Chapter 170
Kane
She and Zeke easily ate four containers. The stomach ache lasted for hours, though they both deserved it.
“Cookies for breakfast?” Zara asked, raising an eyebrow as they entered the kitchen.
I watched silently as she made herself coffee, noting how perfectly her jeans hugged her full hips. Her rounded butt was on display, and even though she didn’t want to, she teased me mercilessly. I almost decided to skip work today and take her to the bedroom.
Instead of giving in to the impulse, I snorted at her comment. “Can you blame me? Last time, you and Zeke ate everything. I never thought lavender cookies would be so delicious p>
My own mother was absolutely terrible in the kitchen, and while her skills have improved over the years, her cookies were nothing like this.
“Never underestimate dad’s baking.” She shook her head, her jet-black hair flying in the air. “he’ll wrestle you to the ground if he hears you doubt his incredible abilities p>
“Just as I have no doubt, she can defeat me,” I chuckled, though the relief was short-lived.
“I’ll turn myself over to the authorities.” Zara spoke, her full lips pressed tightly together. She was never one to put things off, and I knew this conversation was just around the corner. Last night, I spent hours watching her ponder her plan, and I knew she would eventually carry it out.
“No,” I replied, as if my wolf had spoken the word for me. He desperately wanted to keep her close to us and was ready to lock her away if necessary. I was constantly battling him for control, to give Zara the power to make her own decisions. “They’ll kill you, Zara. Have you thought it all through p>
I already knew she had, because I’d watched her ponder her plan for hours. Her face would alternately contort with determination and then sink into sadness. I knew she’d considered every possible option, even though this plan was far from foolproof.
“You know I’ve thought it through, and I don’t think they’ll kill me.” She took a deep breath and continued, “I will surrender to the authorities and gather as much information as I can about their headquarters. We know nothing about them, Kane. We don’t know where they sleep or where they came from. When this war starts, we will be blinded. We cannot allow them to gain an advantage p>
She was right, terribly right. We needed this information, any information, to gain an advantage. It took time to evacuate the inhabitants of this city, to take the elderly, the pregnant, the sick, and the children away from the battlefield.
Marcus would tear them to shreds without a second thought, without caring whether they could defend themselves.
Yesterday, I spoke with Govinda and hated myself immensely for not asking where their headquarters was. I was too obsessed with understanding Marcus. Govinda told me everything he knew: Marcus’s infatuation with Zara was connected to her position on the throne.
“What about your warmth?” I asked in a dark voice.
Too many things could go wrong if Zaea fell into the heat of passion in the presence of Marcus. It wouldn’t affect them the way it would a werewolf, but I knew no one would dare refuse her, especially Marcus.
She would throw herself at any man, desperate to extinguish the fire burning in her soul. Zara wouldn’t be to blame for this situation, but I desperately didn’t want to take that risk.
“I need to get information before that happens.” Zara winced, and I realized this was one of the downsides of her plan. She considered it, but couldn’t come up with a solution. Once you’ve marked each other, nothing can stop your heat.
“I’ll have two weeks at most, but I’ll be done in a week. I won’t be around them when I’m in heat. I’ll find a way to mind-link you, and then you and a group of men can come and meet me at the entrance to where Marcus spend their days p>
I was silent, considering her words.
Plan it yourself. If everything goes perfectly, we can gain the upper hand in this war. We’ll know where Marcus hide during the day, and perhaps gain information about when they plan to attack.
Taking the war into their territory would be foolish, but if we knew the chronology of their plans, we’d have a better chance of winning.
“What if they silver you? You won’t be able to contact me. I can’t allow that. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for this pack.” I shook my head, my chest tightening painfully.
I thought about handing Zara over to our enemies. Anything could happen to her, and I wasn’t sure I could survive in a world without her.
“Tell me you wouldn’t do the same,” she insisted, her eyes bleeding with despair. “Tell me you wouldn’t risk everything for the safety of this pack. I’ll find a way around the silver, I’ll send shadows to tell you if I have to, but I need to do this p>
She was right, she was right, and we both knew it. I closed the distance between us, determined to keep her close, to claim every inch of her before she left, before our future became uncertain. Our kiss wasn’t rushed, it didn’t burn with unbridled passion.
This kiss was a kiss of longing, a kiss of an unspoken future, where I would wake up next to her every day. A future where we would grow old, where we would have our whole lives to decide, to have children, to love each other. This kiss was a kiss of fear, showing how afraid I was of losing her.
I had survived alone for so long, living in the darkness, until I got used to it. She was my light, and I had been blinded by her for so long. Now that my eyes had finally adjusted, I couldn’t go back to living in the dark, to living without her.
As our lips met, our worries, hopes, and fears mingled, I ran my tongue over her soft lip. As soon as her lips parted, I pulled away. Her breath fanned my face, sweet as coffee cream. My heart pounded in my chest, and I suppressed the fear that threatened to explode inside me.