“You’re stronger than I expected,” the leader observed, pulling his own weapon—not a knife this time but a gun.“Interesting.”
He fired.
Jasper moved quickly, diving behind the car as the bullet hit the pavement where he’d been standing.His heart was racing, and he was still angry, but he wasn’t stupid.Being a monster didn’t make him bulletproof.
“Stand down!”Martinez’s voice cut through the night as he and his team appeared.“Drop your weapons!”
The hunters hesitated.Their leader was still focused on Jasper, gun raised.“You think you’re the first Sanctuary kid we’ve dealt with?You’re not, and you won’t be the last.”He aimed at Jasper again.“Your parents died begging for mercy.Just like you’re going to—”
Suddenly, Archie was there, tackling the man.The gun fired, but the bullet went high and wide.They hit the ground hard, Archie’s fist hitting the man’s jaw until the man went limp.
The other hunters tried to run, but Kerry and Corey cut them off from one side while Braith blocked the other.Martinez’s team swarmed in, weapons drawn, and within seconds, all five rogue hunters were on the ground, either unconscious or being restrained.
It was over.
Jasper stayed crouched behind the car, breathing hard.His hands were shaking.He’d wanted to hurt these men, and he had.
He didn’t feel guilty about it.
“Jasper.”Archie appeared next to him.His knuckles were bloody.“Are you okay?”
“He said they killed my parents.”Jasper’s voice was rough.“They destroyed Sanctuary.They’ve been hunting survivors for twenty years.”
“I heard.”Archie pulled him into a hug.“But they’re not going to hurt anyone else.Martinez has them.They’re done.”
Jasper buried his face against Archie’s shoulder.“I could have killed them.I wanted to.”
“But you didn’t.”Archie pulled back, cupping Jasper’s face in his hands.“You did it.We got the right guys, and we’re going to find out what Johnson is up to.”
That was what Jasper had wanted.He hadn’t expected Sanctuary to be involved in this, but maybe he shouldn’t be surprised.He’d known something bad had happened there, and he’d somehow ended up with Leroy and had been raised a hunter.Of course the hunters had been involved.
And now, he had the opportunity to find out how and why.
* * * *
ARCHIE’S APARTMENThad never felt so crowded.Kerry and Corey had claimed the couch, Braith was pacing by the windows, Cullen sat cross-legged on the floor, and Jasper was pressed against Archie’s side in the armchair, still coming down from the adrenaline high.
Martinez had been thorough and efficient, and he’d seemed satisfied with how the operation had gone.The rogue hunters were in custody, and Martinez had personally assured Jasper that they weren’t getting released on some technicality.They had too much evidence.Jasper wasn’t sure that would hold against Johnson’s power, but it was a start.Martinez had texted earlier to tell Jasper that he’d already gotten enough answers out of them to find the kids they’d been looking for.The fights were over, at least for now.
And at nearly three in the morning, they were all too wired to sleep.
“I still can’t believe you threw that guy like that,” Braith said, shaking his head at Jasper.“I’ve seen a lot of monsters fight, but that was impressive.”
Jasper ducked his head, embarrassed.“I was angry.”
“You were controlled,” Archie corrected, running his fingers through Jasper’s hair.“You knew what you were doing.”
“Archie’s right,” Corey added.“We were watching the whole time.You were fierce, but you weren’t out of control.You stopped when they went down.You didn’t keep going.”
Jasper didn’t look convinced.He leaned further into Archie’s touch.He’d been quiet since they’d left the scene, probably processing everything that had happened.Archie couldn’t blame him after what they’d learned about what the hunters had done.
Kerry’s phone buzzed.She glanced at it, then sat up straight.“Holy shit.”
“What?”Archie asked.
“The news.”Kerry fumbled with the TV remote, flipping through channels until she found a local news station.“Someone leaked the story.It’s everywhere.”
The screen showed footage of Martinez’s team leading the five handcuffed hunters away, their faces clearly visible.
