“And you were the only one to survive that long?”
Mackenna wanted to be angry. It would be a lot easier to say Seth was just a dick with a chip on his shoulder, but she couldn’t do it. His doubt wasn’t unfounded, and he was right to suspect that she was hiding something. The human’s perceptiveness was still annoying as hell.
“No, I wasn’t the only one. There was a vampire and two shifters who were brought in a couple of months after me. As far as I know, they were still there when I escaped.”
If she’d thought that revelation might allay some of his doubt, she would have been sorely mistaken. Seth’s expression didn’t change beyond the slight tightening around his eyes. She could practically see the gears turning inside his head as he studied her.
“You don’t look like you could fight your way out of a wet paper bag, but you somehow managed to survive imprisonment for two years. You escaped but couldn’t free any of the other prisoners, and you can’t even accurately tell us how many there are.”
He hadn’t technically asked a question, but his accusation was clear. Not only didn’t he believe her, but he suspected her of…what? Being a spy?
Cade tensed, his arms tightening around her as he sat up straighter in the chair. Anger flooded his scent and bled into the air around them.
“What exactly are you implying?” he demanded, his tone cold and menacing.
Seth didn’t back down. “You don’t find it even a little strange that she was supposedly held there for two years, and she can’t give us any information about the place?”
“She’s given us plenty of information,” Roux said, irritation flaring in her eyes. “We know where the Hunters are, how many there are, and what kind of weapons they have. What more were you expecting Barnes?”
Mackenna gave her a grateful smile from across the table. She would tell them everything she knew, but the truth of the matter was that she didn’t know much. Despite the length of time she’d been in the camp, she’d rarely left the basement. The only information she held back was the fact she could shift, but that was a problem for another day, and ultimately, had no bearing on the current conversation.
“I’m telling you what I know,” she said to the male. “It’s not like the Hunters brought me schematics and infographics, or gave me a five-point presentation with a mission statement.”
They hadn’t asked her permission, and they damn sure hadn’t needed her approval.
“No one is accusing you of anything,” Roux said, her glare fixed on the pale human.
Seth shook his head, his shorn scalp gleaming in the overhead lights. “There’s something she’s not telling us.”
I could shift into an eight-hundred-pound wolf and bite your head off before you could stop me.
While it would be rewarding to wipe the smug look off his face, she couldn’t say that. “Like what?” she asked instead. “My bra size?”
A chorus of chuckles went around the table, and even Luca cracked a grin at her sarcasm. Cade didn’t laugh or smile, but he did stroke his hand up and down her back as he continued to glare daggers at the male. If the guy had any self-preservation, he’d steer clear of her mate for the next couple of days.
“Okay,” Luca said, calling everyone to order. “We’ve got enough to get us started. Mackenna, if you think of anything else—”
“I’ll tell you.”
He dipped his head. “In that case, we need to get surveillance on this place. I don’t want any fucking surprises this time.”
Going around the room, he started dividing the group into teams, each with their own assignments. Mackenna tensed when Cade’s name was called, but she bit her lip and didn’t voice the protest on the tip of her tongue. He was a soldier, and he wouldn’t be satisfied to sit on the sidelines while everyone else put their lives in danger. She still hated the idea of him being anywhere near that place, though.
“O’Malley, I want eyes on that building tonight.”
Unfolding her arms, Deidra pushed away from the wall and flipped her strawberry blond braid over her shoulder before giving him a jerky nod. “I’m on it.” Her gaze went to Rhys, Thea, and finally, to Cade. “Get what you need. We leave in twenty minutes.”
“Collins, are you up for this?” Luca asked.
Deke stiffened his spine and pulled his shoulders back. “I’m good. What do you got?”
“We need to know what kind of security they have in the surrounding forests. Patrols, traps, alarms.” He waved his hand. “If someone takes a piss in those woods, I want to know when, where, and what color it was.”
The room began to clear once everyone had their assignments, but Mackenna didn’t move. She felt frozen, paralyzed, but she didn’t fear for herself.
“Come on, Mack,” Cade said, tapping her on the hip. “Let’s get you back to the room.”
“Cade…” She could ask him to stay. If she begged, he might even do it. “I…”
His smile turned gentle, and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What is it?”
She couldn’t do it. As much as she wanted him to stay with her where it was safe, she couldn’t ask him to put her before the rest of his team. She couldn’t ask him to turn his back on the Gemini prisoners who needed his help.
So, she took all that fear and worry and shoved it down deep as she leaned in to press their mouths together in a brief kiss. “Be careful,” she whispered against his lips, “and come
