The back of Ash’s eyes stung. He remembered that smile, remembered when she’d squeeze him tight and kiss the top of his head. They’d bake together in the kitchen, and Arlo would end up eating most of the chocolate chips meant to go in the dough. His mom was as pretty now as she had been then. Her hair was silver, and her blue eyes didn’t sparkle the way he remembered, but she was still elegant and beautiful.

  Tears welled in her eyes, and Ash wanted to go to her, but she was already taking a step away from him.

  “And so handsome.” She composed herself and smiled again. “I caught you on the news a few months ago. You looked so dashing in your uniform.” Her gaze moved to Cael. “Is this your boyfriend?”

  Ash beamed proudly. “Yes. Mom, this is Cael Maddock. Cael, this is my mother, Vivian Keeler.”

  Cael gave her a nod. “Ma’am.”

  “You look so sweet together.” She took Cael’s hand in hers. “Look after him. He’s a good boy. He deserves to be happy.”

  “Mom…?”

  She stepped up to him and patted his arm, her hand lingering on his own gloved one before she pulled away. “I’m sorry. I have to go. It was wonderful to see you. Be safe.”

  She hurried off, and Ash stood watching her go until she’d disappeared beyond a group of trees. He didn’t know how long he’d been standing there, staring off into the distance.

  “Ash?”

  Ash’s vision blurred from the tears in his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he was too exhausted. After all this time… His knees felt shaky, and he had to sit down. He let himself drop to the grass in front of Arlo’s grave, leaned his elbows on his knees, and covered his face with his hands. Everything he’d been holding back over the whole of his life bubbled up and erupted like a geyser.

  A strangled cry tore through him, and he let the tears fall. He cried for the death of his brother, torn from his life too soon. He cried for his stolen and fucked-up childhood. For every godforsaken piece of shit that got away with hurting someone. For Cael and what he’d suffered at the hands of that asshole. For his mother living under his bastard father’s thumb. His mother… Had she wanted to see him before today? When had she stopped hating him? Did she still blame him? He had no idea how much he’d missed her until now.

  He felt a hand on his back gently rubbing circles, and Cael’s scent enveloped him like a warm blanket. Ash wrapped his arms around Cael, allowing himself to take comfort in the man he loved. Cael had stood up for him, fearlessly defended him. He pulled back and cupped Cael’s face.

  “Thank you for all that you are. For your gentleness, your fierceness, your smarts, your beauty, your charm, but mostly, thank you for trusting me with your heart.”

  “Did you mean what you said to your father?” Cael asked softly, removing a small packet of tissues from his coat pocket. He pulled one out and very tenderly wiped Ash’s face.

  “I meant every word.”

  Cael smiled and kissed his lips. “Good. I’ve always believed in you. I’m so happy that now you believe in yourself. You are a wonderful man, Ash. Never let anyone make you feel less than that.”

  Ash stood, bringing Cael along with him. He pulled him close and kissed him. How had he gotten so lucky? He couldn’t imagine his life without Cael. Without his sweet face and warm smile, his infectious laughter and charming quirks. Ash gave him a squeeze, his hand going to the back of Cael’s head, and he hugged him. It had taken him so long to see what was right in front of him. He had no intention of letting go.

  Shit! Austen tapped the security code into the panel on the small bulletproof case and opened it. Inside, snuggled securely in their padding, lay six large blue vials and, next to the vials, a Therian jet injector. This was it. Holy fuck, this was it.

  “You have to go! They’ll be here any minute.”

  Agent Boyle pulled a Glock from under his white lab coat, and Austen stared at him.

  “Are you insane? You can’t take on an army. Wait for the extraction team.”

  “There’s no time. Don’t worry about me. You have to get the package to Sparks.”

  “Goddamn it.” He knew this was going to happen. Regardless of his feelings on the matter, Boyle was right. Austen swiftly removed the small hooligan kit from his back, opened the hidden padded pocket beneath the det cord compartment, and stuck the case inside before zipping everything back up and returning it to his back. He clicked all the straps into place and removed his own gun from his thigh rig.

  “Boyle—”

  Shooting erupted down the hall, and a small explosion shook the walls. They’d gotten through the locked fire door.

  “Go!”

  Boyle opened the door and slipped out into a blaze of gunfire, the door locking behind him before Austen could utter another word. He heard Boyle scream, and it jolted Austen into action. He couldn’t let Boyle’s sacrifice be in vain. The package had to be delivered.

  Austen looked around the room. The vent was out of the question. He’d be a sitting duck. There was a window above the filing cabinet just about big enough for his slender frame to slip through. Time to get to work. He pulled on his tac gloves with knuckle reinforcement and smiled. Now came the fun part. Leaping onto the stationary chair by the desk, he used it as a springboard to hop onto the top of the cabinet. Shielding his face with one arm, he pulled back his right fist and punched through the window’s glass. The glass shattered, and he hurriedly punched at the larger shards left in the frame so he could get through without getting cut up. He popped his head out, hearing the sirens going off in the facility.

  Assessing the surrounding area, it was immediately clear the only way was up. The building’s smooth surface was clear of anything he could use to climb down, and even if there had been something, the wall surrounding the building was lined with barbed wire. The roof ledge was three floors up. Fun times. He pulled himself back inside, hearing the shouts outside the room getting closer. They were looking for him. Quickly, he unhooked his hooligan kit and removed the grappling gun with rappelling rope. He clicked, locked, and secured all the pieces before securing his kit back in place. Getting on his back, he pushed his upper body through the window, aimed, and fired. The hook whizzed through the air, soared over, and sank, latching on to the roof’s ledge.

  “That’s my girl.” Securing the rope around his gloved hands, he pushed himself through the window just as a loud thud resounded against the heavy door. They’d be breaching any moment. He swung out and came back against the building, his boots hitting the smooth brick. Not wasting a single moment, he climbed the side of the building, one hand after the other, one step at a time. The sound of gunfire echoed through the otherwise quiet evening air, but no one would be calling it in. Next to the research facility, there was nothing around but empty warehouses used for equally shady dealings. Which meant if he was caught, no one would hear him scream. That was the price he paid for doing the job he did. He gritted his teeth and moved as fast as he could without compromising his safety.

  “He’s heading for the roof!” someone yelled from the window below.

  A bullet hit the brick wall to Austen’s right, and he cursed under his breath. He breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, his breath visible in the cold night air. Upon reaching the top, he pulled himself over, gathered up his shit at breakneck speed, and shoved it through the side zip in his bag. He took a few seconds to assess the area around him. Several of the rooftops were connected. Thank you, New York City. Austen bolted for the end of the roof, hearing a door slam open somewhere behind him. Gunfire erupted, and Austen dove behind a cooling unit.

  “Come out with your hands up!”

  “Sure,” Austen yelled, snatching a flashbang from his pocket. He pulled the pin, rolled out, and chucked it at the group of armed men before making a break for it. The bang was accompanied by a flash of blinding light and plenty of cursing, shouting, and grunting. Austen’s boot hit the roof’s ledge, and he leapt across to the other building, hitting the floor in a roll and carrying on as if he’d never stopped. Two roofs ahead, he spotted an iron ladder hanging off the side. He sped onward, ignoring the shouts, threats, and gunfire behind him. Approaching the ladder, he jumped on the ledge, turned, and hurried down, the armed men fast on his heels. Reaching the end of the line, he hopped down and landed on the roof of a car parked between the buildings.

  “Stop!”

  Why did they always say that? Like Austen was going to decide You know what? I think I’ll do that. Bunch of idiots. Taking off at full speed, he knew there was no hope the Human guards would catch him. The Therian ones might catch up, but from the quick glance he’d managed, they were all large classifications. Austen grinned as he sped through a congested parking lot filled with truck trailers and shipment containers. Everything was packed together, allowing him plenty of darkness to play in. The Humans would never hear him or see him. It was the Therian gunmen he had to be careful of. Austen paused and sniffed the air. They were getting closer. Across the lot was a large wooded area. The trees were mostly dried up, but it was dense enough to provide cover, especially at this time of night.

  Listening for the sounds of approaching guards, Austen stealthily used the containers to conceal himself as he made his way closer to the exit. Someone quietly gave orders, but Austen heard them fine. They were spreading out. He pulled his black beanie from his pocket, secured it on his head, and readied himself. Here we go. He picked up a couple of rocks, edged toward the end of the container, and hurled them over the next container. The rocks hit, and orders were given. Austen made a break for the woods.

  “Over there!”

  By the time the order was given, Austen was running at his full cheetah Therian speed. Although he wasn’t as fast in his Human form, he was still damn fast, and thanks to his Therian vision, he maneuvered through the trees easily. Making it out onto the other side, he came across an underpass. He jumped the fence, crossed the underpass, and kept running. Using the darkness as cover, he slipped in and out between buildings, climbing fire escapes, crawling through windows, and using the New York City landscape as his personal playground. He stayed high, knowing those goons would stay low, trying to follow his scent through the streets and alleys.

  A block away, there was an old abandoned school. He tore at one of the boarded-up windows and climbed through. Heading upstairs past debris-filled classrooms, he picked the crumbling auditorium. If anyone tried to get the drop on him, it would give him several escape options. Jumping onto the stage, he tapped his earpiece. “I’m coming in with the package.”

  “Agent Payne, this is unacceptable!” Sparks stated angrily.

  “I’m being hunted down. Do you really think I give two shits if it’s acceptable to you?” He was getting real tired of being dicked around. “I’m coming in, so if you want your goddamn package, you better have someone there to receive it!”

  “It’s too soon.”

  “Too fucking bad! This shit just blew up in our faces. We need to make this disappear, and we need to do it now!” He wanted to offload this thing as quickly as possible.

  “Where’s Boyle?” she asked.

  “Boyle’s dead. Or captured. Who the fuck knows. Point is, he’s gone.”

  There was a long pause before she spoke again. “Get the package to the drop-off point. I’ll arrange a transport.”

  Austen froze. “The usual suspects?”

  “There’s no one I trust more to get the job done without question.”

  “Without question? All those guys do is ask fucking questions!” He paused. “If word gets out…” And there was no doubt in his mind it would. Destructive Delta would have a target painted on their backs.

  “They can handle it.”

  “Cut them a break, man. They’ve had buildings falling on them, been exploded, shot, kidnapped, beaten, and now you’re throwing them into a fucking volcano?” This was fucked-up.

  “Don’t worry about them. I’ll make sure they have backup.”

  Great. More marshmallows to roast. “I don’t like this.”

  “Perhaps I need to remind you who you work for.”

  Austen narrowed his eyes, his voice clipped. “How do you sleep at night?”

  “Extremely well.”

  “They’re your agents.” Austen paced. “At least bench Sloane. The guy’s only just recovered.”

  “Your concern is sweet but invalid. He’s their team leader. Besides, benching him would arouse suspicion.”

  “You—”

  “Get the package to the drop-off point. You have half an hour.”

  The line went dead, and Austen kicked the wall behind him. Motherfucking son of a bitch! He was so pissed off he wanted to punch something. Getting himself together, he did what he always did. His job. He couldn’t let emotions cloud his judgment. Right now the package was what mattered. He wished more than anything he could inform Sloane. His friend had left several messages for him, and there was only so long he could ignore Sloane, but the less he and the rest of the team knew, the better it was for everyone. Especially Dex. The guy was in possession of a terrible conscience. Austen headed for the streets. Whatever Sparks said, Austen knew this was bad. He hoped Destructive Delta would make it out of this.

  It was time to see what his students had learned.

  Ash had been training Dex and Cael every day for two weeks. He’d shown no mercy to either of them, no special treatment. They’d both bitched and moaned, but Ash didn’t care. He could hardly teach them in a few months what he’d learned over the course of twenty years, but he could prepare them. A good deal of experience would come while they were out in the field facing real-life situations. So far, he’d lost count of how many times he’d taken them down. They were getting up in what they believed were their weaknesses. Dex being Human, Cael being a small Felid. He needed them to see their so-called weaknesses were actually their strengths.

  “All right. We’re going to go with the assumption the threat you’re facing will be at least my height, size, weight, and strength. Despite being smaller, you can use a Therian’s size and strength against them. You’ll be lighter on your feet, faster, and more agile and flexible. Let’s say you’ve assessed the threat. You’re faced with Hogan.”

  Cael flinched, but Ash continued. Hogan was a sore point for the brothers, which was why he used him. They’d both come up against the tiger Therian, had both sustained injuries and felt true fear. Now they knew what they were facing.

  “I’m Hogan. I’m standing in front of you. I have every intention of killing you. You’re unarmed. How are you going to take me down before I snap your neck?”

  “Find a weapon?” Cael suggested.

  Ash shrugged. “Sure. In this kind of situation, anything and everything becomes a weapon. Except there’s nothing you can use.”

  “Well, then,” Dex said, hands planted on his hips, “I’m kind of fucked, aren’t I?”

  “That’s why you’re here. The answer is, you fight dirty. You use whatever means necessary to stay alive. You need to be able to perform under impaired visibility and extreme fatigue, both mentally and physically. When in our Therian forms, our Human sides may be neurologically present, but our feral instincts are at their most animalistic. We fight to survive. When in our Human forms, or for those who are Human, you rely on your training to do what needs to be done. Remember, go for vulnerable areas. Neck, liver, kidney, groin, eyes. Use your elbows. Go for the face.” He took a stance and motioned for them to advance. “All right. Come on.”

  “Which one?” Cael asked.

  “Both.”

  Dex arched an eyebrow at him. “My, my. Aren’t we full of ourselves.”

  Ash shrugged. “If I’m wrong, I’m the one who ends up bruised.” Which he wouldn’t. Now Dex on the other hand… Ash was looking forward to this. There was nothing that put a smile on his face like slamming Dexter Justice Daley into the mat. It was almost therapeutic.

  “I don’t know,” Dex teased. “Can your ego take it?”

  “Don’t worry about my ego,” Ash replied smugly. “Worry about your face when it hits the mat.”

  Dex flipped him the finger, and Ash chuckled. He held back a smile, watching the brothers murmur to each other. Finally. They were getting it. He tightened his fists and readied himself. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. Combined, the brothers only weighed fifty-five pounds more than he did. Ash could bench eight times that. If his lessons took, Dex and Cael would use his size against him.

  This just might hurt.

  The brothers bumped fists, and both took off at a run toward him. Ash readied himself, studying them both in an attempt to anticipate who would strike first and how. As expected, Dex moved in first, pulling back a fist as he neared. Ash went for a left hook, smiling when he realized he’d made his first mistake. Dex tended to go high, looking to land a punch to the face. This time he chose the unexpected route.

  Dex dropped to his knees—missing Ash’s fist—and used the momentum to slide on his knees. Not wasting his own momentum, Ash twisted his torso to catch Cael coming at him from his right. His little cheetah Therian showed no hesitation or mercy, using Ash’s bulky frame as leverage. He grabbed hold of Ash’s arm and used Ash’s bent knee as a springboard to jump and swing a leg around Ash’s neck. With a growl, Ash snatched a fistful of Cael’s uniform to throw him off when he felt the blow to the back of his leg.

  Ash came crashing down onto one knee and was propelled forward by Cael using all his weight to bring Ash down with the help of Dex, who punched the back of his other knee before slamming into him from behind.

  Fuck! Ash hit the floor hard, teeth gritted as Cael’s legs wrapped tightly around his neck, his hand grabbing a fistful of Ash’s hair. A zip tie tugged at his now bound wrists. Cael petted his hair and leaned in with a breathless whisper.

  “Tied up looks good on you, Keeler.”

  “Oh shit.” Ash laughed as he was released.

  He rolled onto his side and sat up, shaking his head at the whoops from their fellow agents who’d gathered around. Dex and Cael gave each other a high five before Dex crouched down beside him.