Page 21 of Mated Exile

I only hope it's not another one of my father's secrets, coming to light long after he's been interred in his final resting place.

Ten

Delilah

The moon is bright overhead when I spot a familiar line of trees in the distance. A large teal sign marks the border between human land and pack territory. Slowing down, I pace over to the side of the road, and Bastian joins me. A moment later we both shift back to our human forms so we can speak.

"We'll only be able to get in on the road," I tell him, "but it shouldn't be a long walk. Maybe an hour at the most. If we're lucky—"

A car horn honks behind us, and I whirl, prepared to fight and expecting more vampires. Instead I find myself staring at a familiar red pickup truck. Not the one from seven years ago, but with a familiar driver behind the wheel.

Bastian tenses and growls, but I place a hand on his arm. "Don't worry. I know him." The driver gets out of the truck and walks around in front of its headlights, staring at us with open curiosity on his face. "Niall. What are you doing driving around outside pack territory this late at night?"

"Looking for you," he says simply. "Thought the vamps had you for sure."

"They did. I escaped."

"Of course." Walking over to me, he pulls his phone out of his denim jacket and holds it out. I take it hesitantly. In a neutral voice he explains, "I don't think anyone will believe you're okay until they hear your voice. Kieran and the others have been looking for you all day and night."

"Oh. Right." My stomach does a funny flip, and I flip to Niall's contacts, then pause.And the others."So Roarke, Finn, and Lance—they were all looking for me?"

"Not just them. I led a search party. Roarke did too, and when he found signs you'd been in vamp territory, he redoubled his efforts. Had the whole town looking. Some of us even drove out quite a bit, and there's a group up by the mountains, looking near the lake. I imagine they'll all be relieved to know you're okay." After a moment, he adds thoughtfully, "I knowI'mrelieved to see you in one piece."

Then he looks meaningfully at Bastian, and I explain, "I'll tell you later, but this is Bastian. Bastian, this is Niall."

The long-haired werewolf hesitantly holds out a hand, which Niall grips in a loose handshake, naked curiosity on his face. I can only imagine what he's seeing through his eyes: lean tawny muscles, years of scars from fighting, scraggly long hair, and not a shoe or shirt to be seen. If it weren't for Bastian's torn and ragged sweatpants, I have the feeling he'd be standing here naked right now, and that—that is a thought distracting enough that I dare to call Kieran from Niall's phone.

"Hello? Did you find her? If you haven't, I'm going to—"

"Cat." My stomach flips to hear her voice on the other end of the line. "I should've called you first, but I haven't memorized your new number. I'm okay."

"Oh, Lilah." Her voice comes out with a strangled sob on the other end of the line, and I have to turn away from Bastian and Niall, blinking back relieved tears. "Thank god you're okay. What happened?"

"I'll tell you all about it soon. Be at the house in fifteen?" Eyeing Niall, I add, "I've got a ride into town. And a new friend for you to meet."

* * *

Cat greets me at the side of the road, practically throwing herself at me as I climb out of Niall's truck, after Bastian, who rode shotgun while I stuffed myself into the middle of the bucket seat. Her warm arms and enthusiasm are welcome after an awkward ride into town—an awkwardness that neither Niall nor Bastian seemed aware of at all.

"I can't believe it," she says, hands smoothing down my back. "As the sun set, I almost gave up. I thought I'd never see you again. Oh, Lilah."

"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get word to you sooner," I tell her, squeezing her tight. "When I ran out last night, I left my cell phone inside. Though obviously the vampires would've taken it anyway."

"So they had you?" She takes back, her hands on my arms as she looks up at me with concern. "Tell me they didn't do anything terrible to you."

Glancing at Bastian out of the corner of my eyes, I admit, "They had big plans. But I was able to foil them, with the help of a new ally. Bastian, this is my foster mother Cat. Cat, this is Bastian—he was taken by the vamps too, and now... now we're both free because we worked together to escape."

Instead of holding out her hand like a normal person, my mom throws herself around the shirtless male werewolf and squeezes him tight. She barely comes up to his pecs, but she makes a go of giving him the biggest hug ever recorded in history. Bastian looks like he doesn't know what to do with himself. He shoots me a confused, helpless look over the top of her head, and I have to stifle a delighted laugh.

"Lilah."

Whirling around, I find myself face-to-face with Roarke. He stares at me with summer-blue eyes that reflect the moonlight overhead. Over his shoulder, three wolves approach, but he's the first to arrive.

I study his face as he takes a step towards me. There's something solemn about his expression. Slowly, he reaches a hand out and brushes the barest tips of his fingers against my cheek.

In a roughened voice he says, "I didn't believe it until I touched you. You're here."

"I am." I stare at him, wishing I could read his thoughts. "I heard you were looking for me."

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