Page 99 of Knight’s Retribution

Grace moved to Meredith and put her arm around her shoulders, Scarlet did the same on the other side. Kyler, Eve, Luna, and Mia moved in as well.

“Yes,” they all said, one after the other.

Grace looked at them—the females, her sisters gathered beside her—then back at Chaos. “This isn’t just another battle. We know what happens if our side loses; there won’t be an us. And if you’re gone, we’re left in the wreckage of what’s left, a world burning, without you.”

Luna shook her head, her small body trembling. “We don’t want to be here without you.”

Kyler gave the females beside her a squeeze, drawing strength from them, their love and support. “We fight together, we fight beside you. And live or die, we’ll do that with you as well.”

Emotion exploded through the room, a tidal wave crashing over them. Every male body vibrated with fear and pride, with love, and Kyler felt it. Her sisters felt it.

They didn’t say anything, they didn’t have to. They knew when their females’ minds were made up, and they weren’t going to try and stop them, not anymore.

Rocco stepped forward and held out his hand. “Let’s go, pumpkin.”

Kyler moved to him, tilting her head back. “Where are we going?”

“None of us know what’s going to happen when Diemos steps through that portal. But I’m betting on us.” He lifted his head. “I’m betting on all of us.” Then he looked down at Kyler. “But if things don’t go our way, I don’t want to miss one moment with you.” He cupped her face. “Somehow, I’ve gotta fit a lifetime with you into a few weeks. I’m thinking we need to get onto that now.”

Rocco’s brothers met their mates in the middle as well, and one by one they left the training room. To spend every moment they knew was a certainty, loving each other with everything they had.

Chapter 28

Rocco was watching the monitors, waiting for Willow when she rolled up.

He hit the switch to open the gate, then headed down to meet her in the parking garage. She’d called that morning and said she had something for him that might help. Willow had come through for him time and again, and he didn’t know how he’d ever repay her.

He jogged down the stairs to the ground level and strode into the garage as Willow parked her vintage Morris Minor. The small English truck’s paint job was faded and chipped, and it had the name of her store painted on the side. It looked slow as shit and ready to fall apart, but the thing never seemed to die.

She shoved the door open and climbed out. “Hey,” she said as he strode over to meet her.

“What’s going on?” he asked as she pulled something out of her bag.

“Hey, Willow,” Kyler called from behind him.

He’d Left Kyler sleeping. She’d looked so incredibly tried, he hadn’t wanted to disturb her. She must have woken up as soon as he walked out.

“Hey, Ky.” Willow smiled. “I have something here I think could help us out.”

Ky reached them, and she pressed a hand to Rocco’s chest, lifting up for his kiss. He was already leaning in, always desperate for a taste of his mate.

Willow moved to the front of her truck and waved a scroll in her hand. She unrolled it, laying it out on her rounded hood.

“What is that?” Roc asked, moving in for a closer look.

“Treasure map. It came from my grandmother’s library. It’s been in our family a long time…but until two days ago, I had no idea it existed.” Willow’s jaw tightened. “Nothing new there, she’s the queen of keeping freaking secrets.”

He was about to ask what she meant by that, but the look she flashed him, said don’t go there. Fair enough. “What’s the treasure? Where is this?” he asked instead, scanning a hand-drawn image on the old piece of parchment.

Willow glanced down. “You’re looking at a map of Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1600s. Around about the time of the witch trials, which I assume is the reason for all the secrecy. And the treasure is a knife…well, a dagger really. It was made to plunge into the hearts of our enemies, more specifically the hearts of our immortal enemies. My family pissed a lot of people off over the years apparently.”

Rocco’s brows shot up.

“It’s magic, of course. The witches who cursed the dagger were my Italian ancestors. They called it the voltafaccia. Voltare to turn and faccia face. Basically, it means about-face or what we’d call a change of heart. Hence the whole stabbing-of-the-heart requirement. My family brought it to Salem, and that’s where it still is by all accounts.”

“But it won’t kill Diemos?” Kyler asked.

“No, unfortunately.”