Chapter One Hundred Eight–Eight
DELILAH
I knew it! I knew It! He is the wolf I saved from my brother’s trap! He’s my Wolfie.
Tears fill my eyes as Quinn’s giant form steps cautiously toward me. Hej so beautiful like this. So powerful and elegant… and it’s almost inconceivable to think that creatures like him do in fact exist. They really do! And this one, this tall dark brown and gray beast is kneeling in front of me and watching me with eyes the color of citrine jewels. They’re animalistic and intelligent, wild and tame, all at the same time.
To think, all these years I’ve watched my dad and the rest of the Elders hunting for a species like Quinn’s and I always thought they were crazy. I always thought they were nuts – AND THEY ARE just not for the reasons I believed. The Elder Few’s entire way of life is definitely demented and whether I want to admit it or not, they have always operated like a cult. I just never wanted to think of it that way because my dad was such a big part of it, but the truth is, he was just as disturbed as the rest of them.
And now… Cane… I cannot let them have my brother! I can’t!
Now more than ever I want to see the Elders destroyed, but I refuse to put Quinn in any danger. Now that I know what he is… I can’t let him help me. I can’t. If he were to get hurt or worse, killed… I’d never forgive myself. I’d never recover,
As I begin to moan and sob great big alligator tears, the sudden whine of the wolf in front of me goes straight to my heart and for a moment he appears disappointed. Heartbroken… Backing away from me with his head hung low, he releases another whine of pain and I leap forward before I even know what I am doing.
“Please, don’t be upset! I beg him, pressing my face into his thick muscular neck. “You are so beautiful Quinn. I swear you are and I’m so glad you chose to reveal yourself to me. Thank you! Thank you for trusting me!” Yet, I continue to cry because I know there’s no way
brother around this mess we’re in. This mess my
put up in.
A rumble of contentment vibrates from the chest of the animal in my arms and I do my best to dry my
tears.
Ruffling his fur in my hands I step back from him and say, “There are some things about the Elder Few that you probably need to know.”
Quinn’s ears suddenly twitch and his head swivels toward the stairs. He kicks himself into the air and that quickly shifts back into his human form. Much faster than he made the shift the first time and it takes me a minute to process his nudity as he grabs for his clothes.
“Wow,” I hiss. Try as I might, I can’t seem to pick my jaw up off the floor as I’m left to gape at the harmonious fluidity of each of his muscles that glint in the moonlight.
“Stay here,” he says. “I’ll be right back.”
“Is someone here?” I ask as he races toward the steps. “Not your roommate, I hope?!”
He shakes his head, tossing me a sexy grin over his shoulder. “It’s my Alpha. Let me go and see what he wants.”
Then he disappears up the steps and I’m left staring after him with about a thousand different thoughts scampering through my head.
e to try and call Cane
This might be the perfect time to
Unlocking the back sliding glass doors, I flip on the light switch and take a step out onto the patio. Closing the door behind me as gently possible, I take a moment to watch the waves crash on the rocks below. It’s so beautiful here. In a perfect world, I could definitely see this Its my new
home.
Staring
ing down at my phone, I dial Cane. It rings three times before he answers and when he does I’m almost at a loss for what to say.
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Chapter One Hundred Eight–Eight
“It’s late Delilah,” says a voice hardly recognize. His tone is pitched lows, just above a whisper and I have to wonder where in the fuck he
“Where are you Cane?” I ask, wondering how much he’s planning to tell me about the horrible things he did this morning. To Charle, no
less! His best friend.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says quietly. “I’m safe and I’m tired. I’ve been but training all day.”
“Don’t worry about it? 1 snap. This motherfucker! “You left me all along Canet Under a fucking pile of sticks?! You said you’d be back tonight! What happened to that plan?”
He sighs, “It changed Listen, just stay there one more night, okay? Tomorrow I’ll have someone pick you up.”
I snicker, realizing that he actually thinks I’m still in that godawful cabin. Wow. He really didn’t check on me at all. But even stranger, it seems Elder Matthew hasn’t mentioned seeing me. “Oh will you?” I snipe. “How’s that? Are you going to send Jeebs and a car? What are you the big man on campus all of a sudden Cane? You’re just going to send someone? Then an idea strikes me and I want to see what his reaction is. “Puck that, Cane. Send Charlie for me instead. Send him in your truck to pick me up
Silence, heavy and dark greets me on the other end of the line and there’s no mistaking the change in his voice when he speaks next. But sadly, it doesn’t change the way I wanted it to. It turns colder and emptier instead. “I don’t know where the fuck Charlie is D! He abandoned me at the compound. He was too much of a pussy to go through with any of the challenges so he left. I stuck my neck out for him and he made a fool out of me. So if you want him to pick you up, you can give him a call yourself. Otherwise, I’ll send someone.”
He thinks Charlie can’t answer
er the phone, because he thinks Charlie is dead, and that knowledge is heartbreaking.
Anger erupts inside of me and I have to work to control the rise of my voice.“No! Fuck you Cane. Don’t do it. I’m good on the train or the bus. Forget I even called you at all! Good luck with your training. Watch out for flying cans of soup! I hang up with my chest tight and my breath panting as I wait for him to call me back.
He doesn’t.
My breath shudders and fresh tears burn my eyes as I realize that Cane is even more obsessed than my father was. He flat out lied to me about Charlie. Charlie! His best friend from five years old! The one person Cane did everything with! When the pair of them hit puberty theymasturbated together! I know, because I caught them and nailed them both with cans of soup! One can each right to the balls. One of my truly finer moments, if I do say so myself. They were inseparable! Like Siamese Twins!
And now…?
My Cane? My loving brother Cane? He would never have left me to fend for myself in that rickety cabin! At least, not without heading back to check on me at least once,
Can one person change so much in one dann day? No. I don’t think so
Unless… he didn’t actually change. Maybe… he’s always been this way,
but until today he’s never had any reason to show his true colors.
Before today, his survival and my survival have been pretty well entwined. He’s never had anyone else to run to except for me and Suddenly he does and he’s a murderous Har? Is he on drugs ???
1 know Quinn’s going to want as much information as he can get about The Elder Few. He might compound, but I don’t want to give it. I don’t want to send Quinn or anyone else after that circus.
even want the location of their
Charlie.
Not to mention, that if I tell Quinn everything… I might just be condemning my brother to a death sentence on either side. Because if Cane is anything other than completely and utterly stupid… he’s completely and utterly devoted to becoming an Elder. And unlike myself, Cano has always believed that shifters were real, so as much as 1 hate to admit it, I can’t see myself getting through to him. At least, not with Elder Roman by his side.
“Goddamn you, Cane!” I hiss to myself, “Fuck!” I take a deep breath and that’s when I smell it. Quinn’s deliciously crisp scent. But, I didn’t
Chapter One Hundred Eight–Eight
hear a thing so there’s no telling how long he’s been standing behin
“Hey, Lilac,” Quinn says softly, and I close my eyes. “Td like you to n
Holy fucking shit.
