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“Friends don’t let their friends get all their food raided by Sam and his asshole cronies,” Cole counters.

Sam .

The image of him swinging by his neck pummels me. Eden standing off against Alastair.

Dom on his knees, defeated.

Alone.

God damn it. Anger roils in my gut, oily and slick.

This morning, I woke up thinking maybe .

Dom and I were talking, our mess was all out there.

It all felt possible. And then it was like that with Eden, too.

She was pretty as a picture, wearing my clothes, draped over me like a dream and being sweet as anything.

I told her I was mad, and she thanked me.

In fact, right up until Jayk ripped her out of my arms, I was feeling light enough to float—like I might actually be able to get a handle on this whole angry thing without turning into someone my mama would be sad to know.

Everyone was together, and she was happy, and I just.. . believed in it. That we could all do it.

That I could pretend this isn’t eating me up.

But playing make-believe on a pretty morning doesn’t change that she doesn’t trust me. It doesn’t change that just weeks ago, Dom was at my door, begging for my help, and I turned him away. Because I was mad .

I look over at Eden, and she flinches like she can feel it.

I’m mad.

At her, and at myself, for not being better at this. I’m mad that none of us have been trusting each other, and I don’t see an easy way to start.

When Sawyer’s eyes narrow, flicking from one of us to the next, I realize I’ve crossed my arms. Eden’s staring at the ground between her feet, breathing too carefully, and Lucky steps in close beside her.

“What?” Sawyer prompts.

Jayk looks at us, then rolls his eyes like I’m in control of any part of myself right now. “Sam’s dead. Alastair’s playing the evil overlord now.”

Color drains out of Cole’s face, and Sawyer stops his lazy lounging, the confidence crashing out of his smirk.

They exchange a look, until Cole stammers, “What are we going to do about?—”

Sawyer looks at us, and Cole cuts off. He stands, then kicks his chair over with the same aggression that burns in my bones. Turning away, he links his hands behind his neck.

Behind them, Reapers start muttering, and I struggle to pay attention.

“We can’t. We can’t do anything. We—” Sawyer rubs a hand over his moustache, staring at his back. “It changes everything. Cole, you know he’s going to?—”

“What?” Jayk mimics Sawyer, and my teeth lock together in irritation at his pettiness.

“Do you have a satellite phone we can use?” Sawyer asks urgently.

Jayk frowns, glancing at Dom’s back before he seems to catch himself. He scowls.

“We have a radio, but like you said. You’re staying over there.”

We do have a satellite phone, gathering dust from the early days when we were trying to reach embassies and allies, but it’s too valuable to hand over to anyone. The radio works to talk with anyone around here just fine.

Her hand pressed to her stomach, Eden tentatively asks, “Isn’t that better? Sam sent the Sinners after you, but maybe Alastair will take a different approach? Maybe you can work something out with him. Something that doesn’t involve fighting.”

Is she still defending him?

Alastair is a snake.

“Sure, maybe the Reapers can be like us and just have to hand over enough food to beggar them instead of having it stolen by force,” I mutter to Jasper. “Won’t that be so much better.”

But his reply is clipped and cold. “She’s trying to avoid a war, Beaumont. You’re mad at the wrong person.”

I flinch.

Sawyer shakes his head, then pushes to a stand.

“Look—” He glances between us, and I can see his mind ticking as he decides what to say.

“Look, Alastair’s no better. He’s the one who led most of the raids on our land.

He’s fucking smart, and he’s made it clear he has no problems killing us if we get in his way.

At least Sam was dumb as bricks.” He starts pacing, then stops and looks at Jayk.

“This is bad. We .. . we’re just farmers.

We have a lot of land, King. A lot of food.

But it all means nothing if we can’t keep it.

” He shakes his head again, and he looks at Jayk seriously.

“He’s going to attack us, and if he’s in charge, he won’t hold anything back.

If you won’t let us use your radio, then just.

.. can you call them? Our people? Please, just. .. just tell them that he’s coming.”

I see her take the hit. Eden pales, her hair falling over her face as she ducks her head, and my worry for her starts washing through the anger.

She really is beating herself up over this.

And here I am adding to it.

Sweat pools along my hairline.

“You’re not going back?” Jayk grinds out. “Don’t they need you?”

Cole turns back around with a bitter scoff. “There ain’t a damn thing we can do to stop them. Why the hell do you think we’re here, King? We need you. We need you yesterday.” He waves a hand at our defenses. “We need this .”

Buck and Pete are moving slow as molasses as they build up their makeshift fire, but even caught up in my own mess, I can’t miss how they look at each other over the tiny flames.

They’re afraid.

God damn it. Maybe they don’t deserve this anger either.

Dom turns back around, giving Sawyer a hard-eyed look that reminds me of rapid deployments and barked orders. He should never have felt like he wasn’t our captain.

The sweat starts trickling down my spine.

“Why bring so many men?” Dom asks Sawyer bluntly, but I barely hear him.

Eden’s head comes up, and she gives Dom a piercing look. Jayk’s head turns to him too.

Maybe . . . maybe I do cut people out.

Sawyer and Cole exchange a tense look. Eden steps forward, her sharp gaze traveling between them before it flicks up to scan the Reapers.

I haven’t talked to her in a week , not really. How much space is too much space?

. . . Am I the problem?

Cole sucks some jam off his hand, but it doesn’t look half as casual as he seems to be aiming for. “Insurance. King here didn’t seem like the friendliest sort. Thought some backup might not be such a bad idea.”

“But why so many?” Dom walks over, his red shirt demanding blood. Telling them to stop. “You needed fifty-three men to face a handful of us? I know Jayk didn’t tell you our numbers.”

That makes me refocus.

Jayk pauses, a crease marring his forehead. “No,” he confirms slowly, flicking his gaze back up to Sawyer. “I only mentioned the five of us.”

“All Ranger-trained,” Sawyer counters, his mustache twitching.

Cole grimaces, his pretty face buried under the worry as he picks crumbs off his lap.

Jayk’s shoulders pull back, his face darkening. “Didn’t mention that either.”

“You knew we had women here before you even left. How long did it take you to get here? A week?” Dom drills him with his gaze. “The tents. The amount of food. You brought a donkey. You were ready for us. How?”

Sawyer’s eyes skitter away, but he shrugs. “It’s a mule, actually. His name is Cherub.”

“Is she here?”

This time, when Eden breaks in, it’s not careful or polite. She sounds damn near as demanding as Dom. The burned grass crunches under her feet as she edges forward.

Sawyer and Cole both fall quiet, staring at her. Caught .

She glances at them for a moment, then nods, continuing to scan the Reapers.

“Akira?” she calls. “I know it’s you.”

Shock pins me in place.

Jasper freezes, and Jayk’s head whips around, looking for her as Lucky snorts in horrified laughter. Dom’s eyes sink closed briefly, his shoulders dropping again.

Suddenly, Buck squirts some oil on their firepit and flames flare up. Pete falls back with a surprised shout.

“No. What? No. Yes? Really?” Lucky eyes Eden up and down, then follows her gaze. “Wait, really?”

Eden brushes her long hair out of her face, giving him a patient look.

My shirt hangs concerningly on her fragile frame.

“Who else knows exactly where we are, who we are, and how many people are here? Didn’t you hear the man yesterday?

‘I never thought they’d be so pretty,’ he said.

They had to know there were women here if they had time to imagine what we’d be like.

” She looks back at Jayk, terse. “And Akira went out with you to repair the cameras, so they were able to avoid those. She’s the only one who knew all of that.

She told them to come in force so they could pin us here. ”

I stare at her, stunned.

She just put all that together.

In moments .

Cherub brays loudly, tugging at his rope tie.

“Come on out, Akira,” Cole calls with a shrug, but I barely register it.

I’m too busy looking at Eden. Her shoulders are steeled like they were when she faced Alastair. Her chin tilted up, and her sharp, clever eyes calmly staring down the small army against us.

Who is this girl?

Because she’s not the same woman who sobbed in my arms after we saved her from the hunters. She’s not the woman who foolishly followed me and Dom into the woods and nearly ended up with my bullet in her skull. She’s not the woman who wept her heart out in the shower after we finally got her home.

I know she’s brave. I’m not blind to her heart or her kindness or how she wants to help. I know she’s smart, and proud, and resourceful.

But thisis different. This woman is angry.

And devious .

Akira walks out from behind the tent where I spotted her earlier, her dark hair swinging. She doesn’t acknowledge any of us. Cole reaches out a hand, which she ignores, though she gives Sawyer a tight, nervous nod. He smiles back in a tight, neutral sort of way.

When I last saw her, she was undernourished and dead-eyed, heartbroken over losing some Sinner who got what he deserved. Now, she’s glowing with health and softly feminine in floral.

As she hesitantly appears, loud, furious mutters start up behind us.

Jayk’s mouth twists. “You miserable sack of shit.”

The nervousness in her face dies. “Call me whatever you want—I don’t owe you anything.”