Luca shook his head, but I ignored him. The woman’s face tightened and a flash of fear slid over her. “You can’t. She’s being interrogated.”

My eyebrows shot up. “By whom?”

A tear trickled down her cheek and that was enough for me. I pushed the door open and ran into the shop. I knew where I was going. The idiot trolls had set things up exactly as they had before. I found the partition in the wall and was running through it, a stream of wolves behind me.

I knew why I was going in, but why the hell were they following me?

A whisper floated to my ear from a familiar voice…Giselle?

Because you gave them a cause to fight for. A reason to believe.

The ladder stuck out of the hole in the ground and I grabbed it, sliding down with my feet and hands on the sides. From there, I followed my nose, stripping as I went. As soon as the last piece of clothing was off, I shifted and galloped forward. A large cavern opened. In it was a slew of trolls, all in war gear.

On the floor, wrapped in nets and chains were at least a hundred half-breed trolls.

Snarling, I leapt at the closet troll, hamstringing him and dropping him to the ground before there was even a warning call let out. Around me the other wolves swarmed, teeth and claws driving the trolls back, tearing throats out. I bit and clawed my way to the half-breeds. Those under the nets struggled to get out.

“Here,” I grabbed a knife off a troll’s body, my long tipped claws wrapping easily around the handle, and then pushed it toward them. Scared, but determined eyes looked back at me. As they cut themselves out, I launched into the skirmish once more. Swords and blades cut near to me, but I felt invincible, untouchable even.

Behind me came a bloodcurdling cry. I spun to see the half-breeds free and fighting the trolls with their bare hands. The wolves slipped in around them supporting them.

Working together, we drove the trolls out, killing as many as we could. Twenty or so of the wolves kept after the trolls, following them deep into the tunnels. I shifted and walked toward the half-breeds. Tara was amongst them, checking on the others, but I knew she wouldn’t recognize me. She’d never seen me as anything but the stuck-between-forms-Alex.

“Tara.”

She turned, her pale pink skin flush with excitement, and her eyes widened. “Do I know you?”

“Alex. I was with Liam and Rylee.”

Her mouth dropped open. “The submissive wolf?”

I grinned at her and spread my hands wide. “The one and only.”

She approached me, moving through her people. They watched her, as did I.

“You saved us. Why? Since when have supernaturals ever stood up for each other?” Her words were bitter and I knew why. The half-breeds had been all but treated as slaves, their children stolen and used in medical experiment, their woman raped by the full-blooded trolls.

“The world needs everyone to stand together, Tara. Rylee and Liam will be facing a horde of demons. We need your help.”

She looked back at her people. “What can we do? There aren’t many of us.”

“You can fight,” Luca said behind me. “You can fight and prove yourselves as you did here in the heat of battle. You are not a half-breed mistake, but a supernatural force to be reckoned with.”

She shook her head, but I wouldn’t give up.

“The demons will have trolls fighting alongside them, the same trolls who’ve been treating you like shit your whole life. They belong to Orion, the demon who is trying to take over the world. Trying to kill Rylee and Liam. Would you let them win?”

“Liam?” Tara slowly straightened and then nodded, her eyes hardening with determination. “I will come with you. I owe him my life.”

Behind her, the other half-breeds nodded one by one. They would come; holy shit, we’d done it! I lifted up a hand and Tara matched my movement, high-fiving me. “Come on, then, we have demons to kill.”

A grin lit her face. “We will show them not to mess with our world.”

That’s what I was hoping for.

But I had one last stop to make before I could go to Rylee. One last couple who I knew would fight for her.

I hoped there was enough time left.

Giving instructions to Luca on how to get to the farmhouse, I left him to organize things.

He grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”

“One more set of reinforcements. We need every soul we can get at this point.” Even two more people might be the tipping point in our favor.

Bursting out of the tattoo parlor, as I pulled my clothes back on, yet again, I flagged Eve down. She dropped to the pavement, her eyes wide as she took me in. “What happened?”

I looked down at myself, noticing the gore and viscera covering me for the first time. “We routed the trolls and the half-breeds are going to fight with us.”

“That is the best news.”

“But I have to stop at one more place, Eve. They will fight for Rylee, I’m sure of it.” I climbed up onto her back and strapped myself into her harness. She launched into the sky.

“Where?”

“You know that motel on the outskirts of Bismarck?”

She bobbed her head. “You think that they will really fight for her?”

“Yes.”

We fell silent as we skimmed the skies, Marco right behind us.

Something about the time with Eve felt strange and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

The sensation registered as we circled downward toward the motel. It felt like this was the last ride we’d ever have together. My heart clenched and I forced the words out.