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We were as ready as we could be. Connor made his way to me and looped an arm around my waist. His presence was reassuring, but the knots in my stomach still didn’t unravel. I pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder and he squeezed me in response.

John was standing behind us, but Margrave was absent. As Connor’s number two, I guessed he’d stayed at Kamluck to take over the reins if something happened to us. John was wearing a bulletproof vest and enoughweapons to give Thomas a run for his money. When I met his eyes, he flashed me a grin; he was excited for the hunt.

Gunnar banged a gavel and we fell silent. He cleared his throat and ran through the current situation so that we were up to date, then he introduced Camo Man. ‘This is Henderson. He will be in charge of running this op. He’s been briefed on the intel we received from the bunker and on your abilities and strengths. Second in command is Thomas Patkotak. If Henderson goes down, look to Patkotak, then me. Any questions?’

Nobody spoke; I thought that, like me, most of them were unsure how to proceed – but they were all determined.

Gunnar nodded then looked at us one by one. ‘Let’s show these intruders how Portlockians defend their home. Let’s send a message the Knight Stalkers can’t fucking miss. Head down to the north harbour. The boats are waiting. Get ready and move out!’

Everyone snapped into action, pulling on warm jackets and rain gear. Those of us with bulletproof vests put those on first.

We were heading into the danger zone and we knew it. Chances were not all of us would return alive, supernat or not.

Chapter 47

The boats were Zodiacs, made of rubber, open to the elements but with fast engines. They each held eight armed combatants.

Henderson briskly arranged us into a mix of MIB and Portlockians for each boat. I was with an MIB soldier, Connor, Liv and John. Our boat was the least crowded because of Liv’s goat; no one had been sure how the animal would react during the rough ride. Liv had scoffed at that, saying that she had complete control over the animal.

Once we were loaded and briefed, Henderson gave the signal and we headed for Chrome Point. I leaned into Connor and clasped his hand tightly. Neither of us spoke. John watched us with a bittersweet longing on his face. He was happy for us, but the ache of losing his wife was still with him. I thought about his excitement and hoped he wasn’t using this op as suicide by Knight Stalkers. His depression had started to lift now he was working withConnor, and I hoped he’d give himself a chance to recover even more.

I looked into the dark water then sat up straighter as I saw a flash of gold, a flash I’d seen before. A moment later, I saw it again. ‘Connor!’ I hissed, pointing to where the water dragon was pointedly keeping pace with the boats. The huge eel-like creature was gargantuan, far larger than it had been before.

He looked over the side and smiled. ‘Don’t worry, they’re guardians.’ He dipped his fingers into the water then lifted them up; after he’d done that a few times, the water dragon mimicked him by raising its huge head from the waves.

‘Don’t shoot!’ Connor shouted. ‘It’s friendly!’ The MIB soldiers were tense as fuck, but they held their fire.

The water dragon rose a little further, still keeping pace with us. ‘If you’d like to help,’ Connor shouted to it, ‘there’s a submarine in the bay that is threatening Portlock.’

The water dragon opened its mouth and screamed a noise that was almost as painful as a banshee’s wail. Then, with a huge flick of its tail, it dived beneath the surface. ‘What the hell?’ the soldier in our boat said.

‘That’s our water dragon,’ I explained. ‘They look after us.’

The soldier lookedat Connor. ‘You think it can really take down a whole submarine?’

Connor smiled grimly. ‘If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. It’s certainly worth a try.’

‘It wasn’t that big last time I saw it,’ I pointed out. ‘Are there two of them?’

‘No, just the one,’ Connor said. ‘They change their size when they want to.’

I stared. ‘How?’

He grinned. ‘Magic, Doe.’ Even after months in the paranormal world, magic still surprised me.

It felt like we reached Chrome Point in an instant – and the journey also felt like a year. Still, I was cold and damp from the ride, and happy to get on solid ground again.

We climbed onto land and the soldiers tied off and secured the boats. We fell into the positions as we’d been instructed and set off at a light jog towards the mine entrance. The plan was that the twelve-man MIB team would go in fast and hard and clear out the Knight Stalkers as quickly as possible while we were their back up.

I wasn’t sure what to think about that. First off, that gave our MIB soldiers all the power – were we even certain they were on our side? Gunnar thought so, and that should have been enough, but I’d had my fill of the MIB and I didn’t trust them. Still, Connor had encounteredHenderson before and had begrudgingly admitted that he trusted the guy on this. With both Connor and Gunnar vouching for Henderson, I worked to set my anxieties aside; they had no place here.

But I wasn’t the only one who was worried, because I saw Thomas speaking pointedly to Henderson and the next thing I knew he’d joined the team. Sidnee grabbed my arm hard and I jumped at the sudden contact. ‘Did Thomas just insert himself into the cannon fodder team?’ she asked, her voice shrill with anxiety.

I nodded. Her grip was starting to hurt. I laid my other hand over hers to let her know what she was doing and to offer the little comfort I could.

Her eyes went mer black. ‘No, I won’t let him.’ She let go of me and lurched forward.

I hastily pulled her back. ‘No, Sidnee. You have to let him do what he feels is right if you want a future with him.’ I thought of Hayleigh and Jacob. ‘You can’t dictate to your other half what they do and don’t do. It has to be a partnership, a meeting of equals,’ I insisted.