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We both look at the carnage that surrounds us.

There’s blood and bodies everywhere.

All human, I’m quite happy to see.

Lifting Alena up, I cradle her in my arms, and she leans her head against me.

“You carried me like this only a few days ago.” She giggles. “I have a surprise for you when we get home.”

“Oh?” I ask and look down at her enchanting face.

“Yes, but I can’t tell you what. But I will give you a hint. You get to meet someone.” She giggles again and shuts part of our bond off.

“Don’t do that,” I growl at her. “Never cut me off.”

Alena growls right back at me, baring her teeth, but there’s laughter in her eyes. “Only when I want to surprise you.”

Rolling my eyes, I carry Alena over to where Asher and Dav are standing.

“No losses?” Asher asks.

“None at all.” Dav confirms. “A couple of injuries and a few cases of upset stomach from the tainted blood, but we’re all good.”

“Thank the unholy gods,” Asher says and claps the man on the shoulder. “You sure you don’t mind blowing this building up?”

“Nah,” Dav says. “I got a guy who does demolition coming in as we speak.”

Asher winces. “It seems we owe you yet again.”

Dav shrugs his broad shoulders at Ash. “It doesn’t do any of us good to have hunters filling the city. Wish we could have killed the leader, though.”

“Yeah…” Asher grumbles loudly. “Fucker blinked out of existence right before the death blow.”

“Oh god!” Alena says and pushes herself out of my arms to land on her feet.

“What is it?” I ask, worried.

“The Prophet told me he has a daughter and she’s soulmarked,” she says excitedly. “And he can sense them if they’re close enough.”

It takes a second for all of us to let this new information sink in.

But Asher is the first to react to it.

“Oh, fuck no!” Asher yells, his eyes widening. “No. Fucking no!”

Appearing out of thin air, Chloe stands in front of us. Her chin and shirt soaked in blood.

She finally drank from a body.

Using her sleeve as a napkin to dab at the corner of her mouth, Chloe says, “I should have known Father Dominic would taste like a pile of shit.”

“Chloe…” Asher groans and shakes his head in disbelief.

“What’s wrong?” Chloe gives Asher a worried look.

Andrei marches over to us, his face alight like he just had one of his eureka moments. “Now it all makes sense.”

Chloe looks between Asher and Andrei irritably. “What does?”