It wasn't a bad family to be part of. That was for sure. Even if I was, as always, just on the outside looking in.
7
Jacob Compass
Humans were fucking idiots.
Nothing was changing my mind about this, and if anything, the president and his pretend "concern" for his brethren was only making it worse.
War was ugly, and it was heartbreaking, and it was often preventable. Not that supes were completely innocent—we craved and worshipped power too much, but we were trying to be better. Sometimes you got points for trying.
Humans could really use some points.
Justice continued to press her face to the window, lines of sorrow crossing her forehead and cheeks. It was a heart-wrenching sight, even once we moved past the desolate rubble of the outer areas. The city itself was mostly still intact, but it painted a bleak picture. People scurried about and I could feel the vibrations of fear in the air. This was not a place I’d want to live, and the fact that some humans were stuck here at the mercy of those in power stirred darker emotions inside.
I mourned for them.
As my anger and sorrow grew in equal parts, I felt my brothers hovering on the edge of our bond, offering their support. I'd sent them a text before we left, so they knew of this change in our situation, and they were equally as curious about what the president had planned. We all knew this was just a small part in the whole of his plan. At least after this little trip, it would be over. John Caine was done playing games.
That made two of us.
When we finally reached our destination, it was a large barricaded compound. The president was surrounded as soon as he stepped out of the car, and I wondered at all the new bodyguards. Almost none of his regulars were here; that crew must stay behind when he traveled overseas.
"This is one of my American safeholds," he said as we were led toward a bunker. "We have multiples of them. We do no international business on these grounds—American citizens only past this gate.”
Like he'd summoned the fucking attack with his arrogance, there was an explosion right where we'd been standing mere seconds before. The cars behind us were engulfed in a ball of fire, and as the heat and force of the blast slammed into us, I grabbed Justice, pulling her into my chest while throwing up a protective shield of air.
People were screaming; the president had already disappeared into the building. When the smoke and debris cleared, the acrid scent of charred metal remained.
“Jake,” Justice said, pushing against me.
I finally noticed how tightly I was holding her, and with reluctance let her go.
"You know I have the same powers as you, right?" she muttered, probably thinking I wouldn't hear her over the chaos of the human panic around us.
If my entire focus wasn’t on cataloging the threats and protecting my pack, I would have smiled. "Yeah, but you never use them instinctively. In all the time I've known you, you’ve only ever used your powers when you’re forced, startled, or overwhelmed. It’s reactive. You still think like a human, not a supernatural."
Her cheeks darkened as her eyes narrowed, and I wondered what the fuck I'd just said wrong.
"Let's deal with this situation before I rip your head off, okay?" she muttered, shaking her own head as she turned away. Pretty sure she added under her breath:doesn’t think of me as a freaking supernatural…and I was starting to see where I went wrong. Justice always felt like she was on the outside, never belonging anywhere, and I’d basically taken away her supernatural side in one thoughtless sentence.
Fuck’s sake. I always said the wrong thing around her.
Armed soldiers poured out of the bunker to the right of where we were standing, and I was thankful to focus on that. So many emerged that it was clear the president had more than just a glancing presence here in Damascus. Who was to say he even wanted this war to end? War was a profitable business after all.
Half the soldiers headed toward where the bomb had detonated, while the other half converged on the fence line, shouting orders and readying their weapons.
“We need to help!" Justice growled and then she was running out of the relative safety of the bunker doorway and into the open yard.
I was right there with her. If she needed backup, I’d be at her side.
Our women were warriors, but she was so new to this world. Protecting her was my priority. “Did you see where the missile came from?" she asked.
"No, but I should be able to hear if they’re preparing for another attack."
I stopped running and dropped to the ground, energy pouring out of me as I searched through the cracked and parched dirt to find the humans who'd almost blown us up.
"There’s a cluster just to the west of here," I said quickly. Justice nodded. "At least twenty of them, and they have another bomb."
