AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know. I wanted to.”
“Thank you, Carter,” I said. “I owe you so much, including my life, and Elias’s, and now this.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he muttered. “Friends take care of each other. That’s just how it goes.”
“You really are a great friend,” I told him. He seemed to like hearing that.
Eventually, we reached Tinder and August’s sprawling, mission-style ranch house, which was located on several acres along an empty stretch of coast north of L.A. It felt remarkably isolated for Southern California.
Tinder parked in the massive, detached garage, and he and Carter got out of the car and began discussing the wards on the house. Meanwhile, I climbed out of the backseat and waited for Elias. He tried out one leg, then the other before putting his weight on them, and I asked, “How are you doing?”
“Surprisingly well,” he said, as he straightened up. “I’m tired, but whatever Carter did to heal me seems to have worked wonders.”
I wrapped my arms around him, and we held each other for a long moment as he kissed my forehead and whispered, “When they took me from the island, I was so scared I’d never see you again.”
“You had to know I’d come for you.”
“I knew you’d try, no matter what I did to stop you, but I thought they’d kill me before you found me.” He leaned back and searched my face as he asked, “How angry are you about that potion back on the island?”
“I couldn’t be mad at you right now if I tried. At some point, we need to talk about learning to make decisions as a couple. But today, I just want to celebrate getting you back.”
A moment later, my Barracuda pulled into the garage. August climbed out of the driver’s seat, pulled his husband close, and planted a rough, demanding kiss on him. Then Tinder grinned and said, “I missed you, too.”
August asked him, “Did you have any trouble?”
“There was a minor car chase. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
They kissed again, and August picked up Tinder and sat him on the Chevelle’s fender. Then he seemed to remember the rest of us existed and said, “Go on in and make yourselves comfortable. The wards will let you through. Take any of the guestrooms on the ground floor if you want to get some rest. I don’t think there’s any food, but there’s plenty of alcohol. We’ll join you in a little while, but first I need to fuck my husband.”
“He’s got his priorities straight,” Desiree said, as she led the way out of the garage.
As we followed her to the house, I asked, “Can I borrow your phone?”
Desiree pulled my phone from her purse and handed it to me as she said, “I saw this at your house while you were off pretending to be Batman, and I figured you’d need it if you failed to die.”
I thanked her and charged it by tapping it with my finger. She unlocked the front door with a flick of her wrist, and as we followed her inside, I sent a text to Griffin and Ari so they’d know where we were once their flight landed.
Desiree said, “I’m going to find the liquor cabinet. Who’s with me?”
Carter stepped around us and told her, “I am.”
“Elias should rest, so I’m taking him to bed,” I said, and we turned left and headed down the hall. “We’ll see you in a few hours. Don’t wake us unless it’s a matter of life and death.”
The house was warm and inviting, with beamed ceilings, arched doorways, and Spanish tile floors. I selected a cozy room at the very end of the hall, and Elias and I both stripped to our briefs before climbing under the covers and wrapping ourselves around each other. I exhaled slowly, shuddering a little as the last of the adrenaline drained away. We fell asleep within minutes.
Chapter 10
Several hours later, I woke with a start and sat up in bed. It took me a few moments to figure out where I was and what was happening. My sudden movement woke Elias, and he reached for me as he murmured, “Bad dream?”
“No. I just felt a little disoriented for a minute there.” I curled into him, and he wrapped himself around me. After a while, I said, “Our mate bond feels different to me. That mania has gone away. Has it changed for you, too?”
He nodded. “It’s because we finally had sex and cemented the bond. Until we did that, it was always going to feel frantic and out of control.”
“This is wonderful,” I murmured, as I burrowed deeper into his arms. “I’m not used to feeling so secure.”
After another pause, he asked, “Do you think you might trust me with the story of your life before we met? I feel like I’m missing a big piece of the puzzle when it comes to really knowing you.”
