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MARA

Z AP!

What happened next occurred simultaneously and within the span of seconds.

The electrical charge struck the woman square in her sternum, sending her stumbling backwards.

Her hand spasmed, clamping down on the leash as she fell flat on her back, completely passed out.

The hellhound let out a menacing growl and leaped forward.

In those few precious heartbeats, I swore I was going to die.

Because no matter how fast I was moving to aim my stunner at the beast, that thing moved twice as fast as I did.

The hound was in the air, paws stretched out before him, jaw unhinged like a snake and opened wide with deadly aim.

And right as those glistening canines were about to make contact with my face, the woman falling backward—still clutching the leash—yanked back on the beast. He was massive, and the momentum he carried was too powerful for the soldier’s pull to have any real effect on him. But it was enough.

Mere inches saved me from certain death.

His jaws snapped closed, sending a plume of his rancid breath into my face.

Those enormous paws came crashing down, the left catching me in the right shoulder.

Black claws tore into the fabric of my uniform, shredding it across my chest just as I managed to fire the stunner again.

The electrical buzz and whip-like sound snapped through the air as it struck the beast in the chest, followed by a glorious thud as the hound’s limp form hit the floor.

I blew out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, and then I was shaking, the adrenaline hitting my system with full force.

I rubbed my face with my free hand, sending silent prayers of thanks up to the universe for whatever divine intervention had been at play.

If I hadn’t pulled my stunner out when I did, this whole thing could have gone very differently.

It would have been my body limp on the floor instead of the guard… and I’d be dead.

Feeling shaky, I turned back to the computer. A message box declared successful upload of the virus. Now we just needed to get out of here ASAP before someone else either found this woman, or figured out who we really were.

I collected my thumb drive and stashed it away before pulling out my 9mm and a silencer.

Letting the woman live was standard Dissenter protocol, and even if it wasn’t, there was no way I was going to shoot a defenseless person.

That was wrong, and a line I definitely wouldn’t cross.

The hound, on the other hand, the fewer of them in existence, the better.

Placing the barrel at the creature’s head, I winced, closing my eyes as I pulled the trigger.

The hound was a grotesque, vicious monster, but it didn’t make it any easier to take a life in this way.

Blood seeped out from under matted fur—a stark contrast to the pristine white tile. My stomach revolted at the sight of it, bringing up vivid memories.

Blood on my hands…

Blood on the floor…

Blood coming from eyes and ears and a nose and mouth.

Lips shaping letters, making sounds, as blood choked out the words.

Jacob.

I grew rigid as glacier ice. Cold. Frozen .

And then I was suddenly overwhelmed by the memory of my brother, bleeding to death on a pristine white tiled floor, begging me to finish it. My hands shook.

My whole body quaked.

Keep it together, Mara. You can’t lose it here.

Get out while you still can , the voice in my head ordered.

I pressed my lips together, inhaling deeply as I tried to soothe my frazzled nerves.

Letting the breath out as slow as I could, I noticed the softening beat of my heart, though shivers still raked my body every few seconds.

I stood and got to work, collecting my things and preparing to meet up with the rest of the team as I silently thanked the little voice in my head that sounded nothing like me and a whole lot like my brother.

***

WES

Three of us working to plant explosives made the work quick. We were on the last corner of the tower—weary eyes always watching the guard by the access door.

“Let’s hope Mara’s done with the virus,” Matias whispered.

“Sí. Ojalá esta completo…let’s hope it’s done.” Javier never looked up. Fingers working to make sure wires were positioned correctly and placed in the right spot. Despite the chilly air, a sheen of perspiration rested across his brow.

The hound’s steady gaze never left us, and it paced back and forth, almost as though it knew what we were doing. Thankfully, hellhounds couldn’t speak, and his idiot handler was more interested in his cuticles than actually doing his job .

Good. That worked for us. But I made the mental note that it was situations just like these that most likely led to the capture of several Northern bases—soldiers growing too complacent with their jobs and positions. Sweeps becoming too routine and commonplace, making them arrogant in their work.

I’d have to think about that for the future. Think about how to shake things up and breathe new vigilant life into the men and women that served under my command.

But not now.

Now my brain was wrapped up in getting back to Mara, and then getting the hell outta here.

“Done,” Matias muttered, straightening his back.

“Almost…” Javier mumbled in response, head tilted to the side, brows pinched, lips frowning as he appeared to muscle something into place. A clicking sound. “Done,” he proclaimed.

“Dude,” Matias whispered, a conniving smirk playing on his mouth. “If that soldier even pretends to inspect our work, he’s going to figure this shit out.”

“Pack it up,” I ordered, taking another glance at the guard. “I want us out of here before anybody even thinks of doing exactly that.”

Nobody argued.

Every muscle in my body felt tight. Every tendon like a rubber band, stretched to max length, on the verge of snapping.

Veins bulging.

Heart pounding.

Breaths short and shallow.

I wanted Mara. Needed to get back to her.

“Let’s go,” I snapped under my breath.

“Hey,” Matias warned, hands up in mock surrender. He eyed me as though I was another hellhound, on the verge of striking.

He wasn’t wrong .

Matias placed a hand on my shoulder, leaning in so I could hear his hushed words. “She’s all right, okay? If something had happened, that guard would be on us already. Mara’s fine. So relax…”

I ground my teeth. Looked at the guard once again. Picking his nose this time.

I let out a breath. He was right.

I had worked on how many missions in my life? Too many to count. Had been in more death-defying situations, shot at, bitten, nearly captured…

I did it all without ever fearing the outcome. A true soldier for my faction. A servant ready to lay down his life for the good of his people.

And then it all fucking changed.

Mara dissented, and then her life was constantly on the line. And suddenly, my life mattered to me. It mattered because as long as I stayed alive, I could keep her alive. One would think I’d be hellbent on keeping her home—safe and sound.

But that was the craziest part…

I didn’t want to cage her.

Self-preservation would keep her locked up and out of harm’s way. But I couldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t.

She had spent her whole life trapped.

Held back.

Hidden.

In the dark.

Caged.

She lived her life thinking she was inconsequential. That her life didn’t matter and was forfeit.

But she did matter.

She mattered to me .

From the very first moment my eyes landed on her—I was lost.

Love at first sight , they call it .

I was fucking Romeo in love with Juliet, and my fucking god did I fight it. I pushed back relentlessly, trying to muscle my heart into submission.

Because she wasn’t mine to love.

She belonged to Chase, promised to each other by our parents.

But Chase died—my idiocy leading to his death. And now, here I was, betrothed to Mara de la Puente—my Juliet.

Her life mattered, and that meant my life mattered. Mara had finally found her wings and I wanted her to use them. I wanted her to fly—to soar high into the sky and kiss the moon and lay among the stars.

But it meant fear was my new companion. A shadow I couldn’t seem to shake. Because I lived in constant fucking fear that something was going to happen to her. I never feared. I never cowered. Even when I offered myself to my father’s abusive anger to spare my mother, I never feared.

And yet, here I was…afraid. But fear looked and smelled and felt a lot like rage inside my skin. Like I was clothed in liquid fire, dressed in shrouds of magma, and the thunderous beat of my heart was the pounding of a thousand ancient drums of war.

I was kerosene and gasoline and nitroglycerin…give me a fucking match and I would explode.

Because I feared.

And I. Hated. Fearing.

“Are we done?” I muscled through my clenched jaw, shrugging Matias’s hand off my shoulder.

“That we are,” Javier said, standing in one graceful movement. “Let’s go find tu vida.” He brushed his hands on his thighs. Then leaned down and grabbed his bag. “Let’s go find your life.”

My life.

Yes. That’s why I feared. Mara was my life .

Because that’s what happens when you’ve finally been given your hopes and dreams. When they rain down on you from a blessed sky, and the person that you are is seen as worthy to hold something so cherished as the person you love.

Two lives becoming one.

One breath.

One heart.

One shared existence.

Our life.

I looked at Javier. Read his eyes. Read that he knew exactly what I felt and understood me more than I gave him credit for.

“Tu vida,” he said to me, and I suddenly understood his pet name for Lin.

“Mi vida,” I agreed.