Vin's Rules (Outer Settlement Agency) by Lyn Brittan

been assured, but Allie’s fightin’ hand just worsened the odds. He stood shoulder to shoulder with her, showing in a way that even these losers could understand that he stood with her, for better or for worse.
    Or very, very worse.
    Graham massaged the imprint of Allie’s hand, his face morphing into the purple scowl of a caged animal.
    And bless her, his little pugilist wasn’t done. Allie turned to face the room, teeth bared and fingers clawed.
    “It’s the lotion,” she screamed. Allie whirled again, hitting every corner of the room.  “They put pheromones in the lotions and soap to attract the creatures. That’s how they do it.”
    “She lies!”
    “I don’t, and they know it. Deep down you must! Ask the men. Ask them! Why do they guard the doctor’s office? There’s no point if not to hide something. That’s where they do their tests—right here in the middle of town.”
    “She’s a lying bitch. I would never put my beloveds in danger.”
    Absolutely impossible not to roll his eyes at that. Vin shrugged and stretched his shoulders, priming for a fight. “She’s not.”
    “Prove it.”
    “Easy. One of those make-believe-who-me monsters got loose. If we’re so full of shit, you can happily walk into the doctor’s laboratory and come out just fine. I’ll even bow down upon your glorious return.”
    Something sailed between his and Graham’s foot.
    “Have some lotion,” Allie spit out. Her arms were crossed with muscles visibly twitching beneath her skin.
    The room surged with expectation. Some Tans leveled their weapons on them... but not just them. Greens and Blues stood up too, fists clenched at their sides.
    Vin leaned in and winked. “I guess the revolution’s starting early.”
    Slight misstep. Better worded: Wrong fucking thing to say.
    Graham lunged, but Vin crunched the man’s nose with a very willing fist. Weapons whirred as they powered up for a fatal charge. Vin pushed Allie in the direction of the door shielding her with his body.
    One teeny, tiny thing stopped them, but it was kinda a doozy.
    Poppy.
    Sweet, kickass, Poppy.
    The young wife barred their exit with a knife in one hand and a half-dazed Mama held by the throat with the other. “I’m going with you. Mama is our insurance.”
    “What have you done to her?” Graham stumbled toward the group but froze when Poppy flicked the blade.
    Her head twisted mechanically, like an overused doll. “Nothing more than you did to me when I was a Green. Or my sister.”
    Mike pushed his way through the growing crowd, screaming his wife’s name and begging her to stop before she’d gone too far. Too late for that.
    Tears poured down her face, but none of them lessened the determination Vin saw there. He doubted the girl ever had a day of training, but this young woman in front of him was ready for war. Come hell or high water, Vin would get her out of here too.
    Vin’s arm wrapped about Mike’s neck in a chokehold. “You’re not stopping her.”
    “She’s my wife!”
    “She’s more than that. She’s a damned human being, and she’s made her choice. Look at her.”
    Poppy’s lips trembled, but the knife sure didn’t.
    The man... the boy... sagged in his arms, and his two narrow shoulders drooped. “I love her.”
    Graham sprung into action at the scent of weakness. “She doesn’t love you. She’s throwing away all of your work for her own selfish reasons. You’re better without her. Don’t love someone who—”
    “I’m pregnant.”
    Vin locked eyes with Allie over Mike’s head. “That’s a game changer.”
    “I’d say so.”
    So did a few others. The woman in blue, the one who’d helped Allie into her dress that first day, rushed forward with her arms wide open. The closer she got, the more he saw the family resemblance between her and Poppy.
    “I’m going with my daughter and grandchild.” The older woman crossed her arms and took her place on the other side of Mama. “I wasn’t strong enough to