Page 54 of Wrath

“It’s strange that they’ve been so silent,” I agreed, a thousand tiny needles dragging across my skin.

My throat felt clogged.

Lupe’s jaw tightened. “Atta should’ve reached out by now.”

His hand curled into a fist, his knuckles so white I could see the outline of his veins.

Jax gave my hand one last squeeze and then released me. Without prodding, I stood from the bed and went to stand beside Lupe.

“I know you’re worried about her.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. Or at least attempted to. He was so large that I barely got my arms halfway. “But Atta’s a badass. She takes after her big brother.”

“And Axel will protect her,” added Devlin resolutely.

Lupe gulped in a harrowed breath and returned my hug. He held me so tightly that my breath pushed out of me. It occurred to me then—he always held me as if I was the only thing keeping him grounded to the earth.

As if I was his lifeline.

I tightened my grip around him, fear laddering up my ribs.

I wanted to be that for him, but it terrified me. I didn’t know what would happen to him—to all of them—if something were to happen to me.

And I knew that it was a possibility.

This impending war wouldn’t be easy to win. We were fighting a creature forged from hell itself and her malicious army. There was a high probability that not all of us would survive this battle.

But I made a vow, right then and there, with my arms encircling Lupe and my mates’ presence around me, that it wouldn’t be them. I refused to allow that to happen. They would survive this, no matter the cost.

No matter the consequence.

EIGHTEEN

Z

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bash asked for the one millionth time in the last hour.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, but that did very little to fend off my encroaching migraine.

“We discussed this. We don’t have a choice.” As I spoke, I hefted a bag and tossed it into the van.

Bash ground his teeth together. “Yes. I got that part. I just don’t understand why I have to stay behind.”

The dagger-sharp edge to his voice had me whirling around. My mage mate stood a few feet away from me, the torchlight playing with the edges of his ash-blond hair and darkening them to gold. His jaw began to twitch faster with irritation.

My mates and I had decided that we didn’t have a choice—we had to stop Aaliyah’s army before it could reach the capital and the kings. If the kings were released and regained that dark magic…

A shiver skated its way down my spine.

We couldn’t allow that to happen.

We also knew not all of us could go. Someone had to stay behind on the off chance…

I didn’t want to finish that thought.

Since Bash and Jax had already completed their trials, and had received the backing of Lilith, it was an obvious choice. At least for most of us.

Bash and Jax, however, strongly disagreed.

“I’ll be safe,” I assured Bash. “We all will be.”

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