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“Everything I tell you is a promise. My entire existence is a promise to you,” he tells me and his confession is a balm, a drug. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.
I close my eyes, enjoying his tender touch and when I open them the Authority, comprised of three foreboding figures, is staring back at me. My body tenses and my lungs still. The bit of soothing from Devin is powerless when I take in the intimidating trio.
There are two men and a woman, all three in black cloaks like the ones from the offering. The woman is obviously a vampire. She radiates seduction and power just as Veronica does. But her eyes are a shade darker than bloodred and there’s no hint of the mischievousness that twinkles in Veronica’s brown eyes. Only wickedness exists in her gaze. Her thin lips curl up at one end, revealing a sharp fang. Her pale skin and sunken cheeks make her appear older than Veronica. Much, much older. The sight of her sends an unwanted chill down my spine.
The men are both large, similar to Devin, but not as bulky or muscular. The man on the right, carrying a large black duffle bag, has silver eyes and the crooked smile of a man not to be trusted. The one on the left is devilishly handsome with a smile that seems charming and inviting, plus the lightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. The skin around his eyes wrinkles when he smiles, giving away his older age. But his dimples pull you in with a boyish charm. His presence is instantly calming, negating the fear the other two instill.
“Good afternoon.” Devin is short, but cordial. His hard voice snaps me out of my daze.
“I suppose the blood on the driveway doesn’t belong to your mates?” The silver-eyed man speaks first.
Every bit of me feels cold from his words. It’s not a traveling chill; it happens all at once.
A low growl rumbles from Dom’s chest, but Devin remains unaffected, merely cocking a brow. “We would not harm our mates. I’m sure you could smell that it’s shifter blood.”
“So they do in fact belong to you?” His choice of words makes me snort. They may be intimidating as all hell, but I can’t help my reaction. It doesn’t go unnoticed. When the cloaked fucker eyes me, I just smirk. It’s slightly forced, but still. With Devin’s possessive hold on me growing tighter, a sense of confidence spreads through me.
“Grace and Lizzie, meet Natalia, Remy and Alec.” They each nod in turn and I give them a tight smile while they take seats at the far end of the table. It’s quiet as the legs of the chairs drag across the floor. Alec and Devin seem to engage in a quiet conversation before Alec’s eyes settle on Dom and his lips press into a firm, hard line.
“I see. We’ll need them to give a statement. The humans want it to be done live,” Natalia speaks with annoyance thick in her tone. “I’m so glad they rightfully belong to you. It would’ve been a shame to start off on such poor terms.”
A nervousness pricks at my skin and the thinly veiled admission of violence brings an anger out of me, one that seems intensified. Every emotion seems to swing back and forth like a wild pendulum.
“We have an issue that needs to be attended to. Also, as you know, we’ve just met our mates and the claiming is only two days away. So the sooner we can get this over with, the better.”
“Eager to throw us out, old friend?” Alec smiles with a light dancing in his eyes.
“I’d like to tend to my mate’s needs. I’d throw out my mother if she were still alive.” Caleb’s humorous response gains a laugh from Alec and a huff of humor from Lev. Dom is still obviously on edge, but then again, his hard glare and scowl never seem to leave him.
“We’ve all had a long night getting acquainted with our mates, and familiarizing them with their new lives. We’d like to continue getting them settled as soon as possible.”
“Of course. Where would you like to set up?” Devin stands. He looks down at me, still seated and offers me his hand. I place my small hand in his, taking his lead and having faith that all is well. A trace of a smile graces his lips for just a moment. The rest of the pack follows suit as he leads us to a large front room. A single pane of glass lines the side wall overlooking a forest. The view is spectacular and the sight of it reminds me that I haven’t even had a tour of my new home.
I barely know anything at all.
I search the large room for Lizzie to gauge her reaction and find her small frame molded to Caleb’s body. Her shoulders are hunched forward and the familiar smile I’m accustomed to is nowhere to be found. She looks utterly lost. My heart shatters at the sight of her. My bubbly, spirited best friend is shadowed by a dark cloud.
I hate this. I hate how all of this happened. Somehow, it feels as if it’s my fault. Every bit of it.
“Lizzie—” I start to say as I take a step forward to go to her side, but Devin’s grip tightens, halting my movement. He leans down to whisper in my ear.
“Not now.” I grit my teeth and prepare to shove him away, but Lizzie catches my eyes and smiles at me. It’s not a weak smile, but not quite a happy smile either.
She mouths, “I’m all right.” I tilt my head and she adds, “I promise,” with a brighter smile that reaches her eyes. My heart squeezes in my chest. I haven’t had a single moment alone with her yet. She was already sitting with Dom and Caleb when I came into the kitchen with Devin. I didn’t get to say a damn word to her before Veronica arrived.
“As soon as we’re done, you can have some alone time, all right?” Devin whispers, tickling my ear.
Staring straight into his stunning silver gaze, I tell him, “I swear to God I’ll kill you if you can read my mind.”
His low chuckle makes me smile. It doesn’t go unnoticed that the three members of the Authority watch every interaction like hawks.
There are three dark gray sofas in the room. One long, high-back sofa serves as a focal point, facing a large brick fireplace on the back wall. The other two are smaller and on either side of the first, loosely forming a U. Remy sets up a camera and microphone in front of the fireplace and positions them toward the large sofa.
“This is already going better than expected,” Remy comments offhandedly as he does.
“Have a seat.” Alec motions toward the longer sofa and I sit close to the middle while catching Lizzie’s eyes so she’ll know to sit next to me. She follows my lead and takes my hand in a firm grasp as she gets comfortable. Devin sits to my left and places a firm hand on my thigh.
“Maybe it’s best if only one of you accompanies your mate. Perhaps Caleb?” Natalia purrs as Caleb and Dom both prepare to sit next to Lizzie. The two of them share a look for a moment and then Dom nods, giving Lizzie a small kiss before stalking to a smaller sofa.
