Page 83 of Alpha Exile

Thirty-Four

Delilah

"Ican sense her." Roarke shakes me awake before there's even light outside the window of my bedroom. "She's surfaced again, and she's heading this way."

I don't ask who he's talking about, because I already know.

I'm out of bed instantly, slipping into my best tracking clothes, which include my pants with the zippered pockets and the leather belt that holds the dagger. Heart racing, I bend down to wake up Kieran, who's curled on the air mattress on the floor, then race out the door and down the hallway to the two guest bedrooms.

Finn and Bastian are sleeping in one, stretched out on opposite sides of a king bed with their legs sliding off the edges of the mattress. As he yawns and gets out of bed, Finn displays his fully naked body and proposes, "Morning sex?"

"More like morning murder," I tell him. "Delphine is back on Roarke's radar. She's heading in this direction, and it can't be for anything good. It's go time."

As I head out the door to go wake up Lance, Finn calls out, "Hopefully it's coffee time, too."

I don't respond to that, because I'm already opening up the door to the second guest bedroom. My eyes fly to the bed, expecting to see Lance snug beneath the sheets, but it's unoccupied and neatly made. Instead of sleeping, Lance is sitting cross legged in the middle of the floor, inhaling slowly with his eyes closed. A faint melody plays from his cell phone, which lies on the ground next to him.

"Delphine is headed this way." He's up in an instant, stretching to his full height. "Ready to kick some ass?"

"And then some."

Pausing, I ask him coyly, "Were you meditating?"

"Yes." Stiffening, he murmurs, "A mindful cooldown is an important part of any fitness routine."

"Of course."

I bite my lower lip to stifle my amusement and head towards the kitchen, where I grab a hefty amount of coffee beans and grind them for the morning's brew. Kerry and Cat are both asleep, and no doubt will be for a while to come; the sun hasn't even risen yet. I write them a note so I won't disturb them, then grab six mugs as the coffee pours into the carafe.

Roarke is in the kitchen seconds after I've got two mugs ready, and he reaches for his with nimble fingers, his eyes fixed on a spot in the distance. "She's got something up her sleeve, I just can't quite sense what it is."

"Doesn't matter. I'll put this through her heart before she gets the chance to do anything about it." I unsheathe the dagger and hold it up, staring at the impossibly sharp edge. "Our nightmare will be over with soon."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I am."

Still, I double check the zippered pocket I put the Power Stones inside, wanting to make sure it's tightly secured.

Delphine won't be taking my mates away again. Fire and fury waits her if she tries.

* * *

The sun is rising steadily as we peel out through the territory, heading west in our wolf forms, following closely behind Roarke. We've sent the warriors out to patrol the woods and double-check for signs of vampires or any other possible complications. The last thing I want is to come home to discover half of Juniper is on fire again.

If we need them to join the battle, we can call them to us. But for now, this is between the six of us and Delphine. Most importantly, it's between the dagger at my hip and that hollow black heart inside her chest.

What's the plan?Lance asks as we break through the last line of trees, heading out of the Glass Pack Territory, directly towards the arena where the vampires carted me to when they kidnapped me.I know we're going to kill her with the dagger, but before that.

Use your strengths,I tell them.Figuratively and literally.

Finn points out,She's a witch. Not much we can do against that, as we've learned, unfortunately.

She's going to throw a lot of magic at us, but she won't have her army at her disposal anymore. I'll lead us towards her with a shield out to protect us. As soon as we get close enough, grab her hands and cover her mouth—she won't be able to cast as easily without them. Then hold her still while I finish her off.

Doesn't that seem a little too simple?Bastian sounds worried.What do we do if she has some kind of trick we're not expecting?

I look to Roarke at this, his large, shaggy wolf just ahead of us, nose pointed to the distant horizon. Glancing over his shoulder, he tells us,She has the remaining Spirit Eyes, and some kind of magical augmentation device. That's all I know—that, and she's going towards that fighting arena where Delilah and Bastian were kept.

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