Kalen couldn’t pass the man by without saying something. “Soon, big guy. Right?”

“Yeah.” Without another word, Micah turned and shuffled off. He looked so alone, even though he was surrounded by friends.

Kalen understood exactly how he felt.

The flight from Wyoming to California was short but turbulent. Very fitting, when Kalen thought about it. By the time they landed the two Hueys a couple of miles from the suspected research facility, he was ready to toss his cookies. A military man he was not. If he could’ve magically transported the whole bunch of them, he would’ve.

They scrambled off the copters, and those that preferred to carry checked their weapons. Kalen much preferred to be his own weapon, thank you very much. He didn’t care for guns, though he’d use one if he had to.

As they followed Nick through the valley, Kalen tested his mental shield and found it still holding but weak. It seemed the more physical and emotional distance that came between him and Mac, the worse the influence from the Unseelie. Kalen’s dark side was slowly overtaking his light, as Sariel called it.

He had to hang on. Just a while longer.

Give it up, my boy. You are mine.

“No.” Kalen studied the backs of his teammates, but nobody seemed to have heard.

The lust for blood will rise within you, unstoppable. Give it full rein, feed it. And turn it against the Pack. Be my instrument of revenge.

Concentrating, he tried to shore up the crack in his shield. An almost impossible chore, considering the distractions all around him. He had to watch his Pack brothers, scan for possible traps, hidden enemies. There were sure to be many, if this was in fact the last stronghold for Malik’s research.

Did Malik know where they were headed? He couldn’t, otherwise the Sluagh guards would be on them already. No, the Unseelie was picking up on his emotions and trying to use them. He didn’t really know where Kalen was at the moment.

He’d do his best to keep it that way.

Spread out, they walked through the trees as silently as possible. Using every ounce of their animal stealth, they made their way closer to the building below them. When a grayish blur detached itself from the cover of the forest, it wasn’t unexpected, but it shocked the senses all the same.

From their right, a huge Sluagh slammed into Hammer, taking the big man to the ground. His shout was lost in the simultaneous roars from the beast and from the Pack. Rowan was closest, and immediately jumped onto the thing’s back, a big Glock in her hand. Without wasting a second, she pressed the muzzle to its temple and blew its brains out. The creature slumped to the side, leaving Hammer staring up at Rowan, wide-eyed.

“Shit! Thanks, Ro,” he breathed. “That’s one way to take them out.”

“And effective, too.” Crawling off the beast, she kicked it in disgust. Then she turned just in time to receive a possessive kiss from Aric.

Kalen wondered how the man handled bringing his mate into danger. He wasn’t sure he could do the same. Then again, Mac and Rowan were two completely different women. Ro was raised in east Los Angeles and had been an LAPD cop. She was earthy and tough. Kalen’s mate was a gentle doctor, and he couldn’t fathom her doing what Rowan had just done.

The scent of the creature’s blood hit Kalen hard, and the crack in his wall threatened to split at the seam again. Rancid as the odor was, it sparked a fire low in his belly. The need to kill. As he’d done with the avatar of Sariel.

Dammit! He couldn’t let the craving get the best of him.

They set off again, the tension high. The Sluagh had obviously been patrolling this section alone, but his brethren might notice his absence anytime. They had to move faster, and picked up the pace.

Once the building was in sight, Nick signaled them to halt and gestured them in close. “A.J., this looks like a good place for you to pick off anyone who gives us trouble.”

“I got your backs, boss.” The human wasn’t a fighter, but he had a high-powered rifle with a scope, and he was deadly accurate with it.

“The rest of us will split into two teams. Kalen, Ryon, Hammer, and Jax take the back. The rest of us will cover the front. Ryon, let us know when you enter the building.”

Ryon gave him a thumbs-up and took his group, making a wide circle to the back side of the facility. Kalen couldn’t get the stench of the Sluagh’s blood out of his head, the itch to shred something—anything—out of his system. The need crawled through him like a disease, insidious. Barely contained.

At the back of the building, they pressed up against the wall on either side of a door that looked to be a service entrance. The lack of guards was disturbing, to say the least. That feeling mounted as Jax picked the lock and they eased inside, still unchallenged.

We’re in, Ryon pushed into their minds. There’s a garage area back here, probably where they bring in the prisoners. Three vehicles, two of them vans with blacked-out windows. No guards. I don’t like this.

He paused, presumably getting an answer from Nick. Ryon, as the team’s Telepath, could push his thoughts into their heads, but no one could hear a direct mental reply except him. After a few moments, Ryon gestured his group forward, scanning carefully.

With an effort, Kalen kept his mind firmly focused on taking out the enemy when the time came—and only the enemy. These were his brothers. His future. Not Malik or his empty promises of acceptance.

He could resist the evil. He would.

Across the garage was a door that served as the entrance to the main building. They crept toward it, alert. Something, perhaps some small sound, made Ryon look up, into the beams over their heads.

And he shouted, “Get down!”

The garage erupted into high-pitched squeals as several Sluagh swooped down from the rafters at once. Kalen dropped into a crouch as the others hit the floor. Facing these numbers, he figured it was better to use his magic than call his panther.

Ryon and Jax shifted into their wolves and leaped, tearing into a couple of the creatures. Hammer traced, confusing the beasts near him. But there were too many, and they would quickly be overwhelmed in hand-to-hand combat.

Summoning his staff, Kalen stilled. Focused his magic on the attacking Sluagh. Then he called the element of water, coaxed it from their bodies. Disseminating it into the air. The creatures began to shrivel and scream. One particularly smart one seemed to realize Kalen was the cause of this development and charged him, closing the distance between them rapidly.

His heart pounded, but he didn’t move. The beast rushed toward him, roaring his rage, eyes small and red. And then he too shriveled, dropping right at Kalen’s feet like stone.

“Fuck.” Kalen’s knees shook at the close call. Uttering a phrase in Latin, he reduced the bodies to ash, and the particles floated away. His friends morphed back to human form and picked up their shredded clothes.

“That’s a damned nice trick you’ve got there,” Jax said, pulling on his pants.

“It’s saved our bacon more than once,” Ryon agreed. “Thanks.”

“Think anyone heard the commotion?” This from Hammer, who brushed himself off.

Jax smoothed down his goatee. “Only one way to find out.”

They gathered on either side of the door. Ryon turned the knob and gave it a small push. It swung inward, revealing a long corridor beyond, clean and sterile with white walls and tile. Faint wailing could be heard from a distant room, the soul inside completely without hope.

“Just a few more minutes,” Jax whispered. “Help is on the way.”

Here is where it can get tricky, Ryon projected as they entered. We’re in the back hallway. It’s long and narrow, a tight space for a fight. We’ll take it room by room, gather any survivors.