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“I don’t need him to protect me,” she argued, standing her ground.
“Soshi!” Bowen shouted the name, forcing me to look over and see what had alarmed him so. Not only had he realized that Soshi wasn’t hiding, as she should have been, but a soldier across the way stood there, his rifle trained on the young girl.
I didn’t even think about it—I didn’t have to. I threw myself in front of the girl, grabbing her and pulling her against my chest. My skin didn’t touch hers, which meant I didn’t steal her power, and the noise of the room meant I didn’t hear the shot before something stuck me in the back. It wasn’t the first time I’d had tranqs used on me, and I damn well recalled that sinking feeling as the drugs took effect. I collapsed to my knees, careful to fall to my side to ensure Soshi could escape my unconscious form and run.
Except, when she pulled back, she didn’t leave. Instead, her gaze held the same harshness I’d seen in Bowen. They really were the same, weren’t they?
She lifted her hands, and the air around us shimmered. Another tranq headed at us, but it struck the bubble she’d created and fell. She offered me a strained smile, as if to reassure me just before the world disappeared around me.
Hera
I wanted to rush to Wade’s side, but we hadn’t quite finished yet.
Not that we were far. Despite being outnumbered, the fight wasn’t all that dangerous. A tranq in Soshi could have been—she was little, and those dosages were made to take down enraged, adult shades—but Wade had taken the hit for her.
And in return, Soshi stood her ground and threw an impenetrable barrier up between them and the rest of the chaos.
Kit turned to face me, offering a quick nod. We needed to end this now. He called out, his voice taking on that other tone of his, the dark one, “Down!”
Each of the shades dropped to the ground, controlled by his voice alone, leaving only the humans upright.
I took the chance to clap once, then sent that power flying out toward the ones who remained upright. It slammed them against the walls and everything went silent afterward.
Kit, Deacon, Brax, Knox and Bowen rose slowly afterward, the dust heavy in the air from the fight.
Bowen glanced around, then rushed to the barrier that surrounded Soshi and Wade. “Drop it,” he ordered her.
Soshi blinked slowly, her uncertain gaze moving to Wade.
The action confused me, but Bowen raised his palm to me to let him handle it. “She’s a brownie. She’s driven to protect those she takes under her protection, which is him right now.” He spoke directly to the girl next. “Look at me, Soshi. That’s right. It’s me—you know I won’t hurt him. I need to check him, though. I’m a better healer than you still, aren’t I?”
She swallowed hard, then nodded. Her hands fell, which seemed to sap her remaining energy. She collapsed to her knees, and Bowen crouched beside her. His gaze was hard but careful, and despite not touching her, not checking her closely, I got the feeling he could tell if she was hurt or not. He nodded after a moment and turned his attention to Wade.
From that point on, we all moved. We had left no survivors, not after the violence that had happened. I ignored the way Kit destroyed all the evidence, turning the bodies to ash, and especially the way he seemed healthier each time.
I knew he consumed others, but I hadn’t considered what that really meant. It seemed he fed off them when he turned them to ash like that, when he decimated them. Somehow, killing something felt dark, but not nearly as dark as feasting off them. It felt like some strange form of twisted cannibalism.
Yet, I hardly had a reason to feel uncomfortable. Vampires fed from humans and so did Knox.
Still, I turned my gaze from Kit as I checked on the others. Brax chuffed and brushed his forehead to mine before heading outside, no doubt to calm and gain control over himself again. Deacon collected the weapons, but I saw no serious damage to him. Wade was asleep, but Bowen and Soshi watched over him. Knox sat across the large space, on a chair, leaning forward.
I went toward him, but he lifted his head and nailed me with a look I’d never seen on his face before. It made the one when he’d been starving appear downright friendly.
There was nothing of the man I loved there—I looked directly at his incubus, now.
He shook his head once, a harsh jerk that made me go still. Clearly approaching him right now was a bad idea, so I let him be. It was probably similar to Brax, where he had to take a moment to gather himself, and I owed him that much.
So, instead, I went to Bowen to check on Wade.
“Everyone is safe,” Bowen said, his voice low as he held his hand over Wade. “A few shades were hit with tranqs, but it could have been far worse. That not happening is thanks to you all.”
“They targeted you looking for us. I couldn’t just leave you to deal with it.”
“Others would have,” Bowen answered. “I might have even done it if I were in your position. We aren’t your family or your problem. If you’d taken that distraction, you could have snuck out and been a long way off before anyone could have caught you. Are you trying to tell me you weren’t tempted?”
I shook my head at the easy answer.“Not even a little.”
“Why not?” He turned to look at me, his gaze hard as if he couldn’t understand me.
