Page 122 of The Omega's Bloodlinem: Part Two

I tapped the roof of the car firmly. “May the gods protect you.”

I stood frozen as they departed, but only for a moment until I could shove my grief into a tight ball in my stomach.

Margaret came sprinting over. “Sacramento has space, and Spokane can take one carload. Kananaskis up in Canada can take a few if people want to travel that far.”

Gods bless Margaret. She was a fucking saint. You could always count on a librarian in times of crisis.

More and more nest residents funneled out, Shakti and me making sure the vehicles were full and that they knew where to go.

All of this was fucked. I couldn’t stop seeing Laila’s body out of the corner of my eye.

“Velda, focus,” Shakti snapped.

“You need to leave too,” I insisted.

“I will, but not yet.” She hugged me tightly. “Pull yourself together. It’s terrible, I know, but Laila is already gone, and we have to make sure as few people follow her as possible. You can collapse later, but they need us right now.”

So that was what I did. Directed, ordered, organized.

Estrella hung back, making sure every single one of her staff were in a vehicle.

“Get in the fucking car, Estrella.”

She glared at me. “When my people are safe.”

“Youneed to be safe. You can’t take over for us if you get caught in the crossfire.”

“If you want me to become a Protector, you need to accept I will behave like one. I will go when Shakti goes.”

“Me too,” said Margaret.

Dr. Atling hadn’t stayed, but I wouldn’t have allowed her to anyway. Her priority was her patient, and that meant getting Calliope and her babies to safety.

“Shakti, I need you to get your ass out of here if these two are going to be stubborn.”

“Yelena and Kendrick are still doing a sweep. I can’t go yet.”

“If you won’t leave, you need to at least get in the driver’s seat of something. You can each be in charge of a carload as we get the remaining people out.”

All three looked like they were ready to argue, but I growled. “If I have to turn into a fucking bear and throw you into a car, I will.”

Shakti hesitated for a brief moment before complying, dragging Margaret and Estrella with her. Once they were lined up one after the other in various vehicles, I let go of the breath I’d been holding and shook my hands to dispel a fraction of the nervous energy trying to choke me.

Maybe I would have time to bury Laila before I died. I could dig pretty fast in my bear form.

It would probably be prudent to dig graves for all of us.

Seth and Caden emerged with a few people, getting them into the waiting cars. Yelena and Kendrick needed to hurry the fuck up. What the hell was taking so long? I needed to spiral and I couldn’t do that while I had to be responsible.

Yelena wasn’t the person I thought I would have at my side corralling panicked deer in hallways or digging hissing possums out of closets.

Lights flashed from the alarm system and I fought my own instincts to bolt. Yelena was a steady presence in the bond even with all the panic coursing through our pack, and I held on to it with both hands. She carried a flailing sheep shifter in herarms, shoving them onto the elevator along with the armful of possums I carried while trying to herd a shifter ahead of us.

It’s following them, Velda told us.

Much as I hated that Logan and Haru were a target, it gave us the time we needed to get our people out.

“Find Protectors Velda and Shakti on the lawn,” I yelled to the elevator’s occupants a moment before the door closed.