by Reese Monroe
“Thanks.”
“The county police might try to reach you two as well once we get them involved. Just a heads-up.”
Dasha led her to the door. Sadie held on to her best friend’s hand so tightly she felt the bones shifting beneath her fingers. She wasn’t sure how she’d made it, but soon found herself in the waiting room.
Justin bolted to his feet and reached for her. At the same time, the doors burst open and a massive body nearly filled the entire doorframe.
“Do not touch her.”
It was Hazel Eyes. Justin stepped away, hands up, but Dasha held on tight. “Hey—”
“Be still,” Hazel Eyes commanded Dasha, and she instantly settled.
But Sadie couldn’t comply with his order. As much as she hated how weak it made her feel, she gave in to the pain. Her eyes squeezed shut, her body curved forward, and she knew she’d hit the ground, face-first probably, in a matter of seconds.
But she didn’t.
Strong hands hoisted her up into even stronger arms. A cocoon of heat enveloped her body like she’d slipped into a warm bubble bath.
She ordered her eyes open and caught a glimpse of Hazel Eyes. No, Theo, that was his name.
“I’ve got you, Ahavah.”
“Theo,” she whispered.
“Heal her,” Justin said. “She was cut by that chaos demon.”
A growl erupted from the chest she lay against.
“What the hell is going on out here?” A deep voice she recognized as the security guard’s entered the conversation.
“Justin, take care of things here.” Theo nodded to the side. “Dasha, show me to Sadie’s dorm.”
Sadie wrapped her arm around Theo’s neck, and he flinched when she touched his skin. His jaw muscles twitched, rippling along his face in waves. His nostrils flared, and he staggered to the side. Amber swirls, just like his brother’s, ignited within his eyes. The pupils expanded until almost all the hazel disappeared.
And then she saw nothing.
Chapter Nine
Had his arms not been full with Sadie, Theo would have smoothed back the hair plastered to his beautiful Mate’s forehead. Her skin had met his, her arm to his neck, and ignited the Ahavah brand.
Even now, as he carried her across the courtyard, followed closely by Dasha, the ink imprinted along the side of his neck.
Marked him as hers.
The pain had caught him by surprise, but when he realized what it was, he welcomed it. Hell, he’d waited over nine centuries for it.
His Mate. She was finally in his arms but gravely injured. It would expend much of his energy to heal her.
“You’re taking me to her dorm, right?”
Dasha nodded and pointed up ahead. “She’s on the first floor. Room 101.”
Justin, room 101 of the Buckingham dorms.
Almost done here.
The sun hanging low in the sky cast a pink hue on the five four-story buildings a few hundred yards away.
“You live there as well?”
“Third floor. You must be really strong. You’re not looking tired at all.”
He’d been waiting centuries to hold his Mate. She was so light he hadn’t even registered the weight in his arms. Such a small female, yet so strong. He’d pulled what had happened out of Justin’s thoughts and saw the injury she’d sustained. She must be in terrible pain. “We just need to get her back to her room so I can tend to her.”
“I know I should be freaking out when you say tend to her, but for some reason, I’m not. What’s that all about? I mean, I don’t even know you, she’s totally unconscious, and I’m going to allow you into her room.” She shook her head.
Justin worked a strong trance on Dasha after the attack to enable her to be so accepting. Thankfully. Theo needed to conserve energy to take care of his Mate.
“Whoa. Wait a minute. What’s that?” Dasha asked.
He whirled around to find her pointing at him. “That black stuff. Wait…” She stepped closer. “On your neck. It’s moving up. What the—”
“Dasha.” He captured her gaze and her mind. Her face went blank. “Be calm. Everything is fine. Just take me to Sadie’s room.”
She blinked, then nodded and moved onward. Within five minutes, they were at the door. Dasha dug a key from Sadie’s pocket, inserted it into the lock, pushed the door open, and then stepped back while Theo made his way into the small room.
He nearly filled the place. A twin mattress perched on a tall, wooden bunk against the left wall with a desk beneath it. Papers covered the top, but he made out a laptop beneath them. Ahead was a closet with the door propped open, revealing only a few pieces of clothing. To the right lay a small, two-person couch in front of a TV that was on but the volume low.
The lofted bed was too high, so he chose to settle his Mate on the couch. She’d yet to move since losing consciousness.
Now free from carrying her, he cupped his neck. Smooth, but he knew his Mark had surfaced. He rubbed her left shoulder, knowing a matching symbol lay beneath the dark fabric. It was always the left shoulder on the Mates. He’d felt her Ahavah brand surface a few days ago, even though he was in Connecticut at the time. If only he could see it.
He couldn’t wait to talk with her. To find out everything about her conversion. But first, he must purge the poison coursing through her body.
“Dasha. Thank you. We’ll be fine.”
“What do you mean?” She inched toward Sadie. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I need to heal her. You’re not ready to see that.” He reached for her, locking his eyes on hers once again for the trance to take hold. “You’ve done well. Sadie is fine. You’ve said your good-nights and will meet for breakfast tomorrow morning. Call her when you wake up.”
Dasha dipped her head, offering a blank stare as she did. He guided her to the door and was grateful when she finally stepped away.
Back inside the room, he knelt beside his female. His treasure. Finally. Gently, he shifted her as he removed the sweater she wore. No blood. As he suspected, the poison acting like a fiery acid, cauterizing the wound. Only his eyes could see the steaming soot emanating from the injury.
Why would Aggie trouble himself with sending minions to infect Sadie, knowing Theo would heal her?
Yet he’d almost missed his chance while down in Hades, working that demon over for answers.
From which he got nothing other than the obvious: the demons didn’t want him to find his Mate. He would become too strong.
But it felt deeper than that. Sometimes the simplest answer was the correct one. He’d learned that the hard way over the centuries.
Theo lifted Sadie from the couch, then settled down, clutching her close to him. A deep breath of her subtle vanilla scent centered him. He tucked her forehead to his neck, then grazed his fingers along the injury.
She tensed.
“Shhh, you’ll be fine. I will never let anyone hurt you again, love.”
He cuffed her forearm, and it was his turn to tense. Like a thousand blades piercing his chest, the pain raged through him. It stopped his pounding heart as if electricity had jolted him. He arched his back and clamped his jaw tight to avoid a bellow.
Sadie whimpered and curled into him further. He heard himself soothing her, yet wasn’t fully cognizant of his words.
From what he could pick out from her whirling thoughts, she trusted him. It might be on more of a subconscious level, but that spurred him on. It was innate for Mates to connect with each other, but the connection must take a while to make it to the conscious level of awareness. Her scent permeated his pores. His body warmed, preparing for her. For mating.
Another wave of pain swept him under. How had she been able to handle this agony? It was more than he’d had to bear in ages. Those damn chaos demons and their poisoned claws.
Aggie’s minion had paid, though. Theo smiled at the thought of his blade stuck deep in the demon. A heavenly creature shouldn’t get so much pleasure from tort
uring another, but Theo did. When it came to his Mate and the person who hurt her, he’d inflict any measure of pain as vengeance for her.
But he hadn’t even known Sadie had been infected. What if he’d stayed in Hades longer, searching for Aggie among the flames? Sadie could have been lost to him. A feral roar of anger erupted in his gut at the thought of losing his Mate before he’d even gotten to know her. His fangs burst out as he fought through both her physical pain and his fear.
Theo heard the door click open, and he tensed as a warning growl slid past his clenched teeth.
“It’s just me, brother,” Justin said.
“Stand. Guard.” The words came out choppy, but Theo trusted that Justin knew what needed to be done.
Theo would be vulnerable for a spell. Especially after absorbing these injuries. Sadie was a warrior, indeed, to have been able to survive such a deep wound, coupled with the poison.
With that thought, darkness swallowed him whole.
But that was okay. He had his Mate in his arms, and he was never letting go.
Chapter Ten
Sadie woke with a gasp. Darkness shrouded the room, and her heart pounded. Where was she? She attempted to sit up, but something held her down. Was she chained to a chair? She moved her arms, but nothing clanked. Something was clamped around her. Something unyielding.
Yet soft.
The lamp at her desk clicked on, and she bit back a scream. The person bent down toward the light, and she saw it was Justin.
She looked to her right, and her cheek met a soft chest. In that instant, Theo’s scent enveloped her. She sat on his lap, cradled in his arms, yet his eyes were closed, and his head rested against the back of the couch.
She maneuvered her hands through his arms and worked to pry his fingers apart so she could get up.
No luck. Even with her extra strength.
“Don’t bother. He won’t release you.”
“Excuse me?” she asked, looking closer at Theo. With the limited light the lamp emitted, she could barely make out his features. His jaw was tight and his dark brows furrowed. Yet he didn’t move. Didn’t even appear to be breathing.
“Okay, he better not be dead, or you’re going to have one freaked-out girl on your hands, Justin.”
“He’s not dead.” He shook his head. “Just regenerating.”
“Um. Okaaay.” She glanced over at Justin, who now sat in the desk chair watching her.
“You have a great music selection.”
“You did not snoop through my computer.”
“I did, actually. It’s been several hours, and I was getting bored. Your friend Dasha came by.”
“Dash. Is she okay? Why can’t I move? I have to pee.”
Justin snickered. “Sorry. Until he’s awake, you’re stuck.”
“That’s ridiculous.” She worked to sit up more, and his grip tightened. No. That had to have been her imagination. If he was sleeping, or regenerating, or whatever he was doing, how would he know to do that? “Come on, let me go.”
Nothing. Not even a grunt, a moan, or a deep breath. Nothing but an immovable force of nature. And not human nature, either.
After five minutes of trying to free herself, she gave up and sagged against him. She really did have to pee, though. This was not good. “How long will he be like this?”
“Depends on the level of injury he has to absorb.” Justin moved to the chair beside the couch. The dim light shadowed his face, yet she still made out his strong, square jaw. It curved into an adorable, round chin much like Theo’s, but not nearly as sexy.
She did not just think that. Theo held her captive. He was not sexy.
Well, maybe a little.
“By the looks of him, that poison had really gotten into you. It might be a while.”
“Who are you people?” Within her cage, she weaseled her arms to cross them over her chest.
“I’ll let your Ma—er—let Theo explain that to you. Just relax. You’re safe.”
Not that she could get up, but she really wanted to pound Justin. His cocky grin fueled her fire. “I. Have. To. Pee.”
“I’m not going to touch you or him, sorry.” He shrugged. “He might go all violent on my ass. And trust me, you do not want to see that happen.”
“Come on. You’re brothers, right?”
“Doesn’t matter. Not in these circumstances.” He picked at his fingernails. “Can I get you something?”
“Explain what you meant by regenerating.” She squirmed to find a comfortable position. Being held so intimately against the guy was doing something to her body. Besides having to deal with the urge to pee, little waves of pleasure streaked through her abdomen. Her shoulder pulsed as well, now that she was taking inventory of her body.
And her heart pounded.
“He had to absorb your injuries to heal you. That poison is wicked. You were very far gone.”
“Far gone? Absorb? You’re not making any sense. This can’t be happening.”
“Check out your arm.”
Now that she thought about it, she felt no pain or discomfort. And on top of that, she was rejuvenated, like she’d taken a long nap.
She felt strong. Focused.
“So, you feel good?”
She nodded. “Why won’t he let go of me?”
“He protects you, even in his slumber. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you.”
“Why me? He doesn’t even know me. I don’t know him. Or you, for that matter.” And it was starting to freak her out a little. What freaked her out even more was how much she inherently trusted these two strangers. She should be scared shitless right now.
Then add on all this “absorb my injury” talk to the stress of finals… That was it. She’d finally cracked. The pressure to make something of herself, the constant studying, and the fact that she knew nothing of her parents’ mental stability. Hell, she could have a genetic history of psychosis or schizophrenia.
Her lungs suddenly felt two sizes too small. She had to get out of here. Somehow—
“Sadie.” Justin’s voice went quiet. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Bullshit. Let me out of here.” This Theo could be some psycho, fixated on her. Shit.
“He’ll tell you everything when he wakes up.”
“I won’t make it. Please. Just tell him I’m fine. You’re here. You can protect me.” She shook her head. “Um. Protect me from what?”
He grinned.
“Let me guess, Theo will tell me.” She glanced at the hands laced together, locking her to him. “You suck.”
Justin rose from his seat. “Okay. I’ll see if I can reach him, wherever he is.”
She watched him for two long breaths. “You’re very strange.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“That’s not very reassuring, Justin.”
He knelt before her. “Here, let’s see if I can give you a little wiggle room.”
“Thank you.”
“Theo? It’s me, Justin. Brother, we’re just going to be gone a second. Your Ahavah is safe. I’ll watch her,” Justin said as he worked Theo’s fingers apart.
In a move so fast Sadie didn’t register it happening, a knife appeared and Theo pressed it against Justin’s throat.
“No. Theo.” Justin held up his hands, showing his palms and shifting his focus to the side and down, exposing more of his neck. “It’s me, brother.”
Orange blazed through Theo’s hazel eyes, and a growl ripped through the air. Sadie pushed free and jumped to her feet.
“Alive,” Theo whispered. “Safe.”
Justin coughed. “Safe, brother.”
Theo dropped his hold on Justin and sagged against the couch, holding Sadie’s gaze. “Mine,” he whispered, and his eyelids slid shut.
“Holy. Shit.” Sadie backed toward the door as Justin leaned forward, gasping for air.
He crawled away from Theo. “See what I get for trying to help?”
She stared, astonished, scared,
furious, and awed all rolled up into a near freak-out fit. What the hell had she just witnessed?
“Go quickly. I’ll stand guard.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening.” She tugged at her hair.
Justin glanced at Theo.
“He almost killed you,” she whispered. For the first time in a long time, her voice cracked. She was strong. Confident. She had to be as the youngest person at this college, odd man out in high school, and freak-of-nature strong black belt. “But you’re his brother.”
“Yes.” Justin looked up at Sadie from the floor as he rubbed his neck. “He’d kill even me to protect his Mate.”
Wait a minute. Did he say Mate?
Chapter Eleven
“You shouldn’t have done that, Justin.” Theo picked up the pace as they hoofed it to Justin’s Camaro.
“You were the one who went all knife-happy on me. You scared the shit out of her.” He shook his head.
“I didn’t mean to.” Theo jammed his hand into his hair.
He’d been so weak from healing Sadie. Exhausted. All he knew while in his slumber was that someone was taking her. Prying her away from him. How he knew, he wasn’t sure, since he had been regenerating.
And his brother had nearly paid the price. The one who, besides his Mate, Theo cared for the most in this world. He’d expected the intense reaction to his Mate, but to nearly harm his Companion…that didn’t sit right with Theo. He needed to get his shit together and fast.
Justin swung open his door. “So, where’d she disappear to?”
“Not sure, remember, I was out cold? You were supposed to be watching her.” Theo shook his head. “I feel her, faintly. I wasn’t surprised she wasn’t at Dasha’s. She’s much farther away.” He went to his bike.
“You’re riding that?” Justin glanced around. “What if you find her?”
“There’s no if about it.” He swung his leg over and jammed the key into the ignition. “She also rides a bike, though it’s in the lot. When I find her, she’ll ride with me.”
Justin huffed. “Good luck with that.”
