Page 24 of Shielded By My Mate

“I will.” She waves as the guys leave, then turns to me. “How are you feeling?”

“Good,” I say as she tugs me over to the couch.

“Yeah?” She eyes me, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

I sigh. “All I can think about is fucking Ansel.”

She bursts out laughing. “Girl, same! But with Russo, obviously.”

“Is it always like this?”

“Every month. I’m lucky. Now that we’re mated, we can wake up and just go at it as soon as the mating heat hits.”

“Brag,” I grumble.

She laughs again. “It will be time before you know it.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Sex?”

“No, well, yeah, but I meant the biting thing.”

“Oh, no. It stings, but then it feels really good,” Ever says, tracing her fingers over the mark at the base of her neck.

I squirm in my seat, wanting that. Badly.

“How are you feeling about everything that happened yesterday?” she asks gently.

“I’m okay now. I think I was in shock yesterday. Everything hit me all at once. I mean, I could have died. Again. Ansel could’ve been killed. Russo too. They could’ve taken me. I was relieved when they were gone and that no one was hurt, but then the fear rushed in. That, and I guess I wish we’d asked them about Ridley. It was all too much at once.”

“That’s understandable,” Ever assures me.

“Thanks for sitting with me.”

“Of course. That’s what sisters-in-law are for,” she says, squeezing my hand. “They’re still looking for your friend. From what Russo said, they may have some new leads. The men had notes and maps in their truck, I guess. Plus, our guys have their phones now.”

“Really? Ansel didn’t tell me that.”

“We found out on the way over here. I’m sure Ansel is getting caught up on everything now too. He might know more once he gets back. Pryce and Julian have been working on it since last night.”

“I’ll have to thank them.”

Ever smiles and squeezes my hand again. “They’ll find her. This is their job.”

We spend the next hour hanging out, talking about life in Night Grove Falls and our mates. Ever shares some of the details about how she came here, and I tell her about my parents and our lack of a relationship.

“Fated mates are good for that,” she sighs.

I cock my head. “At what?”

“At being exactly what you need most in the world. I needed someone patient who would protect me and help me find my bear. That was Russo,” she says with a dreamy smile. “And you need someone who loves you unconditionally. Who wants to spend all his time with you and be a real partner. That’s Ansel. He’s obsessed with you. He won’t let anything bad happen to you. All he wants is for you to be happy, healthy, and safe.”

“And what about them?” I ask. “What do they need from us?”

“They just need us,” she says simply. “You fill that missing piece in him just by breathing.”

“It seems uneven.”