Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“I don’t think that’s important right now,” she replied nervously, still staring.
Letting my eyes fall shut, I searched in the recesses of my mind for a shred of patience. She hadn’t known who I was. She hadn’t known we were mates. There was no way she could’ve anticipated that she actually had a mate. She couldn’t have realized what she was doing.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” I asked, my words barely a whisper of sound. I was afraid that if I raised my voice any higher, I’d start yelling.
She was the other half of my soul. I would be by her side until the end of time. I could not start our journey by screaming at her or spanking her ass, no matter how tempting those images were.
“Hey, man,” she said with a shrug. “It worked. I mean, sort of. They picked me up, but they left me with their idiotic foot soldiers.”
“Thank the Gods they did,” I barked, trying to shove down the anger that was boiling up inside me. “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you?”
“I’ve read the reports,” she confirmed, her expression growing serious. “I knew what I was doing.”
“You have no clue,” I replied. My mouth snapped shut when the sound of a car moving toward us on the gravel driveway filtered in the window.
Fuck. What had I been thinking, bringing her back to the place she’d been abducted? I’d been so concerned with making sure she felt safe that I’d fucked up.
Rising from my chair, I looked at Gary. “Do you have weapons accessible?”
“Of course,” he replied.
“Daniel—” Rosemary interrupted, jumping to her feet.
“Get them,” I ordered, glancing toward the window. “We’re about to have company.”
“No, wait,” Rosemary said, following me as I headed toward the front door.
Their old bulldog was snoring loudly on a bed in front of the fire. He didn’t even lift his head. Clearly, he wasn’t a watchdog.
“Stay inside,” I ordered her. “I’ll let you know when to come out.”
“Okay, first of all—”
“Do I need to tie your ass up?” I snapped. Shit, it felt like I couldn’t concentrate. Between the car getting closer on the driveway, the scent of Rosemary’s shampoo wafting toward me, and the fact that she clearly wasn’t wearing a bra under her loose T-shirt, my brain seemed to be misfiring.
“You could try,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head.
“Flower?” her dad called from the kitchen. Why the hell hadn’t he done what I’d asked?
“I can’t fucking think with you standing here,” I ground out. “Go.”
“Well, lucky for you, I can think for both of us.”
She moved faster than I was prepared for and threw the front door open, stalking outside as I spun and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her feet left the porch just as the car outside rolled to a stop.
“Put me down, you pain in the ass,” she griped, pulling her knees to her chest as she shoved at my arm.
“Quiet,” I breathed in her ear as I watched the car.
My arm loosened as the driver climbed out, and I let out a breath of relief.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Rosemary called, pushing my arm away as she moved to the top of the steps. “Daniel’s practically frothing at the mouth.”
“Daniel Boucher,” Dalton Cavendish drawled, striding toward us. “It’s been a while.”
Just then, the passenger door opened and another tall man stepped out of the car.
“Good to see you in one piece, Oregano,” he called out teasingly.
I reached out to shake Dalton’s hand as Rosemary bounded down the steps toward the stranger.
Sidestepping Dalton, I monitored the interaction closely. My mate shoved at the newcomer with a laugh and then stepped in for a hug. Was that the fictional mate?
Every muscle in my body tensed until she jerked away with a curse. I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision.
“Shit, I forgot,” the man said with a grimace, glancing at me as he raised his arms out at his sides. “You okay?”
“Oh, ew,” Rosemary exclaimed. “I forgot about that bullshit.”
Dalton chuckled beside me. “They grew up together,” he informed me. “Nothing to be worried about.”
I scoffed. “I’m aware.” Even if Rosemary and this pup had anything going on before, it was over now. The mating bond would make it physically painful for them to fuck around.
“Come meet my mate,” Rosemary said with a frown, stomping back toward the house. She was barefoot and didn’t seem to even notice the rocks beneath her feet.
“This is my son Ian,” Dalton said, nodding toward him. On closer inspection, the young Vampire was barely an adult. His face hadn’t lost the innocence of youth yet. “Ian, this is Rosemary’s mate, Daniel Boucher.”
“Boucher?” Ian asked, reaching out to shake my hand.
“Yes, one of those Bouchers,” Dalton murmured with a smile. His expression dropped as he looked at me. “I was very sorry to hear about Zeke. You have my condolences.”