Page 74 of Fastlander Fallen

“What?” Corey whispered in horror as she turned to find Hallie up on her hands and knees. Her face didn’t even look human anymore, and her clothes were stretching and ripping as she grew with each ragged breath she drew into her lungs.

“Let me out!” Corey screamed, pushing on the door as hard as she could.

“Corey?” Hallie said. “I can’t…I can’t…”

“You can’t what?” she asked, turning slowly as Hallie stood up.

Tears streamed out of her glowing green eyes, and she shook her head. “I can’t stop her.”

The next few seconds were the worst of her life. There would be nothing after this that could compare with the betrayal.

A massive silver grizzly exploded from her cousin, and there was nowhere to run. Hallie was on Corey in an instant, and the pain that followed was the worst she could ever imagine. Just a few seconds, and then purple smoke enveloped her, and then she wasn’t in the room anymore.

She had disappeared, just a blink, and then she was outside in the clearing. Ace was holding her, his eyes blazing nearly white. His eyes drifted to where Corey was cradling her arm. It hurt so badly. Her skin was on fire!

She rocked from side to side, crying out in pain like that would help, but it only got worse.

“Why the fuck would you do this!” he roared, standing to face off with a group of strangers.

“I can’t explain why,” the dark-haired woman at the front of the group said softly. “You have to trust me. It had to happen this way.”

Gunner strode up beside Ace. “This is war, and you know it.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” a tall, built man said from beside Lucia.

“Fuck you, Lucas. Fuck all of you.” Gunner’s voice boomed powerfully through the clearing. He jammed a finger at Lucia. “You Turned two humans against their will. You’re fucking dead.”

“Gunner,” a blond man on Lucia’s other side said.

“Landon, shut the fuck up. Is this the revenge? You’ve been waiting to get me back? I was trying to change! I was changing my life! I was minding the rules! I was obeying what Damon wanted, and you nearly killed my mate! You think I wanted a Novak bear in my mate? Huh?” he screamed. “That was my job! I am her mate! It is our choice! You stole that from us.”

Tears were streaming down Lucia’s cheeks. “I had to.”

“You’re just like your father. He Turned Willa against her will. You Turned Hallie. Fuck you.”

“Ace,” she tried to say, but it came out a long snarl, and she could feel something awful and dark growing inside of her.

“You’re all dead,” Ace said softly.

“You don’t understand,” Lucia said, pleading.

Ace pointed to Lucia. “Dead.” He pointed to the others one by one. “Dead. This is war with the Warlanders. You heard Gunner.”

“I’m trying to save them!” Lucia screamed.

“From what?” Ace roared back.

A sob wracked her shoulders, and the tears streamed. “From your people.”

Ace froze. Gunner swung his gaze to Ace, then back to Lucia. “When?”

“I don’t know the timing. I just saw the humans fall.”

“Lucia!” a booming voice sounded from the tree line. “You are not supposed to interfere!”

“I know.”

“You are not supposed to interfere,” the green-eyed man said again, limping from the tree line into the clearing.

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