“I mean it!”My voice cracks like a whip, sharper than I intend, but fear claws at me.If I lose her now...No.I can’t.
I bolt down the hall, the bond between us stretching taut, threatening to snap with every step away from her.
The surveillance room glows with harsh light, screens flickering as smoke and heat distort the feeds.Figures in tactical gear move through the tree line, rifles raised, explosives strapped across their chests.The outer wall is already smoking, breached by the blast.
I slam commands into the console, locking down the compound, sealing shutters, and rerouting power.“North perimeter compromised,” I growl into the comms.“Scarlet, I need you up top, picking them off.Kyson, move to reinforce.Riggs, take the left flank.Rowan, cover the gate.”
Another boom rattles the building, and sparks rain from one of the monitors.
“Mateo.”Her voice makes me spin.
Harlow stands in the doorway, chest heaving, wearing a pale sundress.No bra.My gaze snags on the perfect outline of her nipples pressing against the fabric before I drag it back up to her wide, terrified eyes.
“I told you to stay,” I snarl.
“I couldn’t.I need to know what’s happening.”She crosses the room, planting herself at my side.“I won’t just sit in a room while the world explodes around me.”
Fuck.She’s stubborn.Braver than she should be.And she’s mine.
“Fine.”I yank a chair closer.“Sit.You don’t leave this room, do you understand?Not for anything.If you see anything unusual—movement, shadows, anything I miss—you tell me.Immediately.”
She nods, slipping into the chair.Her knees brush mine, her eyes fixed on the screens.
Outside, chaos erupts.Gunfire cracks through the night, sharp and endless.The coven fights like shadows, moving too fast for the Hunters to track.Kyson is a storm at the gate, cutting men down with brutal efficiency.Scarlet fires from her perch, taking down anyone who gets too close.Riggs’s steady presence cuts through the chaos, Rowan’s laughter crackling over the comms even as he slaughters.
And me?I stay in here, fingers flying over the keys, sealing them in, keeping them alive.
Not just them.
Her.
Always her.
If I fail, I lose everything.
Chapter Fifteen
