As he argued, though, Kit looked . . . relieved.

Daniel looked at both of them, then jumped up beside Derek. “You are not going to trade us for your kids. After everything we’ve been through? I won’t let that happen.”

Kit stood and faced the two, his back to the intruders. He lifted his hands. “Stay calm, boys. Just stay calm. We need to make a deal, but I promise no one will get hurt.”

“No way,” Derek said. “I cannot believe you would . . .”

As he ranted, Kit mouthed something to Daniel. Daniel hesitated, but Derek glanced over with a nod.

“Just relax, boys,” Kit said. “Look at Maya and Corey. They’re being reasonable. I need you two to follow—”

“No!” Daniel shouted—his sonic boom shout was so loud, my ears rang.

The shout sent Kit and the guards flying. Everyone who’d been behind Daniel only wobbled, only those in front of him fell. It took a split second for most of us to realize what had happened, and that the guards were on the floor, stunned by that sonic shout.

Derek hadn’t hesitated. As soon as Daniel shouted, he charged. He grabbed the gun from the nearest guard and threw it aside as Daniel tackled the next one. Corey went after the third and I pounced on the fourth. I got the gun easily—my target was still on the floor, stunned. I kicked it over to Chloe, who was gathering them up.

Beside me, Corey was struggling with his guard, who’d snapped out of it and was on his feet again. Daniel raced over to help. The gun fired. Daniel staggered back.

The other guards were up now, fighting back, but I saw none of that. Just Daniel stumbling, Daniel falling. Daniel with blood blossoming on his chest. Daniel shot.

I screamed. I barely heard it in the din around me. Everyone was shouting. Everyone was fighting. No one had noticed Daniel fall. Just me. No one was running to help him. Just me.

I raced over as Corey continued struggling with his guard, oblivious. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Corey get the guy in a headlock. Saw him look over. Saw him notice Daniel. His eyes rounded and the blood drained from his face. As I ran to Daniel’s side, Corey began to release his grip on his target, as if he’d forgotten he was still holding him.

“No!” I said.

He snapped out of it, then hauled his guy out of the way as I dropped to the floor. Daniel was blinking to stay conscious, his breathing shallow.

“It’s okay,” I said as I tugged his shirt off to get a better look. “You’re okay.”

He wasn’t. I could tell that by his breathing and his face, ghostly white, his lips trembling.

Someone knocked into me. I twisted, ready to shove, claw, whatever I had to do. I felt a faint twitch in my hands, and terror shot through me. I couldn’t shift. Not now. But it was only Derek bumping me as he grappled with a guard. They toppled the other way, and that first lick of rage subsided, letting me thankfully focus on Daniel.

The bullet had gone into his side. The right side, away from his heart. Were there any vital organs there? I should know, but my panicked brain kept throwing up images of animal anatomy instead. My hands shook as I pressed the wadded-up shirt to his wound to stanch the blood.

“I liked them better when they were using tranq darts,” Daniel whispered, managing a weak smile.

“Don’t talk.”

He reached to touch my hand and I looked at his face. There was a smattering of freckles across his nose, usually invisible unless he’d been out in the sun, but I could see them now, his skin so pale, I stared at them, then lifted my gaze to his eyes and felt my heart squeeze so hard my eyes filled with tears.

I love you. I’m not sure if it’s the way you want me to. I think it might be. But I know that I love you. I absolutely love you.

“Maya?” He wiped tears from my cheek. “It’s bad, huh?”

“No,” I said, snapping out of it. “No, it’s not. You’ll be fine.”

Someone grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet, and there was a moment where I had no idea where I was, why someone was with us. Then the room snapped back into focus, and I heard the grunts and the smacks, saw the blur of fists and bodies.

One of the guards had me. He whipped me around, arm going to my neck. I bit him. Didn’t think about it. Just saw that bare arm coming toward my face and chomped down. He yowled. I started to let go. Then I saw Daniel on the floor, and I bit down harder, kicking back at my captor as my mouth filled with blood.

Let me go or I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you if you keep me from him.

The guard continued to yowl, but didn’t release his grip. Then someone grabbed him from behind. His arm loosened. I stopped biting and jammed my thumb into the wound, grinding it. He let go then, screaming, as Corey whipped him off me.

I scrambled down beside Daniel again. I pressed my fingers to the shirt wadded against his wound, closed my eyes, and focused on helping him. On healing him. I imagined the bullet in his chest and imagined the tissues around it sealing off, blood vessels closing, keeping him safe.

When I opened my eyes, he was even paler, his pupils starting to dilate.

“No!” I said. “Do you feel that? It’s shock. Don’t go into shock.”

He nodded and swallowed.

I clasped his hand with my free one. “Stay with me, okay? Please. Just stay with me.”

He looked up at me and smiled. “You know I will. Always.”

His eyelids fluttered, then closed.

“No!”

I grabbed his shoulders and his eyes opened.

“Okay,” he mumbled. “I’m okay. Just give me a sec.”

He rubbed his face with both hands, and some of the color started to return. Then a hand touched my shoulder.

I looked to see Chloe kneeling beside me. “Can he move, Maya?”

I looked around. Three of the guards were unconscious, two with tranquilizer darts sticking out of them. One sat in the corner, cradling his arm, bone sticking from it, his eyes wide with shock. There were two more—presumably the ones who’d been outside, including the one I’d bitten. Corey, Kit, and Derek were subduing them. Dr. Inglis was unconscious on the floor. And Moreno? He was nowhere to be seen.

“Can he move?” Chloe repeated.

“He shouldn’t—” I began.

“I can,” Daniel said. “I’ll just need a little help.”

Across the room, Derek slammed his opponent’s head against the wall. Kit hit the other with a spell like a lightning bolt and Corey jumped him with a dart.