Chapter 31
Diaval
I hate to admit it, but I believe my mate is onto something.
The way the pack acts now is far different from when her grandparents ruled the area. Where they used to greet newcomers, now everyone remains indoors. Curtains twitch as we pass. Eyes follow us from darkened windows. This pack is afraid.
But not of us. Eight male wolves against a single female was excessive. Then again, Feray is easily almost three times their size now.
Feray and Easton pour over the old journals of her father's, trying to learn everything they can. Torben emerges from the back rooms and motions for me to follow him.
We move into the back bedroom, and he whirls on me, eyes intense. "I think she's right."
"What do you mean?"
He grabs my wrist and drags me to the closet.
In the back, there's a panel that doesn't look right.
With a firm push, it opens up to a tunnel.
My blood runs cold. He produces a flashlight, and we enter, the air growing colder and damper with each step.
The tunnel is straightforward, stretching on for almost thirty feet before there are rungs leading to a vertical shaft.
I take the lead, climbing up and pushing open the hatch.
"What's up there?" Torben whispers from below.
"Not sure, hold on." I climb out the rest of the way and look around.
I'm in a shed. The one in the backyard of the house we're staying in.
They gave us this house on purpose. The realization hits me like a physical blow.
This was never hospitality. It was positioning.
They put us exactly where they wanted us—in a house with hidden entrances, ready for slaughter.
I return to the tunnel and rejoin Torben.
"It leads to the shed behind the house."
"Shit." His jaw tightens. "Okay, let's head back and set up accordingly for tonight."
My gut twists into a thousand knots as I think about what their endgame could be. We re-emerge in the closet and are met with an angry-looking Feray.
"It leads to the shed in the backyard. We suspect they will enter the house from here." I motion to the secret passageway behind us.
"Great idea, except there's one problem." Feray's voice turns deadly calm. "There are two more in the other bedrooms."
Two more tunnels.
Three entry points.
They weren't taking any chances.
She glances up to the second story of the house, then back at us. I can practically hear the gears turning in her head as she calculates courses of action. "How hard is it for you to rip up several stairs to make it difficult to get to the second floor?" She turns and looks at Torben.
"What are you thinking, my eternal?"
"Well..." She moves to the staircase, her fingers brushing the wood lightly before she rests her hands on the stairs just above where we can easily step up. "If we remove the stairs above here, say four of them, they can't make it up to where we are." Her voice is calm. Too calm.
"And if they set the house on fire?" I take a seat on the stairs.
"We can use it as a diversion to get them to go upstairs, then we torch the house."Feray's suggestion is so matter-of-fact that Easton chokes on thin air.
"Feray!"
"It's tactically brilliant," I reply. "It really depends on how many come to kill us. It's a waste of energy for less than five."
Feray paces again. "I'm guessing a minimum of five are coming for us. If it was me, at least ten." She purses her lips. "Then again, they know you're here with us, Diaval, so the house may be swarmed." She says it so calmly that it sends a chill down my spine.
Narrowing my eyes, I look at the half-stocked fridge in the kitchen. "I think one of those containers will have something in it to keep us from shifting."
Easton and I hurry into the kitchen. We test each of the containers. The bottle of wine, of all things, is what's spiked.
"Diaval, look..." Easton points to a tiny black object that looks like a small magical pressure switch.
"I have these under my mug collection at the bank. A warlock can make these to alert anyone when something is moved." A half-smile crosses my lips.
They would have known the moment we opened the wine. Known we were drugged and helpless. Known exactly when to strike.
Instead, we know they're coming."Let the countdown begin."
Sometime around midnight, the first creaks of floorboards echo in the silent house.
The howling wind outside adds to the suspense as we wait for our uninvited guests.
Feray is hiding in the broom closet in the kitchen, her breathing controlled and quiet.
She can see the last of them pass her, their footsteps heavy and careless.
Torben is in the living room, pretending to be asleep in plain sight.
Behind the recliner, Khal is hidden, ready to turn whoever attacks to stone.
Meanwhile, Easton and I sit in the bedroom where Feray rolled around earlier, spreading her scent thick. We are poised on either side of the door, muscles tense, waiting for them to enter and spring our trap. The darkness feels thick. Almost alive with the promise of violence.
There are six. They are searching the lower level. Feray's voice slides through the bond.
I can feel her excitement growing, the anticipation making her tremble with adrenaline.
Few more minutes, my eternal.
We hear them throwing doors open, not concerned about the noise they make.
They think we're drugged. Helpless. Easy prey.
They're wrong.
Suddenly—a scream. A gurgle. A crash to the floor.
The pulse of excitement through the bond tells me they found Feray.
And she's on a rampage. The door to our bedroom is kicked open, and before they can completely enter, Easton and I dispatch them silently. Swift and deadly.
Three of the six are down.
There's another scream—a horrific wet sound—then a loud thud. Easton and I take off running through the house. We find Feray covered in blood, her eyes wild with the thrill of the fight.
Torben stands nearby, his clawed hand punched straight through another man's chest. In his hand is the man's heart, still quivering before he drops it to the floor, letting the body fall with a sickening thud.
The house falls silent once more. The only sound is the howling wind outside—a stark contrast to the chaos that erupted moments ago.
Our trap worked.
Six came to kill us in our sleep.
Six failed.
"Whatever was in the wine should have knocked us out and stolen our shift," I say, staring at the bodies littering the floor.
"I'm getting real tired of being attacked at every turn.
" Feray's tone betrays just how exhausting everything has been for her.
The weariness in her voice matches the sorrow in her eyes.
"I dreamed as a little girl to fall in love, settle down, and start a family.
" Her eyes sadden as she turns to look at me. "Is that too much to ask for?"
Shaking my head, I move closer to her, pulling her against my chest. I kiss her temple, feeling the slight tremor in her body.
"Not at all. It would be nice to know domestic bliss.
" For a moment, I let myself imagine it.
Feray in a garden. Children with her eyes and my stubbornness.
A home that isn't a battlefield. But that future feels impossibly far away tonight.
"I'm going to stay awake and watch over everyone tonight," Khal offers. He walks over and kisses Feray's forehead. "Stay with Diaval tonight. Torben, Easton, and I will shift and watch over the house."
"I'll be just outside the door, little wolf," Torben kisses her temple before leaving.
Easton glances at the foot of the bed. "I'm staying. I'll be the last line of defense." He kisses Feray, then shifts to his phoenix form without the fire, resting on the rail across the foot of the bed. A silent sentinel.
"Come on. You need rest. We have a castle to storm tomorrow," I say, trying to lighten the mood despite the heaviness that hangs in the air.
Reluctantly, Feray changes into one of Torben's oversized T-shirts. "Fine. I swear, if someone lifts a claw to any of you, I'm destroying everything in my path. Consequences be damned." A yawn escapes her lips.
"Of course, my little warrior queen. Drink your water, then lay down.
I get to hold you tonight," I whisper next to her ear, and I hear her heart rate spike.
Leaving on my undershirt and boxers, I climb into the bed and fold down her side of the blanket.
She flitters around the room, checking on her other mates, stepping over Khal's coils.
He finally gets the brilliant idea to use his tail to help her maneuver around to kiss everyone goodnight.
Watching her and Easton is particularly interesting.
He rises up, spreads his wings, and wraps them around her shoulders.
The tips of his feathers ignite, and I hear the pleased, relieved sigh that escapes her lips.
Her eyes are ice blue when she releases him, before fading back to their natural gray-blue.
We watch as she climbs up the bed and slips under the blankets with me. She scoots back until she hits my chest, then pulls my arm over her.
She trusts us, my dragon practically sighs in my head.
She loves us, I reply just as softly.
"I love all of you. Now, can we go to sleep?
We have a castle to storm tomorrow and several high-ranking wolves to dominate or win to our side.
" She yawns as she speaks, pulling her hands up close to her face.
She sleeps almost like a little kitten, a deep, happy rumble resonating in her chest when sleep finally takes her.
It's how I know when she is truly asleep.
I glance around the room once more, ensuring everything is in its place and everyone is safe.
Six assassins lie dead downstairs. The Alpha sent them to murder us in our beds.
Tomorrow, we walk into his castle.
Tomorrow, we face whatever army he has left.
Tomorrow, my mate either claims her throne or dies trying.
But for now, her warmth is all I need.
I curl myself tightly around her and let the comfort of her presence pull me toward sleep. The anticipation of tomorrow's battle lingers in my mind, but in this moment, with her heartbeat steady against my chest, I find something I haven't felt in centuries.
Hope.