CHAPTER 15
Kathan
After the bomb Slade dropped on everyone, Rue decided she needed some time to process, so she left to take a bath. Which is entirely understandable. But it leaves the four of us in a room, staring at one another. And while we’ve come to somewhat of an understanding—thanks to our bond with Rue—it doesn’t entirely erase the previous animosity.
Caylix breaks the silence first. “According to the reports, the ferals have been gathering in your territory.” Slade raises an eyebrow and motions for him to continue. “It’s partly why I called you earlier—“
“Could’ve saved yourself some time and energy had you listened to my voicemail first,” Slade interrupts.
The bastard vampire lord has always had a way of stoking our anger, almost like he enjoys it. But Caylix grits his teeth and keeps his thoughts to himself. “You’re right. However, Rue was missing, and that was my top priority. I was going to update you, ask if you knew anything or could call in any favors to help us find her, and warn you of the threat. I never dreamed she was with you.” He pauses, considering. “Thank you for being there for her when we weren’t. We failed.”
The weight of Slade’s stare swings to me, assessing. “Don’t let it happen again.”
My chest rumbles with a growl. “Never.”
Now that my suspicion of her being a spy has been disproven, I feel like an absolute asshole. I let my hatred for Lance seep into my bones and tarnish my view of all witches and wizards. I allowed it to fester, to poison and twist my view of Rue, and that’s a mistake I’ll spend the rest of my days rectifying. Even being under Lance’s spell isn’t an excuse.
Once our little witch has had some time to herself, we need to talk. And I need to drop to my knees and worship her like I should’ve from the beginning. Because it’s been obvious all along how perfectly she completes our tripack.
I’ve just been too blind to see it.
But my blindfold has been ripped off. Hopefully, it’s not too late to fix my mistakes.
Seemingly satisfied for now, Slade nods before sitting forward, steepling his hands on his knees. “I’ll call in some enforcers to scope it out. See if we can figure out what they’re planning. I’ll also have a few more on guard outside in case they’re stupid enough to decide to attack directly.”
“Hopefully, you’ll understand that we don’t exactly trust your enforcers right now. I’ll bring some of ours into the rotation,” Caylix adds.
Slade’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t object. “In the meantime, you’re welcome to stay in the guest rooms next to mine. I know Rue will want you close and I doubt you’ll want to go far.”
Caylix nods gratefully at Slade’s offer. “Thank you, Slade. We appreciate it.”
“We’re not letting her out of our sight again,” Rhys adds.
“I expect nothing less,” Slade responds. His phone rings, and he digs it out of his pocket, bringing it to his ear. “What is it, Henri?” he barks in lieu of a greeting. There’s a muffled response on the other end of the line that causes Slade’s jaw to clench. “Merde.“ He pauses, his brow furrowing. “No, send him here. I’d like a full recount from his own mouth. Thanks, Henri.”
Slade ends the call and stares at us with a troubled expression. “I sent one of my most trusted enforcers to the tunnel where I found Rue. My hope was that he would find the feral enforcer they wanted her to cure or some clue that could lead us to the whereabouts of the woman who dared steal her from us.”
Caylix, Rhys and I exchange glances. The tension in the room sets my teeth on edge.
“The enforcer reported finding a large amount of blood, confirming it belonged to the turned enforcer,” Slade continues. “But no body. He also stated he found a hidden room that appeared as if it had been emptied in a hurry, scent scrubbed clean, which means this woman is smart.” He lets out a growl of frustration. “She’s cunning enough to know how to cover her tracks.”
Shit. That’s troubling news indeed.
It slightly blows my mind that Slade found the time to orchestrate this in between bonding with Rue. If it were me, I’m not sure I could’ve pulled myself away from her long enough. I admire his restraint, and his need to keep her safe.
“How are we supposed to find her now?” Rhys asks, his tone laced with frustration.
“Something tells me she’ll reveal herself when the time is right. Likely by trying to steal Rue again,” Slade answers.
The three of us let out matching growls. “Not on our watch,” Caylix replies.
I open my mouth to agree when a chirping noise interrupts me. A tiny little rodent looking thing comes bounding through the door with a piece of paper in its mouth. It runs directly to Slade, stopping at his feet.
“Huh, where did you get this?” Slade asks as he bends to pick the animal up, carefully putting her on his shoulder before taking the piece of paper.
It smells faintly of Rue, so I’d guess the rodent found it on her. Clever thing.
Slade pops the wax seal and unfolds the parchment. That’s when it hits me. This must be what Lance gave her.
Whatever is on it makes his eyes narrow. “Thank you, Sucette, but you have to stop stealing things from others,” he scolds.
She chirps at him, not phased in the slightest.
He crumples the paper in his hand and tosses it across the room, his anger palpable. “Rue has been summoned to appear before the Witches Council and ‘present her new mates.’ According to this, it’s some kind of tradition when a witch mates outside the coven, but I say it’s simply their nosiness.” Disdain drips from every word out of his mouth.
Alarm bells sound in the back of my mind instantly. “No. Not a chance in hell. This has to be a trap of some sort.”
Slade’s eyes meet mine, the fire within them mirroring my own. “Of course it’s a trap,” he growls, his voice thick with anger and protectiveness. “It’s not every day that a vampire lord finds his soulmatch in a witch. And it’s even rarer for one to share their mate with three powerful alpha shifters. Actually, I’m not sure it’s ever been done. Stands to reason that they’d want to know what makes Rue so special and if they can leverage any power she may possess for themselves.”
My fists clench at my sides, my blood boiling at the thought of Rue being used as leverage for their own gain. The urge to protect her is overwhelming. We’ve come close to losing her twice already, and I refuse to put her in a situation that could potentially jeopardize her again. “I won’t allow her to become a pawn in their quest for power.”
Caylix’s jaw tightens as he nods in agreement. “We won’t let that happen. The Witches Council may be powerful, but they underestimate the lengths we’re willing to go to protect what’s ours.”
Rhys glances behind us in the direction Rue disappeared earlier, longing evident in his gaze. “We need to claim her. Officially make her ours.”
“We will,” I vow. “We’ll fix this. But first, she and I need to have a conversation.”
One where I lay myself bare, show her my soul, and hope she forgives me for being such a dick.
It’s time to start making amends.