what they’re willing to do to capture a little human girl. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m going to show them what I’m willing to do to save a little human girl,” I answered.
“And you know what that means? You are going to break so many Laws—”
“They started it,” I hissed. “They came into my home to take her and I killed them. They came here and I killed as many as I could. They took something that belongs to me, and yes, I know what it means. I have people I can call and warn. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get some backup. I don’t need you questioning me, fae. This has nothing to do with you once I drive away.”
“Of course.” He inclined his head. “I’ll charge you for everything.”
“I have the money,” I told him, walking past my bloodstain on the asphalt. The money wasn’t a problem. The card was limitless. Hasan would never let me go out into the world poor, and I stopped arguing with him about money years ago.
I wasted no time in throwing all of my things back into their suitcases. Then I got Carey’s, growling as I saw that the wolves took nothing of hers. She had nothing but the clothes on her back again.
It took me less than twenty minutes to load up my hatchback, my body aching in protest. Brin never stopped watching me, shaking his head in obvious equal parts disappointment and dismay. I was about to get into the hatchback when he grabbed me.
“You could start a war against your kind, Jacky. Please. Remember that there will be other humans who need you one day.”
“I am,” I whispered harshly. “I am thinking about them. They took Carey from me, and let this be a warning to whoever tries to take something from me again. Next time, they’ll need to make sure I’m dead. Let the world get angry. I’m going to put fear in their fucking hearts before I rip them out of their fucking chests.” I slid in, wincing because of the pain and slammed the door shut before he could say any more.
Duty was defensive. I wasn’t going to let it stop there, though. I turned the engine on and screamed out of the parking lot, hitting the gas harder when I was on the highway. I pulled out my phone and punched in a random spot in Dallas as my destination. I didn’t care if wolves were going to track me anymore.
I hope they know I’m coming for them. I wonder what they’re going to think when they realize I’m not dead and I’m coming for their mangy asses. There better not be a hair out of place on Carey’s head.
I turned on the Bluetooth between my hatchback’s system and my phone.
“Call last number,” I ordered.
It rang twice.
“Jacqueline—”
“They took her from me. I’ll be in Dallas.” I hung up right after that. I didn’t need to have a long conversation with Hasan, but I felt he deserved to know that much. He tried calling back and I hit reject on the touch screen on my dashboard. Then I flicked through to another number and hit it.
“Jacky Leon. I heard some news, and I was worried something happened.”
“Something did happen, Harrison. At least a dozen wolves showed up where I was hiding with Carey. Ten or so hours ago. I was shot four times with silver bullets and they took her. There’s six dead wolves at the place. You’ll get a call from the owner soon. He’s called Brin. Get a clean-up crew out there for those guys.”
“And what are you going to do? With Carey back in the hands of the wolves, I guess this is the last call—”
“I’m going to get her. You’re going to stay out of my way. Before you ask, damn right I know what Laws I’m breaking. You should ask a more important question than that when you speak next.”
“And what question would that be?” he asked softly. He was tense, and I couldn’t blame him. I was about to say something stupid, and do something even stupider.
“Do I care?”
I hung up on him too.
I rejected another phone call from Hasan once the line was dead and called Lani.
“Jacky. I hope everything is okay.” She sounded normal. I nearly felt bad for what I was about to drop on her head.
“What exactly does the Law cover when it comes to a werecat’s Duty?” I knew the Laws as they