Page 90 of Wrath

I glanced up from the map I was poring over, unsurprised to see Lupe standing in the doorway of the tent.

It had been three days since Devlin completed his trial. Three days of extensive meetings. Three days of planning and waiting.

So far, Aaliyah hadn’t made any more moves, but who was to say this serenity would last? She was a ticking time bomb, and I had lit the fuse when I freed the goblins from her dark influence. Fortunately, the wards Bash had enacted kept Aaliyah out of my head, but who knew how long that would last?

Lupe ran an agitated hand through his short brown hair and stepped farther inside, the tent flaps falling shut behind him.

I blinked, moderately alarmed by the abrupt announcement, and set the map aside, shifting on the cot. “I want to free the humans too?—”

“No, Z.” Another step closer. “I want to free themnow. I’m tired of waiting, tired of sitting around wondering when Lilith will give me my trial. Every day we wait, the humans suffer.I can’t…” He squeezed his eyelids shut. “I can’t allow that to happen, not when I could do something to stop it.”

A cold chill skated down my spine, but I kept my gaze on him. “What do you want to do?”

“With the genies, mages, incubi, and vampires backing us, we have more than enough forces to take down the work camps once and for all.” With every word he spoke, he became more animated, his eyes aglow with some suppressed emotion I couldn’t name.

“You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?” Even as I said that, I knew it to be true.

I had practically seen the weight on his shoulders over the past few weeks. It had been pressing down on him with no hope of relenting. He needed to do this. He needed to atone for his father’s malicious actions—despite the fact he hadn’t been involved.

Was it selfish that I wanted to tell him no? That I wanted to beg him to remain here with me and my other mates?

I watched him in silence, taking stock of every minuscule detail. His broad shoulders. The scruff dusting his jawline. His brown hair, disheveled from stress. The brown shirt that hugged his frame.

“Z, say something.” Lupe’s voice was nothing but a whisper.

“What is there to say?” I flashed him a wobbly smile. “I know you need to do this. But I just…” I curled my hand into a fist, allowing my nails to dig into the fleshy part of my palm. The pain grounded me. Centered me. Calmed the tempest raging in my mind. “You know I can’t go with you, right?”

His expression softened. “You’re needed here.”

He finally breached the remaining distance between us. One of his huge hands cupped the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my blonde curls. I had always been much smaller than him, but with him standing and me sitting, I’d never feltso…dainty before. So fragile and vulnerable and petite. My pulse thumped as I took in his hulking form.

“You’re the one thing keeping this entire resistance together.”

I blinked at him in surprise. “That’s not true.”

“No?” He arched an eyebrow. “Everybody here… They follow you. Listen to you. Believe in you. You say jump, they respond with how high. You may not have set out to become a queen, Z, but there’s no denying that you are one.” He sucked in a sharp breath and slowly lowered himself until he knelt before me. His fingers splayed across my thighs, providing the slightest bit of pressure. “And I’m honored to follow you.”

“Lupe…” I felt a little embarrassed at seeing such a powerful, domineering male kneel before me, but more than that, I felt aroused. There was something about his subservient posture that made my stomach muscles tighten.

“With your permission, I would like to leave this afternoon and head to the Shifter Kingdom. Bash and Killian agreed to go with me.”

Three of my mates were leaving.

Three.

The pounding of my heart increased in tempo, and sweat slicked my hands.

But at the same time, I trusted my mates to handle themselves…and each other. They would watch each other’s backs and protect each other when shit hit the fan.

Even knowing all of that, why did fear rake down my throat like a razor blade?

“I want to tell you guys no, but I can’t,” I whispered. “You never stopped me from doing what I needed to do.”

Swallowing, I turned my head towards the tent wall, where a tiny rip tore through the side. Through it, I could see the setting sun, an orange ball amidst a darkening gray sky.

Lupe leaned forward abruptly and kissed the top of my cheek—where a teardrop hung suspended. Fuck. Was I crying?

“Don’t cry, baby.” His voice grew hoarse. Raspy. “Because if you start crying, you can bet your ass I’ll forget all about this mission and remain here forever.” He kissed another teardrop, then another. “But I need to do this, Z. I need to. You understand, don’t you?”

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