I don’t pause. I don’t look back.
Tonight, I’m going to war for her. For my Queen.
I make my way to the other side of the perimeter, knowing Raphael is in full-blown hunting mode. Killing mode.
Smoke fills the air. Flames lick up the trunks of nearby trees from the landmines, casting a hellish glow through the forest. The smoke curls like serpents between the branches. I move with it, a shadow in the firelight.
As I approach, I shake my head with a laugh because Rory and Seth make a great pair. Rory wallops, the perfect diversion, drawing the attention of the invaders so Seth can swing his axe. They trade back and forth effortlessly like they’re synchronized.
Two figures emerge from the brush on my right flank. Guns raised. I fire off two rounds before they can so much as lift their guns.
I’m not the crack shot Jude is, but I’ve practiced enough.
But I don’t see the other coming until he’s nearly on top of me, pistol raised. I duck and swing my body around, landing a solid punch to his solar plexus. Bring him down, snap his neck.
An arrow sings past my cheek. I turn to see the man falling to his knees, the arrow buried in his skull.
“Vincent, with me,” Raphael says from somewhere ahead of me. Goddamn psycho. Can’t even see him. But I follow his footsteps.
“How many are there?” I whisper once I’m hunkered down next to him.
“Too many.”
Shit. Another landmine goes off. It buys us a little time to regroup with Seth and Rory. Not surprised blood covers Rory.
We move closer to the barn, keeping our voices down.
“Some were wearing fatigues,” Seth mentions.
“Whoever this is, he’s got military and police on his side,” I add.
“I know who it is.” Raphael brandishes a glare, one directed at me the most. “The Prophet is coming. He’s coming forher.”
God, I berate myself, blame myself.
“He must have tracked us somehow,” I refer to the doctor who was ogling Briella, who exposed her. Nathan Reddick.
“Yes, he did,” Raphael confirms.
“I checked everything.” The truck, the supplies, and even every goddamn branch for a possible GPS signal or phone.
“One place you did not.”
He’s darker than ever, like he’s absorbing the shadows.
“The cap, Vincent.”
Mother of God. I’m a fool. A goddamn fool. He ripped it from her head. He had it for a good few minutes. Plenty of time to plant a tracker. If it were small enough, she wouldn’t have even noticed when she put it back on.
This is my fault.
I’m the oldest. The goddamn oldest. The one time I needed to be the shield, the watcher aware of everything, I failed. And it could not be more damning.
“What’s next?” I ask, fearing the worst, tension invading every muscle.
Raphael centers his sharp gaze on each one of us. “I have the thumb drive now. We meet Jude and Briella in the mine. We take her. We retreat.”
My heart pitches in my chest. This is our home. The only home we’ve ever truly had. The home we brought our Queen to. The animals. It’s everything to us.
