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My heart hammered in my chest as I sank to the floor next to Kali, pulling her carefully into my lap. She jerked weakly, her eyes slowly blinking as she focused on me.

“Zan?” she cried in almost a whisper. “You’re alive.”

I chuckled roughly, refusing to show her how fucking worried I was for her. “I told you, Kali. You’re it for me. You’ll never run far enough away that I won’t follow.”

Her small laugh had her body writhing in pain, and my eyes trailed down her. Which nearly had my vision turning red. She was bleeding everywhere. From stakes or bullets, I wasn’t sure.But there was no way she could even walk right now. She laid her head on my chest, her breaths coming out ragged and slow.

“Get away from me,” Keeva screeched as the circle of Shadows closed around her.

She fired her gun until it clicked when she ran out of bullets. Her gaze snapped to Kali, only to widen slightly when she noticed me. Why wasn’t she fighting back? She had more strength than those surrounding her.

“You,” she accused me, hatred thick in her voice. “You’re the reason for all of this. Her fucking bond with you.”

Kali was so out of it, she didn’t even react to her twin’s words. My arms tightened around her when Keeva took a step closer.

“Try to touch her, and see what happens,” I growled.

“You are a threat to her,” a Shadow said, staring at Keeva. “A threat to all of us.”

Keeva spun around. “What? No. I want us to rule the world?—”

“We saw what you did to her,” Rya spat out, her eyes blazing with anger. “You are as bad as the human soldiers.”

A murmur of agreement passed over all of them. Kali shifted, letting out a gasp in pain, the movement waking her slightly and she stiffened.

“What are they doing?” she breathed out.

“I think they’re protecting you,” I muttered, still not understanding. Everything we read stated that Kali and Keeva were connected—they could not live without one another. So why were the Shadows glaring at Keeva with the promise of death in their eyes?

“I took it,” Kali choked out, guilt swarming her voice.

“Took what?”

“Her blood. Her power.” Her voice cracked. “I drank Keeva’s blood. She wasn’t going to stop, Zan. I had to do it. She’s human. She bleeds red.”

My lips parted in shock, and I looked at Keeva again, now realizing why there was blatant fear on her face. The Shadows weren’t looking at her like a leader anymore. She was a threat—one who had to be taken care of. Kali must have sensed the same because she tried moving away. I didn’t let her get far, pulling her against my chest.

“You can’t even walk,” I said softly. “Calm down.”

“They don’t have to kill her.” She squirmed in my arms. “Zan, please. She’s harmless now.”

Before I could say a word, the Shadows attacked. Kali’s protest was swallowed by Keeva’s scream. They tore into her, not seeming to care where they bit her. She fell to the floor, disappearing from view as the Shadows closed in around her.

Even if she was hidden from sight, I could still hear everything. Her screams of terror. Cries of agony. Fangs ripping into her skin. The hungry swallowing as Shadows drank her blood.

“No,” Kali choked out. “Please?—”

“It’s needed,” Rya said, stepping beside us. “She’s an enemy, Kali.”

“She’s my blood.” Guilt seeped into her voice. “She’s like this because of how she was raised. That would be me if PARA had taken me as a baby.”

“But it’s not you,” I said gruffly. “And she will never trust us.”

Keeva’s screams grew weaker, and Kali sniffled before burying her face into my chest. I bit my tongue, hating to see her upset. I knew she wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with Keeva like I do with my brothers. But it never would have happened. Just like with Amaros, we never would have had peace with her alive.

I raised my eyes upward when another explosion hit the building. The ceiling was beginning to crack.

“We have to go,” I muttered, standing up and sweeping her up into my arms. “One more missile and this whole place is going to blow.”