Delphine smiled and came to stand beside her. “It won’t be long now, girls. Soon you’ll be free of this world. You’ll be doing something for the good of the Quarter.”
Minka snorted loudly. “Just shut up with your crap. You’re a murderer any way you look at it.”
“That’s right, Minka,” Delphine said sharply. “Because every leader must sacrifice individuals for the good of the cause.”
“Do people actually believe that drivel?”
Addison tried to turn her head when Delphine walked behind her, but she could only catch a glimpse of white.
“I can make your death easy, or I can make it difficult,” Delphine said in a hard voice to Minka. “You choose, witch.”
“I’m not a witch!” Minka shouted. “I’d have to be able to do magic to be a witch.”
Delphine chuckled, the sound getting louder as it went on. “Oh, how your family has lied to you. Do you think you were chosen on a whim? You have untapped potential they’ve been keeping from you.”
“Don’t believe her,” Addison said to Minka.
Delphine’s laugh was as hollow as her soul. “She’d better listen to me. There are many witches to choose from, but it was you I wanted. Imagine my surprise as I plotted to kidnap you, and one of your elders came to me instead.”
If Addison was shocked, she could only imagine what Minka was feeling.
“It seems,” Delphine continued, “that she was afraid of you taking over. She offered you in exchange for me leaving your coven alone for the next twenty years.”
There was a squeak of rope before Minka said, “Liar.”
But there was no heat in her words, as if she knew what Delphine said was true. Addison knew that feeling of betrayal, of having family turn their backs.
“And you, Addison.” Delphine tsked and returned to stand beside her. “I didn’t think a phone call pretending to be Myles would work with you. How easily you were captured. Did Myles tell you his entire building was warded against me?”
Addison felt sick to her stomach. She should’ve known not to go outside. Myles would never have sent her down for food. What an idiot she was. And now, she was smack in the middle of something she didn’t want to be a part of.
“To think of the lengths he went to in order to keep me from you.” Delphine shook her head, her long black hair falling around her. “Tonight’s ceremony is going to be one remembered for ages.”
Addison glared up at the priestess. “Myles will come for me. He’ll find me.”
“Are you sure? A werewolf can’t be trusted. I know because it was one of my ancestors who cursed the LaRues into being werewolves hundreds of years ago.”
“He’ll come.” At least Addison hoped he would. They had shared their bodies only once. That didn’t constitute a commitment, and yet she felt sure Myles would at least look for her.
Delphine turned and walked away, her laughter fading with her.
“Don’t listen to a word that bitch says,” Minka said.
Addison pulled on the ropes again. “Like you didn’t listen to her.”
“Because I know what she said is the truth.”
Addison stilled, her eyes widening. “You know who betrayed you?”
“There are five elders of our coven. That narrows things down significantly. I didn’t want to be a witch,” Minka said softly. “I was unable to do even the simplest of spells, but I had visions.”
Addison was quiet for a minute. “You spoke to Myles?”
“I knew he wouldn’t tell you,” Minka said with a loud sigh. “Men can be so...stupid sometimes.”
She took exception to that. Myles wasn’t stupid. “He told me about Delphine’s plan. He just didn’t tell me how he heard of it. When did he talk to you?”
“This morning. Just in case you don’t know it, that man has it bad for you.”
That brought a smile to Addison’s face. “The feeling is mutual.”
“Yeah, I figured. Do you know who he really is?”
“He’s a werewolf.”
“Well, aren’t you the smart one of the bunch.”
Addison heard the smile in Minka’s voice. “He’ll come for me.”
“Everything you’ve heard about wolves is true, Addison. Nothing will stop him from getting to you. Nothing.”
“Delphine will kill him.”
“Remember what I told you about the hunters? The ones who guard the city? The LaRues are those hunters. If there is anyone who can find a way, it’s them.”
Addison tried to swallow, but her mouth was bone dry. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” Minka whispered. “I have to be.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It took two excruciating hours to talk three of the five witch covens and the Blood Mark pack into joining them. The witches hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of joining two wolf packs, but the thought of Delphine gaining more power eventually swayed them.
“Stop pacing,” Court said. “You’re giving me a headache.”
Myles threw him a dark look.
Kane gave a dismissive shake of his head. “It’s the growling that’s getting on my nerves.”
“Leave it,” Solomon said to Court and Kane.
Myles leaned against the building as he stared at the entrance to the cemetery. Was this how Solomon had felt when his woman was taken from him? His heart clutched because Myles knew he wouldn’t survive if Addison were killed. How did Solomon bear the crushing weight?
“Just a little longer,” Griffin said from beside Myles.
Myles looked at the leader of the Moonstone wolves. “Do you have a mate?”
“No,” Griffin said with a laugh. “My father told us kids that we’d know when we found ours. I’m still searching.”
“I didn’t want one. Hell, I don’t even know if she wants to be mine.” Myles ran both hands down his face.
Solomon glanced at him from his position at the corner of the building. “She wants you. Trust me on that.”
“Yep,” Court said, nodding.
Kane stretched his neck from side to side. “We’ve seen it with our own eyes. She’s yours, Myles.”
“It’s time,” Griffin said and pushed away from the wall.
Myles felt his own wolf push against him. He began to remove his clothes, his breaths coming quicker and quicker. Griffin threw back his head as bones began to break and reform into that of a wolf.
The pain of the shift was indescribable. It battered them from all sides, taking their breath and ripping them apart from the inside out. Myles’s wolf rose up quickly. Urgency pushing him, driving him.
He fell to his hands and knees. For the first time, he didn’t feel any pain. His thoughts were centered on Addison. And killing Delphine.
When he opened his eyes, he watched his brothers finish their transitions. He saw the solid white fur of Solomon. Next to him was a wolf of inky black – Kane. On the other side of Solomon was Court with his tawny fur.
Another wolf trotted up. Myles eyed the mottled gray fur of Griffin. Griffin stared at Myles for a moment as Gage joined him before swinging his gaze toward the cemetery.
Out of the corner of his eye, Myles saw Solomon’s ears flick. Myles lifted his head and listened. Only one other time in the history of the city had wolves descended upon it en masse as they were now. Tonight, the wolves weren’t there to claim dominance but to free two innocents and stop a priestess.
It felt like an eternity before Myles smelled the first flames. Soon, sirens from the fire department and the police rang out through the city.
Myles and his brothers hid behind the building, the shadows deep enough to conceal them thoroughly. He peered around the corner and spotted one of Delphine’s men dressed in all white come to the entrance of the cemetery to see what was going on.
Beside Myles, Kane growled, the sound rumbling through his chest. Solomon nudged Kane with his head to silence him.
The man ran back inside the cemetery, and just seconds later he and three others ran out and got into a car to drive off. That lessened who they had to fight by four, but Myles wasn’t concerned with Delphine’s followers. He was apprehensive about her.
One wrong move would seal all their fates.
He hadn’t forgotten Minka’s prediction of his death. If it happened that night, Myles wanted it to be after Addison was freed. He had to be smart, cunning, and ruthless. Those were the only traits that would save his woman.
Myles looked at his brothers. They lined up side by side and walked out of the shadows, through the parking lot, and across the street. They each had their destinations. Once they passed through the tall iron gate, they split up, slinking quiet as death around the tombs. Delphine’s evil stench was suffocating, but it made her easy to track.
Myles went all the way to the back of the cemetery and then made his way toward Delphine, hoping he’d be the one to find Addison. His steps slowed when he heard Delphine’s voice chanting. He shifted to his right and moved stealthily toward the sound. Myles leapt atop a tomb and crawled on his belly to the edge.
Delphine was without the white turban. Her hair was loose and hanging around her deep mocha skin. Where she was normally covered almost head to foot in white, this night she wore a white tank top that was thin enough to see her nipples through. Her skirt was long but sheer.
Myles had to force himself to remain still when he heard Addison’s voice. A second later, she came into view with a man on either side of her, holding her. Minka was also held by two men as she was brought after Addison.
Delphine slowly raised her hands above her head. Flames surged, encircling the seven of them. Minka kicked one of the men, who then backhanded her so hard she fell to the side, narrowly missing the flames.
“Minka!” Addison yelled.
The men hauled Minka back up with blood running from her lip. Delphine began to sway, her eyes closed and the words coming faster. One by one, her followers appeared seemingly out of nowhere to form a large circle. They clapped slowly and hummed. Delphine’s eyes suddenly opened, shining with an unholy red light. She pointed first one hand at Addison and then the other at Minka.
Myles growled in fury when Addison’s entire body jerked and her lids fell closed. Minka mimicked her a second later. The men stepped back and out of the flaming circle since Delphine controlled both girls now.
Delphine’s voice grew louder, her words incomprehensible. Myles could only watch as both Addison and Minka fell straight back. But they never hit the ground. They were stiff when their legs lifted, tilting their bodies horizontally.
“Our temple is on fire!” shouted a male voice.
Delphine stopped chanting and slowly looked around. “Go. Our home must be saved.”
There was a commotion as half of the men and a few women rushed out of the cemetery to help put out the fire. By the way Delphine studied every shadow, she suspected the fire had been a diversion.
Myles hoped to catch her unawares, but that was no longer an option. She would be on guard now, prepared for whatever came at her.
She focused on Addison and Minka again and walked to stand between them. Delphine touched Minka’s forehead and skimmed her hand down her body to her toes. Then Delphine repeated the movement with Addison, unintelligible words spilling from her lips all the while.
He snarled, his lips lifting. The hate was unbearable. It consumed him, devoured him. It had kept him going for years, but if he let it take him completely now, there would be no room for any other emotion like...love.
Delphine held her hands out in front of her, palm up. Out of nowhere, a curved blade made of bone appeared in her palms. Holding it in one hand, her other traced it as if it were an object to be worshiped.
When she held the bone blade high, her remaining flock sent up a cheer and continued clapping in a rhythm. Delphine turned to Addison first and gripped the bone in both hands above her head, preparing to plunge it into Addison’s chest.
Myles leapt from atop the tomb between the worshippers and the fire, growling fiercely. Kane, Solomon, and Court each walked from their hiding places, their growls mixing with his. Delphine’s people quickly moved to make paths for his brothers until they also stood at the fire facing the priestess.
“I knew you would come,” Delphine said as she looked at each of them. “Which one of you is Myles?”
It was Court who snapped his jaws at her in response.
Delphine laughed. “Oh, this is just too simple. How silly of you LaRue boys to think the four of you could stop me. I’ll kill these girls, and then I’ll make sure to end the LaRue line once and for all.”
Myles looked at Solomon from across the fire and nodded. Myles, Court, and Kane turned and charged Delphine’s followers. Their screams filled the air. Though they never sank their teeth into a single one of them, their screams said otherwise.
With their signal to the Moonstone pack literally shouting from the rooftops, Myles turned back to Delphine, who stood glaring at Solomon. Just as Myles expected, the bitch was taking the bait. Because in her mind, only he would be the one to stand guard watching over Addison.
And Myles was, just not in the way she expected.
The screams of her followers intensified as Griffin’s pack filled the cemetery with the witches right behind them. Myles threw his head back and let loose a howl.