AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mate Mountain totally existed.
She went back to her food, and when he looked back at me, he winked.
Winked.
As if I wasn’t still pissed at him.
I fought the urge to flip him off. Instead, I changed the subject and focused on my food at the same time. “What’s the plan to get Miles back?”
“Bash just headed out to follow a lead I got while I was on the phone a few minutes ago,” Rafael said.
My attention jerked back to his, much like Brynn’s had, my eyes narrowed.
“You’ll see the texts between us on your phone, next time you pick it up.” He finally took a bite, chewed, and swallowed.
I ignored the desire to pick up my phone and check. I’d do it when he wasn’t watching, to make sure he was telling the truth.
“If this lead is as promising as we think, I’ll go out tonight to drag Eric out of the woodwork. He still hasn’t sent a ransom, so we assume he’s waiting for us to find him.”
“Is that safe?” I asked, before I could consider the words, or the worry.
“Safe enough. I’ll have a dragon shifter tailing me, and even a Reiner in mourning isn’t stupid enough to kill a Villin with a dragon watching.”
“That doesn’t sound like a guarantee.”
“There are no guarantees in our world outside of mate bonds, Tater-tot.” He took another bite.
I watched his jaw move, and his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
Did the man have to be so damn attractive?
“What happens to a demon if their mate dies?” Brynn asked.
I froze.
Rafael continued eating. “Mates live or die as one.”
“All supernatural beings do,” Zander put in from where he sat on the couch. “When souls are bound, they’re bound permanently.”
“No one is going to die,” I said, forcing myself to take another bite of my food. “And if our lives are tied together anyway, Rafael isn’t going to meet any vampires without me.”
“I won’t walk you into a room full of vampires who want revenge on me.” Raf’s growl was immediate, his usually-smooth voice harsh. “Not a fucking chance.”
“Then you’re not walking into it either.” I took another bite.
He set his fork down. “That’s not your call, Tatum.”
Zander’s computer made a noise, and he called out, “Reiner’s on the line.”
All of us were rushing across the room before he’d even finished speaking.
Zander hit a button, pulling up the video call and blocking his camera with a sticky-note at the same time.
Brynn and I made strangled noises when Miley appeared on the screen, her eyes glowing red and her skin spotted with dried blood. She looked even thinner than usual, yanking wildly against metal chains that had been locked around her wrists. All she had on was a sports bra and a pair of lounge shorts, her body was covered in the same magical tattoos we had in our demon forms, and her feet weregray. The gray seemed to be spreading up her legs, too.
Raf pulled me to his chest, and I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around him, clinging to him for support. He held me close, lifting a finger to his lips to tell me and Brynn to be quiet.
The call cut off a moment later, and a text came through.
