“You’re pretty confident,” he remarked.
“You have to be, mind over matter, baby.”
He kissed my cheek in response.
“Do the Guardians know?” I asked after a few moments of silence between us. The crickets had started to chirp and nature was having a full symphony.
“Not yet, I’m going to inform them in a little bit. I wanted you by my side when I did it.” He leaned his shoulder into mine. “The only reason I told my mother before you is because he was her mate. I would have told you first if it was anything else.”
“You don’t have to worry about me getting upset over that.” I paused. “I love your mother dearly. I’m very thankful I have her on my side as I can’t have my own parents here.”
“I wish they could be here with you,” he whispered before he got up and walked inside.
The world around us exploded once again just as we made it through the front door. The house shook and pictures clattered to the ground. My ears screamed in protest to the loud bombs landing around Rafe’s home. Rafe threw himself on top of me as one landed closer to the house and the ceiling fell out above me. His body went limp. There was screaming and yelling of orders all around us but no one got to us in time. I rolled my body out from under my mate’s and smacked his face. Dust floated in the air in thick clouds. My vision blinked in and out with the electricity. Finally, Mav made it to us and helped me pick my mate up from the floor. Mav’s cheek was cut but he looked good. Rafe was bleeding from his temple and was still unconscious. With the toe of my boot, I kicked the sheetrock that had landed on his head.
Mav led the way to the basement. The electricity was out but I was thankful for my wolf senses. Nalia was perked up and ready to go. My fingernails itched where my claws wanted to tear through.
We have to keep a level head. Our mate is unconscious.
Nalia nodded in my mind.They will be looking to us for guidance.
I scoffed internally.Doubtful.
My senses sharpened when Nalia was fully awake and aware inside of my head. Mav laid Rafe on the couch and I sat down beside his head. I brushed his hair from his eyes and used the edge of my shirt to clean the blood from his temple. We were both covered in white dust.
The explosions had stopped outside but the ringing was still loud in my ears. “Where are the others?”
“They’re going to make sure the rest of the pack is safe and heading to their appropriate placements during this.” Another explosion rocked the house and dust rained down on us. Mav blinked. “I don’t think this is going to stop like the other attacks. I think this is it. They’re coming.”
Rafe laid prone on the couch but at least the blood had stopped. Mav looked at the both of us and his face softened. “He would do it again.”
“What?” I frowned.
“He would save you or destroy for you. He will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re okay.”
I knew that. I had seen the look on his face before he covered my body with his.
“What do we do?”
“We wait. Knox and Gabriel got all the witch children to safety. Granny, Tracey, and Alice are there with them. Carden and Lucas are headed this way. Carden is going to look at Rafe’s head. Duncan and Archer are headed to the border.”
My body trembled as I tried to mentally prepare myself for what would happen next. What would we do? How would we move forward? Would we survive this? Our numbers weren’t looking good. I knew this, I had calculated the risk for all of it even though everything was telling me not to. I knew that we wouldn’t make it out of this. I fished my phone out of my pocket. Mav frowned. “You don’t need to be making calls right now.”
I held my hand up. If we weren’t going to make it out of this alive, I needed my parents to know how much I loved them and cared about them. I didn’t bother with my mother’s number. She hardly ever answered her phone. My father picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, honey, it’s kind of late,” someone said something in the background and the speaker muffled as he put his hand over it. I could practically picture it in my head. He had done it so many times when I went into his home office growing up.
“Dad,” my voice broke. “I just want you to know I love you so much.”
“I’m at the office, but if you need anything, I will be right there.” His voice went hard like he was expecting my call. Like he had been preparing himself for this moment. The moment he would come to the rescue for his little girl. Maybe every dad prepared themselves for that moment, whether or not it would come at all.
I cleared my throat. I didn’t need him to worry. “I just want you to know how much I love you and Mom. I always appreciated everything you did for me growing up.”
“What’s going on, Jade?” His voice took on a darker tone than I was used to.
“This isn’t any of your concern, I just need you to know that no matter what happens, I always loved and appreciated the both of you.” Just as I was finishing the sentence, another bomb landed and my cell service went dead.
Mav sat down beside me on the couch and pulled me in for a hug. He was still holding me when Carden and Lucas came down the stairs. Carden wasted no time and was immediately beside Rafe. He held his hands over Rafe’s head. He barely took his hands away fast enough. Rafe shot up with a deep inhale and looked around the room. He instantly scooped me into his arms and ran his hands down my face.
Mav stood up and posted himself beside the door. “This is it, bud. They’re coming.”
