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“They are in our way. They are all in our way. And in order for us to have what we deserve, what was stolen from us—our lands, our autonomy, our power—we need the use of our fighters. Our army.”
“The vampires?” I whisper as a tremor runs through me.
“Yes. It is your blood that will bring them back to us. In order for our mission to be successful, you must die.”
And now it’s like the orbs are dancing, bobbing up and down, and I don’t know if that means they’re coming closer or what. My heart hammers against my ribs, and all I need to do is shift. Right, that’s all I have to do. My wolf will protect me.
But there’s something wrong. I can’t control her, I can’t even move, they did something to me, this is it, they’re going to take me, they’re going to kill me—
And all at once, the orbs go out, and even the nameless witch who brought me here vanishes. All at once, I’m surrounded by the ear-splitting sound of alarms. Sirens. So, they were going off. We are in pack territory. The witch must have dulled the sound, like I was in a bubble with her.
No, with them. All those dancing orbs.
“Lili!” It’s not until Wilde takes me by the shoulders and swings me around to face him that I know he’s here, that he found me. “Lili, what were you doing? Why were you with them?” And now Forrest is here, and Thorne, and so many of the guards.
And they’re all looking at me like I did something wrong.
Like I’m the enemy.
40
WILDE
She looks fine. She sounds fine, too. Maybe a little dazed, like she has no idea how she ended up where she is and why I’m with her.
But she’s unharmed. At least she’s unharmed.
“What were you doing with them?” Thorne demands, nearly breaking us apart.
“Stand down!” I bark before I can stop myself.
“Excuse me. Who do you think you’re dealing with here? I am your father’s beta—and if you aren’t careful, this could be perceived as a challenge.”
I know it. But that isn’t going to stop me. “Back the fuck away, Thorne. Before I rip your fucking throat out.”
Forrest manages to pull him aside, and the two of them have a quiet, tense conversation while I turn back to Lili. My Lili, my mate. I must have imagined what I thought I saw. There’s no way it was real. I refuse to believe it.
“What did they do to you? What did they say?”
“I can’t think with those damn sirens in my ears.” She covers them with her hands, wincing.
“Have them turn them off,” I shout to the nearest guard before pulling her in for a tight hug. I cover her ear with one of my hands while pressing the other ear to my chest. I sense her worry and confusion. Her wolf is in a frenzy. I look over my shoulder to find Forrest watching us. I don’t know what to say.
There’s no pretending it wasn’t real. She was here, standing before countless numbers of them. There was nothing about her to tell me she was ready to fight or that she even tried to.
That would have probably been a waste of time, anyway. I have no doubt she can hold her own against one or two of them at a time, but dozens?
What troubles me more is that it didn’t seem like any attack was underway. I’m sure they may have considered her not worth the effort—no, that doesn’t ring true because she’s important to them. She’s special. They were ready to kill all of us if it meant getting their hands on her.
Finally, the alarms fall silent, and somehow the silence that follows is even more deafening.
“Now.” I take her face in my hands, tipping her head back to look her in the eye. “Tell me. What is this all about? Why were you out here?”
“I want to go back,” she whispers, her eyes wide. “To the house. Please. I don’t want to be out here anymore.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Thorne asks. “Should she—”
“She is my mate,” I remind him. “She belongs with me.” When all he does is stare at me, I elbow my way past him, an arm around her shoulders. Whatever happened, it shook her up.
It shook me, too.
I felt it. At least, I sensed her wolf’s panic. The image of the wolf being stuck behind a barrier is still fresh in my mind’s eye. That was the message it sent me; that was why I ran for the woods. I knew she needed me, knew she was in terrible danger.
“I don’t want you to get in a fight with anybody because of me.” That is so like her. At a time like this, she cares more about what happens to me.
