“Michael couldn’t be allowed to live after what he did to me.” I shrug but inside I’m screaming at myself for the callousness of those words.
I can’t let him know that the shifter could have been dosed the same way as Derek. If the shifter knew it was possible to use my blood to change him further, he would be hunting for me. I glance at Raven, and she nods her understanding.
“That’s all the explanation you need after attacking us in the first place.” Raven sheaths her swords, sending them into the ether. “C’mon, B. Let’s head back to the SUV and make sure Kira and Draven are okay.”
“Yeah.” I loop my arm through hers and turn my back on the brainwashed shifter. “That sucked.”
“How’s your back?” Raven asks.
“Almost all the way healed now, but I still have blood on me so I wouldn’t touch it if I were you.”
“We don’t even know if your blood will change anyone,” she says.
“That’s what makes what I did so hard. But if there was even a possibility of another rogue becoming what Derek did, then I had to stop it.” I hang my head. “I didn’t want to have to kill anyone.”
“We were attacked. They knew the possibilities when they decided to try to ambush us. They took that risk on purpose. We didn’t.”
“I guess, it doesn’t make it hurt any less, though.” I run a hand down my face.
“Beth, Raven?” Kira calls not far away. “Are you guys okay? We heard an awful noise.”
“Um, how about we don’t talk about that. It’s a little too fresh in our minds.” Raven glances at me.
“Oh,” Kira says and moves to hug me, but I raise a hand.
“Maybe after I clean my blood off my back, yeah?” I point to the ripped fabric over my shoulder.
“There’s no way you’re reaching that, B. Let me help you.” Raven tugs my arm to the back of the SUV. “It’s gonna be okay. It was us or them and the risks were too great to let him go.”
“I know.” I squeeze my eyes shut and tilt my head toward the sun.
Cool water drips down my back as Raven rinses the blood from my body. The shirt isn’t salvageable and Kira rounds the SUV to hand me a new one. At this rate I’m not going to have any clothes left when we get to the hammer.
I hiss out a breath, my back stinging as I pull the shirt over my head.
“Did anyone try to attack the SUV?” I ask.
“No, I think they just went after you guys. The target was probably the alpha, but they didn’t realize we were with him. Hopefully they think twice about attacking them again in the future.” Kira shrugs.
“I wouldn’t put my money on that. I think all we did was make the situation worse by telling that guy about Derek.” I stomp around to the side of the SUV.
“What do you mean?”
“He saw Greyson’s wolf and he knows we weren’t telling him everything. This could be a problem for all of us if they figure that out. We could have way more issues with the rogues than we ever bargained for.” I pull the door to the SUV open.
“You and Jayden are the only ones who have been affected enough for it to be an issue, though,” Raven says, leaning against the doorframe.
“They don’t know that, and I fear if they put the pieces together, they could come for us all.”
13
“How are you, kid?” Randall asks as he drives to the volcano. “That was rough.”
“I kill monsters, not people,” I mumble.
“That was the first time you killed a live person and not these crazy monsters that follow you?” he asks, flinching.
“Yeah, that and long-dead demigods come back from the grave once or twice but never someone who hadn’t died millennia ago.” I lean my forehead against the cool glass of the window.
