31. Thirty-one

thirty-one

The tiny dancing gold lights were still there when I woke up. Only now, they stretched out the door of the room.

I rummaged around in my suitcase and found a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I had no idea what time it was, but it was before dusk. Drym wouldn't leave without saying goodbye.

I didn't bother with the lantern. The swaying lights led the way. I could hear voices in the main cavern, but no one was shouting or seemed upset.

I regretted not bothering with shoes when I stubbed my big toe on a loose rock. I hadn't even finished my curse when Drym came running around the corner.

He lifted me into his arms and carried me back into the room, where Zeus and the rest of the ‘fangs were bent over scattered papers on the table.

"Cavi, get the first aid kit. Kendal's hurt her toe."

"How did you know I hurt my toe?"

He smirked and poked himself in the forearm with the tip of a claw.

The same spot on my forearm pinched. "Ow!" It took a minute for me to catch on. "Oh…" I looked at Zeus. "But I thought weres felt emotions, not physical things."

He nodded. "I've never seen any were mates react to their mate being injured the way you two just did."

Cavi stepped up with the first aid kit. "Since we are a blend of two species of shifter, it's to be expected our bonds will behave differently from either of the contributor's."

"Which might explain that we see dancing lights instead of a more rope-like tether, right?"

Cavi's head tilted as he thought. "Yes, that's the most likely explanation."

"I can't believe you got both." Zeus was shaking his head. "I'm almost jealous, but I'm not sure I'd want to feel every paper cut my mate gets."

"Speaking of—" I gasped as Cavi poured antiseptic on my toe. "When do I get to meet your mates?"

He quickly threw his hands up. "Oh, I'm not mated. Only two of my team have been so lucky." He looked away and cleared his throat. "I'm not sure, but I promise we'll get the three of you together soon."

"I'll hold you to that promise. Especially if they take the bait."

"I understand." He gave me a sympathetic smile before turning his attention back to what I could now see was a map.

Kragen pointed to the parking lot behind my apartment building, and the tree line. "Zeus will meet with the fae here." He moved his claw an inch into the woods. "Drym will be here. After you engage the fae in conversation, he will move up to here"—his claw drew closer to the parking lot—"before walking parallel to the tree line for several yards."

"If my contact sees him, I'll use the word orange so Drym knows to break off. If I don't, then Drym will retrace his steps, passing by us again and continuing in that direction." He smirked. "Fae eyesight is better than humans. I don't think we'll need the return trip."

My heart threatened to beat out of my chest. I tried to take solace in the fact that they all seemed so calm, but it didn't work. I was the only one freaking out.

I wasn't built for this. I wasn't some superhuman security dude (pun intended), or a genetically engineered killing machine. I was just a human. A female human, who would have died that night in the woods if it weren't for Drym.

I didn't have any special skills. I couldn't survive for weeks with only a piece of string or something. I barely made it through Damruck summers with the air conditioning going full blast. I'd go to three different stores if my main one was out of my specific brand of toothpaste.

I was as far from badass as a person could get. Why did I think I could ever help them?

"Kendal, did you ever see the men in charge? Well enough to recognize them?" Kragen's body was loose, relaxed.

Mine threatened to snap into pieces it was wound so tight. I managed a nod. "The three key guys, I think, were the ones that came down soon after they put me in the basement cage. They looked over each of us and then gave us numbers. A fourth man took notes." I swallowed. "I would recognize those four, like I recognized Bill."

Kragen nodded, but Zeus's eyebrows slashed down.

"Who's Bill?"

Drym answered for me. "One of the men who tried to recapture Kendal."

Zeus nodded. "How many were there?"

"Three." My voice was surprisingly strong and it gave me a speck of confidence. I looked Zeus dead in the eyes. "No survivors."

He nodded. "We have cleanup crews when needed. I'll give you their contact information."

Drym's warm hand trailed up my back. I didn't need the comfort. I wasn't sad those men were dead. They were awful human beings. Maybe that made me a bad person, but at that point, I just didn't care.

"Since you're doing this in my apartment's parking lot, can I go to my apartment?"

Drym's growl at my back was low, but instead of raising the hairs on my neck like it probably should have, it made me lean into him.

The dancing lights of our bond pulsed brighter.

I was such a goner.

I knew I was going to fall for him. I resisted because what kind of future could we have? Now that we were bonded, I wondered why I was worried in the first place. We would make it work. We were meant to be together. The fates decreed it.

Everything would work out the way it was supposed to.

If I kept telling myself that, I might actually believe it.

Zeus nodded at Drym. "I can escort Kendal to her apartment before I get into position."

Drym's hand flexed on my back.

I turned and patted his chest. "Roul is watching over everything. I'll be fine locked in my apartment. It's you I'm worried about."

His chest rose and fell beneath my hand. His eyes closed and he snuffled into my hair. He straightened and a look passed between him and Kragen I couldn't interpret. Kragen nodded.

Why did I think they'd just made a deal I really wouldn't like?