His eyes darted past Cinder at the same moment she heard a gunshot. The thaumaturge stumbled back, clutching his chest. Slipping onto her hip, Cinder glanced back to see Scarlet marching down the ramp, carrying a shotgun. “Mademoiselle Benoit retrieved,” she said, planting her heel on the back of the dazed, blank-faced soldier and shoving him off the ramp. “And don’t worry, we’ll take Alpha Kesley off your hands.”
