be eliminated?”
Dylan and Angel both nodded somberly. The three of us shared the unspoken knowledge that Dylan had been designed to be my mate, my perfect partner.
“Well, nothing should surprise me, at this point,” I said. “And yet I’m surprised.” Needing a minute, I stalked around the woods, trying to figure this out. Dylan was one of the Horsemen. Angel had arranged to have him pretend to kill the rest of the flock—convincingly, I might add. Now Dr. G-H had turned out not only to be alive, but to be the biggest honcho in all of honchodom.
I thought back to what Dr. Hans had said about Fang’s special DNA. How ambitious the doctor had been. How he had millions in grant money at his disposal.
Dr. Gunther-Hagen might have been a philanthropist, an environmentalist, and a brilliant scientist. But he was also a rich, manipulative extremist with a God complex—never a good combo.
I’d never liked him.
“He’s the force I’ve seen building for so long,” Angel said when I got back. “He is plague, and war, and famine, and death.”
“What you mean is, he’s a total asshat,” I said bluntly. “And we could’ve stopped him sooner.”
Then I got angry. Nail-spittingly angry. I was furious at everything Dr. G-H had done, and I wanted someone to pay. Right now.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said to Dylan. “This mass murderer was right in front of you, asking you to join his murder team and kill your friends, and instead of taking him out right then, you accepted the mission? And you just left him there?”
Dylan looked at me like I’d slapped him, and color rushed to his cheeks as if I really had.
“If I had killed the Remedy then, I would have been dead myself a second later. He has guards everywhere. But by pretending to follow his orders, I’ve been able to save the flock, gather information, and help Angel in her plan. Is that not good enough for you?”
“Why didn’t you come get me?” I pressed. “I could’ve helped you.”
“You were halfway around the world!”
“So was everyone else!” I yelled.
As Harry crouched on the other side of the fire, his head jerked back and forth between Dylan and me.
“I told you, the doctor was sending reinforcements, the other Horsemen!” Dylan threw up his hands in exasperation. “I had to get to everyone first and convince him you were all dead. Or you really would be!”
“But you—” I started again, but realized I was running out of objections.
It was possible Dylan had actually done a really good, selfless thing.
Maybe you should stop berating him, Angel’s voice said inside my head as she cocked an eyebrow. I glared at her, knowing she was right.
When I looked back at Dylan, into those aqua eyes that I’d missed so much, the fight drained right out of me.
“You did it all on your own?” I asked more calmly. “You risked your life to save the rest of the flock?”
“You guys are my family.” Dylan shrugged, humble as ever. “It’s what any of you would’ve done.”
My heart melted right then, and I nodded.
Yeah, it is. Time to eat crow. So to speak.
“C’mere, Boy Wonder.” I yanked Dylan toward me for the tightest hug, squeezing those pumped-up biceps until he understood how thankful I was—for what he’d done, and that he was still alive.
That he really was part of our family.
“So everyone’s safe, then?” I said, once the hugfest was over. “Where’s the flock? Are they close? I can’t wait to have us all back together again.”
Dylan winced and looked at Angel.
“What is it?” I asked.