Page 10 of Sight of Fate

Macklin’s glaring at me, but I ignore it. “Did she say where she went?” When he raises a questioning eyebrow, I snarl at him. “We can talk about the details later. I refuse to let her sleep in her car another night.” The thought makes me feral.

“She’s in a white Toyota RAV4,” he spits out. “Should we ask Andros to help?”

I shake my head. “He’s in New York negotiating a deal. I’ll take the skies, you take the streets.” I toss him my keys and head to the stairs.

Putting on a burst of speed, I hit the roof and change into the shorts I keep here for this very reason. I change into them and shift. Wings, black as night and sharpened to a point, pop out on my back, and I leap into the air.

My skin hardens the minute cold air sweeps across my body, while my eyesight automatically expands to include the most minute details in a twenty-mile radius. Circling the downtown, I note every white car in the vicinity, but none of them is an RAV4.

I widen the circle to include the greater downtown area and the park, and that’s when I spot it. Landing on a nearby roof, I grab my phone and call Mac. “She’s in the park. Back of the parking lot. Pick me up outside the bank.” I drop to the street below and fold my wings in.

He hangs up without a word, which tells me he’s really pissed. I knew he would be. And he doesn’t even know the full story. I sigh. Hopefully, he’ll forgive me.

The green Aston Martin jerks to a halt in front of me, and I motion for him to open the trunk. There’s no way I’m meeting my mate for the first time wearing a fucking pair of shorts. I unzip the leather duffle and pull out a pair of jeans and a white button-down, along with a pair of running shoes, and exchange them for the shorts. I grimace. It’s not what I planned, but at least I’m not half naked. I shut the trunk and slide into the passenger seat.

Macklin raises an eyebrow at my attire, then slams the car into gear and takes off toward the park.

When we get there, I turn toward him. “Let me handle this.” My heart is beating so fast and loud in my chest; I know he hears it and is wondering why.

He grumbles but eventually mutters his agreement.

I get out and walk slowly toward the car, where I find her sitting in the driver’s seat, wiping her face. I curse. Crying. She’s crying. Every tear sliding down her cheeks is like a nail hammering into my conscience. I hate the fact I wasn’t there for her when she needed me. Not wanting to scare her, I step in front of her car and tap on the hood.

She looks up, and I literally forget to breathe. The weight of this moment staggers me. As does the sight of her. Tears fall from the most remarkable light green eyes I’ve ever seen. Set in a square face with dark eyebrows arched high and a pair of the softest-looking, full lips. I stare at the mate chosen for me and pray with everything I am that I don’t fuck this up.

Exhaling, I give her my best smile and motion for her to roll down the window. She doesn’t move. Instead, she sits there, staring back at me with a shocked expression on her face. After a minute, she shakes her head and opens the car door. Her eyes skim my features before locking onto my gaze.

Compared to my 6’3”, she’s tiny. Not just in height, but her small frame is a sliver of mine, making my protective instincts go into overdrive. Prominent cheekbones stand out sharply against the hollows in her face as if hunger is a constant companion. How long has she been searching for a job? Anger rises, but I smooth my expression before she can see it.

“It’s you. I mean…” she stammers, then pulls in a shaky breath. “Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Charli Ford.”

It is me. “Hello, Charli. I’ve been waiting for you.” For a long damn time. “I’m Teague.”

Taking a deep breath, I hold out my hand, and after a long moment of consideration, she slowly places her small one in mine. As our palms connect, the most intense feeling roars through me, until all I want to do is sweep her off her feet and take to the skies. Any lingering doubt is gone. Charli’s mine. My mate.

Chapter Seven

MACKLIN

Indescribable awe spreads across Teague’s face when she places her hand in his. I’ve seen the same reaction in others time and time again, but never for us. For Teague and me, a thousand years rolled by without a glimpse of our mates. I thought it a lost cause. But Teague always believed it would happen one day.

I get out of the car and pull out my phone to capture the moment, knowing Teague will want a copy later. And so will Andros, although he’ll deny it. I stare at the beautiful blond, standing there with a puzzled expression on her face. She doesn’t understand what’s going on. But her gaze is locked on Teague as if she’s trying to memorize every detail of his face. She did the same to me yesterday, but with me, her face was pale, like she’d seen a ghost. I wonder if I remind her of someone.

Her eyes widen when she sees me, and she pulls her hand from Teague’s. A blush spreads across her cheeks, and I watch as she rubs her palm against her jeans as if she too felt something when they touched. Good. He needs this. The wait has been too long. A twinge of envy hits me, but I shove it down deep, not wanting to spoil this for him.

Her gaze flits between the two of us, and a little line appears between her brows. “Macklin, right? You two know each other?”

I chuckle. “Family of sorts. We met when we served together years ago.” Ages, actually. When gargoyle units still guarded the sacred places of the world and protected the townspeople from creatures they didn’t know existed.

“He was my commanding officer,” Teague adds, a twinkle in his eye. “But he couldn’t get rid of me. When he left the service, I followed him here.”

“Where are you from?” she asks, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

“Ireland, originally, but we’ve been in Greystone a very long time,” Teague replies as he moves to block the wind.

I walk back to Teague’s car and grab the jacket he left in the backseat. Not thinking, I wrap it around her. Notes of vanilla with a hint of coffee drift up, and my eyes briefly close as her scent teases me. When I step back, I see Teague watching the two of us closely. Damn. I didn’t think. Mates are possessive creatures. I blow out a careful breath. At least it didn’t spark a rage. Maybe because I didn’t actually touch her, only the jacket.

“Sorry, man, I didn’t think,” I tell him, holding my hands up and stepping back.