Sienna and Jace led the charge. He hadn’t known what was going on at first, but he’d seen the light ripple out of Sienna and fall over the rest of their group. He’d been watching her carefully for signs of fatigue, but so far she was holding well. There was nothing—well, nothing that indicated she wasn’t managing. She stood tall, almost glowing.

What he did notice was the silent conversations that were passing between the girls. Micro expressions, coordinated movement without gestures. He glanced over at Lainey and Aaron, pacing slowly behind them. Yeah, he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Something had happened between them, and it was going to change everything. The determination on Sienna’s face was proof enough of that.

They were stepping along the dry river bed, using it to hide themselves as they traveled closer to the main base camp, but it was about to run out, forcing them back onto the road. “Come here,” Jace said. He turned to Sienna and swooped her into his arms. One hand anchored her head while his other arm pressed on her lower back, pulling her close. He kissed her, sweeping his tongue along her lower lip, almost groaning at the taste. She opened for him, letting him inside, twisting her tongue with his, almost teasing him. Jace responded by taking control, thrusting his tongue while shamelessly grinding his hips against her. If this was the last chance he had to feel her, then he was going to make it count.

Eventually he pulled away, making sure to keep a tiny pocket of her light inside him. He had no idea what was lying ahead, and if it worked for him half as well as it did for Cole and Payton, it would be worth any amount of pain he felt from Sienna to be able to watch over her.

They moved slowly, carefully, fanning out once they left the creek bed and placing a small distance between each group. Jace watched Sienna carefully for any sign of fatigue, but still there was none. If anything, she glowed a little brighter the closer they got. It was as if she were pulling something, gaining energy. Was that even possible? Sienna hadn’t seemed to notice. Everything about her powers had come so innately to her, as if she’d already somehow known, as if she had been born for it. When it came down to it, she was. The thought didn’t scare him anymore. Instead, it gave Jace his own energy, his own fuel to face whatever lay ahead. Sienna had found her place in the world. She was strong, powerful, and fucking gorgeous doing it. This was where she was meant to be, and where he was staying for as long as she’d have him.

There were no signs of guards or surveillance systems when they reached the front of the building. It stood, tall and gray, looming over them, and yet it seemed abandoned. Aaron and Reece stood on either side of the large main door, covering the field, while Keila and Lainey crept up to the gap between the wood and stone and peeked inside. Payton stood aside, her face still twisted as if in pain, but holding her own, Emily by her side. Sienna held her place in the middle, surrounding them all.

“There’s two men standing at an inner staircase,” Keila whispered.

“Can we reach them from here and take them out?” Reece asked.

Emily tugged at his arm. “No.”

He turned to her, kissing her swiftly. “It’s okay. I’ll be alright.” He grinned. “Besides, we can’t let you guys have all the fun.” He nodded at Aaron, and then gestured forward, stopping at the stairs with another hand gesture. He peeked through the same gap Keila had looked through, then held up two fingers, pointing to the left. Two tangos to the left. He made eye contact with Aaron and nodded, and then silently held up three fingers. Jace moved to cover those remaining outside, watching Jason move to the opposite side to do the same. Once they found Isobel, then it would be the girls’ turn, but they were damn well going to get them there in one piece.

Aaron and Reece moved in sync, fast and without warning. Reece grabbed a man, wrapping him in a choke hold, holding him still until the man fell limp. He dropped him to the floor in a heap and then turned to help Aaron, who was struggling with a tall blond man who was rolling to get free beneath him. The man threw a punch and Aaron twisted aside to dodge it, giving the man a chance to force himself upward. He pulled a gun and aimed it at Aaron’s head.

“No!” Lainey cried from the doorway. Jace tackled her down, but it was enough.

The man turned toward the doorway, a smile on his face. “You did come!” He said. “Mistress will be so pleased.”

He took a step toward her, the last step he’d ever take. Jace watched as Aaron looked straight at Lainey and grinned at her, allowing himself a quick second to make sure his girl was alright. Then he stepped forward and snatched the gun out of the man’s hand, kicking his feet from under him. In seconds, it was all over, the man unconscious at Aaron’s feet.

It took half a minute for them both to cable tie and gag the guards, dragging them out of immediate visible range, before they pushed the door open and motioned to the rest of them to enter. Emily flew into Reece’s arms, but Lainey slapped Aaron across his chest. “Don’t you ever let me catch you with a gun at your head again!”

Aaron looked at her with love in his eyes, but Jace could tell the man was trying not to laugh. Lainey might be small, but he’d hazard a guess she could be truly terrifying if she wanted to be. He looked around at their hasty reunion. He was pretty sure they all could.

They’d passed the first hurdle. How long did they have before Isobel knew they were there? He looked down the hall. Apart from the two giants lying at his feet, the place still seemed deserted. Jace knew better. They were hiding here. If Payton had read things right through Cole’s jumbled mind, then there were almost endless underground tunnels here, and Isobel could be hiding in any one of them. His gaze roamed every wall and crevice for some kind of entry point, but he found nothing.

“Are we moving again?” Keila asked.

“I think we have to,” Sienna said. “I’ve still got you inside the shield, but I don’t know if Isobel can see around it.”

“Alright,” Jace said. “Then we keep moving until we can’t.” He pulled Sienna close to him as the hall narrowed, keeping her behind him. She was protecting everyone, everything they needed to take the whole operation down. He was going to keep her out of the line of fire for as long as possible.

As they passed each door, someone would open it, check, and clear the room. He watched in fascination. Emily paused, closing her eyes, and then would move on without even opening the door. Payton, too. Reece, on the other hand, seemed to take great delight in kicking in any that were locked. After this was all over, Jace would take them all back to the ranch and let Reece loose on his gun range. The man looked like he needed to kick some major ass. Jace could understand. He’d met Sienna only a month ago, maybe two, and he was ready to take on the world for her. From what Keila had said in the beginning, Emily was the first. Only Keila had been in the game longer than Emily and Reece. He could understand the man’s need to cause a little bloodshed in return for what this operation had put Emily through.

The hall widened. Slowly at first, but then opening out into what seemed to be a large courtyard, an open space in the middle of the building. Light spilled onto the concrete walls, dotted specks that became circles, and then slabs, before the entire hall was bathed in light. The light made Jace jittery. It made it easier to clear the rooms as they passed through, but it also made them a hell of a lot easier to see. He turned to Payton. “Can you hear anything?”

“Pull it back, Sienna,” she said. “Let me scan the grounds.” Payton’s eyes closed, her eyes moving so quickly beneath the lids that Jace could see them roll back and forth beneath the thin layer of skin. She stayed that way for minutes, still and silent, before her eyes flew open and her breath sucked in, hard and fast. Sienna darted around him and Jace watched in amazement as light shot from her body and enveloped Payton. For every step they were taking into the twisted corridor, the stronger she got, until the light she’d spoken about in her mind was manifesting before his eyes.

“She’s coming,” Payton gasped. “She’s so close.”

He hustled forward with Reece, the group moving close behind, just a few steps forward until his feet moved from the concrete, hitting a dry, dusty dirt floor.

“Welcome home.”

A woman stood before them, standing at the top of a staircase built into the far side of the space. A smear of dirt tracked down the side of her face and she wore clothing similar to theirs. Utility, built for function. Sienna’s hand gripped on his bicep so hard he felt her nails digging into his skin, and more than one shout or gasp came from behind him as the others took in the scene before them. He didn’t care. Jace’s eyes didn’t move from the woman on the stairs.

She moved forward, her features becoming clearer with every step. Yes, she and his girl looked a little alike, but that was it. They couldn’t be more different. Her eyes were quick and sharp, her gaze aiming at Sienna, but there was no warmth there. Where Sienna practically glowed with her power, the woman who stood before him was cold, empty, and with death in her eyes.