“No, we bloody well do not,” Matt challenged.
The alpha appeared on the path. “All the guards are down,” he told Matt directly. “We can continue with the mission.”
“I think these guys are overdosed,” I said. “They need medical care.”
“It’s only a sedative,” Aaron growled.
“Sedatives are poisons, you stupid bludger,” Matt snarled back at him. “Too much can cactus an elephant.”
Darius glared at him. “We can’t abandon the mission.”
“It’s a damned training exercise,” I snapped back. “Their lives are more important.”
Darius’s alpha power swept over us, and from deep within me, something exploded, pushing right back. His eyes widened as it flowed over him, and I followed it up with an ice-cold assessment.
“You’re no leader. Go, then, and finish your precious mission. I will not follow a moronic prick.”
“I’m with her,” Matt said without hesitation, and he hit his ear comm. “Standby, Talakai.”
With a crackle of displaced air, a huge form appeared overhead. He’d have to break through branches to get to us, but the threat was clear.
For a moment, Darius’s eyes glowed, and his lips peeled back from his teeth. “I’m not moronic,” he snarled. “And you will live to regret those words, Babydoll.”
With that, he turned and vanished up the path, with Aaron in his wake.
I was trembling all over. “I might have just fried our chances to become Shades,” I told Matt.
“Darius isn’t the only one with influential friends.” Matt didn’t sound all that worried. He activated his comm again. “Go for Sebastian, Talakai.”
With a whoosh of displaced air, the Dragon was gone.
I leaned over the guard just as he gave a horrible, gasping breath. Were his lungs shutting down?
“Get the darts out of the other guards,” I told Matt. He vanished up the path. I grabbed the one that was in the sniffer animal and yanked it free. The homely critter seemed to be breathing okay.
In moments, Matt returned. “One of those is in trouble, too. The other only got hit with a single dose, so he’s still partly conscious.” He met my gaze. “We might not have time to wait for Talakai to fetch Sebastian. Can you do something?”
I gritted my teeth. “I have no idea what I’m doing. And what if it goes the other way?”
The man gurgled again, his blue-toned skin darkening as I sat there.
“Angel, if you don’t act fast, these guys are going to die.”
Movement beyond Matt—a predator paced out of the bush. It was followed by two others. Their yellow eyes were fixed on me.
“Matt... ”
“I see them.” His voice was slightly abstracted.
“Can you shift?” I whispered. “Darius took my gun.”
His eyes gleamed at me, but only for a millisecond before returning to hazel. “Not sure. I have mine, but it only holds four darts. I don’t think, though, that they’re considering us as tucker. Those three are all males. I think they want you.”
“Want me? As in—”
“Yep. Just keep going with what you’re doing. I’ll watch them.” He slid his dart gun out of its holster, very slowly. His fingers had sprouted wicked claws.
All three big predators sat down about ten feet from him and cocked their heads at me. Behind them, I spotted others lurking in the bushes. Four darts weren’t going to be nearly enough.
