“Summary. Right. All told, if we can get around the magical guns, even with two-or three-to-one odds, we’ll be able to handle their mercenaries and ground troops. Our problem is the need to do it quickly, because the mages will be firing spells at us the whole time. And if they get close enough, they’ll also fire spells at your loved ones. Broken Sue has real-world experience with just such a situation.”
“Brochan has dealt with a mage attack where innocents were involved,” Austin told Kingsley.
“Correct,” Brochan said, his raspy, haunted voice carrying through the room.
He went into some detail, explaining how they attacked at first light, a wall of mercenaries rushing their borders and into their town. The pack had had no warning, but they’d mobilized quickly, their sentries incredibly effective and their defenses well trained and organized.
His voice faltered when he recounted the enemy kicking in doors and shooting in houses, aiming for innocents.
“We were badly outnumbered,” he said, “but we could’ve handled the mercenaries. Not the mages, though. We were defenseless against their magic. They used the mercenaries to keep our fighters occupied, and then they desecrated our town. They did not even spare the little ones. They spared no one.”
The painful memory was a warning for Kingsley, I knew. This wasn’t an enemy with a conscience, and certainly not an enemy who fought fair. Broken Sue was rehashing his past so that Kingsley knew exactly the sort of demon he was up against.
The room was quiet for a moment when he finished, until that asshole Bruce muttered, “Well…not all of you, it seems, right?” His eyes just barely squinted, hinting at a sneer. “No one was spared…but the alpha. I guess you don’t hold with the saying that the captain goes down with the ship. In this case, I guess the captain uses the only lifeboat—”
Broken Sue launched forward, power exploding from him as he barreled through the room.
Aiming for Bruce. Intending to kill.
NINETEEN
Jessie
“HOLY—” I put out my hands, but my mind had gone blank of all non-harmful spells.
Bodies flew to the sides, knocked down by Broken Sue’s muscular girth. He flung James and some other guy like they were paper sacks stuffed with feathers before grabbing Bruce and landing a solid punch. Amid shouts and movement, Bruce went limp immediately, not conscious for long enough to even fight back.
Austin dove at Broken Sue, arms wide, tackling him to the ground. The two men fell onto some of Kingsley’s people, all of them scrambling now, some to get away, Broken Sue to get back at Bruce, and Austin trying to keep the incensed, raging man down.
Tristan raced into the fray, not gentle in how he threw Kingsley’s people away to make room. One woman sailed toward the wall, hitting it with a loud thud. Another crashed against the podium holding the projector, knocking everything down.
Austin continued to wrestle with Broken Sue, dodging punches, throwing none of his own. Tristan bent to help immediately, and the two men hoisted a still-fighting Broken Sue up and then manhandled him to the door and out.
I pointed at a still-limp Bruce and rounded on Kingsley. “Get that bastard out of here,” I yelled in a magically enhanced voice. “Get that guy out of here and do not bring him into our collective presence again—do I make myself clear, Kingsley Barazza?”
Kingsley’s shoulders bunched. “You forget yourself, Jacinta. I am not Austin. You’re exhibiting challenging behavior right now. I’ll give you a moment—”
“I know exactly what sort of behavior I’m exhibiting,” I said, stepping toward him. “And I damn well know you’re not Austin. Neither Austin—nor I—would ever allow that sort of egregious behavior in our presence. You spoke to me about my loose team? At least my team has integrity and our unit has heart. When they take matters into their own hands, they help. They get things done. Your enforcers just seem to threaten and wave their dicks around, even when they haven’t got ’em. You better clean up your people, Kingsley, or I will do it for you.”
I felt Austin coming toward the room, and I slammed the door. If Kingsley and I were going to rumble—and I would absolutely do it to prove a point about how they’d just treated Broken Sue, especially since that jackass Bruce was still in the room—I didn’t want Austin to feel like he had to defend me, or his brother.
Then I shoved everyone away with my magic, creating a bubble that Kingsley and I could work in.
“Is this what you really want to be doing, Jessie?” he asked, moving around the table, prowling toward me like the tiger he was. “A challenge to an alpha isn’t a game. This isn’t something you can do over or opt out of once it gets going.”