“Yeah, I've perfected the brew now. It's foolproof, and the dark lord won't know we're near if he's in Oakland.”
“This is good,” Tyler commends Emily. “We'll leave at nightfall. Meet at my house.”
As the meeting concludes and everyone disperses, Dominic and Sean leave Portland to go to their packs, leaving the mission group in town to gather at Tyler's place at nightfall.
Perhaps the uneasiness I feel even after I've left the pack den is internal, and not because any of my friends question my fake marriage. Still, I can't seem to shake it off, and turn toward Hunter, throwing daggers at him with my firm glare.
I'm too enraged to let a word out, a disgruntled huff only leaving my lips as I spin on my heel and stomp out of the den, deciding to get some rest before the mission instead of using up my energy on Hunter.
He's not worth it, especially after outing our fake marriage in front of the squad and putting me on the spot.
The only consolation I have is that they suspect nothing and didn't probe or mock me about the marriage. They bought the excuse that I married him to escape the Lycan Prince, which is, after all, the only reason I agreed to this charade.
Perhaps it's me who needs convincing. As if I'd have any other reason to marry my fated mate who rejected me in the past.
***
The journey to Oakland feels longer than it should, only because I'm highly aware of Hunter's presence, my mind hardly where it needs to be, considering we're on a mission to find the dark warlock who seems to be targeting us for our link to the Golden Tree Sisters. That should be my priority, but I'm not oblivious to the way Hunter has been acting like he's my real husband.
He's trudging along up ahead, lugging my backpack over one shoulder after we argued about him carrying it for me. Not wanting to cause a scene or show the group that I'm not entirely on board with our fake marriage, I relented and shoved my bag into his waiting hands.
Internally groaning, there's a part of me that wishes he'd joined Sean back in Silverfang instead of volunteering for this mission.
“Hey, what's up?” Emily asks, slipping her arm through mine as we walk behind the others. Tyler and Nicholas are up ahead, with Hunter behind them, making it impossible not to see his movements as his muscles flex beneath a tight black T-shirt.
“N-Nothing,” I lie, snapping out of another one of those dazes that make me forget what he did to hurt me. I can't help it. Hunter Black is a gorgeous specimen of a male werewolf, and I have to keep reminding myself that his heart is as black as the sleek hair on his head.
“I'm just worried about this mission and catching the dark lord,” I murmur as a shiver courses down my spine.
“You? Worried?” Emily scoffs, rolling her eyes. “I find that hard to believe, D. You've always been the least bothered by missions.”
“Yeah…” I sigh, recalling how things used to be in black ops, not forgetting what happened between Hunter and me. “I guess things have changed, especially since I feel targeted for being a witch.”
“Well, the guys are gonna keep us safe, that's for sure,” Emily claims proudly, her chest puffing out. It makes me feel uncomfortable that I'm putting my safety in a particular guy's hands, so I gather my thoughts and reclaim the fiery spirit I've always had.
“You know what?” I begin, raising my chin in a confident tilt. “I'm just being silly. Nothing's gonna happen. I'm gonna face whatever comes our way, because I absolutely can.”
Emily nudges me gently in the ribs, a proud smirk on her face extending to her blue eyes that glitter with that pride. “Aha! That's the Delilah I know!”
When we arrive in the quiet town of Oakland, an eerie ambience is settled in the air, and the group exchanges knowing looks with silent nods.
Arianna's vision was right. The dark warlock is in Oakland.
“I'm gonna get us two motel rooms over there,” Hunter says in a low tone, nodding at the motel at the end of the street across the gas station. It strikes me that he's taking charge, but an intrusive thought has me feeling irritated by his competence.
Of course, he'll be skilled at getting motel rooms, I think disdainfully, mentally rolling my eyes.
“Good idea, Hunter,” Tyler commends him with a pat on his shoulder. “We can speak to the locals, figure out if anyone has seen anything suspicious.”
“There's a diner next to the motel. We could grab something to eat and blend in,” Nicholas suggests, and we all agree as we head to the motel.
Hunter takes charge again, sweet-talking the receptionist behind the desk and getting an extra room free of charge simply by oozing his natural charm. He brings the keys over and says he'll take the extra room while Tyler and Nicholas take the other, while Emily and I have our own.
The other two guys go to their room, while Hunter carries my bag down the hall.
“Room nine…” he says thoughtfully as he stops outside the door. “Here we go.”
He unlocks the door and pushes it open, stepping aside to allow Emily to pass him. He turns to me, holding out my backpack toward me.
