Beauty wrapped her hands around the largest weapon. It looked like one she’d seen in a video game the women played at the dorm. It was chunky with a metal clip inserted in the bottom and was heavy. She was sure it was some kind of assault rifle. She cradled it, found the trigger and rose to her knees. She rested the weapon on the chest and peered through the broken glass at the bottom of the window.

Two men rushed forward while she aimed and squeezed the trigger. Rapid shots blasted out of it. The thing knocked her back and bullets tore up the window to the ceiling before she could ease up on the trigger. She gaped at the damage from flat on her back where she’d landed. The glass in the window was totally gone now and holes were ugly scars on the wall and ceiling where bullets had ripped through them. She struggled to her knees again.

Now that she knew what to expect, she braced her knees apart, tensed her arms and aimed again. Her finger hesitated this time, hoping the kick of the weapon wouldn’t send her to the floor once more. The men had taken refuge behind a tree but one darted out to rush the cabin. Someone fired from below, probably Shadow. The guy didn’t make it six feet into the cleared area before he went down. He stayed that way, not moving. Blood leaked onto the dirt.

The loud sounds from below assured her both Species were firing weapons. Something struck the top of the mirror over the dresser, breaking the glass. She turned her head to glance back, seeing holes in it and at the top of the wall. It took her a second to realize someone had shot back at her. She ducked.

Heart racing, she leaned back up over the chest and opened fire. Her arms hurt from the strength it took to keep the muzzle down and the gun deafened her but she managed to keep it trained at the forest. She turned the barrel, spraying bullets in a wide arc, not even sure what she was firing at. It didn’t matter. The enemy was out there and the people she cared about were inside. The weapon began to click instead of sending out bullets. It was empty.

She threw it aside and grabbed one that was just a little smaller. Fear no longer hindered her. There was no time to think. Bullets were tearing apart the cabin—most of them had to be aimed at Shadow since she could hear the damage being done directly below where she knelt. She opened fire again, wildly shooting into the woods.

Breeze shouted something but the words were lost to Beauty. It was chaos. She didn’t understand why help hadn’t arrived. The noise from the gun battle had to have been heard for miles. There were officers posted all over the place at Homeland.

The weapon stopped spitting out bullets and she dumped it, grabbing another. She didn’t know how to reload, hating the concept of running out of guns but knowing she’d fight as long as she was able.

It came as a shock when brutal hands suddenly gripped her shoulders and she was thrown sideways. The gun was knocked from her grip when she hit the floor with enough force to cause pain along her right side. A big body suddenly slammed down on top of her. She was wrenched onto her back and pinned down flat. A human face, smeared with black paint, was all she could see as she struggled to breathe under the weight crushing her chest.

His eyes appeared dead, chilling as they stared into hers. He shifted and pain exploded in the side of her face when he clocked her with his fist. It came as a shock and blackness threatened to take her but she’d been hit plenty of times before by angry guards. She fought the urge to escape into unconsciousness.

He grunted in satisfaction as he used the hand he’d hit her with retrieve and then speak into a radio. “I’ve got the bitch. She was the one on the second level. Clear me a path.”

He rolled off her but Beauty couldn’t move, still reeling from the blow he’d dealt. She felt sick, as if she’d throw up, and spots blinded her while she continued to struggle to avoid passing out. Her cheek felt broken, throbbed in agony, and her neck hurt too from being hit so hard.

Rough hands dug under her and she was hoisted up then shifted. He tossed her effortlessly over his shoulder. She hung there limply while an arm hooked behind her thighs. As he walked, the swaying motion made everything worse. She saw guns strapped to his thighs but her hands refused to grab them when her mind urged them to do just that. Instead her arms hung uselessly.

He entered Shadow’s room and another voice spoke. “Eyes got it right. Good thing he caught sight of her with his scope and we didn’t level the second floor the way we thought we’d have to.”

“You want to take her down, or me?”

“You. She’s not big, is she?”

“Nope. Doesn’t weigh shit either.” He stepped up and turned. “Follow me.”

Beauty stared down, realizing the man holding her stood on the windowsill of Shadow’s bedroom. It was a long drop to the ground below. She felt a flash of fear as he released the back of her thighs. Would he just let her fall? It was a horrifying concept.

Instead both his arms rose, trapping her h*ps between his neck and biceps on one side. He jumped. They fell about five feet, but then his boots hit the side of the cabin when their momentum slowed. He rappelled the rest of the way down with two more jumps until he roughly hit the ground. Gunfire was loud, the battle still raging. He hesitated a moment while the second man left the cabin and then the arm hooked back around her thighs. He ran into the woods, carrying her with him.

“No!” She tried to scream but it came out more of a ragged hiss.

“Shut the f**k up,” he panted. “You’re a lot of trouble but you’re worth a hell of a lot of money, Mud.”