RAINA’S POV"You're the one who massacred forty of our warriors, carving letters on their torsos like a sick bastard,” I hissed, my tongue feeling heavy and bitter in my mouth.“Your compliment flatters me,” Turco touched his chest and gave me a brief, arrogant bow. “I pride myself on my work. Nothing better than seeing it in big, splashy headlines. Ba-ha-ha.” He finished with a big, hideous laugh, despite all three guns that were aimed at him.“Forty lives.” Venus’ eyes widened, her face draining all color.“Finally catching on, I see,” Turco muttered snarkily, a cruel smile stretching on his lips.“I should put a bullet in you right now. The only reason you’re still breathing is because of the cowards you hide behind.” Venus snapped, red with rage, and I felt her wolf scratching to get out. “I hope they haunt you, and if they don’t, I will.”“But I’m really a good guy,” Turco said flippantly, parading his rotten nature in saintly pretense. “I just do bad things when the money is rig
RAINA’S POV“One last time, “ I warned. My finger curled against the trigger shoe, twitching for the pull. “Hand over the stone.”“Ba-ha-ha.” Turco threw back his head with contemptuous laughter, shoulders bouncing in wicked mockery. “You see, the thing is, my employer is interested in this stone. I was actually on my way out, but then…” He snapped his left fingers. “...I forgot the missing component, and…” He opened his hands wide, grinning. “...here we are.”How could he remain so calm, knowing the number of Elites searching for him? Acting like he wasn’t in danger. Even though he sent the guys to the terrain while he lurked behind to get to me, the little diversion he had pulled wasn’t enough to keep Blayne away.Still, an awry sensation in my gut hinted there was a looming threat inching closer, making my hammering heart refuse to ease.“Who do you work for?” Venus probed, shifting her stance, the barrel of her gun trembling.“I don’t know.” Turco’s brows dropped, and he clucked h
RAINA’S POVIt’s game on. Both sides would be on edge, crouched in hiding spots, lying in wait to sneak up on their kills. Blayne might smoke them and us along with them since we didn’t have our gas masks.“Get your fight on, ladies,” Venus tried to pump us up, holding up her pistol high. “We’re getting out of this.”She’s right. We can’t go down.Tamping down the worry and fear that threatened to overpower me, I redirected my emotions into fierce determination to protect them. They’re my girls. I didn’t want them at risk.Raising my pistol, I nodded, “We’ve trained for this. We can handle this.”Moving along, we hit the end of a larger hallway and all hell broke loose. Enemy wolves leaped from all directions, fangs bared and ready to attack. We opened fire immediately.“Damn it. They’re flanking us!” Azara shouted, diving for cover behind a collapsed bench.Venus and I crawled behind a table. A canister skittered and clanked across the floor, landing a few feet away. It burst with a
RAINA’S POVThe evening sky burned orange over the wrecking town. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and fresh blood, as boots thundered and orders barked.“The operation is on,” I mumbled.Crack-crack-crack. Pistols echoed down the asphalt driveway that split the grassy yard. Rounds pierced their targets while stray shots shattered the glass windows of the tall, vacant buildings nearby, ripping into whatever else stood in the way.My heart hammered as we crouched behind a toppled bronze statue, scouting the massive Archive compound for a way through the spreading brawl.“I see Paris. I see France. I see Blayne’s underpants,” Azara joked, making my head shoot up to take a glimpse.I spotted Blayne across the yard by the front door. He had a wolf in each hand as he kicked a third away. My stomach clenched at the very man that I was avoiding.From beside us, Benji picked up his rifle from his chest. He leveled it in the Gamma’s direction. He aimed, shooting flawlessly and hit
RAINA’S POVRacks of weapons lined the walls of the prep room: swords, rifles, bows, and arrows to go. Warriors were lacing up boots, donning Kelvar vests over their tactical shirts, loading utility belts with ammo and grenades, among other things.With Jakub on my heels, I made my way through the rows of overcrowded wooden benches and open metal lockers, searching for Dad.I found Cleo, the Gamma twin’s Mom, in the surveillance room, perfectly clad in tactical gear, each strap and buckle in place. There were also five Elites watching the large monitors on the wall that tracked the operation outside. Her attention landed on me with a smirk.“Funny seeing you here.” Cleo cocked her head to the side and said teasingly, “I heard you were grounded.”“Are you going to give me crap about it?” I sassed, arching a brow.“So what’s this?” Cleo scoffed, eyeing both of us. “Mate rebellion? You plan to blow off some steam?”“I could be helpful,” I deadpanned. “Sign me up.”Cleo crossed her arms,
RAINA’S POVOuch! I woke up alone and groggy in the sunlit bedroom. I was lying on my back with the cover drawn up to my waist. I raised a heavy hand to my forehead. Pressure pumped steadily at the back of my eyes.My eyes hurt. So did my head.Great, another headache. I groaned as I got out of bed. I headed to the ensuite with a feeling of jet lag.Memories from yesterday filtered back. I was at Mom’s house. That’s why the bed felt different, and Valen’s scent was not here.On top of that, they drugged me. After I begged them not to, they did it anyway. I wasn’t that out of control. So it felt like a betrayal. It was hard to control the rising hurt and the sense of abandonment I felt.Still, I wasn't ready to face them yet, especially Valen, because he could have stopped them. So I took a long, cold shower instead.By the time I was done and slipped into a bathrobe, the clock read 02:19 p.m. I glanced around the room, and when I saw folded clothes on a chair, I sauntered over and pic