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One way or another.I heard the unsaid words. I nodded.

“Zeke, you good?” Jameson asked.

The tall man’s chin lifted. “Yes.”

Our leader nodded. “Let’s move out.”

I turned back to my locker. I remembered another boy. Hurt and scared. I’d promised to help him… And I’d failed.

“North?”

Jameson stood behind me. The locker room was empty, and I realized the others had gone to the Talon.

“I’m okay, Jameson. This brings up some bad memories, but I’ll do my job.”

“I know. These kids could still be alive.”

I hoped they were. I pulled my medical backpack on.

Side-by-side, we walked out to the hangar. There were several quadcopters parked in a row. Colbie was already in the cockpit of our Talon. She waved at us through the glass, and Jameson and I climbed aboard.

“Prepare for takeoff,” Colbie said.

I sat, and a moment later, a siren sounded. I knew the roof overhead was retracting. The Talon lifted off.

As soon as the Talon cleared the base, I stared down at the green fields around us. The aircraft swiveled and we headed north. St. Albans was a small, inland town, north of New Sydney.

“Any description on the monster that took the kids?” Jess asked.

Jameson shook his head. “No one saw it. They sent through pictures of the prints.” He pulled out his communicator, and tilted it so we could see.

My gut hardened.Hell. It was big. The print had three huge claws and made me think of fossilized dinosaur tracks I’d seen in images.

“They said there was a pungent smell,” Jameson added. “Like rotting mud.”

Jess nodded, and made some notes on her own communicator.

I turned my head to look out the window. I wasn’t sure if I was hoping the kids were alive, or had been given a quick death. Monsters could cause a lot of damage without killing.

Old memories pushed at me again, but I ruthlessly locked them down.

I needed to focus on saving these two boys, not thinking of the one I hadn’t saved.

Jess

I’d knownthat seeing North this morning would be awkward.

It was weird. I was sitting across from him, and all I could think about was the fact that he’d been inside me, that he’d made me come. My belly filled with heat.

I swallowed, and stroked the cool metal of my carbine. I’d expected some glares or something, but all I’d gotten were a few long gazes, and now he seemed preoccupied.

Next to him, Zeke’s face was totally blank. He was usually hard to read but right now, I got nothing off him.

“Marc?”

“Hmm.” My squad mate was sitting beside me and gave me a small smile.

“Why did Jameson ask if Zeke was okay with this mission?”