Reaching the door of the study, I try the handle and find the door is unlocked. A sliver of awareness tugs at my subconscious mind. He wouldn’t have been so careless as to leave the door unlocked, right? But then when he came out of the room after speaking to the commander, he hadn’t locked the door.
So all this time I could have simply found my way here and entered the room and left…?
I push the thought out of my head. I am here now, right? I cross the floor to the far end of the room. There’s a table pushed against one wall and a chair.
A bookshelf on the far side, floor-to-ceiling, packed with books. I walk to it and look over the spines. The Prince by Machiavelli. Sun Tzu and the Art of War.
All books on military strategy.
Well, makes sense, considering he’s a soldier and a Fae.
I run my fingers over the spines. The copies seem well-worn; it’s what I expected from him. Why is it important that he is a well-read man? One who enjoys books? It’s not like we’ll be going on a date, will we?
I may never see him again.
My throat closes.
The Fae are technologically advanced, clearly more than us. He’d been speaking on a communications device, but I don’t see any sign of that now either. The books aren’t the issue.
The fact that he was reading them on paper—a commodity that is rare in this world? Well, that’s what surprises me.
My heart races. Can it be that this bookshelf is a front? I tap my fingers down the books, press my palm against the well-worn spine of a massive Seven Wonders of the World encyclopedia. There is a low hum. The hair on the back of my neck rises.
Then the bookcase glides to the side.
There’s no noise. Nothing except a row of steps descending down. Lights flicker on, illuminating the way forward. I step down and into the corridor.
The bookcase swings shut behind me.
The cold seeps into my feet. I shiver and pick up my pace. Keep going, don’t stop. My bare soles thud against the stone. The corridor keeps going straight, then turns and winds back on itself, then onward. There’s a low sound behind me. The mating cord in my chest rattles. Every part of my body insists I turn back. My heart hammers. My mind urges me to keep going. Not far now.
The sound of my footsteps bounces off the walls of the corridor. That’s fine. It’s too late to hide. Besides, he’s probably already discovered I am gone and is coming for me.
My pulse stutters.
I want him to find me…not. No. I quicken my footsteps. Keep going. Sweat pours down my back, and my tunic sticks to my skin. Blood pounds in my ears. My feet stumble over the uneven floor. I almost fall, then steady myself. I turn another corner then burst upon a door. I fumble with the bolt, pull it across, shove open the door, and step out.
My feet sink into powder-like snow. The cold pours over me like it has been waiting for me with open arms. Another sound from far behind. The door swings shut, and I begin to run. Over the snowbound ground, to the tree line, up the forest path. I am almost at the road I can see in the distance when a figure steps in front of me.
30
Dante
She’s gone. The thought bounces around in my head. My gut twists. My feet feel cold. Everything inside me tells me to get out there and go after her. Her footsteps pound up the corridor, then comes the soft whisper of my study door as she pushes it open. She thinks I can’t hear her, that I am fast asleep—if only she knew. I’d had to stop myself from opening my eyes and getting up and stopping her. To throw my arms around her and drag her back into the cocoon of warmth, to tuck her by my side and never let her go.
It took everything in me to feign sleep as she’d crept away.
Silence hangs heavy in the room. The scent of her, that sugary scent of her arousal and the scent of cool dawn air clings to my skin. My heart hammers.
A slow burn ignites to life behind my rib cage.
I sense her fear, her apprehension. It’s as if the farther she goes from me the stronger the mating bond grows.
My shoulders shudder, and my chest springs forward.
Everything in me insists I should go to her. I cannot let her out of my sight. Cannot let her go alone, out in the forest where she’ll be vulnerable. Where anyone can hurt her. She’s my mate, and I let her walk away. My pulse pounds at my temples. There’s a ball of emotion in my chest growing stronger. Louder. I let her leave. I curl my fingers into fists. I had to.
I’d mated her. That had been the only way to save her life, but then I’d kept her captive. I’d fucked her, consummated the bond, tried to consolidate it.
All of it without giving her a choice.
Somewhere I’d known that was wrong. But I’d kept going. Couldn’t stop myself. Until the time I’d woken up and found her sleeping so innocently. So beautiful. I’d known then I couldn’t keep her here against her will. I needed to let her leave. I had planted the idea of her escape in my conversation with the commander, knowing she was overhearing me. Hoping she’d take the hint. Hoping that she’d stay.
Yeah, I’d hoped that she’d turn away from the knowledge of the escape route and stay with me.
For the mating bond to take effect, it needs to be voluntarily embraced from both sides.
I hadn’t told her that.
I can’t keep her against her will. She needs to choose to stay with me for the bond to consolidate.
I’d kept that piece of information from her.
I’d been confident that I could convince her to love me.
I’d hoped to seduce her into staying by using my body, my ability to bring her to climax, by showing her the kind of passion she wouldn’t be able to find anywhere. I’d gambled and I’d lost.
The lifelessness that seems to pervade the air presses down on my shoulders. The band around my chest tightens. There’s no doubt she’s gone. I had given her a way out, and she’d taken it. I’d let her leave. I’d made the right decision.
Then why am I so upset about it?
Without the consolidation of the bond, it won’t be long now before my strength fades too… But it feels as if I am already dead inside.
My heart stutters. The band around my chest grows.
I swing my legs over the side and stand. Every part of me aches. My muscles coil in readiness, and my shoulders feel too heavy to hold up my head. I force myself to move. One foot in front of the other. I make it to the bathroom, then wrench open the shower stall door.
I don’t dare allow myself to see the tub, how she’d lain there, with the water lapping at her lush body. Her breasts gleaming, the dark of her nipples visible under the surface of the water.
Her hair had streamed behind her. Her thighs had trembled as she tried to close them to keep that sweet space between her legs hidden from me.
I turn on the faucet, then shove my head under the water. The freezing cold slams into me, forcing the breath from my chest. I let the jets pound at me.
My teeth chatter, my bones ache, and my muscles clench.
I squeeze my eyes shut only for the sight of those silver eyes to haunt me. Swearing, I turn off the water. Mistake. I’ve made a mistake. The ball of emotion in my ribcage burns brighter. A twinge of pain radiates out from it. My breath catches.
Shards of fear pierce the bond. She’s alone and afraid. I am sure of that. Of course, she’s a fighter. A bodyguard. She belongs to the Bureau of Shifters. This is what she trained for. To survive in tough situations. To make it on her own.
She’s my mate. My mate. And I let her leave. I’ll never be the same again. “Fuck this.” I pound my fist into the shower wall.
Pain thrums up my arm. I focus on that. Use it to clear my head. I know I can’t stay here.
I am going after her. I have to. I made a mistake thinking I could let her leave. No more.
I turn off the shower, then stalk out of the stall. Rubbing myself dry, I walk out of the bathroom, grab my clothes from the closet, and put them on. Stepping into my boots, I tie them up.
This time I am not going to leave anything to chance.
I am simply going to open myself up, mind, body, and soul. This time I am going to share my emotions with her. It isn’t just my body that needs her, it’s my soul that craves her. I cannot live without her. I wrench open the door to the study and come to a stop.
A man pushes away from the open door of the bookcase. “You’re just a few seconds too late, Colonel.”
“Don’t you dare hurt her, Boris.” Fear churns my belly. I break into a run and throw myself at him, only to slam into a barrier. The next second, I am held immobile.
He holds up his arm, fingertips glowing with telekinetic energy. The air around us thins, and the hair on my forearm rises. A portal appears. He flicks his arm, and I find myself being jerked upright. My arms are bound to my sides. He lassoes more telekinetic energy around me.
My muscles go solid, and every part of me pushes against the force tying me down. I grit my teeth, tighten my muscles, and break one of the bindings around me. Shoving one leg free, I leap forward and shove at the commander. He stumbles back and jolts the bookcase. The books rain down on us. The vibration of the impact slams into me.
“Look what you did,” I growl. “You destroyed perfectly good books.”
The commander straightens. He shakes his head to clear it.
I right myself, then step back. I hold up my free arm, fingers curled into a fist.
He thrusts out his arm, and the light at the fingertips glows. The binding around me tightens. It digs into my skin. Pain hurtles down my spine.
The scent of burning flesh fills the air.
My stomach lurches, and the acidic taste of bile fills my mouth. I swallow it down. I know I’ll heal fast. But if they catch her, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. “Let her go, Boris.”
“You made the mistake of showing your vulnerability.” He clicks his tongue. “Who’d have thought? The deadliest fighter in all of the Fae world brought low by human pussy.”
A growl bursts out of me. Anger prickles my skin. “Shut the fuck up.”
“I hope her cunt was worth it.” His eyes gleam.
I know he is baiting me, but whatever. I am going to rub this bastard's face into the ground. I move forward and shove myself at him. The rational thinking part of my brain screams that I am making a mistake. But I can’t stop.
My limbs tingle. The mating bond pushes against my rib cage, and fear bleeds down the connection. “You sent your men after her,” I snarl and raise my fist.
I sense movement behind me, realizing it had been a mistake to turn my back on the portal.
Then something slams into the side of my head, and everything goes dark.
31
Gia
The figure advances toward me. The person’s face is shrouded in darkness, and I can’t make out the features. The stranger is tall and slender in build, yet there’s no mistaking the predatory gait.
The scent of vegetation deepens.
The new arrival raises a hand. I don’t wait. I bend low, then jab the newcomer in the face. The stranger swerves, and my hit goes wide.
I feel the graze of my knuckles against skin. Soft skin. Too soft to be a man’s skin. I stiffen. The figure moves forward into the light, then holds up both hands.
“Gia, it’s me, woman. Chill out, babe.”
“Jess?” The breath rushes out of me. “Jessica?”
I cover my mouth with my hand. My legs weaken. I stumble forward and throw myself at her.
Her arm comes around me, then she grabs my shoulders and sets me away from her.
I stare, trying to make out the expression on her features.
She keeps one hand on my shoulder as if to make sure that I don’t topple over. Her nostrils flare. She squints down at me from under hooded eyelids.
“What?” I growl. The hair on my nape rises. I have a suspicion about what she’s going to say, but surely not—it’s not possible she knows, is it?
“He mated you?” She firms her lips.
“How can you tell?” I shake back the hair from my face. I know I am delaying the answer, but I so don’t feel ready to share my experiences yet. Besides, some things are meant to be kept private. Or not? Something like this changes my equation with the Bureau. I hadn’t counted on that.
I shove at her grip, but her fingers on my shoulder tighten.
“Answer me, Gia.”
“What, you’re my keeper now?” I firm my lips.
“No, just your partner who fought the Bureau to come in search of you.”
“Right.” My shoulders droop. I look away from her, stamp the heel of my foot into the ground. “Is it that obvious?”
“Your scent.” She sniffs the air. "You smell different."
“Stupid dragon shifter senses.” I toss my hair back.
“And—” She jerks her chin toward my neck.
Right. Dante’s claiming mark. Heat sears my cheeks.
I almost raise my hand to cover the throbbing flesh at my neck, then curl my fingers into fists at my sides. “Is that why you are holding me at arm’s length?”
She drops her hand and steps back. “I’d do the same with any newly mated female.” She pauses a beat. “Or male.”
“You make it sound like a curse.” Goosebumps crawl over my skin. The mating bond in my chest twangs. I bite my cheek to stop the gasp from spilling out.
“Newly formed bonds need to be nurtured. Don’t want the newly bonded mate getting the wrong idea.” She tips her chin down. “I have enough friends who are mated to know that with the right person it can be awesome.”
“But…” I don’t complete the statement. I know what’s going to come, what she’s hinting at. That if you’re mated to the wrong person it can be worse than Hell. A living prison.
“Did he force you?” Anger threads her voice.
I turn away from her, look beyond the tree line to the snow-covered ground beyond that.
“Answer me, Gia.”
Tension radiates off her. I sense Jess wanting to come to me and comfort me. Yet she holds back. It’s as if the balance of power between us has changed.
From being a peer, I’ve gone to being the more vulnerable of the two of us. The one to be protected. Anger fills my chest. It’s not fair, how everything in my life seems to have changed just like that.
“Did he force you?” Her voice feels too loud in the muffled quiet brought on by the snow on the ground.
I shake my head. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” I hang my head forward.
“So he did force you?”
“No.” My voice comes out stronger. “He shared his life force with me to save me from dying.”
The silence stretches.
“Then he told me he had to consolidate the bond to make sure he survived.”
“And you agreed to sleep with him—”
“No…” I smooth my palm over my T-shirt. No, it's his T-shirt, which I've just borrowed, which I am never gonna return... Whatever. I wrinkle my nose. "It's complicated, okay?"
"That ol' excuse?" She narrows her eyes. "You must be desperate."
"Gimme a break, Jess." I toss my hair.
"Tell me the truth G."
I throw up my hands. “I wanted to sleep with him, okay?”
Why am I telling her all this?
She’s my work partner. We’ve faced many dangerous situations together. When you face death together, you become close, enough to watch out for each other in emotional situations, too.
“Jess?” I hold my knees and legs tightly together.
She rubs the back of her neck. “Don’t misunderstand me, Gia. What you do with your personal life is your own call. It’s just," She raises her shoulders then lowers them, "he’s Fae.”
“He saved my life.” I wrap my arms around my waist.
“So you felt obliged to save his?”
“I thought that’s what it was, b
ut it isn’t.” The mating cord screams against my rib cage. White-hot pain sears my chest. I groan and double over.
“What the hell?” Jess strides forward, then stops less than a foot from me.
I straighten. My shoulders shake and sweat beads my forehead.
“You’ve gone pale, Gia.”
“It’s Dante…” A cold feeling coils in my stomach.
“The Fae male?” Her lips thin.
“He’s in danger; something’s happened to him.”
“We need to leave before they find us, too.” She sets her jaw.
“I need to go to him.” I turn to stumble back to the opening of the tunnel.
“Hang on a sec.” Her voice follows me.
“Sorry, Jess. I am grateful that you came for me, but I made a mistake escaping. I shouldn’t have left. I need him as much as he needs me.” My voice trails away.
I hear myself and realize I am not making any sense.
But maybe that’s what this crazy connection between me and Dante is about. It’s about instinct, about following what’s right. About not trying to make sense of this chemistry between us. About what existed from the first time I’d set eyes on him.
I’d tried to leave him, I’d tried. But no way can I go when I know his life is in danger. My stomach lurches. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from feeling sick. Then, hurrying to the entrance of the corridor, I step inside.
The light is blocked out for a second.
I half turn to find that Jess has followed me. “Go back. This isn’t your fight.”
“That’s where you are wrong.” Her forehead furrows. “Remember the motto of the Bureau?”
“Never leave anyone behind.” My voice rings hollow in the space.
“Not even when he’s the enemy.” Her smile twists her lips. “You chose him for a mate; that makes him one of us now.”
She reaches me, then jerks her chin to keep going.
A sigh hitches out of me. “Thanks, Jess.”
Stolen by the Fae Page 12
