Chapter 2
“You’re out, wolf,” came a deep, mocking voice, causing me to blink against the sleep threatening to pull me under. I lifted my head slowly from my folded arms, my back twinging painfully as I sat up straight on the hard cement floor against the far wall.
Two figures stood on the other side of the metal bars. The door was open, and Bad Cop stood there holding it open, glowering down at me. “Some rich asshole made your bail. I guess you’re free until they take you to trial.”
His eyes burned with hatred. I had a feeling it had nothing to do with Savannah and everything to do with the fact that he was a human who hated Darklings. I could smell a Ryan Harker supporter from a fucking mile away. But what was he doing in Sol?
I decided to keep my mouth shut as they led me out of the cells, taking me to the front of the jail, where a lady at the front desk prompted me to sign myself out before handing me my belongings.
I didn’t have much except a few pieces of jewelry I’d been wearing when I was arrested and my cellphone and wallet.
I stepped out of the main entrance, a security guard opening them up for me and allowing sunlight to pour into the lobby. I shielded my eyes from the light, letting the burn tingle through my whole body after hours and hours in a cold, dark cell.
A car was parked on the street, just at the base of the jailhouse stairs.
Thane leaned against it, his arm draped over the open door.
He wore a pair of sunglasses, a black shirt that hugged the hard lines of his torso, and a pair of black pants and boots that made him look like an action hero up to no good.
My entire body deflated at the sight of the warlock, and I let out the world’s biggest sigh of relief.
“Hey, little wolf," he said softly as I approached him. "Are you okay?"
"Define okay," I sighed as I fell into his embrace. His arms enveloped me in a bear hug, squishing my face into his hard chest. I breathed in the scent of fresh herbs and something spicy. Something uniquely Thane, and savored it. “Get me out of this hellhole, Thane,” I muttered into his chest.
His chest rumbled with a low laugh as he stroked my curls softly.
"Your wish is my command, babe. We're going to take you somewhere safe until we can figure out what the fuck actually happened. War has a cabin we can use as a temporary safehouse. I don’t feel comfortable bringing you back to the consulate until Estelle is found.”
"A cabin?" I asked skeptically.
Pulling back, Thane placed a hand on my lower back, ushering me into the passenger seat of the car. "It's more luxurious than it sounds. My brother doesn’t do anything halfway." He leaned over as I grumbled under my breath, buckling me in. “It’s a long drive, so get comfy.”
He shut the door before I could say anything, slipping into the driver’s seat and gunning it until we were swerving in and out of busy city traffic. I looked around the unfamiliar interior. “Whose car is this?” It wasn’t Thane’s sexy sports car, that was for sure.
He tapped on the steering wheel with his ring-clad fingers, his fingernails painted glossy black. “I borrowed it from a friend of mine. My car has tracking software installed by the military, and I don’t want to be followed.”
“When you say you borrowed it from a friend, it sounds an awful lot like ‘I stole it from some poor schmuck off the street five minutes before I picked you up.’”
Cutting his eyes my way, he grinned devilishly. “Oh, baby girl, you already know me too well.”
I fell silent after that, exhaustion enveloping me in a tight cocoon. Thane made a swirling motion with his hand, bright-blue magic crackling at his fingertips. Music started to play. A soft, smooth jazz that somehow had me settling comfortably into my seat and humming along with it.
Thane didn’t push me to talk about anything, and I was grateful for that.
All I wanted to do was get somewhere safe, call Serenity, hear her tell me she was okay and somewhere safe, and then take the longest nap in the history of the world.
He did have a cold bottle of water waiting for me in the cup holder, which I drank greedily, realizing how parched I’d been.
Then he passed me a bar of chocolate. I could have jumped his bones right then and there for it.
The drive out of the city was a much easier task than leaving Noc.
There were still checkpoints that we had to pass through, but nobody asked to see any ID.
We drove through winding foothills with golden and green grasses filled with grazing cattle and fields of crops.
After about an hour, the landscape turned mountainous and green, with little patches of snow dotting the ground, getting thicker the higher we went.
I wondered where the hell War and Gareth were. Were they meeting us here later?
But then again, did they even have any real obligation to come here with me in the first place?
Gareth wasn't my mate; he was a reluctant bodyguard who had just gone through one of the most traumatic experiences a shifter could go through. And War? Well, I knew War felt something for me, but that didn’t mean he was ready to abandon his duties back at the consulate just to babysit me.
Unease swirled in my gut. What was I walking into with Gareth?
Did he think I killed her? Did he hate me for it?
There was no love between him and Savannah, but I knew how strong the physical tie to your fated mate could be.
They slept together in the past, even if the bond was never actually sealed.
I hated the jealousy that bubbled up at the thought of her being with him.
Even picturing it made me want to throw up.
A gentle hand on my thigh broke my train of thought.
I looked up, meeting Thane’s electric gaze.
“I don’t know what it means, but...” He paused, running his other hand through his pale-silver hair, before blowing out a long breath.
“I can feel the thoughts swirling around in your head. You’re upset about something. ”
I froze, my whole body tensing up as I blinked rapidly, trying to process. “Can you read my mind?” I asked in horror.
He laughed, squeezing my thigh gently. “No, not read it. It’s more like a feeling.
It feels like my magic is sending echoes of something through my body, but the sensations aren’t mine.
It sounds insane, but...” It did sound fucking insane.
It sounded made-up. It sounded mind-bogglingly untrue. But it's not unheard of.
I pivoted to face him. “Thane, are we mates?”
The car jerked as his foot slid off the pedal. Thane pulled his hand from my thigh and righted the car again as we rounded a sharp mountain bend. “Ah, sorry bout that, love.” His voice was uneasy. Shaken. Glancing at me, he sighed again as if trying to stall in order to find the right words.
I saved him the trouble. “If I’m way off base here, just tell me.
But you’re talking to someone who used to be obsessed with Darkling lore.
I know witches and warlocks have mates, just like us shifters.
You have soul bonds—someone your magic connects to.
I’ve read about it before, but I don’t think I ever considered what it would feel like in real life, yet I’m starting to think...
” I was rambling now, tapping my finger against my thigh.
“I’m crazy, right? You know what, sorry I even asked, let’s pretend—”
“Yes,” he clipped, and my frantic rambling stopped. His fingers flexed on the wheel, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the muscles in his jaw. The silence hung heavily between us for a moment. “I’ve been wracking my brain for ways to just bloody tell you, but I guess I don’t have to now.”
“Wait, you’re serious?” I asked breathlessly, my heart starting to flutter.
His eyes flitted toward me. “Would it be so bad?” He sounded nervous. That wasn’t like Thane at all. Not the cocky, larger-than-life playboy Thane.
“I…I, uh…” The words didn't want to come out. Would it be so bad? Was I opposed to this little revelation? It wasn’t like I necessarily had a choice in the matter.
But this was Thane here. One of three men who made me feel safe for once.
A man who sent fire racing through my veins and who had me salivating for just a small taste of him.
This was a man whose magic called to me on a bone-deep level. Soul-deep, even.
“We’re here,” he said before I could gather my thoughts. He nodded his head for me to look.
We pulled off onto a dirt driveway that was hard to spot from the main road.
At the end of it, an isolated, wooden cottage sat nestled amongst tall pines.
It was a wooden cabin, but the lower half looked like it was made of stacked stone, with a wraparound porch and a staircase that led up to the front door.
It was only one level, unlike the packhouse.
I had to admit, for a cabin in the woods, it was quaint and cute.
“Warrik likes to come up here every few decades when he gets tired of kissing boots,” Thane said as he pulled around the back of the cabin and parked. I gave him a look, and he just chuckled. “I meant when he needs a vacation.”
“Sure you did...” I tried to sound casual and relaxed, but somehow my voice came out squeaky. Clearing my throat, I unbuckled myself but didn’t make a move to exit the car. A heaviness stretched out between us. So many things remained unsaid. There were so many things that didn’t make any sense.
“We don’t have to discuss it right now,” he said, not looking at me. He just stared through the windshield, his hands still firmly on the wheel. “I just thought you deserved a heads-up. I’m not expecting you to drop everything and bind your soul to mine just because we’re mates.”
I stopped breathing, hearing the word fall from his lips.
Mates… Did I like the sound of that? There was so much I needed to process.
My life seemed to be spiraling out of control faster than I could keep up with it.
So, I just nodded. He was right. We didn’t have to hash everything out right now, not when there were so many other things happening.
“There’s something else you need to know before we go inside,” he said, his voice pitched lower than before. I met his eyes as he pivoted to face me. He scanned my face, and his fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach out. As if he could feel the way my stomach just dropped.
“Just lay it on me, please. At this point, there's nothing that can really surprise me. You could honestly tell me that Noc City was just swallowed up by a black hole and it would just be another Wednesday.”
He smirked, shaking his head, and some of the tension between us dissolved. Not all, but some of it at least. He took a deep breath, looking like he was dreading what he was about to say next. I braced myself. “It’s about Gareth. He’s not quite right at the moment.”
“Elaborate.” Sitting up straight in my seat, my eyes were already on a swivel, as if Gareth was about to come jogging out of the woods at any second.
“After you were arrested and Savannah’s death snapped his tether to her soul, he lost his shit. He shifted and ran off. War went after him and managed to coax him into a vehicle. He brought him here to cool off, but he hasn’t shifted back yet.”
“Have you spoken to August about this?” I asked, my stomach twisting in knots. It’s exactly what I was afraid of. Gareth was in pain, and here I was worried about my fucking self.
Thane nodded. “He took Serenity back to the pack house, where she can be protected in case Estelle tries to come after her. I’ve been in contact with him, Atlas, and Bastian.
Actually, it was Bastian that got you released today, so you might want to shoot him a thank you text the next time you have cell service.
” When I blinked at him, he just said, “He's an old-ass warlock. Older than me. He’s got law degrees and doctorates, and I’m pretty sure he’s got a knighthood, too. ”
I made a mental note to thank Bastian. I was so relieved to be out of that cell and in the middle of the wide-open wilderness again.
In a way, this place reminded me of home back at the packhouse.
With all of these tall trees obscuring every direction, I no longer felt like hundreds of eyes were following me, watching my every move.
Taking a deep breath, I stared at the back door entrance to the cabin.
On the other side was Warrik and possibly a very wolfy Gareth.
On the other side of that door was yet another space meant to confine me.
Not a prison; I knew that. Not a cell with cement walls.
Not chains, sedatives, or armed guards. None of those things lurked on the other side of that door. Just them. Only them.