Page 26 of Broken Kingdom

“I didn’t,” Bethany says. “That was Jean-Paul’s idea, not mine. I had to play along. You know how it is, Juliet. The men in our world don’t listen to us. They strut around, being big scary Alphas, expecting us to cower and fawn and clean up their messes. I was just doing what I was raised to do—serve the man who has control over me and defer to his wishes.”

“Almost there,” Layla murmurs. “Then we can leave Traitor Barbie here to explain how you escaped to her piece of shit boyfriend.”

“I say we kill her,” Ford says flatly. “No kid deserves parents like Bethany and Jean-Paul.”

“Agreed,” I say, “but we didn’t deserve our parents, either. And we turned out okay. We’ll leave her tied up here and tell Maxim’s people to lock her up in a nice, cozy cell. And when the baby’s born we’ll make sure it’s adopted by a wonderful family, while Bethany gets what’s coming to her.”

“You aren’t taking my baby away from me, Juliet,” Bethany says, anger creeping in to taint her “poor, scared victim” act. “I’m his mother.”

A beat later, the collar falls away and my body begins to burn with the full force of my power.

I turn slowly, letting the glow rise from my skin as I say. “And I’m your Alpha.” To Ford and Layla, I say, “Move away from the window.”

“Got it, we’re clear,” Ford says, his voice a bit farther away than it was before.

Holding Bethany’s fearful gaze until the last moment, I spiral into my phoenix form, gather a lungful of fire, and turn my head, blasting the wall below the window with white heat.

Bethany yips in surprise and cringes away toward the opposite wall as the mortar binding the stones together disintegrates and the large gray bricks glow pink. Flapping forward in the small space, I shove at the wall with my claws and the bricks tumble down onto the grass outside.

A moment later, Ford, Layla, and Catherine are jumping over the still-glowing stones. Layla and Catherine hurry to take care of Bethany, while Ford gathers me against his chest, holding me close as he buries his face in the soft mixture of fur and feathers at the base of my neck. I wish you had human arms right now, but I’ll take a hug any way I can get it, he says, directly into my thoughts.

I’m so glad you’re alive, I was so scared. I nuzzle closer, my heart overflowing with love and gratitude.

Ditto, Growly, he says.

Thank you for coming for me.

He pulls back, staring down into my phoenix face as he promises, “Always, woman. Always. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

“But wolves might,” Layla says from behind us, where she and Catherine have finished zip-tying Bethany to the pipes at the base of the sink. “Someone’s pounding on the door in the other room. I’m guessing it’s Jean-Paul’s goons. We should bolt before they get here.”

Or you could come with me, I say, spreading my wings as I hop out of Ford’s arms. And enjoy the show.

Layla’s eyes flicker. “Fuck yeah, girl. You know I’m down for watching a bunch of arrogant, asshole wolves get what’s coming to them.”

Not all of them, but Jean-Paul sure as hell isn’t leaving this church alive, I say, triggering another tearful stream of word vomit from Bethany.

“No, please,” she begs, straining against her bonds. “He’s the father of my child, and he’s not a bad man. It’s just all the pressure he’s under. There are bigger things at work here, things you can’t even begin to understand. Promises have been made to monsters not even you want to fuck with.”

What kind of monsters? I ask, but I should have known better than to expect a straight answer from Bethany.

She’s already proven whose side she’s on.

She shakes her head. “Just run and hide somewhere far away, and maybe none of us will have to find out. If you stay, you’re going down, Juliet. You’ll be dead by morning. Fighting fire with fire only works until someone with a bigger blaze comes along. Trust me, you’re no match for what’s already in motion.”

Cocking my head to one side, I say, We’ll see about that, then spray a burst of flame directly over her head.

She’s still whimpering for mercy as we hurry into the bridal suite. Catherine throws open the door, Ford lays down a wave of gunfire that knocks over the first three guards gathered outside in the hall, and I finish off the rest of them as I fly over their heads.

Then, I surge toward the sound of organ music, my wings so wide, they brush the walls of the hallway with every undulation. But I make it to the lobby without incident and fly through the open doors at the back of the sanctuary, triggering a gasp of surprise from the pack members seated in the rear pews.

By the time Jean-Paul turns to see me churning toward him, it’s too late.

My eyes lock on his wide, startled ones and a second later, my would-be husband is a pillar of fire. Shots ring out, but I don’t let them distract me. I wheel in a tight circle around the pulpit, raining more fire down on Jean-Paul as he staggers down the steps, screaming, and the priest makes a run for the front of the church.

I blast two guards who lack the sense to see they’re fighting a losing game and circle the sanctuary one more time, waiting until I’m sure Jean-Paul’s heart has gone silent before I fly hard at the glimpse of sky visible through the damaged stained-glass window. I tuck my head and shoot myself through the hole in the upper corner like a missile, emerging on the other side just as Ford, Catherine, and Layla spill out onto the front lawn behind the fleeing pack members, many of whom are already being forced to the ground and arrested by Maxim’s men.

“Come on, this way!” Ford shouts, churning his arm, motioning for me to follow them to the right.

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