Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“It happens differently for everyone.”
“This is not happening,” she said to herself.
“Look, we can figure all of this out,” I said, taking a step forward. The few feet that separated us felt like too much. Now that I’d found her, any space between us felt wrong. “We need to go get your brother and get home. We can protect you there.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Protect us?” she said scornfully. “You’re the ones who put us in this position in the first place.”
“Lucille—”
“It’s Lucy,” she burst out, beginning to pace. “The only person who called me Lucille was my mother.”
“Lucy,” I repeated. It fit her. She looked like a Lucy.
“I’m not going to let you descend on Charlie like fucking vultures,” she stated, shaking her head. “No. No, he’s been through enough.”
“We need to get him somewhere safe.”
“Tell me where to go,” she said stubbornly. “I’ll go get him and bring him to you.”
“That’s not happening.”
“You can’t just keep me here.” She glared. “I’m leaving.”
“You’re not.”
“What are you going to do about it?” she sneered, shouldering her bag. “It’s not like you’re going to hurt me, right? You can’t. And you wouldn’t let your brothers, either.”
“So you do know a little something about mates,” I replied dryly.
“I know enough,” she snapped. “Tell me where to meet you.”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen,” Lucy cut me off. “I will get my brother and bring him to you, if that’s what he wants.”
“I can’t let you go by yourself.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“I can.”
“Bullshit.”
“I won’t ever hurt you,” I told her seriously as I stepped to the side, blocking her path to the door. “I also won’t ever stand by when you’re in danger. If that means keeping you here, I’ll do it.”
“I need to get back to Charlie,” she argued, trying and failing to hide the desperation in her tone. She glanced at the window.
“I understand,” I soothed. “But you’re not going anywhere without me.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Her voice rose. “You can’t just make decisions for me. That’s not how this mating thing works. I haven’t even accepted you, and let me tell you something, buddy. Your odds aren’t looking good!”
It was impossible to hide my wince at the sharp pain that flared in my chest. She wasn’t wrong. There was a chance that she could walk away at any time before we’d cemented our bond. It would be uncomfortable, but with time and distance, she could live her life like any other human.
It would be agony for me.
I’d survive it. My brother Beau had walked away from his mate eighty years ago and survived it, but he’d never been the same afterward.
Now that I’d found her, the idea of never seeing her again made my skin crawl.
“What if just you and I go get Charlie?” I asked, hoping the concession would be enough to calm her down. “Would that be better?”
My brothers were going to kill me.
Lucy stared at the floor and crossed her arms. The room was silent for a long moment.
“Just you?” she said tentatively.
“Just me and you,” I agreed.
“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb will never go for that.” She jerked her head toward the doorway.
My lips twitched as I tried to hold back a relieved smile. “I’ll deal with it.”
“I don’t know,” she hedged. “I think it would be better if I went alone.”
“It isn’t safe.”
“I’ve kept us safe this long.”
“You’ve gotten lucky, sweetheart.”
“Let’s keep the pet names to a minimum,” she grumbled, glancing at me and then away again.
“All right.”
“I don’t think that it’s a good idea for Charlie to know about you and me,” she said with a grimace, looking me over. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Couldn’t you chip a tooth or something? Get a zit? Why do you look like that?”
“Like what?” I glanced down at my jeans and thermal.
“Forget it.”
“I’ll go talk to my brothers,” I said, not bothering to hide my smile anymore.
“Stop it,” she snapped.
My smile grew.
“The window doesn’t open,” I warned her, pointing to the bedroom window that looked over the backyard as I headed for the door. “And we’ll hear if you try to break it.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of fire safety?” she called as I left the room. “Shit.”
I found Chance and Danny still standing in the kitchen where I’d left them. Chance raised his eyebrows and glanced behind me as I joined them.
“Lucy and I are going to go get Charlie ourselves,” I announced firmly. “You two fly home and let the family know what’s happening.”
“Fuck that,” Chance snapped.
“That’s a really bad idea,” Danny agreed, his hands clenching the edge of the counter. “You have no idea if Charles is even still where she left him. You guys could get there to find him missing, and we’ll be across the fucking country.”
“Or you’ll get there and it’s a fucking trap,” Chance said, looking toward the bedroom. “How much do we know about her?”