Page 107 of Prey

Home. The word should feel wrong applied to a criminal compound full of broken men who’ve built their lives around violence. Instead, it feels exactly right.

“Lead the way, hunter.”

His grin is sharp as a blade. “After you, hunter.”

We walk back through the forest side by side, equals in darkness, partners in whatever comes next.

38

NIKOLAI

The encrypted message comes through at 4:17 AM while I’m watching Jenna sleep. My phone vibrates against the nightstand, and Marcus’s priority code flashes across the screen.

Prague facility confirmed operational. Child subjects identified. Full briefing at Infinity 0600.

I read it twice before the implications sink in. Prague. Children. The words hit like ice water in my veins.

Jenna stirs beside me, her hand finding my chest in sleep. Three weeks since the forest, since she claimed me as thoroughly as I’ve claimed her, and she’s developed this unconscious need for contact. Even asleep, she reaches for me.

I could leave her here. The Nexus is secure, and our operation planning gets dark fast. She’s seen my violence, accepted it, but this is different. This is the systematic destruction of the people who made us into weapons.

But as I watch her breathe in the pre-dawn darkness, I realize I don’t want to leave her behind. Not anymore. She’s proven herself my equal in every way that matters. She deserves to see the full scope of what we’re fighting against.

“Nik?” Her voice is sleep-rough, eyes still closed. “What is it?”

“Intelligence came in. We need to be at Infinity in less than two hours.”

She opens her eyes, instantly alert. The hypervigilance never fully leaves either of us. “We?”

“If you want to come.” I stroke her hair back from her face. “This won’t be pretty. Full operational briefing about people who deserve to die. Slowly.”

Her smile is sharp as broken glass. “Try to keep me away.”

Infinity’s fifth floor hums with controlled violence when we arrive. All eight of my brothers are already here, scattered around the boardroom in various states of readiness. Darius looks up from his laptop with a grin.

“Well, well. Look what the hunter dragged in.”

“Literally,” Damon adds without looking up from the weapons array he’s checking. “Still got that post-capture glow, Jenna?”

“Still got that post-lobotomy charm, Damon?” Jenna fires back without missing a beat.

The room goes quiet for three seconds before Lucien starts laughing. “I like her more every time she opens her mouth.”

“That’s what he said,” Theon mutters, earning a collective groan.

“Children,” Raphael says from his position at the head of the table. “Can we focus on the actual children who need our help?”

The mood shifts immediately. Business time.

Ezra activates the central display, and satellite imagery fills the screen. A nondescript industrial complex surrounded by razor wire and guard towers. “Prague, Oklahoma. Population 2,847. This facility appeared on our radar six weeks ago when Marcus identified unusual supply patterns.”

Marcus leans forward, his voice carrying that particular intensity he gets when tracking prey. “Medical supplies, specialized equipment, and food deliveries consistent with housing forty to sixty individuals in controlled conditions.”

“Children,” I clarify, the word tasting like ash.

“Ages seven to fourteen, based on nutritional requirements and pharmaceutical orders,” Theon confirms. “Same drug cocktails they used on us. Same conditioning protocols.”

Jenna’s hand finds mine under the table, her grip tight. I can feel her processing this, understanding what it means that somewhere, children are going through what we survived.