“Stand down, and you would just go to trial?—”
Cooper laughed at Cole’s words. It was bitter and colder than the snow around us. “Stand down? Go totrial? And what will Quinny do then, if I did?”
I glared at him. “What in the fuck are you talking about,culero?”
“If I go to trial, everything comes out. Nothing will remain hidden before the Hunter Council. Your little mating bond with Byrd, the fact that she’s a dragon-shifter, her body count of dead hunters today,everything.The whole family of dragonhunters will find out that you are mated to the very thing we are supposed to kill. Now, what will your mommy and daddy think?”
I stared him down. “Why do you think I give two fucking shits? I will be with Byrd no matter what anyone thinks, and I would turn anyone who tried to get between us into human brisket. You? You betrayed your family for a merechanceat revenge.”
“At least, I stand for something.”
“No. You’re just fucked. And, I’m going to make sure you pay for everything you’ve done.”
“We’ll see.” Then, Cooper charged straight for us.
Everything else happened so fast, faster than I could keep up with.
Cooper aimed his gun right at Byrd.
I moved to get in between.
Bullets tore through me.
One. Two. Three. Maybe six in total?
I screamed until my voice gave out. I could feel my blood flowing out of me and into the snow like the other hunters. It seemed almost poetic. Hunters bring nothing but chaos and bloodshed. It only makes sense for a battlefield to be flooded with our own blood.
I would rather my blood color snow than Byrd’s any day.
There were so many cries that I didn’t know who was who, but one stood out.
“QUINN, NO!”Byrd screamed. Whether it was through our bond or her mouth, I wasn’t sure, but her voice broke either way.
The sound that erupted from her was a roar, wail, scream, and battle cry all wrapped into one. It shook the planet, like the very earth couldn’t take this anymore.
Byrd laid Maisie next to Talli and sat up with a palpable fury. Her crystal magic went off around her like fireworks. It didn’t just dance along my skin; I felt in my heart like the bass at aconcert. It was powerful and wild, unlike anything I felt before. Then, she slammed her palms into the quaking, icy ground. Even more crystals surfaced from below. Massive jagged spears easily three feet tall shot up from the earth. Byrd’s hands even shifted, hardening and changing color into opal crystals that resembled her scales. Her wings spread wide and tail thrashing behind her, she gave one more mighty cry before she held her hands out toward Cooper. The crystal towers and a barrage of crystalline shards exploding from her opal hands headed toward him. Even Amy and Tina flew up with her onslaught. They were sharp, fast, and brilliant.
Cooper fired back in retaliation.
He hit Byrd in her right hand, left shoulder, and right hip.
He hit Cole in both his legs and his stomach.
He hit Cody in his arms and chest just shy of his heart.
And, Byrd hit thefuckout of Cooper. Crystals pierced through his arms, legs, and chest. My daggers, along with one of Byrd’s crystals, went right through his heart.
Cooper was dead before he even hit the ground, crystals jutting out of his blackening wounds.
Just like his father, whom he wanted to avenge so fucking bad.
How beautifully poetic.
Ayrie landed with a heavy gust and took everything in, while Byrd and I shared our blood to help us heal. Talli was dead. Cooper was dead. Lilah was gone to fuck knows where. Maisie, Cody, and Cole were down. Simone was inconsolable. Nat was crying into the phone as she tried to give the Archive Guardians an idea of what was coming their way.
And, Byrd? Drinking my blood would help hasten the healing of her physical wounds, but I knew how broken she still was inside. She had taped the cracks, but I could feel the overflowing pool of her sorrow cascading over the top and shooting from theholes. She had tried to plug the flow to face Cooper and help me, but it was still leaking out. I held her tightly and let her grief pour into me. I did my best to be her anchor. I could handle it. I could be the home to hold onto Byrd’s and everyone’s anguish. I could be the most stable one in the storm for folks to come to when they needed a place to land. I could be the last solid thing when the world cracked open and fell apart. I could hold everyone together. That was what being a leader meant. At least, the leaderIwanted to be.
And, it was what a partner did, especially for Byrdie in her moment of need.
