“I think Kyren has as much reason to want her dead as we do, though,” she moved her attention to Tate, “his wolf may be a problem.”
“He won’t be,” Kyren snapped, baring his fangs at her. “And I want to be the one to kill her.”
That caused a new eruption of arguments to start. Things were getting out of hand. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. What was Kyren saying? After we’d just… I thought we were good. Did he just want one more chance to make sure I was worth it and then realize I wasn’t?
Panic and anguished filled my chest, squishing all the air from my lungs until I could hardly focus on what was in front of me. I’d never been this overcome with emotion during a mission. Maybe they were right, maybe I should have stayed behind.
Now, not only had Iris betrayed me, but Kyren, too.
Would Tate be next? Would he take Kyren’s side?
Julian’s hand found mine, and he gave it a squeeze.
“Quiet down everyone,” Hamish called over the commotion. “There is plenty of the Durand girl to go around. I think we can be generous with the fact that… Kyren — is it? — brought her to us without us having to make a fuss.”
“You can’t be serious?” The werewolf gaped, his eyes narrowing Kyren. “This guy has tortured and killed our kind. What makes you think we can trust him?”
Kyren suddenly appeared before the wolf, his shadows wrapped around his throat, lifting him off the ground. “I don’t care if you trust me or not. If anyone is killing the Durand bitch, it’s me.”
Movement from the side caught my attention. Iris stood. Her hand lifted. I had a split second to see the gun in her hand and where she was pointing it.
Tate.
Why was she trying to kill Tate?
I didn’t give myself the chance to question it further, I threw myself forward to block the bullet but was yanked back at the last second, a blond-haired figure taking my place.
Bracing myself as I fell to the ground, everything moved in slow motion as I watched him, my friend, my comrade, my lover fall to the ground.
“Julian!”
Chapter twenty-six
Julian
Anunimaginablepainrippedthrough my chest. My eyes squinted shut against the glare of the lights above me, figures blurred, and I fought against my body’s desire to pass out.
Jack’s scream pierced through the fog of my own agony. Hands grabbed at me and pressed on my chest, making the pain all the more excruciating.
“Hold on, Julian, hold the fuck on.” There was a scuffle and then Jack’s voice rang out, like I’d never heard it before.
“No,” she commanded. “Don’t touch me.”
“What the fuck are you doing? Grab her.” Another voice growled, and there was a bit of back and forth.
Realizing Jack had used her powers on whoever had come for her, I chuckled. “Shouldn’t use them here.”
“Oh, shut up,” Jack cried out above me. “If I didn’t use them here, then where would I?”
In the background, the rebels were still arguing over who would grab Jack. Tate and Kyren were mysteriously quiet, as was the loudmouth werewolf who Kyren had by the throat before.
I blinked up at Jack to see her hands pressed to my chest. “Get out of here,” I croaked and then coughed, blood coming up with each breath.
“No, I can’t. I won’t.” Jack shook her head, then lifted it to look at someone. “Help him. This is your fault. It’s me you want, not him.”
“Yeah, what the fuck, Iris?” Tate’s voice finally joined the conversation.
There was a loud snarl and then arguing continued around me as if I wasn’t bleeding out on the floor.
