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“He won’t stand there and let you shoot him,” Cassie said.
“We’ll take positions on the roofs. He won’t see us.”
“What about the Cana?” Cassie pushed off the counter. “He’ll be right in the line of fire.”
“Let me worry about Luca,” Isaiah said.
“If you try to take him, the Anubis will manifest, and it will kill you.” Tanner nodded in Harvey’s direction. “Harvey can go. Nash trusts him.”
“No. I should have done this in the beginning. It’s my responsibility. At least this way, Luca can’t blame any of you because I’m your Alpha and you obey me.”
Tanner’s expression crumpled, and Cassie wiped tears from her eyes.
Isaiah cleared his throat. “I’ll hit Nash with the syringe. It should be enough to slow him down.” He nodded at Tanner and Harvey. “When I have Luca clear, you two can use the tranq rifles to deliver as much as it takes to put him on the ground.” He tried to look at Tanner but couldn’t. “Just in case it’s not enough, I’ll need an ax. We’ll have to be quick.”
“You take care of Luca. I’ll get the ax,” Tanner said.
“I don’t want—”
“I’m your First. Protecting you is my duty. Taking Nash’s head will protect you and everyone else.”
Isaiah nodded.
“You’re going to need a reason to go out there.” Cassie was right.
Isaiah had to get close enough to Nash to inject him and get Luca out of the way when the Anubis manifested.
Once it realized Isaiah’s intentions, if it were lying in wait like Tanner said, then it would kill them.
“Luca wants to leave. I’ll take him some food and clothes and tell him he can take the hatchback. I’ll do it then.” He waved at them. “Now go. Get everything together. We don’t have a lot of light left, and we can’t afford to miss a single shot.”
* * *
Luca sat by the mattress where Nox lay.
The last icepack melted hours ago, so Luca had taken the washcloths, soaked them in water, and left them folded on the edge of the trailer. Now that the temperatures had dropped with the setting sun, the fresh ones he retrieved had gained a sheet of frost.
But no matter how cold the cloths were, they did nothing for the swelling around Nox’s eyes or his nose. Luca had been so used to the Anubis healing Nox, he’d taken for granted never having to watch a loved one suffer.
“You can quit staring at me. I’m not on my deathbed.” Nox cracked the eye that wasn’t swollen shut.
“I know that.”
“You sure?” Nox laughed a little.
“How can you find any of this funny?”
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you laughing?”
Nox pushed himself up on an elbow and immediately dropped back onto the pillow.
“Do you need more aspirin?” Luca picked up the first aid kit he’d confiscated and scooted closer. “There’s a whole bottle.”
“If I take any more, it will do more harm than good.”
Because he was a normal man. Or at least as much as a Mah could be. Which was normal enough to bleed, to bruise, to hurt.
