“In America, those who uphold the law are considered good,” Alex argued. “Those who break the law are criminals and so are bad.”
“Let's not get into a philosophical debate,” I said wearily. “You acted as your conscious dictated, Alex. I don't hold it against you.”
“Thank you, Amara,” Alex said softly. “Because of recent events, Bishop's death can now be blamed on the Fury. That takes care of the incident.”
“Thatincident,” Malik growled. “But how are we supposed to trust you now?”
“Mal,” I chided.
“I could ask the same of you,” Alex shot back. “You may only be contracted officers, but you're contracted to obey commands and either way, the laws of the land still apply to you.”
“Not to me,” Malik argued. “I am not a citizen of your country, and nowhere in your contract does it say that I must follow your orders. It stated that I would help your government to the best of my abilities. Not obey. Believe me, I wouldn't have signed otherwise. A Bleiten prince obeys no one but his king.”
Braxis and Ranval both grunted in approval.
Alex looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
“Alex, what you need to understand is that you're dealing with some big egos here,” I said gently. “You can't use words like command and obey with them; it raises their hackles. As far as working together, we're on the same side and we have the same goals. But if you try to stand in my way when I kill Talonius Diocinne, I will knock you on your ass.”
Alex gaped at me. The room had gone silent, but not in shock. Every eye had locked on Alex as if daring him to protest.
Alex finally sighed and nodded. “I think I can overlook it this one time.”
“Wonderful,” I said brightly. “Now, we just need to find him.”
“He wants you, Shalani,” Everan said. “We won't have to find him, he'll come to us.”
“He's alone and on the run,” I argued. “It would be idiotic for him to come after me now.”
“We don't know what his resources are,” Cyprian pointed out. “One motivated man with the right tools can topple governments.”
“And that Fury is definitely motivated,” Rain muttered. “I told you not to trust that dick, Amara.”
Almost as if waiting for their cue, the glass doors leading to the backyard burst in, and a bunch of Furies in tactical gear stormed into the living room. Before anyone could react, they pelted us with paintballs. I gasped as one hit me in the chest, then looked up to see Talon smirking at me.
But he'd made one critical mistake—the paintballs were full of magic-suppressor instead of tranquilizer. Everyone, even Leo and Alex, jumped up and leapt at the invaders. Magic gave us additional power, but we weren't completely helpless without it.
“Tranq them, you idiots!” Talon shouted.
Malik simultaneously roared, “Get her out of here, Braxis!”
But Braxis already had me in his arms and was running for the hallway, probably taking me to the transporter. Except a group of Furies came down the hallway and forced him to veer toward the front door instead.
“No!” I shouted. “Braxis put me down!”
“They want you, Mara,” Braxis growled. “Believe me, I want to stay and fight too, but it's more important to get you to safety.”
I stared over Braxis's shoulder at the chaotic huddle of my friends and lovers as they fought some of the most dangerous supes in existence with only their brute strength. Fury shrieks resounded along with the sound of crashes and thuds. Before we'd made it to the front door, half of my people were down by either physical means or tranquilizers.
“I can run faster than you. Put me down!” I shouted.
“We make a smaller target this way.” Braxis kept running, taking me out of the house and toward the woods.
He couldn't shift, so flying was out. Unfortunately, it was still an option for our enemies. We were halfway to the trees when a group of Furies landed around us. Braxis came to a stop and set me down at last. He moved me behind him, one arm curled back around me protectively as he watched the Furies with cool calculation.
“You have a new defender, Amaranthine?” Talon asked snidely. “How do you inspire such devotion? Your body isn't that amazing. Don't get me wrong, it's delectable, and I intend on savoring it slowly, but it's hardly goddess material.”
“Touch her and die,” Braxis said simply.
