Alpha of ashes

a

ak much on th

e it was a bomb. Which, I guess, it was. Not the explodey

nd the steering wheel. His silence wasn't cold. Just... contained. Like h

the f

erground garage beneath his

nthouse. We sort t

ards,"

s," he

dded

at was

-

, we were knee-

or falsified accusations - but financial records, traffick

itches. E

lose to the truth or

hadn't jus

cleaning hou

pped talking after a while. Just read and read,

hispered. "Thi

quietly. "I

oked

his

I said. "You just didn't k

n't de

-

n the couch again, legs tucked under me, the ledge

beside it, one hand rubb

th his thumb. "This is the wolf they s

ked a

fr

remembered

uggled magical arti

ver leak

d me something was off.

... he v

lled him

muttered. "Th

ed the

na expos

kno

ean

do

sto

sit be

wn, Zara," he said. "Even

-

mi

ean

ry

yes tired, skin still marked by the past

egret? M

ng you," I said befor

n't loo

't s

n't

e girl I used to be. I don't

t

o you

r. Every damn tim

tiniest smi

gre

-

ent did

the window shatt

he blade under the coffee table. Zara grabbe

ned. Not the same

e glass wall overl

eme

ad

en

O

indow expl

creams.

d clipped: "Take the

et mine for a

hell br

-

a

ve seen i

ttle - the second I believed she want

e me th

d her stra

nt to destroy

bury the evi

ry me

d, fangs bared. Not pack grunts - trained assassins. The ki

ike a shadow.

ith the gun, aimin

ots. O

my arm before I got my knee into his stomach a

oo

and

er hit t

ched

ur heart for breakfa

him in

her to

-

mi

and didn

e more than t

she wasn

was

been waitin

h a hard kick to the chest an

ng, not dead - but not ge

oke cl

blood fro

to go,"

odd

't stop. We blow the rest o

e do

lin can'

t place

ooked

cked acros

. "But it'll b