This is fucking weird. Wait… Why are my words not leaving my mouth?

  The heavy piece of concrete hit the floor with a thunk as Dex got to his feet with ease. Turning, he faced Vaughan and hissed, his claws drawn. Vaughan gaped at him, his dark eyes filling with fear and his hand shaking as he raised the tranq gun.

  Move, Dex ordered, but his body didn’t listen. What are you doing? Move your ass!

  Dex’s head lowered, his sharp eyesight on Vaughan. He crouched down, one hand on his knee, the other on the floor, waiting.

  What the fuck are you doing?

  “Hunting.” The word left Dex’s mouth in a low feral growl. Oh God. The voice was Dex’s, but it wasn’t him. Was it? This was a mistake. A big mistake.

  Let me out, Dex demanded, trying to claw through the darkness, but no matter how hard he tried, nothing happened. I said let me out. You can’t ignore me, asshole! Because of course his inner felid—or whatever-the-fuck—was being a dickbag.

  “Relax,” Dex said. “I got this.”

  Vaughan fired, and Dex sprang into action, or at least a part of him did. Dex was so confused. All he could do was go along for the ride as he zipped from one place to another, using the shadows in the corridor to stalk Vaughan as the man tried to shoot him with tranqs, but Vaughan was too slow, the dart hitting where Dex had been.

  Knowing he was no match, Vaughan bolted, but Dex was too fast. He cut Vaughan off and with a roar, grabbed Vaughan by the neck, the claws of his right hand sinking into the man’s flesh as he lifted Vaughan off his feet. A horrible gurgling sound came from Vaughan as he desperately tried to free himself.

  Wait, Dex cried out.

  Dex lifted his left hand, claws drawn, his gaze on Vaughan’s.

  “You’re going to die now,” Dex said, his voice low and raspy.

  Would you listen!

  His claws swiped across Vaughan’s abdomen.

  Stop!

  Blood and organs spilled out from Vaughan as he coughed and sputtered, gasping his last breath. But the horror didn’t end there. Dex sank his left claws into the man’s torso, released his neck, then sank his right claws in and jerked his arms in opposite directions. Vaughan landed at Dex’s feet in two pieces.

  What did you do?

  “What you would have done.”

  No. Let me out! Right fucking now!

  Dex blinked, and he was himself again. Jesus Christ, what the…? He went to put his hands to his head and stilled. They were covered in blood. Fuck. He frantically wiped his hands on his shirt.

  “What did you do?” Dex whispered.

  You weren’t going to let him live either.

  “It wasn’t your fucking decision to make!”

  That’s right. It was yours.

  What the hell was that supposed to mean? The floor quaked beneath his feet, and he snapped his head up. On the other side of the door at the end of the corridor, a wave of fire blasted toward him. Perfect. Dex turned and ran, moving as fast as he could, an inferno on his heels. The world seemed to slow to a crawl as he tried to outrun the explosion that would level this place to the ground. What was left of Vaughan was incinerated, and if Dex didn’t move faster, nothing would be left of him either.

  We can do this.

  The stifling heat from the wall of fire filled the air around him as he took a sharp turn, skidding and hitting the wall before he took off again, the ceiling raining down in heavy pieces of concrete and rock, sparks from exploding wiring going off like fireworks. His heart jumped into his throat as the doors at the end slid open and Sloane appeared on the other side. Sloane shouted his name, but Dex barely heard it, too focused on making it to his husband.

  An array of thoughts sped through his head as he ran for his mate, the love of his life. What would Sloane think of what he was becoming? Dex was no longer the man he’d been when they fell in love. Would things change between them?

  As he focused on Sloane’s face, calm washed over Dex. His husband believed in him, loved him. No matter what, Sloane would be at his side. His husband would never abandon him.

  Dex reached Sloane, his hand going into Sloane’s as they continued to speed away from the mountainside, a thunderous blast filling the lit-up night. The sky seemed to be on fire as clouds of smoke, dust, and dirt burst through the trees. Somewhere ahead of them Ash shouted his location, and they ran toward him and jumped into the armored car.

  “Hit it,” Ash shouted to Seb, the truck jerking forward and taking off at full speed as they tried to outrun the minefield around them. The landscape detonated, their truck in a cloud of darkness as the exploding mountain threatened to come down on them. Debris hit the truck on all sides as Seb swerved and maneuvered around the war zone. When they’d put enough distance between them and the hell behind, Dex moved his gaze to Sloane.

  “Cory?”

  “Badly injured, but alive.”

  “And Kenley?”

  “His body’s on the plane, waiting for transport back to New York. His brother will be able to give him a proper burial.” Sloane wrapped Dex up in his arms, and Dex closed his eyes, allowing himself comfort.

  “Where’s Vaughan?” Ash asked.

  Dex pulled away from Sloane and met Ash’s gaze. “Which half of him?”

  “Jesus Christ. Sparks is going to lose her shit.”

  “Ask me if I care,” Dex growled. “Sitrep?”

  Ash ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. He let out a heavy sigh. “TIN has arrested all the Humans, and they’re currently en route to a lovely black site where they’ll be questioned, investigated, and put in prison for the rest of their lives. The young Therians are being escorted onto a private plane that’ll take them back to New York, where they’ll be looked after, then reunited with their families.”

  “What happened back there?” Sloane asked Dex.

  “He killed them to hurt me.”

  “What?”

  “Kenley wanted to trust me, but he’d been let down so many times before. He was scared. So he went to Vaughan, told him everything. Vaughan promised Kenley he’d get him away from Ramos if he killed Cory. Kenley didn’t want to do it, but…”

  “He was desperate,” Sloane replied quietly.

  “Yeah. Vaughan was going to kill them just so we couldn’t rescue them.” Dex gazed out the window at the destruction left behind. The landscape looked like it was on fire.

  They arrived at the private airfield not long after and hurried onto the military cargo plane waiting for them. Everyone strapped in as the cargo doors closed, the roar of the propellors drowning out everything else. A heartbeat later they were in the air, and it was as if they’d never been there. The government would sweep everything under the rug, as Vaughan no doubt had expected. After all, the bastard had years of experience at it. Hopefully, the intel Keane pulled from the facility’s computers would offer insight into any of Vaughan’s remaining operations.

  This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Dex darted his gaze to the hospital bed secured with ratchet tiedown cargo straps. Cory lay hooked up to an IV, machines monitoring his vitals. One of the medics had stopped the bleeding and patched him up as best they could until an awaiting surgeon could do the rest. His parents would be waiting for him when they landed. At least he was alive. Dex moved his gaze to the black casket at the back of the plane.

  Kenley should have been strapped into a seat next to them, not in that box. Sloane took hold of Dex’s hand and squeezed. Dex knew what his husband was thinking. That they’d done everything they could, that it wasn’t Dex’s fault. How could it not be? If he’d done more to convince Kenley, or said fuck it, and kept Kenley with them, the young man might still be alive. Dex closed his eyes and let his head hang. His thoughts went to Ramos, and he clenched his fists. Ramos going to prison wasn’t enough. Not after everything he’d done. Dex had been in law enforcement long enough to know how these things went. Ramos would look to make a deal, find a way to reduce his sentence or find cushier digs. Dex couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow that to happen.

  Once they were in the air and flying steady, he unstrapped himself and stood. He ignored everyone’s eyes on him as he stepped in front of the casket. He put his hand on the shiny black surface.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Closing his eyes, he let out a shaky breath.

  A hand landed on his lower back, and he opened his eyes. Sloane stood at his side, and across from him on the other side of the coffin stood Seb, Ash, Keane, and Rowan. A lump formed in Dex’s throat. He nodded and turned to Sloane, who handed him a change of clothes. Dex had completely forgotten he was still dressed in his bloodied clothes. Taking the black tactical pants and black henley from Sloane, Dex moved to one side and quickly undressed. He put on the clean clothes and pulled on the tactical boots, then resumed his seat next to Sloane on the bench.

  Sloane put his hand on Dex’s shoulder, his soft voice coming in through his headphone. “Kenley’s brother, Porter, is going to be there when we land to take him.”

  Dex nodded. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the bench rest. The flight back was a quiet one, with Seb and Ash murmuring to one another while Sloane offered Dex comfort.

  Several hours later, it was morning, and the plane was landing in a private airfield on Long Island.

  The cargo doors opened, and Dex stood, bracing himself for the sight of the Therian senator, his wife, and Kenley’s brother. They stood huddled together, Sparks standing in a black pantsuit with her signature three-inch heels. Austen stood to one side in a black suit, looking somber, a handful of stoic TIN operatives close by.

  Several TIN operatives hurried into the plane and removed the straps securing Cory’s hospital bed. They wheeled it toward the door, but Cory reached out and grabbed Dex’s arm. He gazed up at Dex, eyes glassy.

  “Thank you.”

  Dex patted his hand and smiled softly at him, but he didn’t respond. He watched as they wheeled Cory away. The senator’s wife ran to their son’s side, crying and loving on her boy. She touched his cheeks, ran her hand over his hair, seeming unable to believe he was there. The senator finally broke and joined his wife. Paramedics loaded Cory up in an ambulance, and the senator and his wife thanked Sparks and Austen before hurrying off.

  “Ready?” Sloane asked quietly.

  Dex nodded. He felt anything but ready. Regardless, he helped unhook the casket from the lines securing it to the cargo bay and together they all acted as pallbearers, carrying Kenley out of the plane and toward the waiting hearse. Gently they placed the casket in the car. Dex turned and approached Porter, who shared the same black hair and blue eyes as Kenley.

  “I’m so sorry,” Dex said.

  Porter pressed his lips together, seeming to compose himself before he spoke. He met Dex’s gaze. “Thank you for bringing him home.” He held out a hand to Dex, and Dex took it, not expecting Porter to pull him in close. “But that doesn’t change the fact that your agency failed,” he whispered. “My baby brother suffered for years at the hands of monsters. Ask yourself, how would you feel about an agency that failed someone you loved the way TIN failed Kenley?” He released Dex’s hand and stepped away, anger and pain reflected in his eyes.

  What could Dex say to that? Anything would sound like an excuse. Instead, he simply stood to one side and watched the hearse drive away, his heart heavy as he said farewell to the young Therian he couldn’t save. No matter what happened in his life, he’d never forget Kenley or the others whose futures had been stolen from them.

  A black SUV approached, stopping a few feet away. The backdoor opened, and a lump formed in Dex’s throat. Cael hopped out of the SUV and headed straight for Dex. He threw his arms around him, and Dex closed his eyes, returning his brother’s embrace.

  “I’m sorry,” Cael said, squeezing him.

  “How did you know?”

  “Ash called me.”

  Dex couldn’t help his smile. “Thank you.”

  With a nod, Cael pulled back, his big silver eyes filled with concern. “I know you won’t listen, but you did your best.”

  If he had, Kenley would still be alive, but he didn’t say that to his brother. He nodded, then motioned over to Ash, who stood waiting patiently. Knowing Dex wasn’t about to get into it right now, Cael patted Dex’s shoulder, then hurried off to greet his boyfriend.

  “He’s right, you know.”

  Dex turned to Sparks and frowned. She tipped her head, and he walked with her while the others talked quietly.

  “As far as the higher-ups are concerned, the mission was a success.”

  “Let me guess. Kenley’s death was unfortunate.”

  “They’re not too happy about Vaughan,” she replied, ignoring his statement because she knew he was right. TIN got what it wanted with the bonus of having a Therian senator in their debt.

  “Too fucking bad.” Dex didn’t join TIN to make the higher-ups happy. He didn’t even know who the fuck they were. He’d joined to make a difference, to help do some good in the world, and to protect those he cared about.

  Sparks knew him too well by now. The second they tried to make his job about politics or power, he was done, and Sloane went where Dex went. They all knew who had the upper hand, and it wasn’t a bunch of bureaucratic assholes sitting in cushy offices behind fancy desks. He turned to Sparks. “Cory is home and safe. They got Dr. Reuter, her research, the virus, and a possible breakthrough in PSTC. If they wanna bitch, they can do it somewhere else.”

  As he suspected, Sparks didn’t respond. What was she going to say? That he was wrong? She knew he wasn’t. He stopped and turned to face her.

  “Did TIN know? About Kenley and the other missing kids?”

  Sparks had the decency to look annoyed, which said something, considering her expression tended to be permanently fixed on unimpressed.

  “You know very well that missing Therians fall under THIRDS jurisdiction. Only if kidnapping is suspected does it become a TIN case. We were not aware that Kenley and the others had been kidnapped. However, with the intel you’ve gathered, we can begin investigating possible connections between Kenley and the others, and Therian children who are still missing. We already have several ops dealing with Therian trafficking. One of them might be connected to the young Therians you just rescued. We also have operatives trying to track down the young Therians Vaughan had at the retreat that were shipped out.”

  Dex nodded. “I want to be kept in the loop.” They had to find those kids. If it wasn’t too late already.

  Sparks let out a heavy sigh. “Fine.”

  It was against protocol for operatives to be informed of any op that wasn’t theirs, but Dex had leverage, and he wasn’t afraid to use it. He headed back to Sloane and the SUV waiting to take them back to HQ. Everyone loaded up and headed out. A metric ton of paperwork awaited them. Did James Bond ever have to file paperwork? Somehow, he doubted it.

  “Everything okay with Sparks?” Sloane asked quietly from the back seat next to him.

  “Yeah. They’re working on trying to locate the missing Therians from the retreat. She’s going to keep me in the loop.”

  “Good.” Sloane took hold of Dex’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll be home soon.”

  Home.

  What if it didn’t fill him with relief and the sense of peace it always did? The one thing he could always count on to center him, ground him, was home. As if sensing his thoughts, Sloane squeezed his hand again, reminding him that Sloane was his home. Dex closed his eyes and took comfort in Sloane. Everything else would fall into place. It had to.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  [Location: TIN Headquarters, Redacted, New York City]

  “What a fucking mess.”

  Understatement of the century.

  Austen studied the big-screen on his office wall and the satellite images showing what remained of Vaughan’s resort and underground facility. The place looked like a meteor had hit it—nothing but craters filled with dirt and debris. The government had quickly swept in to cover up the incident, declaring it a tragic accident courtesy of an underground gas explosion.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “Did you read our reports?” Sloane asked from his seat in front of Austen’s desk.

  When they’d returned, they hadn’t been given time to settle back in. Not when they had epic levels of debriefing to undergo. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to Vaughan and if his death could have been avoided. Sloane had been forced to step in several times because with each operative who asked, Dex got closer to losing his shit, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.

  As far as the higher-ups were concerned, they’d succeeded in their mission. As “unfortunate” as Kenley’s loss was, the main objective of their mission had been retrieving Cory, Dr. Reuter, her research, and the virus, which they’d done. They would have preferred Vaughan be brought in alive for interrogation, but could do nothing about it. Dex was vague on the details of Vaughan’s death, informing them he’d seen the fire incinerate the guy. No one needed to know Dex had somehow clawed the guy in two.

  “I read the official version. Now I want to hear your version. How did your cover get blown?”

  “That was my fault.” Sloane told Austen everything, from the kidnapped Therians to Kenley showing up at their room, desperate to get away from his abusers. “I’d hoped if Kenley knew who we were that he’d trust us to get him to safety, but he was so scared of going back and being left behind that he turned to Vaughan. That bastard used Kenley’s desperation to get him to kill Cory, but thankfully, Kenley’s heart hadn’t been in it. He hadn’t wanted to hurt Cory.”

  “So Kenley stabbed Cory.”

  “With the knife Dex had given Kenley to protect himself.”

  Austen cursed under his breath. “Great.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I see Dex decided to skip the in-person debriefing. I just love your husband’s blatant disregard for authority.” He frowned, then met Sloane’s gaze. “How is he?”