“We are. Scott is working on it, but he’s not sure that he’ll be able to get supplies this time. We may have to go out and pick stuff up ourselves.” As much as I wanted her to be involved, I didn’t want to tell her about this. I was hoping Vik and I could run out without her knowing we were gone. So much for that idea.
“When do we leave?” Delilah asked, walking into the room. I ran a hand over my face and looked at the guys for backup. Dec shrugged.
“You were the one who wanted to tell her everything. How are you planning to deal with this?” Vik snarled from the doorway of his room. I would have punched him in response any other time, but he was right. I was the one who insisted that she should know exactly what was going on.
“Look, I get that you don’t want me out there. But I’m not just going to sit here on my ass while you guys take risks. Either we all go, or no one goes. And if Scott can’t get the supplies we need, there’s really no choice.” She flopped down on the couch next to Dec, draping her legs over his.
“Okay, but you have to do what we tell you. Vik and I are more skilled at this type of thing than you are. You have to promise.” I insisted. I knew it would do no good. She would do what she wanted, and we’d have to figure out how to keep her safe anyway. This would be so much more stressful than it had to be.
“I promise that as long as all four of us stick together, I will do what you request. I will not follow orders, though. So don’t even try it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me. I knew that she’d meant part of that for Vik since he liked to try to order her around.
“Great. We’ll get everything ready. We need a list. Can the two of you take care of that while Vik and I tend to the SUV?” I hoped that I could at least have a private conversation with him. But that would involve Delilah cooperating. I wasn’t sure that was possible.
“Sure, Dec and I can take care of the list. Come on, let’s start in the kitchen.” She grabbed his hand and practically pulled him into the kitchen. I didn’t speak until I heard the door close behind them.
I walked over to Vik, who made a weird face at me. “What?”
“She knows you wanted to talk to me. You’ll pay for that later.” He turned and walked into his room, waiting for me to follow.
“What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just tell her that I needed to talk to you. If I had, then she would have insisted on listening in.” I defended myself as quietly as I could.
“I’m just warning you. What is it that you need that’s so important you’re willing to risk her wrath?” He asked as he pulled a new suit out of the closet.
“Do you have guys who can watch our backs out there? The hunters are following mine. That’s why Scott can’t get the supplies. I don’t want to take her out there, but I fucked up. Okay? I admit it. Just help me keep her safe.” I growled the words through gritted teeth. I hated admitting that he might be right about anything.
Vik nodded. “I’ll make some calls.”
Chapter 45
Declan
I knew Eli’s mistake the moment he made it. Asking our girl to make the shopping list was basically like asking me to take her to the other room and occupy her so he could talk to Vik. And she knew it. I let her drag me into the kitchen, knowing I was about to get yelled at for his mistake. The second the door closed, she looked at me, shrugged, then grabbed a notebook and pen. I thought she was grumbling under her breath, but her back was turned so that I couldn’t be sure.
“You’re not mad?” I asked quietly. This was dangerous too, but I had to know. I was fairly confident I could redirect her anger to the other two if I had to.
She shrugged again. “Not at you. Besides, we need a list if we’re going to get supplies. So we might as well write down what we need.”
Her response terrified me. She was clearly pissed but wouldn’t take it out on me. I wondered what she had planned for Eli and almost felt sorry for him. We started making a detailed shopping list, starting with blood bags and food, then moving to household supplies and toiletries. By the time she was finished, I felt like she’d calmed down a bit. I was amazed at how she made the entire list without checking the other rooms. I figured she just didn’t want to run into Eli right now.
“Look, I know that I can be difficult sometimes. I don’t deny that. But hiding things from me is never a good idea. It will always piss me off. And I will always get revenge.” She spoke quietly and her words made me wonder who’d hurt her so badly. Did she even know? There were moments when I felt like her human personality showed through, then other times when the vampire was so different. I wondered if she saw it too.
“I understand why you’re upset. I wouldn’t blame you for it, even if you had taken it out on me. I’m glad you didn’t, even though I do deserve some of your anger. I agreed with Vik that we shouldn’t tell you what was going on.” Damn, Dec, just set yourself up for a kick in the balls; why don’t you?
Delilah looked at me for a minute. Then she put the notebook and pen down and walked over to me. As much as I wanted to cringe or cover my junk, I forced myself to stand still. If she attacked me, it would be because of my actions. I wasn’t going to try to prevent it. She stopped an inch away from me. “I’m not mad at you. I know you were trying to protect me. I’m mad at Eli for not telling me anyway, even though you two told him not to. I’m mad at him for sending me away so he can have secrets with Vik.” There were tears in her eyes as she spoke.
I pulled her into my arms, pressing my lips to hers. She growled and tangled her tongue with mine. After a minute or so, she pulled away. “We need to finish the list.” She picked up the discarded notebook and pen before exiting the kitchen. I watched as she entered her bedroom, then I went out into the garage.
“Man, you have to talk to her. She’s so upset with you. She feels like you’re hiding things again. And since we just cleared the air, that’s not a good thing. Go talk to her now.” It felt strange giving orders to someone who’d been with Delilah longer than I had, but I didn’t care. He needed to think about what was best for her and not about himself. There was no room for selfishness here. Delilah had to be our focus.
Eli looked at me with an eyebrow raised. He glanced at Vik, then walked away without a word. I wondered what I’d interrupted. They had the hood open on my SUV and were hovered over it when I came in. “Come look at this,” Vik said, his tone a little softer than usual.
“What am I looking at?” I leaned over and searched where he was pointing. It looked like an engine to me.
“There’s a tracker in your car. That’s probably how Kayden found you so quickly. He already knew where you were.” Vik wasn’t accusing me this time. He was just explaining what had happened.
“Son of a bitch. How could he? Are you sure it was him?” I couldn’t believe that he’d fooled me with his fake concern. I was convinced that he wanted to help me. I thought he was going to be on our side.
“I can’t be, but it doesn’t make much sense for it to have been anyone else unless you have some secret enemies out there somewhere. Do you?” He smiled. I couldn’t remember Vik ever telling a joke before, much less smiling. Was I in an alternate dimension or something?