AARYN

A tiny noise broke in Elreth's throat, but Aaryn just stared—at her, and her brother—trying to take in what these words meant.

Holy **.

Holy **ing **.

This was what Gar had been hiding from him? This was why he'd been letting the disformed bring human mates through? This was what Elia had been doing? Why she'd hidden it from Reth?

But… why? And why was he suddenly revealing it now, all of it, to all these people?

What the ** was Gar doing?

Aaryn was on his feet and rushing for the male before he'd even thought it through.

"Shut your mouth! Stop! You can't do this!

"

"Wait, you knew about this?!

" Elreth snarled.

"No!

" Aaryn growled back.

"But I knew whatever it was, it was important, and no one was supposed to know—what the ** are you doing, Gar? You can't just blurt this out to everyone. You just said yourself we can't know! What the hell!?

"

"It's time,

" Gar said, folding his arms across his chest and planting his feet.

"I thought… I mean I wondered if I was the one a while ago, but it just seemed like too much. Too grand. It seemed ridiculous that it would be me. I never thought… but it's all happened. Everything they said has happened. To me. I'm the one. I'm the one who had to decide when the time had come. When I saw that pricklepig in here… you weren't supposed to see that. None of you were. But that means the Creator let it happen, so it's time.

"

"What?!

" Aaryn howled.

"What are you talking about?

"

Gar dropped his arms and leaned into Aaryn.

"Shut up and listen and I'll tell you.

" Aaryn's upper lip curled back from his teeth and Gar shot him a look that was half warning and half pleading, but Aaryn didn't push him, just continued to stand, demanding answers.

But should he? Whatever this was, Elia had protected it with her life—even from Reth. How could Gar be so sure the time had come to—

"The warning is that the two worlds will collide, and when they do, the disformed—the Protectors—will be needed. They'll be the saving grace of the Anima. My mom has known this since before Elreth was born. She and… some friends. But they had to hide it. They had to get us to this point—where the disformed are skilled and strong. Where there's enough of them to deliver us.

"

"Deliver us where?

"

"I don't know. At least, not for certain. I'm still figuring that part out,

" Gar said reluctantly.

Aaryn's jaw dropped and Elreth made that little noise in her throat again.

"You're revealing this, bringing all of this to a head and you don't even know how we're going to win?

" Elreth was incredulous.

Gar growled.

"I know the means. I trained them! And you can stop looking at me like I'm nothing but your irritating little brother, El. You haven't been there. You don't know. I put my **ing life on the line for this.

"

Her mouth dropped open further, if that was possible.

"How… why?! Why wouldn't you tell us?

"

"Because if you knew, we'd all die.

"

"But suddenly today it's okay? Suddenly now we won't die?!

"

Gar took a deep breath and looked back and forth between her and the elders.

"Look… there's too much to this story to try and cover it all right now. Just… accept that the things that have been happening lately—humans in Anima, the disformed getting bigger and stronger, forming a tribe, and… and lots of little things you wouldn't even think are relevant… they all mean the war is coming. The invasion is coming. And unless we're prepared, we'll lose. So when I became Alpha today without even trying… I knew. I knew it was here. I would have brought it to you if you hadn't called for me. Soon, anyway. I just… I've been trying to get my head around it.

"

Then he turned to face Elreth directly and Aaryn saw an expression on Gar's face that he hadn't seen since Gar was ten or so. He was looking at his older sister and begging her not to reject him.

"It's real, El,

" he said quietly.

"And you have to take us through it. You're… you're neck deep in all this.

"

"How do you know that? You wouldn't even tell me what was going on!

"

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't sure and Mom… Mom's freaking out. She's scared we'll all get hurt and the timing's wrong. It's all… it's just a lot. Today I had to figure out what I was going to do. And then you called me in.

"

He sighed heavily and held his hands out, palms up, as if begging.

"El, it's happening. We have to get ready. They won't leave us alone once they get here. We've had a warning, but that just means it's only a matter of time.

"

"Warning? What warning?

"

Gar raked a hand through his hair.

"That pricklepig? That was shot by a human being here on Anima. That's just the beginning. A… a test, I think. They're coming for us, El. And unless we figure out how to stop them, we're all done.

"

"Coming for us? Why?

"

"Because of our blood,

" he said simply, sadly.

Aaryn felt a jolt of horror, but Elreth only looked confused.

"What do you mean?

"

"We can heal them, El. We're… we're medicine for them. And they're dying. They hurt each other and themselves, and then they need something to keep them alive. Don't ask me how but they've figured out that we can do that. So they're coming.

"

His eyes were pools of horror to match the pit in Aaryn's stomach.

Elreth grasped for his hand and Aaryn took it, clinging, as they both stared at her brother.

"You mean…

" she breathed,

"Like mom? And… and me?

"

Gar nodded.

"It's a linked, El. All of it. And it's only a matter of time until they figure out how to get here with the weapons they need to take us. You have to believe me. This is real. And it's happening.. It's happening right now.

"