Sodie hunches over a body. “He’s fine, Jessica. He’s just being dramatic.”
I peer down at Skunk, lying on the ground.
He scrunches up his face and shoots daggers at his brother. “You try getting shot in the chest and tell me you’re being dramatic.”
Sodie leans back as Skunk sits up.
I scan Jess’s body for injuries. Blood trails down her arm. I step forward, but she waves me away.
“I’m fine. A bullet just grazed my arm.” She tilts her head, and my brothers lift their heads in response. They’re listening to something, but I thought Jessica severed the group’s mind link. Or was it just mine?
Odyssey nudges my shoulder. “Not just yours. She’s checking in with your parents. They’re fine, but they want you to call them as soon as the four of you are able.” I nod.
Chris and Elias scan the area. Charlie and Ean must have left with the other guards. I look over everyone standing around to make sure everyone is okay. “Is everyone in our group accounted for?”
Sodie looks to Jessica. She hesitates. “Anders is missing.” She confirms what Odyssey said when we were back in the building.
My hands tighten around the gun still in my hand. I stare at Jessica. Anders is her real father. If something happens to him, and she learns the truth of her parentage, I can’t imagine what this will do her. Moving closer to her, I place my hand at her back. More tears spill down her cheeks.
“We’ll get him back, Jess. Shadow, too.”
Her chin drops. She worries the hem of her shirt with her fingertips.
Dropping to my knees, I wrap an arm around her and pull her close into me. “I promise you this isn’t over. We’ll get both of them back.” She doesn’t push me away or fight against my hold. She simply sobs in my arms.
Exhausted from the training and the unexpected attack, we all pull together to clean the mess left behind. The twins borrow the backhoe from the dairy to dig a grave for the fallen men. We carry severed body parts and broken bodies to their final resting place. We count thirty-two bodies in total.
Burying them alone makes me a little paranoid. I worry that someone can sneak into our territory and uncover the bodies, hurting my father’s reputation, even though we were the ones attacked.
As if reading my mind, Liam steps forward and uses his fire magic to incinerate the bodies. The other guards with fire magic jump in to assist him.
When the bodies turn to ashes, I pull the dirt back into the large pit and encourage the grass to grow back. The group falls silent while I use my magic. They continue to stand, gazing down at the ground. Twenty recruits are among them, along with my brothers and Jessica. Five guards are present from the previous graduating group, including me. Alongside us are two commanding officers, two Leads, and the first six members of our newly established special ops division. I don’t care if my Uncle Chris made up the division in a strategic plan to fish out some spies. I’m going to make it official.
I study the Knight twins as they watch Jessica from afar. Their own pain and worry are etched on their faces. Anders shouldn’t have been captured. I refuse to believe that a group of inexperienced guards could survive this whenhedidn’t.
Dropping my chin, I glance down at my clothing, stained red with blood, torn in places from fighting. We all could have diedtonight. But we didn’t because of him—one man who trained us to protect ourselves and each other. We took what we learned, banded together, and prepared for this fight.
My hands ball into fists at my sides, I refocus my attention on Jessica, who looks like she’s ready to collapse from exhaustion. I’m reminded of Jessica’s pleas to trade herself for Shadow, as well as Reggie’s explanation of how frantic Shadow was to protect her. That’s when it hits me.
Anders and Shadow weren’t captured because they were defeated. They sacrificed themselves to protect her.
Chapter 70
The White-Haired Man
SHADOW
Six Years Ago
Adoor slams shut, jolting me awake from a deep sleep. I blink several times for my vision to come into focus. I survey my surroundings. The building has open beams, from which hang chains and a large metal hook. The smell of blood, piss, and mildew infiltrates my nostrils.
Where the fuck am I? I roll, and a sharp pain flashes into my side. I grip my ribs. I’m shirtless, and my upper body is covered in bloodstained gauze. What happened to me?
A tall man with broad shoulders and dark brown hair barges into the room, like a bull ready to fight. My legs jerk when I try to stand from the mattress. Thinking better of it, I lie back down and resume my position. If I play possum, I can avoid him coming after me.
“You betrayed me!” he roars, grabbing a woman by the hair. I didn’t notice her standing by a small table. “You told me that only the girl wielded magic! You fucking liar!” Throwing her to the cement floor, he slams his fist in her face. He picks herup by her oddly bright smock and throws her across the room. Not giving her a chance to recover, he’s on her again, hitting her, pushing her, and kicking her in the abdomen and ribs. She crumples to the floor. With a handful of her hair, he heaves her into the small table. She never screams for him to stop.
“They all have magic, and they killed nearly all of my men!” he yells between panted breaths.“I was told that they found someone in the holding house. It better be my son.” He spits in her face and forces her to the ground.
