Devon reentered nude with a pile of clothes between his hands and anxiety pooling in his eyes. His bare chest rippled with muscle as he dropped the items into Charity’s duffel before zipping it up. He met Charity’s eyes. “Stay safe. I need you to take my change of clothes to the van. I don’t want to meet your people naked.”
She huffed out an unexpected laugh.
Devon looked around the room as the shifters peeled off their clothes. “Roger has help on the way. She’s nearly at the portal site now. We’ve had a stroke of luck with timing.”
“Or Vlad realized he was running out of time and had to engage quickly,” Cole replied.
“Or that.” Andy pulled off his shirt. “But seriously, can we have someone round up the clothes? Because Devon’s not the only one who’d rather not meet Charity’s people naked.”
“I’ve got it,” Yasmine said.
“I can help,” Rod replied. He glanced at Yasmine. “You’ll need someone to guard your six.”
She nodded, and Devon did the same. He stepped closer to Charity, who had her sword in her weaker left hand, the note in her right hand.
“I know the pull to see your mother again is strong,” he said softly. The lock clicked over. Barbara flicked it back. “And I want nothing more than to escort you to her. In fact, I promise to escort you to her…when you’re no longer in danger from your magic. But right now, we have to get you to the Flush. We have no choice in that. You have no choice in that. Can you accept that?”
“We’ve got demons,” Cole yelled from the window, his voice filling every inch of the room. He stripped off his sweats, and Charity got an eyeful. The man had size everywhere.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore her throbbing head. Her body still felt like it had been scraped hollow and filled with Silly Putty. Her heart still ached.
“If Vlad knows where she is today, he’ll know where she is a week from now,” Devon urged, his hands tightening on her upper arms. “I need you to get angry, Charity. I need you to want to fight. To ignore the pull of Vlad.”
Her head whipped up of its own accord and her eyes widened. It was like he had read her secrets, the feelings she was desperately trying to ignore. She tightened her hand around the note.
A tiny smile ghosted his lips. “You’ve never been able to hide things from me. Now is no different.” The smile disappeared. “We need you—I need you—to stay safe. To protect yourself. Will you do that?”
She searched for her inner fire, hoping it would incinerate her emotions. It didn’t. She nodded anyway. She desperately wanted to see her mom, but Devon was right. More, he and his pack were risking their lives for her. She couldn’t ask them for any more than what they were already giving.
This time, the nod came more easily. Determination hardened her resolve.
“Hopefully you won’t have to save my life, again,” he said, and grinned, the heaviness in his tone easing a little. He believed in her. Now it was time for her to believe in herself. To the room, he said, “Our goal is to get to the vans and then the portal. This will all come down to timing. We’re fighting and running on this one. Maim and move on, kill only if it’s convenient. Yasmine and Rod, you’re driving. Get the gear and get out. Shouldn’t be hard—it’s mostly all dumped in Dillon’s room.”
The lock clicked over again. Barbara was on it.
A fierce look crossed Devon’s face. “That’s the last time. Next time, we run out to meet them. Charity, are you set?”
She slid the note into her jeans pocket and sucked in a deep breath. She’d never tried to access her magic so soon after a power dump, and truth be told, she was more than a little afraid to do so. She had very few resources to stop her power from taking over. That was if it even came at all.
“I’ll do my best,” she said, pulling for rage to help get things moving. Hell, she’d settle for mild disappointment.
Devon squeezed her arms, and his eyes delved into hers for a beat. Warmth blossomed in her chest, deep and intense and heartfelt. He was saying I love you without the words.
She smiled and put a palm over his heart, knowing now wasn’t the time for soggy declarations and fervent PDA (not that it had stopped them before).
“Let’s roll. Change form.” Devon stepped back from Charity. “Barbara, wait for that lock to click over before—”
“I’ll do it,” Charity said, shifting her sword to her right hand and immediately feeling a small vibration in her grip. Like shaking hands with an old friend. Some of the fatigue cleared, sapped from her strung-out muscles, but she was still running on fumes.