35
ELIAS
PAIN radiated throughout my body as I threw myself at the bear shifter. It tore into me with lead-encased claws, ripping through my fur and into my already bruised flesh.
But with Ivy’s bond coursing through me, I tightened my jaw around the bear’s throat, using the added strength to snap its spine and tear through the spinal cord. With one last shake of my head, I released the shifter and watched as its body went limp and fell to the wet earth, head rolling to the side. Blood seeped from the open throat, watering the soil, and I couldn’t help but have that same nagging thought that something wasn’t right about this bear.
I shifted, reclaiming my body, the wolf retreating into the back of my mind as I took in the damage. The dead were littered across the ground, mostly the enemy, but I spied a handful of our own scattered amongst the bodies.
One belonged to Hawk Nash’s team. His tracker. Despite not liking the prick, I still prayed to Nyx for him.
Jay appeared in what once was the doorway of the safe house, a slash of red decorating his usually unmarred face. He grimaced as he limped towards me, one hand gripping his side.
“You look like shit,” Jay said, speaking through gritted teeth. “You okay?”
I didn’t have to wait long for the bond to start healing me in the same way it had protected Kingsley when he’d been stabbed. A rush of warmth filled my veins with Ivy’s now-familiar power. The healing magic would take care of the most worrying damage to my body. The other issues were on my own healing abilities.
Instead of replying, I grabbed his arm to steady his swaying body. “We need to get you to a healer,” I muttered. “Where’s the rest of your team?”
There were no other living souls in front of the house. I searched the darkening forest with my wolf’s sight but caught nothing unusual in the trees.
Jay grunted and waved me off. “Doing a head count and checking the casualties. At least two enemy vehicles got away, but we tagged one of them. A new team has been sent in to watch or eliminate.”
“How many did we lose today?” I asked, staring down at the face of Hawk’s team member. I had to hope none of my own team were amongst the dead.
“Too many.” Jay started for the path leading around the side of the house, which was mainly rubble now. “Haven’t seen any of yours, though.”
The breath of relief came almost too quickly as we rounded the destroyed safe house and came to a stop. Three enemy soldiers were tied together, their mouths gagged, and eyes covered. The rest of Jay’s team stood around them with looks of fury.
A growl built in my chest as I stalked towards them. Jay grabbed hold of my arm and stepped in front of me. “We need to take them with us,” he said. “Queen’s orders.”
“At least let me rip into one of them,” I replied, curling one hand into a fist. “They put my mate in danger.”
Jay’s brows furrowed as he watched me. “Your…” He swore and released my arm. “Fuck me, you mated the Queen.”
I pressed my lips into a firm line but didn’t respond. Jay, though, chuckled darkly. “I’ve known you since you were a kid. Thirty years ago, I never would have imagined it.” He shook his head and patted me on the shoulder. “Still can’t kill them, though. Ya’Dahir got in contact. He wants them back at the compound, so we’ll escort them there once we’re free to go.”
“What do you mean, free to go?” I asked, rounding on him. “What the hell is the plan?”
Jay looked from me to his team, who were helping one another heal. Those left from Nash’s team clung to one another. None of mine were amongst the gathered soldiers, so it meant they’d gotten out with Ivy.
My heart twisted at the thought of her, and my wolf whimpered. We could already feel her distance. I didn’t try to contact her, not yet, not with these asses around.
“I don’t know the full plan. I just know the next steps,” Jay finally said. “We’ve got coordinates for the next location. A clean-up team is coming in to deal with the dead. We need to be out before they get here.”
“We aren’t leaving our guy,” one of Nash’s—Jessup, I thought his name was—growled, rising from a crouch where he’d been bandaging up his calf.
I shrugged. “You know the protocol. We move on, let clean-up handle it.”
Jessup sneered and stalked towards us. “Bullshit. We don’t take orders from you.”
It took all my strength not to snap his neck. “You will do as I say because this isn’t about you and your team. It’s about protecting our Queen.”
The bastard rolled his eyes. “Don’t act all superior because you’re warming her bed, Beckham. You’re just a toy for her ple—”
I slammed my fist into his nose before he could finish the sentence. All noise ceased as they watched Jessup crawl to his feet, cradling his broken nose. “I am her mate,” I seethed, stepping up to the foolish demon. Power radiated through me, something I’d only felt in small bursts since completing the mate bond. Now, it felt like a rush. “And if you so much as step a toe out of line, I will end you. My priority is protecting her and our family. If any of you try to stop that, you will answer to me. Understood?”
Jessup’s dark eyes watered as he bowed his head. The rest seemed to follow, each bowing their heads like they would do in the presence of one of Queen Greer’s mates.
I stood a little taller as Jay’s eyes met mine. He gave a shallow nod in assurance.
“Now,” I said, stepping back from Nash’s second and his team, “we follow protocol. And hope to Nyx our Queen is safe.”
~
It took us an hour to get ourselves away from the original safe house. However, with each passing mile and as the sky grew darker, my annoyance seemed to increase, as we drove silently with a prisoner in the back of our SUV. Two other vehicles took their route to the next safe house, each with a different bound and gagged enemy soldier riding between two of our own.
The hours passed in tense silence from there. It took much of my control to stop myself from reaching out to Ivy. Instead, I sent my emotions down our bond, but from what I could feel on her end, she wasn’t awake to speak anyway. So, I’d leave her to her dreams and hope she wasn’t suffering from one of her nightmares. Hopefully with Adrian’s bond being completed, she wouldn’t be suffering anymore.
We took secluded back roads through darkened, near-abandoned towns. The driver, one of Jay’s men, gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles.
“Problem?” I asked.
The mage jumped. He was scrawny, with curled brown hair and umber skin, and like the mages on my team, marked with runes to amplify his power.
“N-no, Sir.” He spared me a look from the corner of his eye. “Everything is fine.”
His heart-rate spiked, and I growled. “Truth. Now.”
The mage swallowed audibly. “S-sorry, Sir. I just—I’ve only ever been around Sir Ya’Dahir.”
My eyes narrowed, brows drawing together as I watched him. A pearl of sweat ran from his forehead down his face, and his heart thumped mercilessly in his chest. It took me a moment to realise why.
I barked a laugh without meaning to and he jumped in his seat again. “Seriously? You’re nervous because of my mate?”
Uncertainty wafted from him, not enough to override his nerves. But he nodded. “Y-yes, Sir.”
Before I could respond, one of the soldiers in the back seat laughed. “Not his fault, Beckham. You tend to be a sullen ass most of the time. And the kid’s new.” In the rear-view mirror, I watched the soldier shrug. He’d been part of the program with me, a year younger though. He was a Born vamp—rare, considering they were usually taken in by older vampires and trained away from the rest of our world because of how delicate they were when they were young.
I snorted and shook my head. “As long as the job is done and my girl is safe, I don’t fucking care.”
Nothing else was said, not as we pulled into the secluded drive of what looked to be an abandoned warehouse in an industrial area. I spied one of the assholes from Nash’s team walking the perimeter, dressed like security.
As we pulled in, the vampire did a check before pressing the code for one of the large roller doors usually used for trucks and shipments. As it opened, we crawled through, the SUV joining one other already sitting inside.
It wasn’t the fact that we were the first to arrive.
It was the fact there was only one other group here.
I was out of the SUV before a word could be said. The stench of aged oil and fumes filled my lungs, the usually overpowering scent of Ivy nowhere in the bay.
A side door opened, and I stumbled to a halt as Archer appeared. “Where the fuck is she?” I growled, stalking up to him.
The mage held up his hands in surrender. “Maeve and Adrian have her at a secondary location. I only found out when we were getting them out,” he murmured. “I have Thea and the kids. Could really use your help in settling them.”
All the rage was expelled, and I blew out a breath. “Are they okay?”
Archer led me through the door and into a darkened hallway. I shuddered when the power of the wards washed over me. As we walked, I eyed the space and listened to Archer recount the escape—Grey splitting them, taking Ivy with her and Kingsley, Nash with them, purposefully putting space between Ivy and the kids to protect both of them. The anger swelled in me again until Archer said, “Maeve gave me specific orders to keep an eye on the other team. She’s weeding out any potential spies.”
We paused at the only door in the long hall. Another keypad sat beside it.
“If Grey were here, I think I’d kill her,” I muttered as the door swung open. “If I’d known…”
Archer tensed and turned back to face me. “Ivy has Adrian. They’ve probably completed the bond, finally, so he can keep her power under control.” His eyes darkened with anger and sadness. “Just help her by being there for the girls. That’s all we can do until we’ve been given the all clear to leave.”
I gritted my teeth but nodded. For Ivy, I’d tamper down on my need to be at her side to protect her sisters. As much as it pained me, I promised her silently that I’d keep them safe.
We waited until the rest of our team arrived. Our prisoner was in a separate bay, and the Born vamp remained behind to watch him. The others joined us with sullen nods, exhaustion crumbling their bodies.
Archer guided us inside; the inner warehouse had been gutted and turned into a small compound ready for an army. There was a large open-plan kitchen and two long tables for soldiers. A gym was set up to the side, and several glass doors led into private rooms, likely for high-ranking officers in the Queen’s army. Bunks were set up beyond the gym.
“There’s food already prepared and sitting out for you guys, so eat if you want. Showers are off to the side of the kitchen, I highly suggest you use them,” Archer stated, pointing towards both areas. “You guys get the bunks. Try to keep any and all nudity to the showers because we do have children staying with us. They’re the new Queen’s sisters, so protect them like you would her.”
The two soldiers bowed their heads. The scrawny mage spared me a glance before rushing towards the door to the showers, and the other headed straight to the kitchen.
Archer eyed me for a moment. “I think you should hit the showers.”
I shook my head and started for one of the glass doors, where I sensed the girls were waiting. As I drew closer, I caught sight of Thea, who looked up and brought a hand to her mouth.
The room was small, but someone had pushed two beds in and formed one large nest in the middle and filled it with thin blankets and pillows. Ginny and Maisie were asleep, cocooned in their own cotton sheets, while Eloise turned and stared at me. When our eyes met, she blinked and buried her head in a pillow.
“They’ll be okay until you shower and eat something,” Archer muttered, scratching the back of his neck. “Thea and I got them mostly settled.”
“Have they eaten?” I asked, stepping away from the glass.
Archer nodded. “Only a little. Thea cooked, made them something they like. We got them to eat a few bites, but they’re anxious. They’re worried about Ivy. I don’t think they like being split from her, especially so soon after what happened to their mother.”
I breathed a sigh and closed my eyes. “Yeah, I don’t blame them.”
Silence passed between us as we stood in front of the room. My mind wandered in too many directions, most of which led to Ivy.
“There’s a locker for you in the showers with a change of clothes,” Archer offered. “Gear, if you choose to shift.”
My eyes opened, and I nodded in his direction. Without a word, I made my way to the showers and finally sent my mate a thought.
Are you okay, Angel?
Her reply was slow, but her beautiful warmth filled me. I’m fine. Safe with Adrian and Maeve. Are you okay? Are the girls safe? Are you with them?
I smiled to myself at the barrage of questions as I entered the showers. It was set up like a locker room, with individual shower stalls on one side, sectioned off by lockers, and then sinks and toilet stalls on the other wall. I found the locker Archer had given me and pulled out a towel, the change of clothes, and the other essentials.
I’m with the girls. They’re resting. I only just got in, so I need to shower. As I closed and locked myself into one of the stalls, a flash of an image made its way through the bond: Ivy, undressed in front of a foggy mirror, her nipples hard and her hand too close to her perfect cunt.
Angel, you’re really testing my patience here.
Her tired laugh filtered down the bond. Sorry. That was an accident.
The image stayed in my head as I turned the shower on and stripped. Most of my internal injuries had healed, but there were several dark bruises still marring my skin. I kept that away from the bond, ignoring the twinges of pain as best I could.
What I couldn’t ignore was my cock, hard just from the mental image of my mate.
As I stepped under the hot spray, I gripped my length and sent her my own. Two can play at that game, Angel.
The sound of her soft gasp was like an aphrodisiac. It went straight to my dick.
Elias…
I stroked myself, closing my eyes. Are you touching yourself, Angel?
Yes.
Where are you?
The image came a moment later—her spread out on a dark duvet, right in front of a mirror hanging behind a bedroom door. I didn’t recognise the room, and for now, I didn’t care, not as I took in my exquisite mate with her fingers languidly playing with her silky cunt.
Nothing in our bond told me she didn’t desire this. But I closed my eyes and felt for her deeper. Are you sure you want to do this, Angel? We don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with.
Ivy was quiet for a moment before responding. If I didn’t like where this was going, Elias, I wouldn’t be doing it. She opened up further, and I felt her need, her magic thrumming in her veins, and despite our distance, I felt it against my own skin.
But I need you, Elias, she continued. I need you in ways I can’t explain. Not just because of my magic. Even though it’s going crazy without you. I need to apparently release some of it before I go nuclear. So, if this is the only way you and I can be connected, then so be it. I want this with you, and I’m really fucking into it.
A smile cracked upon my lips. As I leaned my head against the shower stall wall, I considered what she said. She needed the connection, and her magic was getting out of control. I could feel the slight flicker of fear down the bond that warned me of her impending outburst.
We never should have been split, I replied.
I could almost feel her breath fanning across my face as she sighed. I know.
For now, I said, spearing desire through the bond, you’re mine.