Chapter 119
Merikh’s thumb rubs up and down my hand as he holds it tight. The air is thick with tension, as if nature knows what to expect. There has not been a single tweet or chittering of forest animals since we set foot here. All life has run from their homes in their desperate bid for survival. And yet here we are, readily marching into what they run from.
“Are you both sure about this?” Hayes asks, walking up behind us with a grim look on his face. “Really, truly sure this is the best course of action?” “Best course of action? No. Only course of action? Yes.” Merikh says with a solemn look. “There is no surviving a war against the dragons. We may be able to hold out for a time, but in the end, we will end in ash, like all their foes before them. Giselle needs to die. Today. Or we will all die tomorrow.”
My skin prickles at his words. There is no room for failure here, even with what feels like a crackpot plan. Hayes rubs his temple and closes his eyes, breathing heavily before he meets his older brother’s gaze.
“Let me go instead.” He says, his words soft and pleading. “They need you more than they need me. And if this plan fails…it is you. They would follow into the fire, not me.”
I step closer to him, touching his hand gently as he turns his sorrowful face toward me.
“I promise to put out any fires I can and keep our Alpha alive.” I give him an encouraging squeeze on his hand.
“He is not the only one I worry about, Luna.” He frowns.
“Be ready for when we reach out in the mind link. When we are ready, that is when we will call for everyone to attack. Can you keep the mate bond block up long enough to block out Leandra’s pain?”
He nods and takes his hand back, shoving it in his pocket.
“Yes, Luna.” Then Hayes takes a step back, giving us a nod. “Be safe brother, you are the only family I have left.”
We watch as he leaves, and I glance at the clock anxiously waiting for my parents to arrive, along with Ezrah. The moon is high, a sign the heavens are with us, both as a siren and a werewolf. The water in my veins is stronger, more rampant than what it would be during the day. “Colette,” I hear my mother say, rushing toward me. She takes my hands, tugging me into a hug. “Promise me you will be safe.” “Of course I will be. Truth be told, I am more concerned about you,” I tell her and she sighs, a smirk on her lips.
“I am the daughter of an Alpha, mother of the only hybrid in the world. There is no need to worry about me. I want revenge just as much as you do, sweetheart.” She tells me.
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“So you two will sneak up on her from the west. We will hit the east. Ezrah has claimed the south and Johannes is already there.” Caspian says, moving toward us out of the dark. “What is it you want us to do when we get there? Shall we taunt her with insults?”
I can hear the doubt in his voice, the way he thinks this plan is bullshit. But it is the only way to end it all here and now. I sigh and shake my head, having no time to try to explain it all over again to him.
“All we can do is hope that Lily’s death affects her.” I tell him.
“Hayes is standing by and ready to draw forces away when we need it.” Merikh reminds him. “If it comes down to it, we will fight and take out as many as we can before we get to her.”
“And what about the dragon king?” Caspian reminds us.
“I can only hope his son has kept him home and safe.” I admit, biting my lip. “We don’t have time to sit and wait anymore.”
“Colette,” Caspian frowns and I shake my head.
“Dad,” I say firmly, “This is it. We have to do this. Now is the only time.”
He reluctantly nods before he clears his throat and moves over next to my mom. I don’t miss the way his arm hangs at his side and her fingers seem to reach out to find his, even if it is for a mere moment.
“Please be safe, daughter.” He says softly as my mother throws her arms around me before she breaks away too soon.
“As safe as any war allows,” I nod, before turning, grabbing Merikh’s hand and sprinting into the trees.
He keeps up with ease, releasing my hand as we run side by side, ducking and weaving when and where needed. My wolf trembles in excitement and my siren side. It feels feral, needy, and hungry for the fight. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Fɪndηovᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The only part of me not entirely excited about the fight ahead is my brain. I keep trying to over think, over plan. But I know more than anyone else that planning anything in life is worthless. Plan the basics, not the details. Because details are useless when it comes to the unpredictable.
Merikh slows his speed, adjusting
his gait to move behind me as he continually scans the area, his nose in the air as he listens and sniffs. I don’t need my wolf’s senses to know we are getting closer as the plant life seems to look dehydrated and in major need of a heavy rain. The air is drier, the foliage on the ground crunching under feet, which makes us come to a halt.
Merikh points to the tree, before he flings his massive frame up onto a high branch and reaches down. I jump with all my might; him catching my wrist as he lifts me into the tree. I bite back a smile as I watch him look around, his alpha presence very much on display as his hunting instincts are kicking in.
I have never had the opportunity to fight alongside him like this, in a war or on a mission. And now that I witness it, I think it may be one of the most single sexiest things he has ever done with me.
Merikh has always been the big bad alpha, known for his intimidation and incredible fighting skills and lack of mercy. But watching him perch and be on high alert so he can protect me.
Well, damn. It makes me want to have his babies. Which is a good thing considering that is the future plan for us. I shy away, not wanting him to see the way I ogle him, until I feel him at my back, his hot breath on my neck fanning over my mark.
“I am going to need you to restrain those thoughts in the mind link,” he says in a husky tone. “It is especially hard to run when you are making me as hot and bothered as you seem to be.”
I chuckle lightly, covering my mouth as I turn my head, bringing out lips a mere breath away.
“I will try, but no promises.” I whisper before stealing a quick kiss and dropping out of the tree.
My hand presses to the ground as I roll my shoulders back and breathe deep, calling to the siren in me for water. It rises to the surface in a slow flow, wetting the parches ground, softening it so we can move without fear of alerting anyone to our presence.
-I planned to run along in the trees-Merikh says in the mind link. I snort a sarcastic laugh and shoot him a ‘in what world’ arched brow.
-You can, but I would fall out and break a leg-I tell him and he grins.
-I’ll race you-he says, hustling back up the tree as I break into a sprint.
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There is no way I will beat him. He is not only a skilled warrior; he is a damn lycan. They are, by nature, faster than a regular werewolf like me. But try anyway, a small smile on my lips as we make this a game, enjoying ourselves in the brief
moments we get to ourselves, even in the face of death and despair.
I slow down when I hear grunting and a howl. I slip to the nearest tree, hiding behind its wide trunk as two wolves race past me. How they miss my scent, I don’t understand, but I creep along behind them, bringing myself closer as I watch them snarl and snap at each other along the way.
-Where are you?– I ask Merikh through our mind link. It’s when he doesn’t respond that the lighthearted moments we just had burst into a dark feeling and I break into a sprint again, pushing my legs as hard as I can.
One of the wolves slows, heaving as
it tries to catch its breath and I leap onto his back, my hand gripping his muzzle to keep him quiet as we
tumble to the ground. I twist optoetmy back, my legs wrapping around its neck as I pull back and yank hard to the side. His neck snaps as his body goes limp and I push him to the side, jumping back up and chasing down the others.
-Go wide and let me deal with them-Merikh says through the mindlink, panic lacing his words in my mind.
-No, there are two more coming-I shoot back.
-New plan, You keep going, I’ll catch up-He says, his thoughts turning from panic to determination and then a thrill of excitement.
I hate listening to him. Leaving him feels wrong, but as much as I need him to trust me, I have to return that trust. So with an aching heart, I cut to the
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right, giving him a wide berth and trusting in his abilities as much as he trusts in mine. Even if I hate it and it feels wrong.
