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I turned my head in time to see Mark burst into the garage.
Everything felt slow.
His muscles coiled before he jumped.
And then he began to turn.
The muscles and bones shifted underneath his skin. The thick hairs on his body receded. The paws outstretched in front of him spread and became fingers, the claws black and wicked sharp. As he became human, as his violet eyes flashed, the raven on his throat ruffled its feathered wings and—
Strong arms wrapped around me as a heavy human body collided into me. The breath was knocked from my chest as he curled himself around me, taking the brunt of the impact with the ground as we rolled. I ended up tucked into his side as the glass shattered.
And then silence.
I opened my eyes.
Mark was staring down at me.
His eyes were violet, but he was here. He was human.
I reached up and touched his face.
“Gordo,” he growled through a mouthful of fangs.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered. “How are you—”
“As romantic as this is,” Tanner said hoarsely, “and it’s really very sweet, I would like it if my arms weren’t chained to the fucking ceiling anymore.”
“Yeah,” Chris said, coughing wetly. “What he said.”
Mark snapped his head up, nostrils flaring.
I pushed myself up away from him, struggling to get to my feet, body aching. I looked up at the skylight, expecting to see Elijah staring down at us, gun pointed in our direction, but all I could see was the moon.
Elizabeth ran into the rear of the garage, shifting violently. Her eyes were blazing orange as she stood.
“Hi, Mrs. Bennett,” Tanner said.
“Nice to see you, Mrs. Bennett,” Chris said.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Mark standing next to me, his hand still on my arm. “How did you—” She shook her head, moving toward the others. “Elijah escaped. I saw her jumping from the roof, but she was gone before I could get back around. She left a scent trail.” She stood in front of Chris and Tanner, reaching out her hands to cup their faces. “I’m so happy to see you again. You are safe now. I promise you. I won’t let them touch you again.”
Chris sighed and leaned into her touch. “I’m okay,” he said, words lisped through swollen and split lips. “It looks worse than it is. Get Tanner down first. They broke his arm this morning, those assholes. I’m going to fucking kill—holy shit, Gordo, where the fuck is your hand?”
“Long story,” I muttered. “Later. We need to figure out what Elijah is going to do.” I looked up at Mark. He was watching me. His eyes were still violet, but he wasn’t struggling with his shift. “How are you doing this?”
It looked like it cost him greatly to speak. His words were rough. “You. You. It was you. Pack. Strong. Helped us. Gordo safe. Keep Gordo safe.”
“Yeah. Okay. Safe. We’re safe.”
Tanner cried out as Elizabeth broke the manacles around his wrists. She held him against her as he cradled his arm, her hand on the back of his head, fingers in his hair as he sobbed. “I’ve got you,” she whispered. “I’ve got you.”
“Gordo,” Chris said, “you gotta help them. She’s going to—” He grimaced, turning his head and spitting a thick wad of blood onto the ground. “Elijah. She’s not going to let anyone go. She knows. About the Lighthouse. We saw her. Packing it. Wearing it. Gordo, she’s got a bomb strapped to her chest. And it’s filled with silver. Ball bearings. It’s—”
After your pack is dead and the fire of God has cleansed this place from evil, I will return and wash them of their sins. It has been made abundantly clear that nothing in Green Creek must remain as it is. I don’t know how it was done, but Omegas have overrun this territory. It will need to be cleansed. The people here cannot be saved. I see that now. I will deal with them myself.
“Jessie,” I breathed. “Rico.”
Elizabeth moved in front of Chris. “I will stay with them. Gordo, you need to get to the Lighthouse before it’s too late.”
