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The army of five made their way towards the palace right before nightfall. Getting near the palace would be tricky as all public tours had ended at 4 p.m. and the parking lot would be empty. They would need to walk from the main marketplace to the walls of the palace. Then they would have to cross the massive grounds to the palace, past the guard dogs, the guards on top of the palace and to the room where Lucy was being held.
Logan knew the way to the room, and he knew where the guards were posted. The five had gone over the plan again and again. Boone would subdue the dogs, the other three men would take out the guards atop the palace, and the five would enter the building and make their way to Lucy.
Once Lucy was rescued, they would make their way to where Berto and Diego had parked the vehicle, just north of the palace. From there, the six would head north towards the mountains and into the neighboring country where the private jet awaited to return them to the States.
No one believed for a single moment it would be a cake walk, but they were confident they would succeed. As soon as the sun was nearing the horizon, but still light enough to see, the five made their way to the palace wall.
Delilah took the lead walking through the marketplace towards the palace. She hated walking behind the men, plus this allowed Boone to keep her in his line of sight and able to come to her rescue if the need arose. Boone walked with Logan while Berto and Diego coupled up. Each grouping stayed separate from the others to give the appearance of not knowing each other.
While anxious to get to the palace and rescue Lucy, Boone took the opportunity to look around. The city was old. The marketplace was even older. Small stores lined the street. Street vendors crowded the street itself selling everything from housewares to trinkets, plastic bowls to potted plants, and clothing to gold chains. Small carts sold street food cooked over an open fire. Dogs scavenged through the trash for scraps. Mothers held their children at their side by their hands. Boone had never been outside of the U.S. before and was amazed by the sights and smells of the ancient city. While not there as a tourist he wanted to remember it all; the stench, the poverty, and soon the contrast of a royal palace.
As the group neared the highway, the crowd lessened. Delilah could see the once vibrant tiles which lined the bottom halves of the stone-colored buildings; buildings more than a century old. The marketplace had been so much more crowded when she was there earlier that morning. She was too busy, too focused on her shopping mission to notice the faded beauty. At the end of the street cars, carts, camels, and other animals stood as if on guard to the entrance to the road. It reminded her, in a way, of the markets in New Orleans in the late 19th century, minus the camels of course.
Exiting the market, Delilah looked south down the highway. She was still amazed at how little the road was utilized by motor vehicles. And non-motorized conveyances were prohibited on the thoroughfare which led from the main city to the palace. Delilah checked to ensure her scarf was securely around her face and crossed the concrete road which was stained a reddish brown color from the sand which covered almost every surface. Heading south, she focused on her destination and the face of Lucy firmly in her mind. She tried to imagine the smile which would cover Margaret Miner’s face when she and her daughter reunited. The image of Margaret’s smile gave Delilah the courage and determination to continue.
Delilah knew the men were not far behind her. One pair would be walking on each side of the road. Delilah shuffled the canvas shopping bag from one hand to the other. Inside was her Rummy, her boots and an extra set of clothes and shoes for Lucy. Delilah’s rope was wrapped around her waist out of sight. Her new Arab style dagger strapped to her upper leg.
Delilah chuckled at the palm trees which lined both sides of the road. All were exactly the same distance apart. All were tall and well beaten by the sand storms which were known to close the city for hours or days.
Delilah wished she was dressed in her jeans and boots. It was the outfit she felt most confident wearing in these types of situations. But instead, she was in a black pair of pants covered by a long tunic and black sandals. She would change into her boots once she reached the palace wall. She smiled knowing underneath it all she was still sporting her patented red panties and bra. She smiled her covert act of defiance to the society of men who believed her to be weak and submissive. Silently she was flipping them the finger. She smirked at the thought.
After nearly an hour of walking, Delilah was half way past the massive palace grounds. The army of five had decided to breach the grounds on the south side of the palace wall and go in the entrance closest to where Lucy was being imprisoned. Delilah would lead the way into the building while Boone distracted the dogs and while Logan, Berto, and Diego stunned the outside guards. Delilah would distract the guards outside Lucy’s room, stun them and the five would lead Lucy to safety.
Thirty minutes later, the five gathered at the predetermined section of the wall. Delilah changed into her boots, and everyone readied for the rescue. They wished each other luck and separated to climb the wall. Logan looked back for a moment and smiled. He had secretly taken Boone shopping while Delilah had gone out to procure the weapons. Logan watched as Boone dropped to one knee and placed a proper engagement ring onto Delilah’s left hand.
“I love you, Delilah,” Boone whispered as he stood. “Let’s get married at soon as we get home. I do not want to wait any longer.”
“Yes, Hooxei,” Delilah replied and kissed him ardently.
“It is time,” Logan called out to everyone and breaking up a romantic moment between Boone and Delilah. Boone hoisted Delilah up onto the wall and then he jumped over. As soon as Boone landed on the ground he took off running. Telepathically he called out to the dogs to follow him.
Even in human form Boone could run fast. It took only a couple of minutes for Boone to realize something was wrong. He stopped and looked back towards the palace and the rescue party. Boone could see Delilah still running towards the building. He could see Logan, Diego and Berto following Delilah while silently taking out the guards atop the parapet. Behind the dogs, everything looked as if was going as planned and then he saw something he had not even considered. Headed towards him was not a pack of guard dogs but a pack of werewolves.
Holy fuck! Boone called out silently and realized he needed to turn wolf to protect himself. For a split second, he wondered if Logan knew about the werewolves. Had Logan set them up? But Boone did not have time to think about being ambushed. He had to protect himself from the werewolves and then he had to protect Delilah.
Turning wolf only took a few seconds, but they were precious seconds Boone needed to put as much distance between him and the werewolves as possible. The pack of werewolves was getting closer. Boone quickly looked around for a place to run. He needed to lead them away from the palace and from the others. Boone was large as a wolf, over five feet tall at the shoulder. But there was only one of him. He could see at least six ferocious and indomitable werewolves closing in on him. Boone tried to read their minds. He attempted to push them, to manipulate them, to stop them from attacking. But he could only distinguish one thought, one raw, feral instinct. Not viciousness, not savagery only intense hunger.
As Boone became fully cognizant of the werewolf’s true motive for attacking him, it was too late. The red glowing eyes of six hungry werewolves were flying through the air straight at him. Boone was about to be attacked and become their dinner. Despite his own threat, all he could think of was Delilah. He had to find her. But first, he had to protect himself.
Boone reared back and leaped towards the pack of werewolves. He aimed for the largest of the werewolves, ramming it in the ribs while they both were mid-air and knocking it to the ground. Landing on the ground Boone kept running towards the palace. He needed to take refuge inside, but he needed to turn human to open the door and gain access into the building. Boone had never turned hum
an while running, but he knew he had to try. Ten yards from the door to the palace Boone concentrated on what he needed to do. He needed to turn human. He needed to remember to turn dressed. He needed to remember the Rummy, which was still in his pants pocket. He growled and then he turned human.
Stumbling to find his balance on two legs, Boone pushed himself off his knees and off the ground and kept running. He pushed the latch on the door and nearly laughed, relieved to find it unlocked. He chuckled at the thought no one expected anyone to get past the guards and the werewolves. But he had and so had the others. Smiling, he slammed the door shut just as two of the smaller werewolves ran into it. Boone did not know if the werewolves could or would turn human and follow him. And he wasn’t about to take a chance so he locked the door.
It took a few moments for Boone to get his bearings. He had entered the palace through the first door he had come to, not the door he was supposed to. Boone started running down the hallway to find Delilah. Boone knew Lucy was being held on the second floor at the other end of the palace. Boone ran. He ran fast. He prayed to Daddy, or whoever was listening, Delilah and the others were safe.
With his enhanced senses, Boone could hear the commotion ahead of him before he arrived. He could hear the yelling and the sound of gunfire. He could smell the gunpowder and the adrenaline of everyone in the room where Lucy was being held. He ran faster, his heart about to beat out of his chest. Every fear he could have ever imagined was fueling him to move faster.
Boone moved so fast he was oblivious to the opulence of the palace. He did not notice the perfectly polished marble floors and the gold ornamentation around him. He did not see the murals painted on the walls of the royal family who seemed to watch him as he passed by. He did not see the long flowing red satin and velvet drapes which framed each carved hollow along the corridor. Instead of the beauty around him, Boone could only sense the danger ahead of him.
Coming down the hall, Boone could see two guards unconscious on the white marble floor just outside the room where Lucy was being held. He jumped over them and entered the room where Delilah, Lucy, and the others were fighting for their lives.
Just as Boone entered the room, his worst fear came to fruition. He screamed in horror and did not hesitate to turn wolf. He did not care about anything or anyone but Delilah. Subconsciously he knew he could erase the memories of any survivors. Boone turned wolf as he leaped across the room towards Delilah. Even for a man who could move seven times faster than a normal human, the scene played out in slow motion around him. It was like one of those dreams where your legs moved, but your body wasn’t moving forward. Boone felt frozen in time. His body was moving through the air but to him, it was taking forever for him to reach Delilah. His only thought was to protect Delilah or die trying.
Boone swore he could see the trajectory and path of every bullet flying across the room. The movement of everyone in the room seemed blurred even though he saw everything a clear as could be. Despite everything happening around him, Boone could only see Delilah. Every other person in the room was nothing more than supporting actors in the scene playing out before him. He knew Diego and Berto were killing the guards as fast as they entered the room. He knew they were drawing attention to themselves so Logan and Lucy could escape. But consciously, Boone could only see Delilah.
Boone watched in raw terror as Delilah’s body slumped to the ground with blood running from the top of her head through her silky brown hair and further into her frightened and sad ice-blue eyes. From midair, Boone stared back into Delilah’s eyes which were filled with love and sorrow for him. On the ground and bleeding, Delilah whispered, “I will always love you, Hooxei.” Then her eyes fluttered and closed.
Boone landed on the floor next to Delilah and laid his large wolf body over Delilah’s now unconscious body. He felt a little relief in the fact she was still breathing. He could not tell how badly she was hurt. Boone howled as his heart broke into a million pieces. He felt as if his soul was being ripped from his body. Delilah was his life. She was the only thing which mattered to him.
Through his half closed eyes, Boone watched as Diego and Berto fell to the floor riddled with bullets while Logan escaped out the window with Lucy. Boone howled as he felt the each of the bullets enter his own body. He knew there was nothing else he could do except to protect Delilah from the bullets flying all around them.
Boone growled one last time in a mixture of love, pain, and sorrow. And then he stopped breathing.
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Thank you for reading!
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Red Palace – The Red Wolf Chronicles (# 2)
Delilah is being held hostage in a Middle Eastern palace. Her fate is now in the hands of a group of werewolves who are not afraid to die. She needs to escape but who will come to her rescue? Believing Boone is dead, she is not certain of her future or how she will live without Boone, the love of her life; her soul mate. But is Boone really dead? Only Delilah's father has the power to change their destiny. Will he answer her prayers or continue to keep her and Boone from being together? How do Red Palaces, Russians, and werewolves fit into Delilah's past, present and future? Will love triumph over death?
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Other Books by Rebekah Shelton:
The Legend of the Snow Wolves Series
Emerald Eyes (FREE)
Emerald Knoll
Emerald Cove
Emerald Garden
Emerald Aura
Emerald Haven
Emerald City - The Return
Emerald Nation - Divided
Emerald Reign (coming soon)
Emerald Anarchy (planned)
Book 11 (planned)
Book 12 (planned)
The Red Wolf Chronicles
Red Wolf (FREE)
Red Palace
Red Widow
The Battle for Zarcon Saga
Raising Avon (FREE)
Shielding Avon
Battling Avon
Operation De-ICE (The Battle for Earth)
Red Wolf Page 46