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Yeah, that was a bunch of bullshit when it came to Harrison. All his common sense melted and flowed straight out of his ears the second Harrison turned his cold, narrowed gaze on anyone who dared to get a little too friendly with Hale.
Harrison had staked his claim, and Hale’s hidden side that wanted so much to belong to someone squealed with delight.
But no matter how pleased he was with this new development, it did nothing to change what was coming in the next couple of days.
The Weavers would reach Sedona.
The Weavers would fight the pestilents.
The Weavers would cast the final spell and close the rift permanently.
The Weavers would die.
What was the alternative? Not casting the spell, allowing the pestilents to suck all the energy from the Earth and kill every human on the planet?
No, that wasn’t going to happen. Hale couldn’t allow that. He didn’t want to die and he definitely didn’t want to leave Harrison, but the other option was unthinkable.
As they filed out of Clay’s room last night, the Weavers had come to the painful agreement that they would continue on this path to the rift, and they would cast the final spell. No one wanted to die. No one wanted to lose the love they’d found, but their sense of duty was stronger than their own selfish needs.
Despite the quick agreement, no one was happy. They’d all returned to their rooms that night in silence. Of course, the silence was shattered by Hale when Harrison pounced on him and pretty much fucked him senseless against the first wall they crashed into in their hotel room.
He got payback, though, when he woke Harrison just as the first morning light was peeking above the eastern horizon, riding the man’s cock so very slowly until they fell to pieces together. It had felt like a good-bye, and Hale hadn’t wanted that. He still wanted to believe that there was a way out of this, that there was a solution they just hadn’t thought of yet.
But time was running out.
Harrison broke the heavy silence of the SUV, his fingers squeezing Hale’s while his voice wrapped rough and ragged around the words. “Can you contact the goddesses? Ask them for help or even ideas. They’re the ones who first floated the suggestion that the soul mates would make a difference. They must have some idea.”
Both Hale and Cort looked to Grey as he slouched behind the wheel. “No. They didn’t give us a cell number or email address or a bat signal or whatever. They just appear. Sometimes when we need them, but usually when things are quiet.” Grey paused and then suddenly snorted as if he thought of something amusing. “Actually, the one time they consistently appear is when we find a soul mate and are ready to be bonded.” Grey’s eyes slipped up to the rearview mirror and met Hale’s hard stare.
Harrison tried to pull his hand free of Hale’s, but Hale tightened his fingers, refusing to release him. He even went as far as to unfasten his seat belt and slide closer to Harrison. “I don’t give a shit about soul mates or bonding.”
“Hale—”
He pressed on, not letting Harrison argue with him. “I’m serious. If these are going to be my last days, I’d rather be with you than my supposed soul mate. I can’t imagine that person making me happier than you do. It’s impossible.” Hale leaned in so close the tips of their noses pressed together. “And I know the impossible. I calculate highly improbable odds as a way of falling asleep each night.”
“But your soul mate could save you. Save you all,” Harrison said. There was something so very harsh and bitter in his tone, slashing away at Hale’s heart.
He didn’t want Harrison hurting, but he also didn’t want to think of letting this man go so he could have someone else. How could Harrison not be his soul mate? How could there possibly be someone else in the world who was a better match? It had to be impossible.
“What the fuck!” Grey’s shout was Hale’s only warning. The SUV jerked violently to the left as they left the rural highway and jumped onto a roughly paved road, following behind Clay’s SUV in the lead.
Hale slid back to his side of the car and caught a flash of a sign that proclaimed they were heading into campgrounds.
“What’s Clay doing? We’ve got plenty of time to make it into the city.”
“Pestilents,” Cort answered. He held up his cell phone. “Baer just texted the group. Apparently Clay feels pestilents nearby.”
Hale grabbed the back of Grey’s chair and pulled himself to the edge of his own seat so he could more clearly see out the front windshield. “Yeah, but we kind of knew Sedona was going to be crawling with pestilents if this is where the rift is located, right?”
