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“Let’s go,” Gunnar said, grabbing a set of keys from a hook by the door. “We’ll take one of the company SUVs.”
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The sole ranger who patrolled the Reserve, a bear shifter named Mason, met us next to his Jeep at the entrance. The buildings, not being in use, were closed, as were the roads leading into the heart of the wilderness.
“Looking for the naga, are we?” Mason and Gunnar exchanged fist bumps like they were old friends. “I told him I could open up one of the bunkers, but he insisted on heading out into the woods. Seemed to think his serpent was out of control or something.”
“Yeah. Or something,” I agreed gloomily.
“Technically, the roads are closed, and we haven’t done any repairs since a landslide washed out part of the road halfway through, so you head in at your own risk. But you can pick your way around if you’re careful.” He tapped at the radio on his belt. “If you run into any trouble, just give me a shout. I’m in the cabin under the comms tower on the hill.” He gestured to a large metal tower rising high over the trees.
We thanked him and continued down the road as he returned to his cabin.
“You know that if this naga breaks your heart, I’m going to whoop his ass, right?” Gunnar said, glancing over at me from the driver’s seat.
“Thanks. I know you care.” Shit. I felt bad. “Listen. About the naga. Things just happened, you know?”
“You don’t need to explain, Sybil. You can’t fight a mate bond. I’m happy for you, but this naga better treat you well. He gets minus one for leaving you alone, but plus one for sacrificing something important. So…I won’t tie the snake into a pretzel. Yet.”
I chuckled. “Please don’t.”
“I’ll try. Can’t promise nothing.”
We found Zayn’s truck half-hidden in the brush at the side of the road just before the washed-out part.
Gunnar parked behind it, and we headed into the woods.
Chapter 26
Zayn
I’dbeenanidiotfor thinking that I could live away from Sybil without the help of hard liquor. Now there was no alcohol for miles, and I didn’t trust myself to get back into my truck and drive.
Barring owning a piece of land myself, this area the EA called the Reserve was perfect. There was nature all around. Woods for me to roam, a lake for me to swim in, and caves for me to explore. There was even a bear shifter ranger to shoot my ass if my snake decided to cause some shit. The only thing missing was my mate.
I kept imagining her stepping out from behind the next tree. I saw her face in the clouds and even heard her voice on the wind. She was all I ever thought about, and it was a struggle not to get into my truck and drive right to her, especially during the long, lonely nights. I’d purposefully driven my truck deep into the brush to make it harder to do just that.
Even now, I swore I could hear her talking softly, which was ridiculous. She was safe in her condo or maybe at her cottage. Either way, she wasn’t here, and that voice that sounded exactly like hers was all in my head.
I was officially losing it. For some reason, my snake had decided to be perfectly cooperative the moment I’d gone to the EA with my curse. That should’ve been my first clue. It was always the calmest before the storm.
I ignored the auditory hallucination and stared out into the lake. So far, no fish had bitten, but I had all day, and technically, I didn’t really need the fish for food. I planned on paying the bear shifter ranger to pick up food for me. With all my savings, I could live like this indefinitely, now that I didn’t need to buy a piece of land.
Sybil’s voice came from the woods again. That was some delusion: it sounded just like her. Except this time, there was another voice.
A male voice.
The green-eyed monster had me looking around for who it was, despite knowing that it was all in my head.
But it wasn’t in my head. Sybil was right there at the edge of the woods, and next to her was a large man I didn’t recognize.
My mate was standing next to a fallen tree, glaring at me with her hands on her hips. What the hell was she doing here? And who the fuck was the mountain of a man standing behind her and staring at me like he wanted to fight?
“How did you find me?” I kept my eyes warily on the huge monster behind her.
He was wearing a glamour, so I couldn’t quite tell what type of monster he was. He stared levelly at me, looking me up and down. Usually, I’d say my serpent could take anyone on, but this guy had an aura about him that made me unsure.
He stepped in between me and Sybil. “This is the naga you chose? He doesn’t look like much. I bet I could pummel him.”
