The Blackhawk roared where it crouched. Its blades thrashed the mist into spirals, kicking dirt and shredding leaves. Rain ran off its hull in silver sheets. Steam hissed off the exhaust vents. The bird was ready to go, it was hot and impatient.

  Colonel May Bradford stood just inside the open bay. One boot pressed against the edge of the sliding door. He kept one hand on the rail. His coat was pulled tight by the wind. His eyes scanned the jungle. The lines of his face were carved, deeper than usual from the shadows.

  Across the clearing. Sawyer stood in the wet earth beside Ashley and Cormac. Their boots sunk into the muck. He kept his shoulders squared. He didn’t blink against the spray of water.

  Ashley’s hair clung to her face. She’d said nothing. Her jaw was locked and her eyes tracked the twitching in Bradford’s hand.

  Cormac’s arms were at his sides, but his fingertips flexed every few seconds like they couldn’t decide what to reach for.

  “You’re not coming with us,” Bradford said, loud enough to cut through the wind.

  Sawyer didn’t move. “I’m not staying here in Panama!”

  “You’re not boarding my aircraft with that cursed blood of yours. Vampires? Really, Kestrel?”

  Ashley’s heel scraped half an inch forward. “If we wanted to drain you dry, you’d be a raisin. We’re not your enemy, Colonel.”

  Bradford’s eyes didn’t leave Sawyer. He gestured to Ashley. “Do you think that’s reassuring?”

  Cormac cleared his throat. “I can understand where the Colonel’s coming from.”

  That made Bradford’s gaze flick to him for a single beat. His nod was slow, but grateful, and not at all surprised. “At least one of you is human.”

  Sawyer’s head tilted slightly. “Are you serious? Do you think I chose this?”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. Then his eyes shifted toward the tree line. Something caught his ear. It caught Ashley’s, too. They both went still.

  They listened.

  “You hear that? They’re coming,” Sawyer said.

  Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “We don’t have long.”

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  Bradford turned his head, but he didn’t seem to hear it yet.

  “Harland’s men are coming,” Ashley said. She scanned the jungle with her shoulders held high. “Three vehicles. Fast. If they get here, it’s over for all of us, Colonel. Better make a decision.”

  Sawyer stepped closer. The rain dripped off his brow. “I’m not a monster, Colonel. What do I need to do to prove it?”

  Bradford stepped out of the cabin. His boots crunched against the grass. Still holding his silver dagger, it gleamed in the storm light. It wasn’t ceremonial and it wasn’t for show. He lunged forward and grabbed a fistful of Sawyer’s shirt.

  Bradford pressed the blade up to Sawyer’s neck. For an old man, he was quick. Sawyer could have thrown him off, easily, but Sawyer knew that would cause more problems than he needed. The sound was instant, a sharp hiss then the stench of scorched flesh. Sawyer’s spine arched from the pain. His teeth grinded behind locked lips. The muscles in his jaw bulged. A tremor worked through his legs like he wanted to move but couldn’t. Smoke curled up from under his jawline.

  Ashley stepped forward but Sawyer shot out his hand. “No.” His breath came through flared nostrils. His shoulders quivered under the weight of restraint.

  Bradford leaned in close. “There it is. There’s the monster.”

  Sawyer’s eyes locked with his. He didn’t flinch, but his fingers dug into his thigh to keep him from strangling the man he’d respected and known for years.

  The Colonel held contact for a moment longer, then pulled away. He removed his blade. The burn his silver blade left was raw. The steam clung to Sawyer’s throat like the last breath of cold air.

  He didn’t touch the wound, just let it sizzle.

  Bradford slid his knife into its sheath. “You’ve got it, the hunger and the rage. It’s that gnawing sensation. It wants you to eat the world and everything in it. You can’t let it.”

  He looked down at his own hands and flexed them once.

  His voice dipped. “You don’t chase demons for twenty years without bringing some of them back home with you. This line of business isn’t for everyone. Your father knew that. I guess he didn’t teach you a whole lot, so you’re forced to learn your lessons the hard way. I’ll teach you the first lesson: it’s always better to be human.”

  He turned around.

  “Get into the bird before I change my mind.”

  Ashley moved first. Her wet boots clanked as she climbed aboard. She didn’t look back. Cormac gave Bradford one final glance and then followed Ashely into the chopper. Sawyer lingered for a second. His breath beat like a chain-fed machine gun.

  Sawyer climbed aboard.

  The rotors howled louder.

  When the helicopter lifted, three sets of yellow headlights cracked through the mist in the dark canopy below them. At some point, Harland’s forces would catch up to them. And when that happened, they would deal with it. They weren’t done with Panama. It was only the beginning.