Chapter 12

We got a veil tear alert, and as we were gearing up to leave for that one, a second alert came in. That one was for another veil tear on the other side of the city.

Luckily, we had enough people working today that two teams were able to go to that one instead of us splitting up from Ash’s group. Thank the goddess.

I knew Ash, Simon, Charlie, and the rest could easily handle a veil tear themselves, but I didn’t want to risk us being in separate places. Especially with how often the Red Cloth had been attacking lately. The overnight crew had to split up a couple of times over the past two weeks, which was incredibly dangerous. The TRD was really hurting for more agents, especially magi.

I couldn’t work days and nights, so there wasn’t anything I could do but keep hunting for the Red Cloth. If we stopped them, we wouldn’t need to double up like this.

My team continued on our way and met Simon’s team in the garage by our TRD trucks.

We got to the breach, and everything seemed pretty ordinary. As in, there was no sign of witches anywhere. I was grateful because it was safer for my pride mates. But of course I wished Anderson was here so I could get it over with and my magic would leave me alone. But… that wasn’t about to happen today.

So we went about our normal routine and caught the seven taragorians with shields, let our shifters take out the beasts one at a time, and were currently working on closing a very stubborn tear. As we sewed the ends together, I could feel a taragorian push its way through the tear. Dammit! It was going to come through.

”Let it through,” I yelled to Logan since he was the one helping me close the tear.

”Fuck,” he murmured as he released his weave to let the sucker pass.

Once it was out and under a shield that Wren produced, Lo and I went back to trying to sew the now-huge tear back up.

We were still working on the tear when Cosmo’s voice came on everyone’s HIDs saying, “A TRD operator patched me into another team’s line. I’m adding all magi into the call. Shifters, concentrate on your job. We’ll fill you in in a minute.”

I didn’t think in all my time working for the TRD that this had ever happened. What the hell was going on?

“Mayday, mayday!”a voice cracked into my HID, making my heart clench in my chest. “We’re under attack!”

An operator asked, “How many taragorians have breached the veil?”

“Not taragorians. Witches opened the veil and used taragorian blood. Please send backup. Three of my team are already down, and our co-team lost one.”

My blood ran cold, and I exchanged a look with Jude. We had to go and help them.

The operator said to Cos, “Please reroute to the address I’m sending you.”

“You want us to leave a veil tear open and unguarded?”

Fuck. I didn’t want to leave this area with a taragorian mess. If we left now, the tear would grow and grow, and who knew how many beasts would come through and terrorize the neighborhood.

And… no one wanted another New York City event on our hands. We couldn’t leave this place without closing the tear and taking out the taragorians. Otherwise, we risked a much bigger problem. A small street issue could become an entire city event very quickly.

We had to take care of this first.

But…. that didn’t mean we couldn’t hurry this along.

The operator and Cos argued, and I heard the operator call another team for backup or something. But I ignored them, concentrating on closing the tear as quickly as possible. I activated three sets of veil-closing runes, set them on top of the tear, and pushed with all of my might. Maybe if we closed the veil, we could kill the taragorians quickly and be on our way.

I felt another taragorian trying to come through, but Logan added his weaves in, and we were able to keep the beastie back. I was impressed with his skill. The tear closed quicker than usual with a loud pop, and I turned my attention to the shifters on the ground.

They’d already handled several taragorians, and my team and Ash’s were both in the process of bleeding one out each. Only one more remained after that.

I thought about offering to try anchoring my shield and leaving the last guy inside while we went off to help at the other location. But I couldn’t guarantee I’d be able to hold it that far away or for that long with so many distractions while I used a lot of other magic. Especially when witches were involved.

As much as I wanted to rush off, the smart thing to do was take out the last beastie before leaving.

Only a moment later, Ash’s team was surrounding it, and I watched as he released his shield so his shifters could attack.

It didn’t take long for them to kill the taragorian, and we didn’t even wait as long as we usually did to make sure it was dead. Even if it was faking, it had lost enough blood already that there was no way it could survive for long.

We all practically flew back to our trucks, and the door had barely shut when Cos took off with the siren going. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him drive the truck so fast, but I was grateful because I had a need to get there and help those poor people.

Unfortunately, we were on the other side of the city, and even though cars got out of the way, they slowed us down. It took way too long to get there. Way too freaking long.

When we arrived, there were four TRD trucks already parked outside of the thrift shop. Part of the building had been caved in, clearly from a veil tear going through it, although the tear was definitely closed now. At least that was one good sign, right?

There were three shifters and one mage hiding behind one of the TRD trucks, and all of them looked… bloody and half-dead. The mage had a shield around them.

We rushed over to check on them, and I was surprised to see Wren, Logan, and Haiden’s friends, Griffin and Reid, amongst the group. All three of my young pride mates ran over to the group, fussing over them, and when I made it to them, I was relieved to see that none of the injuries seemed life-threatening. The mage had a huge burn on her shoulder and would likely need to stay in the hospital, but she was stable, as were the three shifters. I was beyond relieved that the kids’ friends were relatively alright.

“What happened in there?” Cos asked them, and the mage dropped the shield to allow us to get closer.

All three shifters tilted their heads to the side, showing throat to the very powerful alpha questioning them. I didn’t usually notice his alpha power—I guess being around him all the time made me immune—so it always took me aback when shifters reacted this way to him. But at least that meant they’d listen to his authority in this situation.

The mage swallowed thickly—probably feeling his power, although not as fiercely as the shifters—and she said, “There were too many of them. They overtook us as soon as we went inside. Dean told me to retreat, and I… I listened. I should’ve stayed in there with them, but he said to save these three, to protect them, while I still could, and I… I…”

She let out a small hiccup-cry, but got herself back under control to continue. “I… there were so many screams. I wanted to go back in, but Dean made me promise to stay out here and protect what was left of our team. I…” She let out a shuddered breath. “We heard the witches retreat. I don’t think there’s any left in there. They… they… Oh, goddess, Dean was in there, and he hasn’t answered my calls.” She trailed off with a sob, and I stood there like an idiot, unsure of what to do or say.

Not to be a prickhole, but we didn’t have time for coddling. We needed to get in there and take out the witches, and hopefully save a few of our people along the way—even though there were no sounds coming from that building. Did that mean no one else was left… alive?

Luckily, that Griffin kid pulled the mage into his arms, hugging her, rubbing her back, and whispering reassurances to her.

Reid said in a shaky voice, “I don’t think anyone else… made it.”

My stomach dropped even though I’d already known because I couldn’t hear a single thing coming from the building. Not a single sound. There should be gunfire and magic exploding and people yelling and… and… shit.

Cos looked at me. “Ready to go inside?”

No.I gave him a nod.

Cos nodded back and said to our group, “Let’s clear this building. These four are stable, so Ono-Nais and Grays, let’s go.”

Everyone grouped together within a few seconds, and I pressed forward, shielding my team while Ash shielded his.

Jude said, “Simon, you guys want to go around the back? We’ll go in through the front.”

Even though both Cos and Harriet were with us, they were deferring to the team leaders for this, which was smart since we were all used to working together this way. Our two captains were basically just our backup.

“Sounds good,” Simon said before waving his team on and jogging away with Ash right beside him and Wren guarding the rear.

We approached the front doors—Jude and me in front, Logan in rearguard and everyone else between us—and listened, but I still couldn’t hear anything at all. Usually, my ears picked things up easily these days, so I glanced at Cos and whispered, “Do you hear anything?”

He shook his head, his brow furrowed. “No.”

Anxiety made my chest clench tightly. If he couldn’t hear anything, did that mean no one was… alive in there?

Simon’s voice came over our HIDs, and I could tell he was whispering. “We’re ready, but… I don’t hear anything. At all. This is a thrift shop, so I doubt they have soundproof walls.”

I winced, and Jude said, “We don’t hear anything, either. Could be a trap, so be careful. Let’s go inside. On my count. Ready?”

“Ready.”

“Three. Two. One. Go.”

Jude and I pushed our way through the front doors, and the metallic scent that hit my nose told me exactly what we were going to find inside.

Death.

So much death.

I held my breath and made my way inside, trying not to identify each and every person we walked past. We had to clear the building before we could check all of the… bodies.

We walked through the entire place, looking up and down every row, listening for movement, but we didn’t find a single person still alive. Simon’s team cleared the back of the shop. They didn’t find anyone still breathing, either.

Over my HID, Wren’s voice said, “Mads and Jude, I think you guys need to see something back here.” There was a tremor in their voice that I didn’t like at all.

My dyad and I exchanged a look before heading toward the back storage room, and I said, “We’re on our way.”

We passed Simon and Ash, both with grim faces, which could’ve been from the fact that so many of our colleagues were killed today, but I had a feeling that part of it was from whatever Wren wanted us to see.

My stomach somersaulted when Wren pointed at the far wall.

There were two magi posed beside each other, leaning together like they were sharing secrets, and holding hands.

They were very much not alive.

Oh goddess.

Above them, written in blood on the wall, were the words:

This should’ve been you and your dyad.

I closed my eyes. Fuck.

Anderson had been here, and we’d missed him.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

I stepped closer to the poor magi and bile threatened to come up. One of the magi didn’t have on a shirt and there were markings all over his skin. Someone had carved runes on the poor mage with a knife. There was blood dripping from the wounds, which likely meant the poor mage was alive when someone did that to him.

I glanced at the other mage and had to swallow thickly. He had blood all over his face from knife cuts, but his shirt had been sliced partially open to show his chest and stomach all sliced up badly enough I could see muscle, bone, and intestines.

And on his chest, right over his heart, was a carved letter A. A branding.

I had a matching one in the same spot. Anderson had given it to me when I was thirteen, and he’d held me down and made me?—

I shook my head to rid myself of that memory and focused on a different one. The same night he’d tried to brand me, I’d used a knife to scratch it out. Not exactly a good memory, but it was one where I’d fought back in a very small way.

My eyes refocused on the two magi before me, and I slapped my hand over my mouth and closed my eyes, trying to will myself not to puke at a crime scene. And not to cry.

Holy shit.

Holy. Shit.

Anderson had tortured these two poor souls because of me. He’d killed them because of me.

He was in Fairview City, tormenting all of its people… because of me.