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Finn’s surprise was obvious. “Lost people?”
Ellen’s hand tightened in Hollis’s fur. “You’ve all had loved ones killed?” Her voice shook. Cyrus did this.
“By them,” the woman whispered.
“He lied to you. As he lied to me. His best recruits were those who shared in his common enemy.” She spoke clearly, hoping they’d listen.
“Motherfucker,” Mal ground out. “That’s how he recruits? Blaming us for things he probably did?”
“It’s smart,” Finn agreed. “And, from the looks of it, effective.”
She regarded Cyrus’s remains. The bastard had left a legacy full of hate and deceit. Was there a way to convince the Others their Alpha was the enemy, or was the damage Cyrus had done irreversible?
“Can you prove he lied to us?” the man asked.
“I can try,” Finn said. “In the ten years since I was infected, I have only killed those that attacked me or my pack.”
Another ripple among the Others—she counted eleven. Eleven pairs of disbelieving eyes and barely repressed hostility. They might be confused ab
out Finn and his pack, but all of them had regarded her as the enemy.
Hollis’s wolf nudged her apart, wedging him between her and the Others. He saw it, too. She smiled at him.
“He said you’d say that. He said the witch would use magic on us to make us believe you.” The man’s voice grew thick and gruff, his shift barely restrained. “He said you’d lure us in and wipe us out.”
Hollis nudged Ellen toward the warehouse. Even after she’d shown him what she was capable of, he sought to protect her. And their child—her wolf was quick to remind her. That was why she let him shield her. He was no more comfortable with her fighting than she was when he did it.
“Why would he say anything different?” Finn asked. “He needed you to do his dirty work. Convincing you we’d done horrible things made it okay for you to do them to us.”
“You’re full of shit,” the man spit back, his skin going red.
This man was loyal to Cyrus, she saw it in his pale gaze. Any further conversation would only delay the inevitable. It would be a quick fight. Eleven Others versus their five—and Gentry and whatever canon he was holding.
“He was full of shit.” Mal pointed at Cyrus’s remains. “You want to die over some dead asshole’s lies, we can help you with that.”
Finn placed a hand on Mal’s arm, restraining him. “I’ll say it again. We’re not your enemies. We didn’t come here to fight, only to protect and defend out packmates. Pack is family. We protect one another. No matter what.”
There was a murmur among the group. “You’re outnumbered,” the man said, a slow smile creasing his face.
“Do we look worried?” Mal asked, bowing up.
“You should be,” the woman spoke, falling forward to shift.
The Others launched as one teaming mass of teeth and claws. But Finn and the pack were ready. They met, a teeming mass of growls, snapping teeth, and whimpers. Ellen dodged an Other, the sting of claws cutting through the flesh of her upper arm.
Hollis attacked, knocking her attacker to the ground and snapping his neck.
He growled at her, doing his best to herd her toward the lab while covering her. Running was against her nature. She gripped the hilts tightly. Promise or not, even her wolf knew it was foolish to remain unarmed. She picked up on movement from the corner of her eye. A gray wolf was on her, swiping her legs out from under her, and sending her sprawling on the concrete to whack her head—one blade sliding out of her reach.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A gunshot fired, giving Gentry the permission to unload his cannon on the Others.
Hollis forced his shift and looped Ellen’s arm around his neck, hurrying them across the parking lot. Breathing hurt like hell but he had to get them out of there. The Others had it out for Ellen. On top of the asshole he’d taken down, Mal and Finn had both jumped between her and a would-be attacker. With Gentry firing the M134 Minigun, laughing his ass off, and the efficiency with which the pack was taking down the Others, Hollis felt confident they could handle things without them.
“I’m fine,” Ellen snapped as he pulled her inside the warehouse.
He didn’t acknowledge her protest. An Other was tailing them and his wolf wanted to fight.
