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"Me," Mira said, feeling like a pawn

"We had to act quickly," Kellan explained "I didn’t know Ack an escort detail frohly ninety-nine percent of the Order’s warriors being strictly night patrol - "

"Who gave you the intel?"

Kellan stared at her "We have our sources around the city"

"Rooster," she guessed, then barked out a hue," Kellan admitted, "but he serves his purpose"

"Did you knoas the reason I was assigned to escort duty with Ackue shake of her head "It was punish the little redheaded bastard down in the cage arena at La Notte I should’ve aimed for his heart"

Kellan arched a brow "You really hate him"

"I hate every rebel," she said sharply "I hate them for what they took from me"

Kellanstare When he finally spoke, his voice was sober, deep with regret but not apology "And now you count me in that number too"

"I never wanted us to be ene certain of it right now, and only you can change that fact"

She watched him, waited for him to tell her it was all a terrible mistake and he would fix it That he loved her, still, and soh this dark trap that was closing in on them with sharp, lethal teeth

But he didn’t say any of those things

"I’ll ask you to re to interfere with my operation I don’t want this to be any harder on you than it already is, Mira"

She steeled herself to the re she’d said had convinced hie his ht years ago

"Spare me your pity, Bow fro ue nod and left her alone in his room while he stepped out and su

It was after ht and no one had heard frolect to check in fronment, but when Nathan heard she was out of contact all day, he’d a cold suspicion that so Which hy he had asseht and headed to rural western Massachusetts, where Jeremy Ackmeyer lived

What they’d found at the reclusive scientist’s home was a whole lot of bad news and trouble

The es and shattered headlight glass Burned rubber had left the paved driveway streaked with black Half a dozen spent casings littered the ground frouess was Mira’s Order-issued 9-n of Jere’s tossed inside, but we do have signs of a struggle," Elijah drawled His face was grave in the darkness as he and Jax rounded the front of the house and approached Nathan near the open garage bay "Whoever they were, these guys knew exactly what they ca the hell out once they had it"

"And now they have Mira" Nathan’s voice betrayed none of the fury that seethed inside hi fallen into apparent enemy hands That it was Mira, a female as close to him as any family could be, made his blood run cold and quick in veins

"Hey, Captain," Rafe called to hirimly from across the side lahere the worst of the skirmish seemed to have taken place "You’d better have a look at this"

Nathan walked over, his nostrils filling with the chemical stench of leaked fuel and vehicle fluids Another scent drifted on the war, the lily-sweet perfurass and torn-up ground Nathan hunkered down on the fouled lawn, brushed his fingers over the drying splatters of the Breedmate warrior’s blood at his feet Mira had been injured, but he would bet all he was that she hadn’t gone doithout a fight

"Shea slender, hammered-metal object out to Nathan

He didn’t have to look to knohat it was

One of Mira’s treasured blades

Nathan took the hand-tooled dagger froertips He turned it over in his palraced each side of the intricately crafted weapon: Faith Courage

He knew Mira had no shortage of the latter As for the other, he was certainly no fair judge of that Nathan operated on logic and strength, skills he’dreared in a madic In his worldview, it sih his cool logic, he knew a colder fury He felt it build inside hier into his weapons belt

She would survive; he knew that She would fight the bastards who took her today - whoever they were, whatever their reasons - and her courage would keep her alive, long enough for the Order to reach her

And when they did, Nathan would see to it that whoever took her suffered

Before he made theht

KELLAN PACED THE MAIN CHAMBER OF THE REBEL BUNKER, feeling a twitch in his bones that told hi outside the thick concrete walls His crew dispersed hours ago, gone about their daily duties of replenishing the ca to weaponry and general rounds