Page 212 of The Delta's Rogue
“NO!” Brenna shouts.
Her cry is echoed by a whisper from Reid. “No!”
Brenna falls to the ground. Her hands curl into the grass, and she shakes violently with every breath. A scream of despair and frustration erupts from her as she rises to her knees. Her bright blue eyes glow with magic. She glares with fierce, unfiltered hatred and rage as Lyall stalks towards her.
He only takes one step—one small step—before he freezes in place. He blinks and holds his hands out in front of him, whirling around and around in a frenzy. He clutches at his throat and falls to the ground as if tackled, his body convulsing with his mouth open in a silent, horrified scream.
Lyall writhes in pain, like his insides are on fire. Every time he tries to stand, he’s knocked down again. Over and over, he gets to his feet and falls to the ground. He claws at his neck. His face turns red as he gasps for air, and sweat leaks from his pores, but his bizarre, frantic fit of terror doesn’t end.
I tear my gaze from the gruesome scene in front of me. My eyes flick to the smoking log where Dominic once stood, to my dad’s body, and finally to my mate curled within my arms.
Her dark brown eyes shimmer with tears, and I dip my face into her neck, bringing her closer to me. A shaky exhale leaves me as I kiss her collarbone.
A gaping hole grows within me. Sarina caresses my back, saying nothing.
There’s nothing to say.
Beside me, Wesley scrambles to his feet, and this time, Reid doesn’t hold him back.
I lift my chin. Over on the other side of the grounds, Cav no longer holds Maddie hostage. I guess he’s decided it’s safe now.
Maddie crawls across the trampled grass to Dad’s body, her eyes swollen and her cheeks red and tear stained. She shakes him over and over when she reaches him, her face contorting with anguish when he doesn’t respond.
Wes falls to his knees beside her as another fierce sob rips through her. He catches her in his arms as she collapses beneath the weight of our shared agony. Tears stream from Wesley’s eyes and into Maddie’s hair. He blinks and grimaces while sobbing silently with Maddie, glaring down at our dad.
I roll onto my back and release Sarina, bringing the heels of my hands to my eyes. I press as hard as I can, but the tears come anyway. Hot and intense, they flood my eyes, poolaround my hands, and flow down my cheeks. The salt of them stings the silver burns as they slip beneath the collar on my neck.
With a click, it falls to the ground, followed quickly by the cuffs on my wrists and those around my ankles. I gasp in a mixture of relief and despair as I meet Sarina’s eyes again.
The pain from the silver vanishes. The wounds mend themselves now that my lycan and my supernatural healing abilities are not blocked. But despair rocks me to my core as my lycan comes to his senses and realizes we’ve lost something so dear, so important to us.
I may be grown, but he was still my dad. My lycan may be royalty now, but that was once his alpha.
Howls resound in my mind as Sarina tosses the keys to the cuffs aside. She takes my face in her hands. I kiss her palm and wrap my hands around her scarred wrists, once more realizing how much she endured by wearing those awful shackles for so long.
“I’m here,” she whispers. “I’ve got you.”
I’ve got you.Words I’ve said to her countless times. Words she now says to me in my moment of need.
I nod my response, too choked up to speak at all. She collects me in her embrace as I sit. The heartbreaking sobs of my brother and sister worm their way into my ears and burn themselves into my soul. They rip me to shreds from the inside out and urge me to join them.
This isn’t over. Not yet. Not until Lyall is taken care of. I have a duty to fulfill at Sarina’s side before I can let myself break and grieve.
Sarina helps me to my feet. Nolan, Cassandra, and Reid follow us as we approach Brenna and Lyall.
Lyall stays on the ground, but his strange fit continues. It’s horrifying and grotesque, but I can’t look away.
Reid leans closer to me, muttering out of the side of his mouth. “What is she doing to—”
“He’s reliving the moment Conan killed him on repeat,” Brenna answers without taking her focus off Lyall.
She barely blinks as she watches him, her normally vivid blue irises all but gone with how wide her pupils are.
“And I thought Maddie was the one to watch out for,” Reid whispers as he scoots away from Brenna.
“How long can you keep him like this?” I ask.
“He’ll continue to relive his death until I decide he’s had enough. Or until I kill him.”
