Page 17 of Blood Sacrifice

“I knew she was your mate all those years ago, and you disappeared the night of the massacre. There is no way that girl would have made it a mile on her own. She was innocent and lacking in every type of life experience.” He leaned against the wall and watched me.

“What do you want me to say?” I asked.

“I have questions,” Jethro said. “She is listed as one of the dead priestesses. Did you not sense her?”

“We were never mated because, as you pointed out, she was innocent. Balor would have killed her. We both know whathappened the last time a priestess and dire wolf mated.” The wolf had been executed, the priestess killed, and the baby never found.

Jethro glanced away, his jaw tightening at the memory. “There are some sins that are unforgiveable, some sacrifices that should have been forbidden. A baby is an innocent soul that should be protected by the pack.” He returned his dark gaze to me. “And Aisha?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? Protecting her little sister? If no one was looking for her, and she kept her head down, she could stay hidden forever.”

His phone pinged a notification, and Jethro swiped it open. “It’s my contact at the hotel. The group is heading out.”

“You and Tarrack are the only ones who know I swapped the photographs in the files.” Jethro had fought at my side for longer than either of us cared to remember.

“I get it, your fated mate is a blessing from the great goddess,” he replied. “I’ve thought about this a lot over the years after Balor executed Max. What if the fated mate of the dire wolves were the women they chose as priestesses? It would make sense if magic needed to evolve.”

“Considering the priestesses have been hunted into near extinction, then we’re all fucked if your theory is correct,” I said.

“You’re not,” Jethro pointed out. “Luna is alive and technically five minutes down the street. Maybe you should consider bringing her in instead of climbing the walls of hotels.” He gave me one of his eyebrow lowered looks that said more than any words.

“I should have known you were lurking about somewhere,” I muttered.

“The entire reason for me being there was to lurk. If it makes you feel any better, I never once sensed her magic, so whatever she is using to conceal herself, it’s powerful.” Hepushed himself off the wall. “I’ll go find Paulo and head out. If you need anything, let me know.”

I sat in silence for several minutes since it would take the tour a while to get on the road, and contemplated everything that had happened. If Jethro couldn’t detect Luna’s magic, then how did Balor know she was in Peru? She had obviously been practicing and honing her magic over the years, yet not one of our clairvoyants had detected her. Luna was an enigma, and now that I had tasted those pouty lips, I wanted her even more than I had all those years ago, and I didn’t think that was possible.

I packed my belongings in a bag with some snacks and drinks and headed to my car in the basement. The van was parked in the corner close to where the incinerator was, and I knew the evidence of the death of those two wolves was long gone, their presence irradicated from existence forever.

Music blared around me to quiet my thoughts, my fingers drumming on the steering wheel as I manoeuvred through the countryside. Towns and pockets of civilisation had popped up over the years, but there were still vast areas of untouched landscape that my wolf could run in under the moonlight.

I’d been driving for about an hour when my phone rang.

“Yeah,” I answered by hitting the button on my steering wheel.

“I’ve been monitoring different private wavelengths, and there’s chatter about a tour in Peru. There are operatives in the area and ready to move into position,” Tarrack said.

My foot pressed the accelerator down as I sped up. “Do we have eyes on any of these?” I asked, pulling out to overtake a car.

“No. I happened upon this channel since I have been monitoring everything around where you are.” I heard tapping in the background. “I can get one of our tech guys to try and triangulate where the signals are coming from.”

“Do it,” I said. “Mobilise our units. I want anyone in our territory without our permission exterminated.”

I hung up and dialled Jethro.

“What’s up?” he answered.

“We have incoming. Keep your eyes peeled,” I snapped.

“Roger that. We have the bus in our sights.”

“Any unfamiliar traffic?” I asked, panic blooming in my chest.

“Not at the moment, but we’ll keep you informed.”

“I’m going to pick up some speed and be with you shortly,” I replied.

“Roger that. See you soon.” Jethro hung up and I tried to breathe deeply, but it didn’t stop the terror that was seeping into my bloodstream. They had already tried to kill my mate, and the knowledge that there was another team here willing to take her from me sent rage pulsing deep in my chest.

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