lane in a rough rush of boots, steel, and shouted courage. There were more of them than the first groups. Someone deeper inside the warehouse had finally managed to gather the frightened into something close to a line, and desperation had done the rest. Men who might have fled alone were suddenly brave enough to run when surrounded by other men who were equally afraid.
It would not save them.
The first one came with a hooked pole meant for pulling crates or breaking through stacked barriers. He swung it badly and too high, aiming for Lily because her transformed shape offended his courage the most. She stepped inside the swing with perfect timing, caught the shaft with one hand, and drove the heel of her palm into his throat so hard his heels left the floor for a breath. When he hit the ground again, he did not rise.
Mira moved at the same moment.
