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“You’ve said them out loud in another place.”
He didn’t look convinced either. But what explanation did I have other than that?
“I suppose that’s fair,” he admitted. “What happens if someone violates their contract?”
“It flags the system and they’re fired immediately. Their cards won’t work to get in and the spells that Christopher put up to protect the place would keep them out as well.”
He nodded. “Interesting.”
“It’s like double encryption.”
“Pardon?”
I laughed. “I forget you’ve been living in the mountains.”
“Listen, little boxer, I have cable just like anyone else.”
“Sure you do.” I kissed his cheek. “Let’s go while we still have daylight. We could head to the coast for an hour to explore the region.”
But I wasn’t confident about that either. Charlotte had explored the coast with Nina, Adam, Lucius, and a few other wolves. They reported plenty of rocky cliffs with some crypts plus the secret cave, but nothing that resembled a fortress fit enough for it to be a summer home to a vampire.
But if the betrayed bride had a crypt underground, then surely other things could be buried, too, couldn’t they?
I shook my head while wandering into the room. Fresh clothes put me in a better mood, making me feel like I had everything under control again. The heebie-jeebies that Domingo gave me were fading away with every step I took in the light.
“Remind me never to do that again,” I told Matéo while brushing my hair. “Last night was such a stupid idea.”
He took my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Never disrespect yourself like that again. Do you understand, little wolf?”
My eyes rounded as his thumb stroked my lower lip. I gulped. “Yes, sir.”
“Good girl. Let’s get going, alright?”
“Alright.”
He smirked without releasing my chin. “I’d like to make it clear that the only reason I’m taking you with me is so you can protect me.”
My heart sang. “What?”
“You’re strong, little boxer. You have a mean punch. You can hold your own in more ways than are physical.” He smiled warmly. “I want you to watch my back, okay?”
I beamed so brightly that I thought I would explode. “Yes,sir.”
***
The mountain loomed ahead, appearing so much more sinister this time around. It was weird retracing our steps back to the cabin like this, especially after what we had encountered with Domingo. But what other choice did we have left? Everything else that was within our reach was dissolving too quickly.
I reached for Matéo. His hand rested between us as though he had been anticipating my touch the entire time. It made me smile, my heart rejoicing at having him close again.
But not close enough.
Dirt and rocks sprayed the undercarriage as we made our way up the mountain. The ride to the cabin was shorter, spitting us out in the familiar clearing where I had only been once. When I spotted the front door ajar, I held my hand over my heart. Matéo didn’t even pull into the available space. He parked and sprung from the vehicle, flying up the porch.
I was right on his heels.
“Matty, wait!” I scrambled up the steps. “It could be a trap!”
Nothing could have stopped him. He barreled into the living room, spinning around like a wild animal with eyes glowing a demonic red. He whirled around and around, staring at the damage done.
