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With a deep breath, she gripped the top of the window frame and launched herself feet-first into the warehouse.

On light feet,Shay crept through the cluttered warehouse, scanning her surroundings for any sign of Eugene’s aura.

She cleared her corners the way Anna had taught her, spheres of lightning forever crackling in her palms. She owed her ability to control it to the salts coursing through her blood—without their help, she’d be screwed.

There was a narrow passage up ahead that was lined on either side with stacked boxes and portable wood pallets.

With agile steps, she squished through, her black eyes sweeping about. She could see other areas of the warehouse through the gaps between the stacked boxes and pallets—but there was still no sign of Paxton and Gene.

A piercing scream sliced through the building.

She moved faster, following that scream?—

Trey had found Eugene and was backing him into a corner. A fox trapping a rabbit. “Found you,” Trey drawled. Eugene was so focused on the Shadowmaster approaching him that he didn’t see Shay as she hurried up behind Trey?—

She was about to slap her lightning-charged palm against the back of the bastard’s neck when he whipped around.

His hand lashed out, pushing her so hard he might as well have hurled a brick at her chest. She flew back into a stack of pallets with a startled cry and hit the cement floor with a bone-jarringslap.

A rough hand fisted her hair, wrenching her head so far back her neck musclesscreamed. “Well, if it isn’t Shayla Cousens,” Trey drawled with a wicked smile, his black eyes shining in thedark. “Don’s had his eye on you for a while. You’re that little whore Roman’s fuckin’. Aren’t you?” He pulled harder, moisture leaking from the outer corners of her eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said through clenched teeth, hating—absolutelyhating—how this prick said Roman’s name. It made her want to wash his mouth out with soap.

“I can smell him on you,” he hissed. He came in close, his nose skimming the shell of her ear. Her heart pounded out of her chest. “I think I’ll take you to the House of Black. Show that whore cunt of yours how a real man fucks.” His teeth grazed her ear lobe. “How does that sound?”

Shay hawked and spat in his face.

“You bitch!” He let go of her hair and backhanded her across the cheek so hard her lips bled.

Shay sucked in a breath and surged up from the floor, her open palm swinging for his cheek.

He ducked to the side, causing her hand to flatten against his throat instead. Fine by her. Either worked; she merely needed contact.

Trey jerked about, as if he were being tased.

And then he fell face-first onto the ground, thwacking his head against the cement. The moment he broke contact, the electric currents flowing through Shay faded, leaving her wholly fatigued—drained, just like a battery—but otherwise safe from harm.

Trey lay there on the floor, still twitching uncontrollably. He stared up at her with ferocious hatred, lightning zigzagging from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

Shay drew a breath, choking down the nausea swelling in her gut, and walked over to Trey. A smile of triumph spread across her face as his bladder loosened, a wet stain darkening the front of his jeans.

“Hilarious,” she crooned, breathless. “One of Donovan’s best men, and all it took was the baby seal of the Riptide and a little bit of lightning to make him piss himself.” She wiped the blood off her lips with her sleeve. “Also, Trey, I think mywhore cuntwill pass on your offer, thanks.”

He kept jerking about—a fish twitching on land. “Watch,” he gritted out through clenched teeth, every wobbling word splintered by an electrical current, “your. Back.Cunt.”

Yeah, she would really need to do that from now on.

“Have a nice nap.” She waggled her fingers?—

And then stomped on his face, knocking him out cold.

She rushed over to Eugene, who stood in the corner. His hands were flattened over his ears, eyes shut tight.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Eugene!”

He cowered backward, banging into a wooden board that was leaned up against the wall, and screamed, eyes still shut. “AHHHHH! Help me, HELP?—”

“Eugene!” She grabbed onto him again, shaking harder. “It’s me!”