Page 46 of Wrath

I wouldn’t have a choice, not if it meant protecting my mates and all of the other innocents here.

I thought of S then, and the tightening in my stomach increased, resembling a pinching sensation. I brought my hand to my belly absently, willing the nausea to subside.

“You okay?” Devlin asked, leaning in close so the others wouldn’t overhear our conversation.

“Just feeling a little sick,” I replied dismissively.

Being tied up for hours, transported to and from some sort of pocket dimension, and discovering I might have the ability to alter the basic nature of nightmares did that to a girl.

Devlin still appeared concerned but let it go without protest.

Killian shifted slightly on his seat. His long, reptilian tail twitched back and forth on the ground behind him. “We know that Aaliyah doesn’t want to see Z dead, which I suppose is a good thing.”

I raised my eyebrow at that.

When she had me as her prisoner, she didn’t kill me or even hurt me. At least, not at first. She wanted the two of us to act like…sisters. But if there was one thing I’d learned from my time there, it was that Aaliyah didn’t know how to love someone. Not truly. Not in the way I loved my mates. Sure, she might be willing to leave me alive for now, but how long would that last? What if she decided she preferred my non-combative corpse instead of someone who could fight against her?

Killian must’ve seen something in my expression, because his cheeks flushed, and he quickly tried to explain himself. “I saw the way Aaliyah was with you, Z. You m-might not believe it, but she does care about you in her own fucked-up, twisted way. Sh-she wouldn’t want you dead or harmed.”

His stutter became slightly more pronounced with all of us focused on him.

“So what does this mean for us?” Davia asked, gesturing towards the map in front of her to indicate the “us” in question.

“I think what my brother is trying to say is that Aaliyah would be least likely to stage an attack on an area she knows Z will be,” Devlin cut in.

Bash’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying that Z should go to the front lines and pray that Aaliyah decides to be lenient?”

“Fuck no.” Devlin shook his head adamantly. “But it is something to consider—not that idea, exactly, but we should look into ways to use Aaliyah’s affection for Z against her.”

Something about that didn’t sit right with me, as strange as that sounded. Aaliyah was a horrible, malicious, evil being, yet…her entire life, the people in it used her love for me against her.Even her own mates. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was why she grew up the way she did—isolated, insane, and desperate for me to love her. Foranyoneto love her.

An indecipherable emotion expanded the knot in my throat. I didn’t know what it was, exactly, but it felt like a cross between guilt, frustration, and anger.

I hated it.

Killian sighed and brushed at a strand of lambent red hair, highlighted here and there with gold streaks. Muted early morning sunlight dappled across his skin. Even with his tail and horns, he was still unfairly gorgeous.

“I just don’t want Aaliyah to get her hands on Z,” he whispered, shivering slightly. “Not again. Never again.”

“That won’t happen,” I replied resolutely.

And it wouldn’t. I would sooner slit my own throat than allow Aaliyah to take me prisoner again. Of course, I didn’t say that particular thought to my mates. They would no doubt go insane with worry.

Dair abruptly sat upright in his chair, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Where’s Lupe? And Jax?”

“I last saw Lupe near our tent,” Killian replied, already pushing to his feet. “I’ll go grab him.”

“And Jax’s five minutes are over,” Devlin added. He, too, stood and stalked towards the tent flap. His jaw ticked away like the tiny hand of a clock. “I’m going to drag that damn vampire back by his fangs if I need to.”

“He’s thirsty,” I said softly.

I had recognized the desperation in Jax’s eyes instantly, though he’d tried to hide it. I hoped he would tell me on his own time that he needed to drink. And perhaps he would, as soon as he got his thoughts in order.

Devlin’s expression softened. “I know, but that doesn’t mean I’m okay with him wandering on his own.”

“The camp is perfectly safe,” Davia said, sounding slightly indignant. “We have dozens of enchantments on it?—”

“That may be true, but I still don’t like being separated from my family,” Devlin told her. “Not with everything going on.”

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