Roan

I follow Shadow through the pitch-black woods, the flash of light gray fur under his tail, my guide as I run. My wolf sees well at night, and I trust him to lead me to where I stashed Adelle. Breath tears through my lungs as I use a tiny penlight to navigate a log that Shadow easily leapt over. I hear the sounds of pursuit falling away behind me.

I take a moment to look back. Flashlights bob like fireflies in the darkness, far below the ridge that Shadow and I are climbing.

They will never track me without dogs, and I didn’t see any at the compound.

The insane adrenaline rush of my attack on the fortress begins to ebb out of my tissues, leaving me shaky and heartsick. Nausea engulfs me as I imagine what Kane will do to Lucy now. I bend to retch, supporting my body against a tree, but there’s nothing in my stomach.

I stand up eventually, wiping my foul-tasting mouth on the sleeve of a dead man’s shirt. Nothing to be done but put one foot in front of the other and march my shame and defeat back to the Haven.

I dread facing her brothers, especially JT.

Will our friendship survive this?

Adelle nickers happily at the sight of us. I mount up and Shadow heels to Adelle’s hindquarter as we navigate slowly through the dark forest.

The attack plays through my mind again and again.

The distraction, a grenade I took from the Haven’s supplies, worked to draw men out of the cave. Untrained soldiers opened the gate and ran out to investigate, just as I planned. I captured one of them, broke his neck and donned his clothing, including a billed hat to hide my face. I infiltrated the protected area beyond the berm before a fresh wave of men exiting the mine saw the paint on my face under the hat’s brim, a risk I had hoped the darkness would hide but wasn’t lucky enough to pull off.

Memories burst across my tired brain as if lit by flashbulbs: the men rushing me. I nailedone of them with a head shot, punched another, breaking the knee of a third with the tomahawk. Diving for the entrance, hoping to disappear into the depths, I was brought up short by a burst of gunfire and the hot-poker burn of a bullet.

I reach up to touch the gouge of the bullet’s track along my cheekbone. My hand comes away sticky with blood. Forgot all about that until now.

There are at least twenty, possibly as many as thirty, men in Kane’s operation. With the elements of stealth and surprise blown, there was no way for me to even reach the mine’s opening.

Lucy will suffer now.

Bile fills my mouth again. I spit into the dark and taste blood.

* * *

Dawn is approaching, a grey light filtering through the dark trees. JT and Luca, crisscrossed with ammo belts and heavily armed, lean against the back entrance of the Haven. I’m leading Adelle; the mare hangs her head with exhaustion and has come up lame after hitting her leg on something in the dark.

They must’ve seen me approaching on the surveillance cams.

Luca looms out of the dark, his light brown eyes hidden by the shelf of his brow. He’s vibrating with the urge to tear me apart, but holds back as JT pushes off from the steel door and approaches me.

“Where the hell did you go, Roan?” JT’s voice is sharp and cold.

“You know where I went.” I considered going to my cabin and putting this whole shit off until morning, but the brothers will be frantic for news of Lucy. It’s not right to hold back intel.

I failed.

Dwight Kane will take it out on her. The certainty of it chills me.

JT grabs my chin and twists my face into the light that comes through the partly open door, making me look into his blazing eyes. “Where is she? Where’s Lucy?”

I wrench my face out of his hand, and that starts the bullet track on my cheek bleeding again, stinging hot.

“They still have her.” My voice is sand in my throat, just a hoarse whisper. “There were too many of them.”

JT’s punch hits me in the mouth and rocks my head back. I stagger, dots of colored light spinning in my vision. Shadow steps up to JT, growling, and I keep my feet somehow, reaching down to grab his ruff. “No, boy.”

I deserve this, and more. I knew what I was doing, I knew I was taking a risk, and I did it anyway.

Luca steps up and takes a shot from the other direction, almost knocking me off my feet. “I’m going to kill you.” His voice is a low, dangerous thrum.

Shadow snarls, bristling, crowding in front of me as I try to stay upright, spinning from the stars unleashed by Luca’s blow. Peaches, Luca’s German shepherd, steps up to give Shadow attitude right back. Former friends, the dogs are ready to tear each other’s throats out in defense of us.

This is wrong.

I won’t let our dogs fight each other because of my stupidity. But temptation circles me like a buzzard; give up and drop to the ground, it whispers. Death will come for you.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter, through a mouthful of blood, holding Shadow back as the dogs gradually settle. “I screwed up.”

“You son of a bitch.” JT shakes out his hand, glaring. “I should have kept an eye on you, you sneaky bastard. What the hell were you thinking? What right do you have to go after her? We are her blood. We are her family. You’re just the asshole who broke her heart.”

The truth of JT’s words hurts more than the blows. I bend at the waist and spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground between my feet. Should I just admit I’m in love with Lucy? But I haven’t claimed her, haven’t declared myself to her. And I never will. “Do what you’ve got to do until you’re satisfied. Just tie Shadow up first.”

JT’s anger seems to dissipate at that, as if he expected something more from me, expected me to fight back, to defend what I did. Even Luca just glares at me, shaking his head, muttering and cussing.

I had no right to do what I did. I have no claim on Lucy. In fact, I rejected her when she could have been mine. That doesn’t change the fact that the loss of her is gutting me.

“You’re just damn lucky I didn’t let Cash and Dolf come out here too,” JT says. “Cash is talking about taking your skin off with a paring knife. Avital is in labor, and Dolf’s got his hands full right now—but he’s going to help Cash take your skin off later, for sure.”

“I can take his skin off, just fine,” Luca says, holding up his massive combat blade.

Avital is having the babies? They’ve known she was carrying twins for months now.

My head is still thumping from the brothers’ blows, but the thought of that sweet lady, with all she’s been through, having complications… “Is—Avital in trouble? With the twins?”

“You almost sound like you care, Roan.” JT narrows his eyes at me. “Nani’s with her, and Elizabeth. Dolf too, though I imagine he’s just got his head between his knees, breathing into a bag while Mama rubs his back.”

The idea of intense, competent Dolf so reduced almost makes me smile, but I can’t muster it.

Luca continues. “Nani and Elizabeth know how to help her. I read a book Nani gave me, but I don’t know how I’m going to get through it when she goes into labor. I’d rather run through a battlefield in Fallujah than watch her suffer.”

That reminds me of Lucy. Suffering. I bend over and retch, spitting up blood.

JT whacks me on the back, making Shadow growl again. “Get your shit together, Roan. We need to come up with a plan to get Lucy that will actually work.” He spits the words at me. “Come inside so you can give us everything you’ve been holding back.”