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“Exactly,” Duncan said. “There’s no doubt in my mind. This is the tattoo I saw in the vision.”
Merl turned around slowly to face Duncan, but his gaze now had a wild, almost panicked look. “Not my men. She fucking promised me. Yolanthe said she’d leave them in peace if I left Third.” A keening sound came from his throat. It was a high screech that slowly descended in timbre and turned into a resonant roar.
The team backed swiftly away from him as he began to pace. He folded and levitated, shouting his rage. Somewhere in the middle of moving around, his wings launched, the lavender and black bands taking him into the air. He flew erratically near the branches of the sycamore. All the while his agonized voice raged.
Luken felt a breeze next to him, the first clue Endelle had mounted her wings as well. She could change their color whenever she liked, one more instance of her enormous power, and right now they were a deep red. She rose into the air and began to track beside Merl. At this distance, beneath Merl’s pained roars, Luken heard Endelle’s voice as she began talking him down.
Luken joined Jean-Pierre and the rest of the team as they moved to stand close to the redwood paneled walls, getting out of the way. No one said a word, but a terrible vibration of pain had filled the entire room.
Somewhere in midair, Merl finally drew in his wings and levitated close to Endelle. To everyone’s surprise, she surrounded the powerful warrior with her arms, supporting them both with the waft of her own wings. The man’s ensuing sobs tore Luken to shreds.
Luken turned to Jean-Pierre. “Got any beer in your fridge?”
“Oui, of course.”
Luken gestured for the team to file out. No one protested.
~
Rachel wasn’t as surprised as she might have been that Merl lost it. Through the vision Duncan had shared with her, she’d seen the warriors chained up, no doubt tortured as well. If the veiled woman was his sister and if his fellow warriors had been imprisoned despite his efforts to save them, it was no wonder he’d taken it hard.
Because of Rachel’s brother, Gideon, and his warrior-like qualities, she’d been around fighting men her entire life. She understood them, the camaraderie, the depth of devotion each had to the land they defended, the unspoken commitment to never leave a man behind, the love they held for each other.
Apparently, Merl had left seven of his brothers-in-arms behind as well as his sister. It was also clear Yolanthe had lied to Merl. She’d taken Merl’s team when she’d promised to leave them alone.
Her own throat tightened at the sight of Endelle holding Merl in her arms. Her massive scarlet wings wafted slowly, keeping her in place and away from the upper canopy branches. Rachel took Duncan’s hand in a tight grip.
; These men gave everything they had in service to others. They battled hard, trained their bodies mercilessly, and were prepared to lay down their lives. Merl had lived in the cold for five decades, not knowing the fate of either his sister or his brother-warriors.
His prior behavior became clear to her, why he’d acted as though he didn’t care about anything but his own pleasure and why he’d held back being part of Luken’s team. He’d been a man sustaining a façade to protect those he loved. He’d been nothing but warrior, after all.
Yet, seeing Merl so completely destroyed brought the war home to Rachel in a way it hadn’t during the past month of training. She’d made a transition, a big one, to Warrior of the Blood. She battled beside the men, making use of her shield ability, the occasional use of a wrecker shotgun, and her finesse with daggers.
But she’d forgotten the other side, the one of personal destruction.
Luken began waving them toward the door, no doubt intending to give Merl some space. She put her feet in motion, her hand still tucked within Duncan’s. She had no idea what he was thinking, but her own reaction had put her back in the past without warning.
There were many reasons she’d fought against joining up with the Ops Team. The main one had involved Grieg, her abusive husband, now deceased. Not that she was excusing Grieg’s behavior, but the warrior life took a toll on the men and women who served.
Did she really want that life for herself? She’d made a commitment to serve on the team because she knew this was where she belonged, at least for the present. She’d be offering her shielding protection to Duncan and the rest of the team repeatedly over the coming weeks, perhaps even months. And she’d be saving lives.
But how could this ever be a lifetime endeavor for her?
You okay? Duncan sent.
I don’t know.
Don’t do this, Rachel. Don’t pull away from me.
I’m not. At least she didn’t think she was.
You are. I can feel it in your silence.
The door to the sycamore room was now shut and the rest of the team had disappeared up the hall to the living room.
Duncan turned her toward him. “Talk to me.”
