Garrett stood. “I’m with you to the north. Could use a good fight.”
Logan stood and reached for a gun. “Quade and I will take the east.” Before Mercy could stand, he shook his head. “You’re better logistically than the rest of us. I need you here with Haven and Karma in case we have to run fast. Keep an eye on the cameras.”
She rolled her eyes but claimed his seat, while Haven drew up the defense plan on the farthest screen. “Remember, there are live mines out there now.”
Benny allowed adrenaline to flood his system. Then he turned into the weapons room, secured an earbud, and ran up the back stairs while Quade and Logan went the other direction. He climbed easily and pushed open the rock portal to the forest with Garrett on his heels.
Smoke filled the air along with the crackle of fire. The makeshift lodge was toast. He moved through the trees silently, angling around the spot where the first ground force had been visible on the screen. Well, the second ground force. The first had been taken out in the river with the mines that had been activated the second he’d walked Karma by and admitted that it was a weak area. Yeah, he’d lied.
Sam dropped down from a hidden spot in the boughs of a fir tree, and Benny halted. “What did you see?”
“Full-out assault. We’re gonna have to take one of them prisoner and fast.” Sam gestured toward the most likely area to create their ambush. “If the copters stop blowing missiles and land to let the forces out, we have to retreat. There are too many of them.” Sam wore head-to-toe black and blended into the night perfectly. With his green eyes covered by night glasses, Benny wouldn’t know he was there if he hadn’t made it obvious.
A light shone down, and then figures rappelled out of two helicopters.
“Move,” Garrett muttered, ducking his head against the light. “They’ve hacked into our cameras and have eyes on us. Run.”
Benny turned and barreled through one of the many trails they’d set up around the compound, careful to zig and zag in the way they’d memorized. A soldier ran after him, and instantly a bomb went off. Heat flared against Benny’s back, and he circled a tree, coming back to the enemy. “Cut all cameras,” he ordered tersely.
“Affirmative. Cameras cut,” Mercy returned. “We’re taking more missiles on the mountain. If they continue the assault, we need to evacuate within five minutes. Avenues A and C are damaged, so I think B is our best shot. If they get to B, we’ll have to take D, and that’s the least secure.”
Benny growled and held his gun, waiting for sound. The lights from above swung around, and he ducked against a tree, out of sight.
“Clock is ticking,” Mercy said in his ear. “Return to base in five minutes whether or not the capture is successful.”
“It’ll be successful,” Benny growled, aware of Sam moving on his left and Garrett on his right. “I want a Cyst, not a Kurjan soldier. Period.” Their white hair would glow in the night. “Take off their hoods to double-check.”
“Affirmative,” Garrett said quietly.
They fanned out, and Benny caught sight of a three-soldier pack edging toward the mountain. He signaled and circled around to the rear, careful to stay out of the spotlights crisscrossing the forest.
A Cyst soldier leapt between two trees and took him down to the wet pine needles.
Chapter Seventeen
Karma held the rough bars and tried to peer down the hallway. She felt naked in the silky shorts and top. “Hello?” Had she heard footsteps? She chewed on her bottom lip. Maybe Benjamin hadn’t known about the device in her head. Perhaps he’d just blindfolded her because the underground headquarters were a secret. But then he’d put her in a cell.
Yes, he knew.
Footsteps came closer, and Haven stood on the other side of the bars. She pushed a cardigan and heavy socks with walruses decorating them through the bars. “It’s cold down here.”
“Thank you,” Karma said, instantly sliding her arms into the cardigan. It was longer than her shorts, and she buttoned it up, feeling almost better. The color was a pale yellow, and the material was heavy and warm. Then she ducked to pull on the socks, her heart warming along with her body. “I appreciate it.”
Haven leaned back against the opposite wall, watching her. The woman had pulled her sandy-blond hair up in a ponytail and wore dark jeans and a pretty green sweater that matched her left eye. Her other eye was a deep black. Fascinating. Did all Fae have dual-colored eyes? Haven and Mercy were the only ones Karma had ever seen, so the oddity might be limited to their family. “Do you need anything else?”
Karma slid her hands into the soft pockets and tried to meet the woman’s gaze. “Not unless you want to unlock the door.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Haven said, not moving. The woman had an alertness about her that was intriguing. Her face was angular and her nose pert. She was very pretty, even late at night without any makeup. “Benny shouldn’t be long, and I’m sure he’ll let you out.”
“What a liar.” A human male popped up next to Haven, his form wavering. His time to cross over was coming soon, whether he was ready or not. “She’s always been a liar, and she’s possessed by a demon.” His face was contorted and furious, and spittle flew from his too-thick lips. Was that a clergyman’s collar he wore? “Tell my daughter she’s going to hell.”
Karma watched him calmly. She’d learned a long time ago that the ghosts couldn’t hurt her or anybody else. Usually she’d ask if he wanted her to pass on a message, but he was obviously one of the bad ones, and whatever he had to say wasn’t necessary. Karma had no doubt Haven was not going to hell. So she concentrated on the female who had kindly brought her warm clothing. “What is happening?”
Haven studied the bars. “We’re under attack from the Kurjans and the Cysts. It was to be expected since we have you, but we really thought we had more time. Do you have any clue why they came at us so quickly?”
Karma shook her head. The plan was for her to gain as much intelligence from the Seven as she could, and she’d barely had any time. Did Terre know that she was having difficulty being a spy? Had he lost confidence?
Haven rubbed a slight bruise on her wrist. “Darn rock got me. Seriously, though. The Kurjans don’t know that you’ve taken the virus, so why would they need you back so badly? As far as they know, you can’t be mated again, and you haven’t had time to gather intel, so why the rushed timeline? I don’t get it.”
Out of all the people who might question her, Karma had not expected Haven. “I really don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m useless to them if I can’t be mated again.” Of course, the Kurjans knew she could be, and for some reason Terre really wanted her. But she couldn’t tell Haven that—just in case Haven didn’t know about the tracker. The woman was excellent at bluffing if she’d figured it out.