“So am I,” Declan said.
Declan swung himself into the vehicle and onto the seat in front of Willow. Kadence settled on the passenger seat while Nathan and Brian sat next to him.
“Where to?” Ronan asked.
“A town called Culver,” Declan said. “We hid there for a couple of days, and there was a family who tried to help us. The town was crawling with Savages the last time we were there.”
Ronan’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as Kadence leaned over and started punching something into the GPS in the center of the console. Willow leaned forward to rest her hand on Declan’s shoulder; he clasped it before kissing her fingers.
Tomorrow, she would be nothing but professional around him when they were around the others. Even though the color was easing from him again, his shoulders remained rigid.
When Ronan shifted the vehicle into reverse, Declan released her hand, and she sat back. Then she leaned forward and bent down to reassure herself the sword was safe. The cool metal—or whatever forged the blade—against her fingers made her sigh.
Releasing the blade, she sat back again. She ignored the pointed looks of her sisters as they gazed between her and Declan. They gave her identical “spillthebeans” looks.
Willow had no intention of spilling those beans until they were alone; it was a bonus that her silence would drive her older sisters crazy until then. She grinned at them and assumed an innocent expression as she clasped her hands demurely in her lap.
When Vicky leaned over to pull down her shirt, she exposed Declan’s bite marks and pointed it out to Abby, who leaned across her. Willow slapped Vicky’s hand away and glowered at her.
Vicky ignored Willow’s warning look as Abby grasped the other side of her shirt and pulled it down to reveal more marks. Her sisters giggled as Abby pointed to the bites and Willow slapped her hand away.
Had she really missed these two? Less than five minutes in a car with them and she was having flashbacks to family road trips where torturing and murdering their siblings was the main thought on everyone’s minds.
And right now, she’d like to kill them both as she slapped at their hands again, and Vicky playfully slapped her back. When Willow glared at her, Vicky covered her mouth to stifle her giggles before Abby threw her arms around her and hugged her again.
Willow’s murderous impulses faded when Abby’s arms cinched around her neck, and Vicky hugged her waist. They could drive a saint insane, but she loved them dearly. She clasped Abby’s arm as she rested her head against Vicky’s and closed her eyes.
“What do we do about Lucien?” Declan asked.
“We’re going to keep searching for him,” Ronan said. “But we’ve moved the women and children out of the compound.”
Declan turned his attention to the passing roadside. Not only had they lost one of their brothers, but he could inflict a lot of damage on them if the Savages did have him and they succeeded in turning him.
“Where are they?” he asked.
“We purchased an island off the coast. It’s small, and there’s only a couple of houses on it from the family who owned it before the Alliance. They’re going to be cramped, but it’s safe, and Lucien has no idea we own it. Some members of the Alliance are already over there standing guard and building shelters. Over time, we’ll either build it up or bring them home, but until we learn what happened to Lucien, they can’t be at the compound,” Ronan said.
“Are we staying on the island too?”
“No. If they succeed in turning Lucien into a Savage and he comes for us, we’ll be at the compound waiting for him.”
Declan couldn’t think about what would happen then. A fight to the death against one of their own wasnotsomething he was looking forward to, especially since Lucien never would have chosen such a fate.
Maybe there was a chance they could pull Lucien back if he turned into a Savage. Killean had killed and managed not to give in to his more nefarious side. However, he also had Simone to guide him back, and Killean still battled the effect taking a human life had on him. Occasionally, before leaving for Mexico, Declan would see him wandering the grounds at night and feel the war he waged within himself, but it happened far less often than five years ago.
Declan shifted his attention to the window as trees flashed past it. He couldn’t think of many things worse than Lucien arriving with a horde of Savages. Lucien could be a giant asshole, but beneath his rough exterior was the strong, caring soul of someone who had endured a lot.
This wasn’t like when he’d believed he could save his father. His father had given in and embraced his nature, Lucien would continue to fight what the Savages did to him for as long as possible. Lucien was a warrior, and Declan retained the hope he would fight his way out of whatever he was involved with… if he was still alive.
“Where’s Wyatt?” Willow asked as she pulled away from her sisters. “Is he on the island too?”
“No,” Vicky said. “He’s at Mom and Dad’s being spoiled rotten and playing with his cousins.”
“Good.”
“Are we sure we want to check out Culver now?” Nathan asked.
“Yes,” Willow said. “Those people are defenseless, and we’re the ones who put them in areallyshitty situation. We have to help them if we can.”
