supposed to be,” he admits. “And now...we got the two of you,” Flint continues, noddin’ at Delta and me. “Annuli.”
“Yep,” Alder says behind me, his voice rumblin’ through his chest and into my side. “You two are everything we didn’t know we needed,” he says, his hand playin’ with the strands of my hair and makin’ me shiver. My heart swells at his declaration and the honest conviction ringin’ through it. I lean over and place a kiss on his cheek.
“I keep meanin’ to ask...do you feel any differently?” I question Delta. “I mean, since you went down into Hell and worked your Annulus magic on the Hellgate?”
Delta bites her lip in contemplation before shakin’ her head. “No, not that I can tell. With the Garden of Eden thing going on down there, I know I did something...but I don’t know. I keep wondering if we should bring you down there to do the same thing.”
Rafferty nods. “I was thinking that too.”
I share a look with my guys and then shrug. “Whatever I can do to help, I’m game.”
Delta rolls her eyes playfully before gettin’ to her feet. “No surprise there. You’re always game to go with the flow, Medley.”
I lift a shoulder. “Just wait until you meet Mama and Daddy. They’re even more easygoin’ than I am.”
Delta grins. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
Mama is gonna be ecstatic when she meets Delta. Plus, the purple wings. I haven’t told her yet about these things, because I wanna watch her face when she sees them. She’s gonna lose her mind with excitement.
“Should we hit the kitchens and fuel up for the night?” Rafferty asks as he and the others get to their feet.
I untangle myself from Alder’s lap and hop up. “Yeah, I could eat.”
Alder gets to his feet too and stretches, his shirt ridin’ up to show the V that leads into his pants and the stunnin’ watercolor outlines of flowers that flow perfectly with his muscles. Suddenly, my mouth starts to water for all new reasons that have nothin’ to do with food. He looks over to find me in a state of pure appreciation, and he smiles and pulls me toward him.
“You hungry for somethin’ else, Petal?” he asks against my lips before he places a quick peck there. I lean toward him wantin’ more, makin’ him chuckle, but then that raspy laugh turns into a gasp, his eyes flarin’ wide.
“Alder?”
Gasps and grunts fill the room, and my head whips around, my eyes bouncin’ from one Guardian to another as they rub at their sternums, anger and concern radiatin’ from every tense muscle.
“What’s wrong?” Delta demands, her grip on Crux’s arm as he slumps over slightly, his hand grippin’ his chest like he’s in the middle of a heart attack.
I feel Flint stumble behind me, and I shove my shoulder beneath his arm to keep him upright. “What the hell is goin’ on?” I ask shrilly, panic stainin’ my voice as I take in the pained faces of Delta’s and my mates.
All at once, the guys seem to come to the same conclusion, their eyes meetin’ as they all give the same reply. “Something broke through the Hellgate.”
34
Our feet pound through the house, our stampede of eight sprintin’ down the stairs and headin’ straight for the front door.
Somethin’ broke through the Hellgate.
“Where’s the attack?” Delta shouts out as we all pour out of the mansion and start runnin’ over the gravel.
“We don’t know!” Jerif calls back. “We have to check all the portals.”
As we race to the side of the mansion, I give up on tryin’ to keep up with their long legs and leap up into the air and take flight.
I call my scythe into my hand and pump my wings hard before I realize I don’t even know where I’m goin’. I know they said their gate is in the cemetery in a mausoleum, but I’m not exactly sure where to go.
In a second, Delta is in the air too. “We’ll go check it out!” she calls down to the guys, her own scythe gripped in her hand.
“Medley, Delta, no!” angry voices shout, the order trailin’ after us as we take off.
“It could be a trap!” Rafferty bellows out, but Delta doesn’t stop, so I follow in her wake as we speed toward the graveyard in the distance.
Rafferty’s warnin’ wraps around me, but I fling it away. If it’s a trap, better to have it sprung without our mates in the middle of it. They’re