As soon as my feet hit the ground, we both shifted and took off at a run. My smaller wolf ran proudly beside our large, pure white mate. Aside from cautioning me a few times, he stayed silent as we flew through the night, scrambling across the field and over hills until we reached the meeting point.
Lucian and a large, silver-and-black wolf—Matt—took charge over the wolves under their command. I hadn't done a headcount, but Matt had at least twenty deltas, while Lucian had a dozen or so of ours here.
From our vantage point, it was easy to watch and see how well-trained the team from Lucerne Valley was and why our pack needed their help. Lucian had explained a lot of this to me already, but with so much new information, I hadn't really understood.
Heck, I'd spent most of dinner nodding and smiling because I was having a hard time keeping up with all the conversations. Especially with Tina, my mom. She was so eager to love me, and I welcomed it, but I needed to take it slow. One thing I noticed about shifters who'd been allowed to live normally: they touched a lot. Tina and Dave were constantly brushing their hands against mine, hugging me, or, even more personal, rubbing their cheeks against mine after the hugs, as if their human side was letting their wolf mark me. Maybe if I'd met them first, it would've been easier. But being so newly mated, I craved Lucian's touch and wanted everyone else to give me space.
I was probably an awful person, but I couldn't help it. Nor would I change it. Lucian finding me when he did, the way he did, was like a sign from the goddess herself. Not only did she approve of us being fated. Maybe we were each other's reward for not simply surviving, but thriving, after our harsh beginnings. Like everything we'd been through was the prologue and now we were free to write our own happy ending. I liked that idea. Now we needed to make it through the adventure part of the book and move on to the parts my brother Five would call boring. Not me, though. I'd always been a fan of the drama-free chapters where everyone just did their thing.
Gunshots pulled me out of my head and drew my attention to the yard where I'd spent so many structured hours. As our deltas began their attack, Jones and another man were firing. The sound of more shots echoed through the night. I couldn't see the other guardians where they were hidden, merely reddish-orange flashes when they fired.
Several wolves were obviously hit, but so far, nobody was down. One of the flashes rose toward the sky the moment before a body tumbled down the hill, followed by a wolf who pounced to finish the job. As the opposite side realized wolves were behind them too, some came out of hiding, while others ran through rustling bushes, their guns poking out long enough to fire before they moved along.
My heart raced, torn between the thrill of watching my oppressors die and worry for the wolves working so hard on my behalf. Shameful or not, I savored the sight of Jones, attacked by three wolves at once. One swept his leg out from under him, while the other bit down on the gun, tearing it away along with the hand holding it. When the third wolf swiped its claws across his jugular, I wanted to cheer.
Lucian, clearly sensing my emotion, brushed up against me, his sexy chuckle rolling through my mind. "Such a bloodthirsty little thing. Let me guess, he scared you the most? The one who shot your friend?"
"Yes. How did you know? From my reaction or his metal leg? Doesn't matter. Nobody will ever have to worry about him trying to sneak into their bedchamber while they're sleeping, not ever again. He always found every excuse to get too close to us. When we were younger, he would slap and kick us if no one was watching. As we got older, he got creepy. One time, he touched my butt and told Teacher I was a filthy liar when I complained. I got fifty lashes and spent the week alone in my room while I filled a notebook with the sentence, 'I shall not lie.' He was a horrible person, and I only wish I was closer so I could smell his blood. If I’m bad, I can live with it."
"Doesn't make you bad, beauty. Wanna hear something worse? I wish I was the one who killed him, now that I've heard this. But I can live with it. The gray-and-brown wolf who slashed his throat was my buddy Devon. Finding out he got to avenge someone who tried to hurt my mate will make him happy." He paused at the sound of a lone howl, before responding with one of his own. "There’s our sign. Tell your brothers to move."
Since they already knew to listen for howls, they would be in motion. Rather than distract anyone playing an important part, I reached out to Nine.
"What's happening in there? Did you guys hear your cue to move?"
"Yes, of course. This is awesome, I wish you could see it. A housekeeper was mopping the great room area when we all ran out of our rooms as wolves. She's screaming and running in a circle while Three has the water from her bucket shooting straight up in the air and following her. No matter which way she moves, the water goes with. Ten has anything not nailed down floating through the air and slamming against the walls and… holy crap! Four is more talented than we thought. Thirteen, Teacher just ran out of the room he's been staying in. Remember how the ghost looked when he pulled off his own head and held it beside him in The Canterville Ghost? He's projecting that image, and it's chasing Teacher."
"Man, I wish I could see. Herd them toward the door. You need them to unlock it and get it open before Eleven can do his thing."
"Don't worry, Teacher is already fumbling with the bolt. He wants out of here, and Housekeeper is right behind him, yelling for him to move faster. The rest of us are blocking them from moving back. For the first time ever, I think Teacher is afraid of us. And… Hold on." He went silent.
"Nine! You're freaking me out—what's happening?" When he didn't answer, and I saw flames licking along the eaves, my body went cold. Frantic, I tried again. "Nine! What the heck is going on in there?"
Thankfully, he finally answered, sounding completely terrified, which didn't make me feel any better. "You should see someone coming out any second now, I hope, because it's getting smokier by the second. Eleven did his thing. He only meant to set that ugly portrait of Master on fire. But apparently, it had some sort of accelerant because there was a loud whoosh, and fire spread along the south wall. The entryway is holding for now because Three splashed all the water. It sprayed out around the door and the walls here. The wood is so old, it's catching fast in the rest of the place, and it's about to go up in flames. Oh, thank the goddess. Hold on. I am almost free. I need to concentrate and make sure everyone gets out."
As he spoke, the door flew open, and Teacher ran out with, yes, a hologram of the black-and-white version of The Canterville Ghost at his heels. Housekeeper seemed more afraid of the fire than ghosts, because she ran through the image and shoved Teacher out of her way. My brothers poured out, nipping at their heels with barks and growls.
I tried to get into their heads to tell them to pull back and let the deltas take care of the pair, but nobody was answering. I wanted so badly to run down and join them, but not only had I made a promise to my mate I wouldn’t leave his side, there wouldn't have been time. My brothers ignored the other wolves in the yard and closed a circle around the two of them.
Teacher shifted into a scrawny, gray wolf. Snarling at my brothers, he tried to push them back, but he wasn't any larger, and they had both numbers and years of frustration on their side. Housekeeper shifted into an equally unimpressive wolf, but she tried to fight her way free. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong brother to attack.