Chapter 33 · Blood-Slicked Welcome

"Get away from her!" the captain shouted, and a metal baton slammed into my ribs.

The EMP charge inside it went off before I hit the ground.

Every stolen trait in my body vanished at once. My claws folded. The sonar pulse in my skull cut out. Even the extra strength in my legs dropped away, leaving me sprawled in the mud with Vera's boot inches from my face.

She spun toward the captain. "You said the suppressor needed a full charge."

"It does. I only need one shot to put the beast down." He lifted the baton again. "Step away, Hunter Quinn."

Vera raised her rifle. The captain had three armored men behind him, all aiming at her back. Red lights blinked on their helmets. One wrong move, and they would cut her apart before she could fire.

I tried to move.

My right arm twitched. That was all.

The captain smiled at me through his steel mask. "There. Look at that. The farm's favorite mistake finally learned how to crawl."

"Shoot him," one of the soldiers said.

"Not yet." The captain crouched and pressed the baton against my throat. "Hector wants the core intact.