Rhys scowls at the bird. “What the fuck?”
Ketchup chirps, flutters back over to us and lands on my shoulder, her talons digging into my skin as she pecks at my head. That pecking becomes more insistent when I don’t move.
What the hell has got into her?
That question is quickly answered when the door to the range flies open and Theo shoves his way into the room, closely followed by Alex. Harlow brings up the rear and beelines straight to me with a whimper.
“As cosy as this looks, we need to move,” Theo says, breathing hard. “Shit is hitting the fan.”
Rhys springs into action, carefully depositing me onto my feet before marching over to them, ignoring Ketchup’s indignant chirps from being jostled. I stumble slightly, my body not quite recovered from myexplosive orgasm, and grab onto the table. The magpie lands on the table beside me, still squawking.
“What’s going on?” Rhys demands as Alex hands him his rifle.
“Scourge members are standing on the other side of the wall and they’re demanding to see you,” Theo says, then grimaces. “There are rumours that they have explosives.”
My eyes widen and my stomach clenches with dread.
Rhys curses. “Just Scourge?”
“That we know of.”
“How many?” Rhys checks his rifle.
“At least a dozen, if not more.”
“Have the evac protocols been put in place, just in case?”
Alex shifts and winces. “Not that I’ve seen. The Council hasn’t said anything.”
“Motherfucki—” He breaks off with a growl. “Theo, find Anthony and have him enact the protocol. Alex and Ollie, you stay with me.”
Alex curses.
My eyebrows jump upward in surprise. “You want me with you?” I half-expected him to tell me to go with Theo to help with the evacuation, not stand next to him on the front line. Especially since we’re crossing the boundary from friends to lovers.
Rhys nods curtly. “Yes. Your aim with the bow is great, and we might need all the firepower we can get.”
Alex shoots him a glare. He’s still not happy with me being close to danger, but he doesn’t voice his displeasure. He just sighs in resignation. “We should hurry so we can get your bow and figure out what you want to do with Harlow.”
I nod and glance down at the dog in question. She’s pressed against my legs, her furry body shaking. “I’ll probably leave her at the cabin, just in case.” I don’t want her anywhere near this fight.
“Alright, let’s get moving,” Rhys orders before striding out of the room.
Theo comes up to me, grabs the back of my head and slams his lips against mine. The kiss is hot and passionate, but before I know it, he’s already pulling back. I blink up at him, dazed.
“Keep yourself safe,” he says, tapping my nose before letting me go. He strides out of the room, leaving me to stare after him.
Alex snorts and shakes his head. “Show off,” he mutters before turning to me. “Come on. The sooner we get your bow, the sooner we can get this shit over with.”
I give myself a mental shake and, with Ketchup now perched on my shoulder and Harlow at my side, follow him out. I don’t know what the Scourge have planned, but whatever it is can’t be good.
Harlow is less thanimpressed to be left behind, but I bribe her with some raw bones from a cow that was butchered yesterday. Ketchup, on the other hand, is all too happy to fly off into a nearby tree to observe the action as Alex and I reach the gate.
Rhys and a bunch of the security guys are already there, standing in the watchtowers with weapons drawn. There’s a tenseness to the atmosphere, one that’s only made worse by a mocking masculine voice that cuts through the silence from the other side of the gate.
“We’re just asking for a little compensation for all the damage you did to our camp, that’s all.”
Alex and I pause and share a wide-eyed look. What the hell is going on?
