My entire future goes up in a puff of smoke, torched dreams fueling my brother’s rise to evil.
Because no one can convince me he didn’t plan that attack last night. The stupid childhood nickname I always hated the thug let slip was a dead giveaway. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out my brother told him to relay the message to taunt me; it’s always been his M.O. Using Kiara to fuck with me is a line he can’t come back from, though. As far as I’m concerned?
I don’t have a brother anymore.
Exiting the elevator, I cross the lobby while pulling my access badge out of my wallet. “Remove me from the system, Hank. I quit.” Ignoring his questions, I drop the keycard on the security guard’s desk and shove open the front door, determined now more than ever. It slams shut behind me, ending that chapter of my life for good.
My father choosing my brother over me might mean I lost everything I’ve spent my life working towards, but it doesn’t mean that I lost everything that matters.
The most important part of my future is still waiting for me in Mercy Ridge.
Chapter 28
Havoc
Fuck, is this what a heart attack feels like?I know I’m getting older, but goddamn. I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since… ever, actually.
“Worst she can do is slam the door in my face,” I mutter, adjusting my grip on the present I spent far too long picking out. It was a humbling moment to realize that I didn’t know my mate well enough to feel confident in what she’d like. It’s one of the main reasons I’ve spent the last few days stalking her whenever she went into town.
Thank the Fates I did, too, or those bastards following her might have gone unpunished. The giant, though, vanished without a trace. By the time I circled back after disposing of the bodies, his room at the bed and breakfast had been cleared out, and he clearly checked in under a fake name. I’ll keep an eye on the situation, but I’m not overly worried about him being a threat with the way he stepped up to ward off the men stalking Kiara. No, I’m worried about him being a very different kind of problem.
He treated my mate like she was something precious, and then he left her. She was already suffering abandonment issuesthanks to whoever has been stealing my letters to sabotage our relationship, and this new blow is only going to make it that much harder for her to trust I’m here to stay.
Hence the need for the secondary gift. Rome simply shook his head and walked away when he walked in on me putting the finishing touches on my first one, and after sleeping on it a few days, I can see his point. Most women would freak out when presented with a bouquet of severed fingers, so I reluctantly left that one in the freezer, praying my plan B is good enough for her to forgive me.
Sucking down one final deep breath, I rap my knuckles on her front door, and wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Just as I’m reluctantly accepting that she’s not home, the door opens, and my heart starts racing. Every line I rehearsed in preparation abandons me as my mind buzzes with anticipation. It doesn’t matter that she currently hates me; all I can think of is that I’mfinallygoing to be reunited with my fated mate at long last. She’ll give me a chance to explain that I never abandoned or rejected her, that this was all a huge misunderstanding, and we can move forward. Until the King of Carnage is eliminated, she’ll still be at risk, but I can protect her from her side now that the rest of the threats have been eliminated.
One day, she’ll smile at me again like she did the day we met. I’ll accept nothing less.
All my plans screech to a halt when a man opens her door.
“Whothe fuckare you?”
I clock every feature in an instant, already planning his murder. Pitch black, wild hair, tattoos that run from the sides of his neck down his bare torso, and disappear beneath a pair of sweatpants slung low on his hips. Eyes such a bright shade of amber, there’s no way he can pass as human. I’m about to punchhim in his pretty-boy face when my gaze stalls on his wrist, my chest tightening until I forget how to breathe.
For .2 seconds.
My next exhale is laced with ice as my wraith rises to the surface, fingers twitching with the competing desires to brutally eviscerate him, and rend his soul from his body slowly to make the agony last.
Fury darkens the man’s eyes, and his gravely voice roughs out the two words that drive the final nail in my coffin. “Her mate.” And slams the door in my face.
For a solid minute, I’m frozen in place.Logically,I know that centers are going to have multiple mates. I’m not even opposed to the concept; it’d be easier to keep Kiara safe surrounded by a solid bondgroup. I just… thought I’d be there when it happened. That I’d have time to get to know the men I’d be sharing a mate with.
“The center builds their bondgroup,” I remind myself, taking a slow breath before I do something irrational that I can’t take back. Kiara’s needs come first; full stop. If she really thought that I rejected and abandoned her? Ofcourseshe’d seek out someone else. The thought of Kiara suffering alone all these months has been eating away at me, so knowing she had someone there for her when I couldn’t be is a relief. A good thing.
Nope, still pissed.
Silver mist surrounds me as I step forward, dissipating as I land in her living room. The cold lingers, though, and I scowl at the blanket taped over a window.Why the hell didn’t this jackass handle it properly and board up the window?
Clearly, he can’t be trusted to take care of her and needs to be replaced. That could be a good bonding activity to help repair our relationship; shopping for new mates. Men that are worthy of standing by her side.
“What’s your name?” I demand, shrugging off the warning growl from the man mooching off my mate and currently giving me a death glare. When he ignores me, I start to getseriouslypissed off.
