Page 92 of Fated Exile

So is hunting her fruitlessly,he points out, his voice gentle in my mind.We need to strike strategically, not spread ourselves thin. Let's go home, regroup, and talk about next steps.

Looking up at him, I realize with painful slowness what today is.We were supposed to have our second date night as mates today, weren't we? And I ruined it.

You didn't ruin it. You just have better priorities than fucking like rabbits,he points out, though I feel the frustration and anxiety brewing inside him through our bond.I understand if we have to delay things.

No.I blink, clearing my mind and shaking my anxieties off like they're dust that's settled into my fur.I want to go out. Have fun. Spend time with the pack. They only see me when I'm trying to fix things—and you only see me when I'm frustrated. I'm sorry about that.

I am too.After a moment, he adds with amusement,Kieran almost bit Lance's head off today. He's pretty mad that he's the last one who got to have sex with you.

You all felt that?

Gibraltar felt that.I can feel his grin through our bond, and his lips peel back from his teeth in good humor.Not that I minded. It got me a little hot. But...

But it's not the same as having me himself. And even Roarke and Kieran only got so much of me that day. My desire for them hasn't faded, but my energy for sex has. I can barely think straight, much less sort a schedule out in my head. I've left that to Finn and Lance—who have scheduled me out with each of them only for me to turn it into nightly patrol.

Poor Bastian has probably jerked it into his bedsheets so much that they've turned solid. I saw Cat showing him how to put detergent in the washing machine the other day, and had to jerk away before I felt too guilty.

Let's go home,I tell Finn, swearing to myself that I won't let things brew over any more.You're right. Sweeping hundreds of acres of land for her won't work, especially since we know she's outside our borders. It's time I get crafty and figure out a more precise way of hunting her.

Good. We should make our reservations in time if we hurry.

As we turn our furry bodies back towards home, our paws digging into the ground and our muzzles turned to the scent of Juniper on the air, I feel an odd sensation skitter across my fur. I know that if I turn around, I won't find her—it's happened just like this before—but I also know somehow that she's aware of me and Finn.

She wants something from me. If she takes it, whatever it is, I know it'll cost me everything.

So I won't let her have what she wants lying down.

Kerry ordered extra books from a coven library a few days ago, and called in every favor she held with every witch to get us more spells, more help, and more knowledge. Somewhere in all of those books coming tomorrow, and spells pouring in, there'll be a twist of magic or a line of a curse that will help me get Delphine once and for all.

She'll pay for all the pain and heartbreak she's rained down on us.

And once she's gone, I'll show my guys just how much they mean to me by devoting all my attention to them.

* * *

"I worry about these piles of ash we keep finding." Roarke waves me down and snags me away as soon as we get home, immediately sending a concern my way. "Your aunt has a theory about them, and I don't like it."

I give Finn a meaningful look as I follow Roarke towards the front porch. "What is it? And make it quick. I'm going out on a date with Finn."

"You're doing those?" He raises his brows. "Because my night is coming up, and I was thinking—"

"Let's talk about the ash first." I put a hand on his arm, squeezing gently to let him down. That squeeze turns into a soft caress as I feel the bulge of his muscle beneath my hand and a spark of arousal flares between us. So I force myself to stay on track and ask, "What's the theory Kerry has?"

"She thinks that Delphine might be draining the vampire coven of their strength." Roarke's mouth turns down at this, and I shiver in fear, not liking the idea of that one bit. "For the past several years, she's been communicating with the vampires even while she was in captivity, and controlling them subtly. We think she brought the covens together and drove them to prey on the pack whenever possible. Not just to weaken us, but to strengthen them—so she could feed on them once she was free."

"Can she do that?" I swallow, not liking the idea of a wolf-witch hybrid like mefeedingon undead bloodsuckers. "That's not a skill werewolves have. Or witches, as far as I know."

"Yes, but she's lived for centuries. Anything could be possible. And if it's true..."

"Then she's only biding her time while she gathers strength." I grimace. "It would line up with the places where we've found the ash, too. It felt like the vampires were dying just inside our territory, dragging the land's defenses with them, almost like..."

"Like they were running away, not towards. We assumed all this time that the land was protecting us from them, and that they died because our defenses are reaching full strength. But what if they were running into the territory to try to free themselves from Delphine?"

A spine-chilling thought. "Tomorrow, I want to go over the spellbooks with Kerry. We have to find something we can use to track down Delphine once and for all. And she's having a coven she knows that's obsessed with history track down what they can about killing hybrids—if I'm not able to raise Vivia, she'll be able to find out how to kill Delphine."

"Good. All good." Roarke looks over my shoulders towards something just behind me, and grins a little. "Looks like your date is waiting, so you should head out. Before you do, though, do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

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