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“ D on’t fucking fight me on this.”

Calliope was freaking out while Sarah bundled the new babies into two carriers. Murdoch hooked the strap of one over his shoulder, and Sarah took the other while Dr. Atling and I worked to wrestle an ornery Calliope into leaving.

The nest is my responsibility, too.

“Your babies are your responsibility. We’ll take care of the nest, but you have to fucking get out of here.”

Luckily the hospital bed was on wheels. Dr. Atling kicked off the brakes and we rolled Calliope out of the nest while she hissed at us, cussing up a storm in my head. I could help. Please! You all keep making choices without me and I fucking hate it.

“I know, babe. I’m sorry. We can’t let you stay, though. You just gave birth. You have five children who need you. We’re evacuating the whole place. There won’t be anyone still here for you to help.”

But…

“No buts. The future of the nest needs to be protected, and that means making sure you’re all safe. You’ve gotta teach the newbie the ropes.”

No! Don’t you dare talk like you’re going to die.

I sniffed back my tears and panic. “Calliope, you heard what Logan said. The literal best-case scenario is that we lose our shifting. I’m not carrying around a lot of hope.”

Well, fucking start. She shifted from tiger to human, grimacing at the toll it took on her body, but then she dragged me close, hugging me fiercely. “I’ll reverse haunt you too. Don’t fucking die.”

Dr. Atling swung a hospital gown over Calliope’s shoulders so she wouldn’t be naked going down the highway.

“You can yell at me as much as you want to later,” I told Calliope, “but right now I only care about you getting out of here.”

Murdoch lovingly scooped her off the gurney when we arrived and settled her in the passenger seat before cramming into the back with Dr. Atling and the babies. He reached out the window to me. “Saying to stay safe won’t mean anything, but know that we appreciate you.”

I sniffled, nodding hastily. “Go. There’s not much time. Name one of the babies after me if I don’t make it. A middle name is cool with me if you’re not loving it for a first name.”

“You can count on it.” Murdoch gave my hand a final squeeze before dipping back inside.

I held my breath as they sped off, praying to every god I knew that this would all work out.

“Oh, hell.”

I turned in the direction Shakti was staring, numbness creeping up my fingertips. “Laila!”

I bolted toward the gate. She’d been watching the perimeter with a few others while we were busy. I collapsed to my knees next to my gargoyle, my hands immediately moving to her shoulders, trying to shake her awake.

Her blank eyes couldn’t be real.

Shakti attended the other fallen body, but I couldn’t drag my gaze away from Laila.

It was my fault she’d been out here. She could’ve left, could’ve flown away in the night, but she’d stayed even while watching every moment of my time get diverted to Logan during all the chaos.

Gods, I was a terrible friend. I should’ve convinced her to go.

“Velda!” Kelly came sprinting out of the nest, Tessa and Yumi at her heels. “Oh, fuck.”

“Get in one of the vehicles.” I sprang away from Laila, pushing the three of them toward the garage. I wasn’t going to lose another fucking person.

They squawked and complained as I forced them into a car, but I wasn’t going to be dissuaded.

“Velda, what the fuck is happening?” Tessa asked.

“The wards have fallen. Pick a road. Seattle will take you only so long as you’re moving on. Medford has space, for now anyway. I’m so sorry.”

Yumi clutched me tightly, hanging out the window. “I’m sorry about Laila. Look us up when this is all over, yeah?”

Tears were hot on my cheeks. “I will.”

Shakti appeared at my back, hustling two more shifters into the vehicle with my girls. “We don’t have time for this. You need to leave.”

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.”

“ You need 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.