Chapter Six
Hera
I burst through the doors of the church, fear gripping me. What if someone had gotten hurt, and I’d let it happen because I hadn’t been there? What if one of the children was killed because the Warden wanted me back?
The sight inside the church chilled me. A few shades already lay on the floor unmoving with Bowen standing between them and the people who held the guns.
All the men were humans, but they all wore black clothing but no identifying badges or marks. Of course, that didn’t matter—I could easily guess exactly who they were. These weren’t local policing forces, not with the tranq guns they carried. They had to work for the Warden.
At least they didn’t send Lilianna’s toys…
Bowen turned his head toward us, his eyes sharp, proving again he wasn’t the weak house spirit it was easy to mistake him for. Instead, he had the expression of a man ready to take on the entire group himself to protect those he cared for.
Except, his gaze moved from me to Kit and Deacon. His mouth flattened. “Normally, I’d toss you all out, but I think I’ll make an exception this time.”
I peered at Wade, then gestured toward Soshi and the other shades huddling in the corner. Wade was more fragile than the others, and he couldn’t do anything against the human soldiers. He would do the most good focusing on getting the more vulnerable shades out of the way. Even if a few of them could help, they were more risk than reward compared to us.
He nodded, rushing over to the cowering people while Knox, Brax, Kit, Deacon and I all placed ourselves between the soldiers and the other shades, beside Bowen.
These men had shown up ready to do serious damage, but they hadn’t realized exactly what they’d face. Judging from their gear, I doubted they expected us to be here. They were used to individual shades, to people who would run from conflict, who were so isolated that even when they snapped, they fought alone.
Now they faced shades who were willing and able to fight together.
They had no idea the trouble they’d brought down on themselves.
Brax
Energy ran through me at the violence hanging in the air. There was always this spice at moments like this, when bloodshed was inevitable, and it spoke to my berserker.
I stood to the left of Hera, opening and closing my hands, ready to destroy anything in my way. In this case, it was fifteen human soldiers with their weapons at the ready. They held tranq guns, meaning the Warden wanted us back alive. That was probably all for Hera’s benefit. I doubted the Warden gave a fuck about the rest of us.
Of course, that made it all the easier for us. They weren’t willing to use lethal force, but I had no problem with it. I wasn’t like Knox, wasn’t a man who struggled with what I was much. I didn’t give a damn about my violent side, about my desire and willingness to kill. It didn’t bother me, didn’t make me wish I was something else. This part of me had allowed me to keep Knox safe for years, and now I could use it to protect Hera.
And to protect these other shades, to keep safe the ones who couldn’t do it themselves. I’d never given a damn about what I was, but now I appreciated how useful it could prove.
“Hera Weston,” one of the soldiers said, stepping forward. “Come with us and no one else has to be hurt.”
Hera pulled her shoulders back and stood tall. She truly wasn’t the same women I’d met that first day when she’d arrived. She’d cowered back then, afraid of the world and of herself. Now, though? She held her head high, willing to face down any threat rather than running away.
It took my focus away for a moment, distracted me by how lucky I was to find a woman like that, to watch her find herself and fight for shades when so many of them had rejected her already.
“So, plan?” Bowen asked in a far too casual tone.
“Kill ’em,” I responded, my words rough since my mouth and throat had already started to shift to my other form.
“A fan of the simple, huh?”
“Why go for complicated?” Knox added.
The soldier who had spoken narrowed his eyes when he spotted Deacon. “The Warden won’t be happy to hear about this.”
“The Warden can go fuck herself,” Deacon said, no hint of regret or hesitation in his voice. While I struggled to trust Deacon far, his voice left no doubt about what side he’d picked.
And given he was a meta, something that had no real place, it wasn’t a shock he wouldn’t stay sided with the humans who continued to use and hate him.
Surprise flickered across the soldier’s features, as if he hadn’t expected the harsh reaction. But why the fuck hadn’t he? Even if I couldn’t stand Deacon, it would have taken a fucking blind man to not see how Larkwood treated him, to not notice how the guards and staff looked at and spoke to him. He might have been above the shades there, but they’d made it clear he was far below humans.
It made me realize why he would throw that all away—for Hera.