Abby dived over Hannah and ripped into the first guy she could get her paws on, forcing him back and into his friends. She flipped him over the back stairs and into the yard, tearing his throat out until he stopped screaming.

Hannah barreled down the stairs, holding on to Marcus. Men from all sides came at her. Abby knew they didn’t want to hurt the boy, because one man grabbed the screaming child and pulled while the others battered Hannah with fists and knees, trying to get her to release Marcus.

Blayne ran out of the back door and jumped into the middle of it. A male backhanded her, sending Blayne flying. She hit a tree, bounced off it, and ran forward again. Another male caught her around the waist and they both went down. Blayne brought her blade up, but he caught her hand and turned the blade back on her, shoving it into Blayne’s side.

She howled in pain and Abby rushed forward as they finally pried an hysterical Marcus from Hannah, fists flying as they beat the sow to the ground.

Abby ran up to the man holding Marcus and, when she was only a few feet away, she shifted to human. Startled, the man stumbled back and Abby laid him out with a right cross, yanking Marcus into her arms and dashing for one of the trees. Using the power of her legs, she leaped onto the closest branch and scrambled up.

“Get that bitch!” someone screamed. “Kill her if you have to!” Dee hit the brakes and the car stopped right in front of Desiree’s house. NYPD had already arrived and Dee had them secure the area, keeping the neighbors out of their business and the non-shifter NYPD away from all this. Lord knew, they’d only make it worse in their attempts to help.

Dee and the others moved toward the house, their weapons drawn. The front door had already been kicked in and they went through it.

Guns raised, they entered the house. They heard yelling and Desiree sprinted toward the back.

“Malone!” Dee called out, following Desiree. “Side of the house! Daddy, take the top floor!” They went through the kitchen door and Dee only had a moment to spot movement before she caught Dez by her dress and yanked her back and out of the kitchen, dropping them both to the floor as bullets riddled the door.

“No!” Desiree screamed out, trying to get out of Dee’s arms. But Dee knew they wouldn’t risk hurting the boy. Matilda, who’d they’d left duct-taped in Van Holtz’s closet, with her complaints of Mace’s “betrayal,” would never allow damage to a Llewellyn male cub. Not when she still had use for him.

Yet, explaining that to a panicked mother would be ineffectual and a waste of her breath. So Dee held on and waited until the gunfire stopped.

Eggie heard the gunfire below, but he didn’t let it directly affect what he was doing. He had no doubt that his daughter knew how to handle herself and this situation.

Silently stepping onto the roof, Eggie pulled hisknife and eased up behind the two full-humans who’d been placed there. He slit the throat of one, and when the other turned to him, he buried the knife in his eye.

He yanked the blade out and pushed the body out of his way. He settled down in a good spot on the roof and put his rifle together. Once he was set up, he looked through the scope, picking out good targets who were nowhere near the boy or the hybrids trying to protect him, and did what he did best—he started the killin’.

Ric saw that the front door had already been kicked in so he, Lock, and Mace went around the house to the back. He had Sissy Mae and Mitch, who were unarmed, wait for the teams that were only seconds behind them to tell them what was going on. If there were extra weapons they wanted to use, they were more than welcome to join.

Ric saw Cella crouching near the corner of the house. He snarled a little and she looked at them over her shoulder. Using hand signals, she told them how many men were back there—a lot—and the distance they were away from them. She also mouthed, Eggie, and pointed up, meaning he was in one of his more comfortable positions—sniper.

Nodding he understood, Ric mouthed, Marcus?

She took another look, glanced back at them and shook her head, shrugged.

Ric put his hand on Mace’s shoulder. “We’ll get him,” he whispered next to Mace’s ear. Because the last thing he needed was for this lion to flip a switch and get himself, his wife, and their son killed.

But, thankfully, years of Navy training had Mace Llewellyn nodding and ready to finish this.

Taking off his tux jacket, removing the bowtie from around his throat, and loosening his collar, Ric pulled his gun and nodded to Mace and Lock. They began to inch forward when Cella suddenly stood. “Shit!” she yelped and bolted forward.

Deciding stealth would have to wait, they all followed.

Hannah lay in a fetal position, fists and the butts of rifles battering her. Now that she no longer had Marcus in her arms, she was sure they’d kill her, but they quickly lost interest. Instead, assuming she was out or too hurt to move, they went after Abby.

Hannah lifted her head, looking around. That’s when she saw Blayne lying a few feet away from her, her knife sticking out of her side. She looked into Hannah’s eyes and held her hand out. “Marcus,” she said. “Please. Get Marcus.”

Tears clouded Hannah’s sight as she slowly, painfully pushed herself to her feet. Not tears of self-pity or sadness, but tears of rage.

The men who’d turned their attention to tracking down Abby and Marcus seemed to sense that Hannah was right behind them. Slowly, they faced her, a few raising their weapons, some of them laughing at her.

“Good God,” one joked. “She’s fucking crying.”