At first, I’m confused by the question, but then I remember what he said about time moving differently at the covenstead.
One week for us could be months for Izzy.
Delaney’s lips twitch. “I suppose I didn’t specify, but I took it to meanyourtime. As did the spell I performed on her. She won’t be very happy when she discovers the truth, but oh well. She’ll thank me in the long run. You…shiftersare nothing but distractions. I won’t let you hurt my niece the same way you hurt my sister.”
Her grin grows, and for the first time since we started this conversation, she shows her teeth. “A lot can happen during that time. She could fall out of love. Fall in love. Meet new friends. Choose to stay.” She taps a manicured finger against her chin in contemplation. “She’s required to stay one whole month with us, which, in the covenstead, will be…just about a year.”
My heart pounds dauntingly in my chest.
I’ll be able to see Izzy in a week, if what Delaney says is true. But for Izzy? That will be an entire month on her own. And then, after the weekend is over, she’ll have to go back and endure another month, if not more. Who knows how time works there versus here?
I only just decided I wanted to pursue this bond with Izzy. What if she doesn’t feel the same? What if the witches corrupt her, turn her against me and my brothers? What if she meets someone else?
Impulse demands I charge forward and tear Delaney’s head off her shoulders. I want to destroy any threat that will keep me from my mate, even if only for a few days. But I know I can’t do that. Not only will it cause a war we don’t need, especially with Hunters breathing down our necks, but it’ll hurt Izzy, even if she won’t admit it.
Goddammit.
“I decided to be courteous and tell you myself,” Delaney says with a tight-lipped smile. No more teeth. “Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”
“Once a pompous bitch, always a pompous bitch, huh?” The unfamiliar voice precedes the appearance of a tall, muscular man with shaggy brown hair, a crooked smile, and a scar on his cheek.
Delaney’s face drains of color. The witches behind her begin to whisper amongst themselves, their attention fixated on the newcomer.
“You see, I heard what you just said,” the stranger continues, ambling forward almost casually. In his hand, he twirls a blade. “And I have to admit I’m not a big fan. I really don’t like the fact that you kidnapped my daughter. If anyone is going to kidnap her, it’s going to be me.”
Wait…what?
There’s a lot to unpack in that statement.
“Travan.” Gerry’s voice holds a hint of warning.
Travan? Why does that name sound so familiar?
Travan doesn’t peel his gaze off of Delaney, who has finally regained some of her lost bravado.
She straightens and meets the taller man’s eyes unflinchingly. “I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“Decided to do a little stalking.” Travan twirls the blade expertly. “Did you miss me, dearest sister-in-law?”
Sister-in-law?
This must be one of Izzy’s biological dads.
Holy fuck.
Delaney’s lips curl. “Don’t claim any relation to me, beast.”
Travan pouts. “That’s too bad. I make a very great big brother. Anyway…I’m gonna need you to let Izzy go. Now.”
Something wicked and insidious slithers across his face, darkening his features. The change happens almost instantaneously. One second, he’s smiling, and the next…
His skin flushes, a deep red creeping across his cheeks and neck. His brows furrow tightly, and deep lines etch themselves on his forehead. His eyes narrow, pupils dilating, as his gaze hardens into a fierce, piercing glare. The veins in his temple and jawline bulge, and his lips press into a thin line, trembling with the effort to contain his fury. The air around him seems to grow heavier, as if the darkness itself is responding to his rage.
A chill sweeps through me.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Delaney scowls. “If her magic?—”
“We both know it’s not her you want, but me.” Travan spreads his arms wide. “And I’m here. Ta-da!”
