Mated Girl (Wolf Girl #4)(42)

“I’ll see you in the morning,” I told her.
We wanted this to be quick. And whether we won or lost, I thought it would be.
After a lot of tearful goodbyes, Arrow and Willow set out under the cloak of darkness to hide our people who couldn’t fight in the bunker. That was nearly half of our force, but still left us with a little over ten thousand warriors.
As we waited, I started to get nervous about how all the pieces of the puzzle would work.
I pulled Sawyer aside and took in his stressed appearance. He looked tired. His hair was messed up in a cascade of dark strands that fell across his forehead. I could sense the anxiety between our imprint. He wasn’t sure this was going to work, and neither was I.
I couldn’t be sure of anything anymore, but we had to try.
I reached up and smoothed his hair. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you and you owe me a new wedding ring.” I kept it light and he smiled, seemingly grateful that I didn’t go too deep or try to say goodbye.
“I love you too, Demi, and I owe you a lot of things.” Leaning in, with Creek pressed between us, he placed a kiss to my lips, causing an ache to form in my heart. We’d been through so much together, I just wanted a happily-ever-after. Was that too much to ask?
I was about to say something else when a searing pain sliced up my back and I cried out, falling to my knees.
“Demi!” Sawyer yelled.
I screamed, the pain reaching epic levels as I felt a pull of power from my wolf.
No.
‘I’m so sorry I left you,’ I sobbed as the pain wracked my body in waves. What were they doing to her? I couldn’t sense anything but agony.
‘It’s … okay,’ she huffed out, and I knew in that moment that the queen had just fed off my wolf. I just knew it.
‘Where are you?’ I asked, sending out my sensations to try to see where she was, but the brief link to my wolf was quickly gone, clamped down as if she’d been torn away. They’d recuffed her. The queen had removed her cuffs, fed on her, and then locked her back up.
“Demi?” Sawyer was on the ground, looking me in the eyes while he cradled Creek with one hand.
I whimpered, wiping my upper lip with the back of my hand. I’d broken out in a cold sweat from the sudden pain.
“I’m okay,” I said. “My wolf … the queen fed from her … but I’m okay.”
He frowned, not looking as shocked as I expected, and helped me to stand.
I didn’t know how she knew, but the queen knew we were on the move. Just like Luka said, she would be “juiced up” on my essence and ready to throw down.
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We spent the next half hour getting the mounted warriors onto their steeds and in battle formation. They would be the front line, right after the trolls. I anxiously awaited word from Arrow and Willow, but I didn’t want to pry and distract them. Sneaking this many people into Wolf City in the dead of night, when the vampires were most active, was no small feat. If everything lined up right, we would attack just at daybreak, when the vampires were weary. Not one of us would sleep tonight. No, our reward of sleep would come tomorrow morning.
If we were still alive.
An hour ticked by and everything was in place. The trolls, the front wave of warriors riding horseback; second wave with spears, bow and arrow; and then the snipers bringing in the rear. We had to assume the witches would use magic to disable the guns, but we were as ready as we would ever be.
Maybe we stood a chance.
‘Okay, everyone’s in the bunker, awaiting your all clear to come out,’ Arrow said.
Relief washed through me. They made it.
‘If this goes south, and we lose … if I don’t make it and Sawyer doesn’t make it … take everyone into Spokane. I don’t care what the hunters say.’
He was silent.
‘That’s an order, Arrow. Everyone to Spokane if this fails. The vampires will lay waste to Paladin lands next. Promise me.’
‘Okay. Fine. We go pretend to be human if we lose. Got it,’ Arrow countered.
Next, I gave the go-ahead for Marmal and her trolls to move out. Marmal rode Pearl like the badass warrior that she was. They were a sight to behold.
“I want to go with them,” I told Sawyer, who stood beside me, rocking on the balls of his heels with Creek on his chest.
“I know. Me too. But we have to focus on the queen. It’s what I didn’t do before,” he said.
The trolls moved quickly into the woods, ready to disarm the vampires. Then Rab and Eugene were standing before us.
“We’re ready to follow,” Rab told me, thousands of warriors at his back. They stood there, battle ready and wearing expressions of strength and determination.
“I’ll bring up the rear,” Eugene stated, sitting aloft on a jet-black horse. Gone were the helicopters and Land Rovers. This war would be won the old-fashioned way. The Paladin way.
The horses whinnied as if they could sense the impending conflict.
“Go,” I commanded.
‘Good luck,’ I sent out to my entire pack.
Heads nodded in my direction and then they were off. Rab kicked his horse with his heels and thousands of warriors rushed into the forest.
As Rab and Eugene took off into the woods, the sky started to pinken, throwing swirls of orange as dawn arose.
Something bothered me about hiding in the Dark Woods and leaving it to Luka to be the bait. I wanted to make for damn sure that the queen found me. This whole plan hinged on her.
“Luka, are you sure your aunt will follow you?” I asked. I wanted to kill that woman more than I’d wanted anything in my life.