Chapter 111

*Merikh*
I hold Colette close, knowing that the second we arrive there will be no time to be close to her. There is a very real probability the people we love will die. Not all of them, but some, and potentially one of us.
The reality of that knowledge doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone in the SUV as Johannes careens closer to where my pack was supposed to be hiding. It infuriates me beyond all things that I once again was blind to what Lauren might share with the enemy.
Granted, I had hoped the rumor of her existence had been false. The fact remains, I failed my pack again. Little mistakes that could change the tide of any war plague me at every turn and I need to force myself to be prepared for whatever outcome may arise.
“What is the plan?” Johannes asks, his gaze meeting mine in the rearview mirror.
“We need to get to Giselle. Get her alone and piss her off beyond belief.” Colette says.
“Care to share why making her angry is so important?” He asks.
Colette launches into explaining the thought process behind it all as I zone out, preparing myself for every scenario.
“Alpha,” Melody says softly, grabbing my attention. “Are you feeling up to this?”
Her question is quiet, while Colette and Johannes chat as if they have been on the same side for all their lives.
“I am fine,” I tell her, even if it isn’t true.
There is no choice but to be fine in our current situation. Yes, we could have taken another day and hoped Giselle would have been patient, but that is not how either me or my luna are. My brother and pack are on a fish string, teetering over the edge, and we are the only ones who can catch them.
“Will you be able to fight?” She asks, concern etched in her face. My gaze skirts over to Ezrah, who is very much pretending to be asleep.
“Of course I will.” I frown, “Why don’t you just ask what you are really trying to get to? You want to know if I will be able to protect Colette in my weakened state?”
She clears her throat and looks away, ashamed. I lean back on the seat, turning slightly.
“Let me be very clear. There is nothing, not even death, that will keep me from making sure she is safe.” I whisper, and she nods.
“Good,” her eyes drift to the window, and I feel she is holding something back, so I press her harder.
Colette slips up to the passenger’s seat, speaking with Johannes about potential problems and what we anticipate while I pin her mother down with a pointed glare.
“Why did Caspian choose not to come?” I ask her, and she grows rigid. Her hands twist at the seat belt before she fiddles with the hem of her top.
“I already told you, you can ask Ezrah too if you like.” She tries to hide her face, but she is too much like Colette, looking away when she feels she is getting caught.
“I am not asking Ezrah, I am asking you why you lied,” I say, my tone harsh and I watch her throat bob as she swallows. “There is no way he wouldn’t be here unless you asked him not to be.”
“He is coming separately because we can’t be in the same car.” She admits, her hand reaching to the back of her neck. “It physically hurts to be near him. To know that all this time he never once thought that perhaps we weren’t dead and he should search for us.”
“There is more at stake than upsetting exes.” I say with a disappointed frown.
“It would be less painful if we were exes.” She whispers. “He didn’t or doesn’t feel the bond the way I do. There was no way for him to feel I was alive, I understand that, but…it feels like home. He feels like home, but that doesn’t mean I am wanted there. Caspian spent ten years moving on from me, getting over me. I spent ten years wishing to die.”
My anger flares up as I scoff and force back a disdainful chuckle. She convinced him to stay away because it’s painful? Life hangs in the balance and she is more concerned with her own feelings than the thought of potentially losing a daughter again?
I whip around, leaning forward as I grab the phone Johannes had taken from my brother on his way to come for us. Thankfully, the phone for the Siren’s is still in that cabin, and if I am lucky, Calvin will be there, and inform Caspian of what I sent through the message.
I shoot a short, and fire off a text, then slam the phone shut. Colette slides a glance in my direction, her brows tugging together in a silent question, but I ease her worry with a smile. I motion for her to crawl back with me and she grins, slipping over the armrest and into my arms, snuggling into my chest.
Her hand slips to my chest, a finger rubbing gentle circles over my heart before exhaustion takes over and I slip away into a deep sleep. There is nothing in my dream at first, no visions, no sweet memories to relive as it feels like I toe the line between consciousness and slumber.
Until I can feel a constant nagging, as if I am being tugged on like a fish finally hooked by an eager fisherman on the shore. My lycan tries to break into my mind, to wake me, but I am content.
At peace while doing nothing but merely existing with my mate in my arms. Until that hum of the bond is gone, ripped from my mind and body as panic settles over me.
The grip of cold death tears at my wrists, yanking and pulling on me as if it is struggling to separate me from the very life I ever refuse to step away from. My lycan howls loudly in my head, a distorted, distant sound as pain laces through my side. The world falls silent in the dark recesses of my mind as I try to understand what is happening.
Am I dead? Asleep, or maybe I am fighting off the rest of the demon vampire blood venom that was forcefully put inside of me? Then a fluttering blossom in me at my cheek, a wetness under my eyes and the sound of wind barreling through a concrete tunnel grows louder until I cry out in pain, covering my eyes and I throw my eyes open.
The world around me burns, the vehicle we were in up in flames as I blink and find Colette’s tear-stained face. Her look of horror turns to one of sheer relief as she kisses my lips and hugs me.
“It’s about damn time!” Johannes roars, a raging burn down the side of his pale face.
“What?” I croak, looking around in shock, taking stock of everything. “What the fuck happened?”
“The second we crossed the border, they attacked.” Colette whispers, “They weren’t waiting for us to talk or discuss things. It was always a trap.”
Nothing makes sense as I try to shake my body awake, trying to reach out to my lycan, who still feels miles away. All I did was fall asleep. For what? Fifteen minutes at most and suddenly I wake up in a war zone.
“How long was I asleep?” I ask.
She frowns. “Eight hours,”
“And the attack happened? How long ago?” I ask, pushing myself up, ignoring the pain in my side that ripples up my body, making me shudder. “Feels like fucking forever and that is saying a lot coming from an immortal.” Johannes responds, creeping over to us while keeping his head down. “Who pulled me out of that?” I ask, nodding to the melted and twisted metal.
“That was me,” Johannes says, a smirk on his thin lips.
“I tried, but you were stuck, so I crawled back into try to free you—”
“Where is Melody?” I ask, my eyes wide as I force myself to sit up a little higher. “And Ezrah?”
“They went to sneak in to where Hayes and Leandra are. We thought she would be safest with him since they don’t know he is no longer neutral.” Colette says, pushing me back down.
“What’s the situation?” I ask, gently taking her hand off my shoulder and forcing myself to sit up. Her hand grips to mine, and she bites her bottom lip, looking nervously at Johannes.
“Your wolfie zombies are out on patrol. For every damn one I take out, another pops up to take its place.”
“Wait, no one else is coming for us? Not the dragons?” I ask, a thought occurring to me that clearly they haven’t had the chance to consider.
“One dragon, it took out our vehicle
and then left. After that, it was a surge of controlled werewolves, but nothing more than that.” Colette responds, popping her head up to look around. Then she slowly towers herself, her brain clicking with what I am thinking. “Holy shit.” FindNovel.net
“What?” Johannes asks, sounding agitated to not be in the loop.
“They didn’t know it was us.” I whisper.
“Or it really is a trap and they want to confuse us.” He shrugs. I frown and sigh heavily.
“Very fucking helpful.” I mutter before I watch Colette closely.
“Maybe it is a trap, but if she wanted me from the very beginning, and she sent Lauren to where we were, then she must be expecting Lauren. Not a random black vehicle with
Johannes, who made it known, was against this war.”
“Eh,” He shrugs, moving closer. “I wouldn’t say I’m against it. It’s more an ‘enemy of my enemy’ type deal.”
“I don’t care.” Colette grits out. “The point is, they don’t know we are here.”
“Hell, I didn’t even know we were here,” I admit, and she bites back a laugh, shaking her head.
“We need to get to Hayes.” She says softly, clearing her throat. “The question is, do we want to make our presence known or keep it a secret?”
“What kind of question is that?” Johannes snorts.
I assess Colette, noticing that glint of mischief in her eyes. The one that makes her brown eyes so much brighter and all the more difficult to disagree with anything she says.
“You want to announce our presence, don’t you?” I ask, and she shrugs with a wry smile.
“What ever my luna wants, I promise to give her.” I wink at her and she stands, helping me up.
“Let me guess, I am the one doing the dropping in, aren’t I?” Johannes asks before he grunts and drags his hands through his hair. “Well fuck me, I can’t really die, anyway. Might as well visit the evil queen.”
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