Tony’s eyes widened, but he quickly pulled himself together. “What do you need?”

  “We need to put this place on lockdown and get everyone to the most secure areas of the estate. Thomas is going to need help.”

  “I’m on it.” Tony brought Dex into a hug. “Be safe.” With that, he turned and headed inside without so much as glancing in Sparks’s direction.

  “Excuse me, I just need to…” She turned to run after Tony.

  Wolf turned his attention back to Dex. “I know this means little coming from me, Dexter, but if there is one person you can trust at TIN, it’s Sonya. Never forget that everyone answers to someone, and that includes Sonya Sparks. The path you have chosen is a minefield of secrets and uncertainties. You’ll need allies. Strong ones. We could all hope to be as strong as she is.”

  “The Chairman said if Sparks didn’t do what he asked, that history would repeat itself. What did he mean? Does it have to do with her daughter?”

  Something in Wolf’s eyes said it did, but before Dex could ask, Wolf shook his head. “It’s not my story to tell.”

  Hudson and Cael had gone back in to check on everyone. They’d split into two groups, one to guard the estate and everyone in it, and one to take down the Makhai army. Dex strapped himself into a tactical vest.

  “So you’re the only one who knows where her daughter is?”

  “Correct,” Wolf said.

  “Are you really looking after her or using her as collateral.”

  “I gave my word, Dexter.”

  “Right.”

  “You really are so wonderfully sweet and naïve.” Wolf crooked his finger. “Come here, darling. Allow me to give you another wedding gift.”

  Dex glanced over at Sloane, who looked uncertain. “What the hell.”

  When Dex walked over, Wolf wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in close to whisper in his ear, “Do you honestly believe that with all of TIN’s resources at her disposal, and years of knowing me, Sonya Sparks couldn’t catch me if she wanted to?”

  Dex’s eyes widened. They’d been right. Sparks had been keeping TIN away from Wolf. It was only when the shit started hitting the fan that she decided she needed to bring him in. This whole time, she’d been protecting him.

  Gunfire erupted, and everyone scrambled.

  “Take cover,” Sloane ordered, running over to Dex.

  “They’re coming in through the gardens,” Ash shouted from the doorway where he’d plastered himself.

  “Motherfuckers!” Dex released the safety on the MP5 submachine gun. “These assholes are not going to ruin our wedding, Sloane.”

  Sloane grabbed his shirt and hauled him close for a quick but passionate kiss that had Dex’s toes curling. “Be safe.”

  Dex nodded.

  “You boys are adorable,” Wolf said. “And such fun! I may have to visit with you more often.”

  “Please don’t,” Sloane said, making Wolf laugh.

  Their wedding was only a day away, and Dex was going to be at that altar with Sloane if it killed him.

  “Move in!” Sloane ran out first and Dex was right on his heels. Everyone else charged, making sure to take cover when the bullets started flying. These weren’t just brainless thugs; they were trained mercenaries. Even so, anyone who’d armed themselves was either a trained THIRDS Defense agent or a TIN operative. Dex was once again thankful for his new Therian DNA, making it possible for him to see into the darkness without needing special gear like his fellow Human friends, something that slick bastard Wolf had considered when he’d packed his wedding gift to Dex.

  As Dex and Sloane dove into the fray, their friends were right beside them, from Sparks, who’d once again joined them, to Dom and his fierce lion Therian brothers. Zach and his six huge-as-fuck bear Therian brothers were tearing the shit out of the Makhai. A booming sound shattered the night sky, and Dex glanced up at the balcony. Oh yeah. And their resident badass sniper was having fun with Dex’s rocket launcher.

  The Chairman made a huge mistake sending what was left of his army here, and it had nothing to do with the wedding. They’d chosen to attack Dex while his family and his friends’ families were under the same roof, and for that reason, not one of these hired killers was going to make it out of here alive. The Makhai started this war, and now Dex was going to finish it. Maybe not during this battle, but he wouldn’t rest until those bastards were where they belonged, either behind bars or dead. These weren’t innocent casualties. They were Therians who had accepted killing innocent civilians. It would be a cold day in hell before Dex let any of these assholes lay a hand on Danelle, Thomas, Julia, Darla, or anyone else in that house.

  Dex let out a fierce growl as he twisted out from under a mercenary’s grip. He brought his fist up with him, catching the bastard under the chin. The guy staggered back, and Dex fired before turning to shoot at any Makhai merc who crossed his path. He dodged one guy’s charge, turned, and kicked out, all his weight behind the move, shattering the guy’s kneecap. The man howled in pain and reached for the knife in his belt. Dex swiped it, spun, and plunged it into the side of the tiger Therian’s neck. He jerked it out, then straightened in time to see a lion Therian charging toward Sloane, who was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another jaguar Therian.

  Dex placed his thumb on the spine of the knife, squared his shoulders, brought his right leg back, raised the knife, and threw it. It plunged into the Therian’s thigh and brought him crashing down, distracting Sloane’s opponent just enough for Sloane to get the upper hand. He slammed the guy’s face into his uplifted knee, and the guy was out.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dex’s hearing picked up chatter, and when he turned, he found one mercenary talking to himself, or rather to whoever was on the other end of his earpiece. Someone was giving these guys orders, and Dex was willing to bet that someone was the Chairman. Dex took the opportunity to strike and slammed into the guy from behind. They both tumbled to the ground, and Dex fired before the guy could get off a shot. He stole the guy’s earpiece and listened in time to hear a man growl on the other end.

  “I want both of them alive. Kill everyone else and burn the place down. You know what to do.”

  Dex’s blood ran cold. It couldn’t be. He knew that voice. They’d spent hours talking, even laughing together. Sloane shouted from somewhere behind him.

  “Dex, look out!”

  All he had was seconds. He spun and shouted, “Wolf!”

  Wolf took off toward him, but Dex knew he’d never reach him in time. That wasn’t why Dex’s last words were to a man who’d tortured him. He wasn’t looking for Wolf to save him. He was looking for the killer in Wolf, the man once referred to as Reaper. The last thing Dex saw before his world went black was the promise of retribution in Wolf’s gaze after Dex unearthed the traitor among them. The Therian who’d pretended to be their friend, all the while stabbing them in the back and tearing TIN apart from the inside out. The man who was here on this very property to celebrate his and Sloane’s wedding.

  “It’s Winters!”

  THIRTEEN

  Fuck. My. Life.

  Pain flared through every inch of Dex’s body as he stirred into consciousness. His brain was foggy, his head was killing him, and his body was on fire. Especially his shoulders and arms. Like someone was trying to rip his arms out of their sockets. He pulled his arms on instinct, only to be met with resistance and the clinking of metal. What the hell? His eyes flew open, and he jerked his arms again. His wrists were bound by thick leather cuffs attached to a thick chain hung over a giant metal hook dangling from the ceiling. His feet didn’t touch the ground, and he was missing another shoe. Who the fuck kept taking his shoes? A groan met his ear, and his head shot back up. He stamped down the panic that threatened to rise inside of him.

  Just a few feet ahead and to the right, Sloane sat in a metal chair, thick leather straps across his chest and around his wrists and ankles. He was out of it, eyes closed and head hanging forward. Dex took in the area around them. It was long but narrow, shrouded in darkness, with a couple of utility lamps hanging from hooks on what appeared to be aluminum walls. The place was grimy, dirty, with questionable stains on the floor in several places. Several armored crates were stacked toward the far wall, and to the left of that, a steel table contained a laptop and several pieces of tech. A small silver-colored rolling cart was parked beside Sloane, another beside Dex.

  “Sloane,” Dex hissed quietly. “Sloane, wake up.”

  Sloane groaned, his head lolling to one side as he started to regain consciousness.

  “Come on, baby. Wake up for me.”

  Where the hell were they? How…? Everything came flooding back in a tsunami of pain and heartache. Oh God. This couldn’t be happening, and yet it all made sense. Everything finally fell into place. As if he’d had this huge jigsaw puzzle with all these pieces, but he couldn’t fit them together because there was one giant fucking asshole of a piece missing, and it had been under his nose the entire fucking time, right from the beginning, messing with them, waiting for the right moment to strike. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. All the fucking fucks!

  “Hello, Dexter.”

  Dex’s blood ran cold, and he swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. He grabbed hold of the chains attached to the cuffs around his wrists and pulled, bouncing and swinging. Nothing budged. “Fuck. Fuck.”

  “Such language.”

  Dex stopped struggling long enough to glare daggers at the man who’d shattered his reality. Really? Since when did swearing become more obscene than torture, murder, and betrayal?

  “I’m sorry, did I offend your oh-so-delicate sensibilities? Good. Fuck you, you fucking traitor! You underhanded, arrogant, sociopathic son of a bitch!” Dex was so livid he was practically vibrating with fury. For years they’d bared their souls to this man, willingly and naïvely turning over every little detail of their lives, their loved ones, sharing their deepest, darkest secrets. There was no one Dex knew whose life hadn’t been touched by this man. Cael’s, Sloane’s… Tony’s. “We trusted you. We all trusted you. How could you look us in the eye, after everything you’ve done? How could you look my father in the eye?” Then he remembered his last words before everything had gone dark. Suddenly he found himself grinning.

  Winters came to stand before him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his gray slacks as he tilted his face up to study Dex. “You seem to be rather pleased about something. Would you care to share?”

  “I’m pleased because whatever happens to me, your days are numbered.” Dex’s grin widened as he met Winters’s eyes. “He knows.”

  Realization dawned on Winters, the smugness falling from his face and making Dex laugh.

  “That’s right. He knows who you are and what you did. There’s nowhere for you to hide. He’s going to find you, and when he does, he’ll make sure you get what you deserve. That’s if I don’t get my hands on you first,” Dex hissed. He flinched as his claws pierced his skin. A swipe of his claws was all it would take, and Dex wouldn’t hesitate.

  Winters tsked. “My dear Dex. What kind of unsavory individuals have you been associating yourself with? Have you forgotten he tortured you? Tried to kill you?”

  “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten. Just like I won’t forget you’re the one who sent him after me. You paid him to torture me, to kill me. You’re the puppet master who’s been pulling everyone’s strings for decades. Shultzon, Moros, Wolf, Sparks… TIN. You’re so fucked, not even hell is going to want you.”

  Winters smiled, his eyes cold and empty, like the man’s soul. “Let’s see if we can knock that cockiness down a peg or two.”

  Good luck with that. Right now, his cockiness and anger were all Dex had. That, and the hatred he felt down to his core. Criminals he understood. Thugs like Hogan, Collins, and the Coalition he got. Hell, Dex even understood where a guy like Isaac Pearce was coming from. He might have been unhinged, but Dex could see how the guy had gotten to where he ended up, could pinpoint the exact moment the final thread of sanity snapped. Winters? The Chairman? This was why Dex had signed up for TIN, to stop monsters like him.

  Dex opened his mouth for another smartass remark when a huge Therian in a black tactical uniform appeared from somewhere behind Dex, walked past him, and wheeled over a strange-looking machine with dozens of thin long wires attached to small pads.

  “What are you doing?” Dex demanded, watching in horror as the guy moved the machine to Sloane. “Get the fuck away from him!”

  The lion Therian leaned over and tore Sloane’s dress shirt open, the buttons popping and pinging as they hit the floor and the aluminum walls. He tore at Sloane’s white undershirt and rolled up Sloane’s sleeves before he began taking the pads one by one, removing the backing, and sticking them all over Sloane, at his temples, his arms, and his chest. Dex fought fiercely against the chains holding him, screaming as the Therian flicked switches, then pressed a red button.

  Electricity crackled, and the lights flickered. A guttural cry shook Dex to his core just as a jolt of pain sparked through him. He gasped, his back arching and tears filling his eyes. No. Please God. No, no, no. Another jolt was accompanied by a scream that had Dex crying out. The lights flickered once again, and another surge of high voltage shocked his system. His body trembled involuntarily as Winters held up a hand.

  Sloane’s chest heaved with panting breaths, his eyes wide as he struggled to figure out what the hell was going on. He turned his head, the heartbreak on his face tearing at Dex’s insides. “Dex…”

  “You son of a bitch!” Angry tears welled in Dex’s eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to tear Winters apart. The man had listened to Dex pour his heart out. He’d given Dex advice on dealing with the heartache he’d faced over the years, and now he stood there as if none of it had happened? It had all been a lie. The sympathy, the gentleness, the kindness had all been bullshit. A façade to hide the disturbing truth.

  Sweat dripped down Sloane’s face, and Dex could tell his soon-to-be-husband—because screw these assholes, they were getting out of here and getting married—was trying hard to keep it together. The lion Therian reached for the red button again.

  “No! Back the fuck off!” Dex jerked at the chain to no avail. Sharp pain shot through his arms and wrists. “Don’t you fucking touch him!”

  The guy pressed the button, and Dex’s scream joined Sloane’s as the current surged through Sloane. Dex’s body convulsed, and Winters hovered near Dex.

  “Fascinating. Make a note that the hybrid feels his mate’s pain.”

  The hybrid.

  Another jolt, and Dex gritted his teeth against the nauseating agony. His insides felt like they were on fire, the smell of burning flesh stung his nostrils, and he almost gagged. He struggled to draw in air, his muscles straining as if being torn from his bones. Whatever suffering Dex was experiencing, it was far worse for Sloane, who was receiving the shocks directly. As bonded mates, they felt each other’s pain if it was significant enough, and holy fuck was this significant. Dex had never, ever felt anything like this. Not even when he’d been tortured by Wolf. He turned his head to look at Sloane, a lump forming in his throat at the tears that escaped Sloane’s beautiful amber eyes. His chest rose and fell in rapid pants, and his body shook so badly the chair rattled.

  “Baby,” Dex pleaded. “Stay with me.”

  Sloane nodded. “I… love… you.”

  “Disgusting,” Winters said with a sneer. “Do you know how painful it was to watch you two? Every time I thought one of you was going to do the right thing and walk away, you didn’t. Then I had to listen to you both babbling on about each other and your unholy affections.” Winters nodded at his companion. “Hit him again.”

  “No!” Dex jerked at his restraints over and over, putting all his strength into the movements, but nothing budged. “I’m going to tear you motherfuckers apart!”

  “You won’t.” Winters pointed up to the chain securing Dex to the ceiling. “No zip ties this time. You won’t be getting out of that.”

  “Why?”

  Winters put a hand up to pause the next shock, and Dex didn’t dare show his relief.

  “Why?” Winters leaned in, repulsion and hatred burning in his eyes. “Because you’re an abomination. It wasn’t enough to copulate with one of our kind, but to be marked, bonded, and then have the audacity to steal DNA from him? How dare you try to be like us.” He punched Dex in the gut, and Dex gasped. He coughed and wheezed as the breath left his lungs. His body swung, and Dex gritted his teeth against the jolt to his shoulders.

  Winters smoothed a hand over his hair, calm as can be. He nodded, and another bolt of lightning crackled through Dex’s body. He shut his eyes tight to Sloane’s scream, his heart beating in his ears. Sweat dripped down Dex’s face, blood trickled from his nose, and he shivered violently. The lights in the room flickered, or it could have been his vision. They had to find a way out of this. Sloane wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

  “We can’t allow Sloane to live and infect another Human. Once he’s dead and you’re left a bereaved, weak mess of a thing, we’re going to take you apart piece by piece. Then we’ll use what we’ve learned from your tainted carcass to destroy every other abomination out there.”

  Sparks had been right. There were more like him. The shock must have shown on his face because Winters laughed.

  “Did you think you were the only one of your kind? My, but we have quite the ego. There are more out there, hiding, foolishly believing we won’t find them. We found those that came before you. We’ll find the rest of the mistakes.”

  Mistakes.

  As if reading his thoughts, Winters shrugged. “That’s what you are. Nothing more than a mistake. A freak of nature.”

  “Kind of hypocritical, don’t you think? Calling me an abomination, a freak of nature, a mistake. Everything you’ve been called since the virus made you.”

  “Only the Pre-First Gens were made. The time will come for them to be exterminated as well, leaving only the pure to inherit the earth.” Winters strolled over to Sloane and petted his head. He let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a shame we have to destroy him. I always admired him. Never understood his attraction to Humans, but that could have easily been remedied. He’d have made a fine soldier. If it weren’t for the anomalies in his blood, we could have used him. We need strong Therian specimens like Sloane to help us create a better world, a world run by Therians. Those Humans who don’t fall in line will know what it’s like to live in zoos. To live in fear, hiding in crumbling hovels like Greenpoint, fighting for scraps of food like savage beasts.” Winters ran his finger absently over the classification tattoo on Sloane’s neck. “We’ll see how Humans like being branded.”