Chapter 35
Aflash of movement caught the corner of my eye.
Bastian collided with Luke’s body, and I stumbled backwards, finding the wall again.
My legs wobbled, and I leaned my weight against it, trembling.
A fist flew, followed by a crunch. He had Luke on the ground in seconds, holding him down with one hand, punching him in the face over and over with the other.
My expression went slack, eyes growing wide at the sheer brutality of it.
“You hurt her,” Bastian ground out. “You hurt my fucking mate. How does that feel, hm? Taste of your own medicine? I should rip your fucking innards out,” he growled. “String you up with them. Peel your skin from your bones and fucking feed it to you, you piece of shit. How would you like that?”
Luke managed to get a grip on Bastian’s biceps and roll him over, probably with his added strength, but the victory was short-lived. He was still human, after all. Bastian had him pinned once more.
“Bastian,” I hissed, my skin prickling. His fist didn’t stop—like he didn’t even hear me. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The sound made my stomach roil. Luke had it coming, and yet, I couldn’t stand to watch. I couldn’t look away, either. Soon, Luke’s pathetic gurgling whimper filled the air.
“Do you know what goblins do when their mates are threatened?” His voice was an inhuman growl.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The breath fled my lungs. I shook my head like I was trying to rattle free the thoughts that stuck together.
Mate?
The word clanged around in my head. Everything else crumbled away, even the sickening sounds. A point found my throat—the point of a blade. I was dragged away from the wall. I didn’t fight it, barely registered that there were several other people filling in around us.
“Tell him to back off,” a voice growled in my ear, “Or I’ll slice your pretty neck right open.” A couple of people had filled in around us. Luke’s people.
“I…”
Mate.
No. I’d misheard.
“Tell him to back off or I’ll kill you,” the voice repeated.
Bastian froze. When his head turned, eerily slowly, his eyes fixed on the person behind me.
There was nothing of the man I knew. Only pure, undiluted monster.
Though his glamor held, his eyes were entirely black.
The expression on his face when he saw the blade at my throat.
The way he looked at my captor. It would have turned anyone’s bowels watery.
“I mean it,” my captor said, shakier this time. “I’ll kill—”
The blaring whine of a siren erupted around us. Another joined it.
“We gotta get out of here, Tony,” a new voice said. Someone swore. The knife pressed more firmly against my throat. A bead of blood rolled down my skin.
Bastian’s black eyes darted to it, tracking it, then back to my captor’s face. "I will kill you for that.” His voice was a low promise.
"Boss won't be too happy if we leave him," Tony snapped, addressing whoever had suggested they leave Luke behind.
"I ain't getting nabbed by the cops," someone else hissed.
Blue and red flashing lights filled the alley behind me. Tony cursed and the knife disappeared. I blinked. Then they were gone, darting toward the far side and disappearing.
Bastian's eyes darted in the direction they'd fled. I could see the indecision playing out on his face—chase them down or stay with me. His jaw clenched, hands fisting at his sides, but he stayed put. A second later and his eyes turned green.
"Elle, baby," he took a series of hurried steps toward me, rushing over—
“Hands above your head!” An authoritative voice filled the air. Spotlights fell on us. Bastian froze. “Hands where I can see them.”
My eyes were glued to Bastian. His chest rose and fell, heaving.
But his eyes stayed on me, darting over my body, assessing.
He lifted his hands, planted them behind his head, like he knew exactly where to put them.
I, however, didn’t feel quite so confident.
Limbs shaking, I lifted my hands too, but more in a half-hearted, awkward, upright position.
I looked down at Luke, unsure if I was relieved to see him still breathing. Part of me wished he was dead. And yet, what kind of person would that make me?
Feet pounded the pavement. A breath later and my hands were gently pulled into someone’s grasp, cuffs placed around my wrists. Wait… What?!
“That’s the guy,” I managed, shaken and confused. “The guy on the ground. Luke Portman. He’s the one responsible for the mayor’s gala.”
My words didn’t seem to have any effect. Wait… Why were they taking me when it was him they wanted?
Bastian growled and surged forward. “Take your fucking hands off her, Floyd, or I’ll remove your fingers.”
“Ahh… If it isn’t Bastian Croft,” Floyd said, turning to him. Someone else was already putting cuffs around Bastian’s wrists. A couple of other officers were crouched around Luke’s bloodied body. One of them whistled and said, “Damn, Croft, was this you?”
Clearly Bastian’s reputation went beyond the supernatural community.
“How about you two hang tight right here where we can see you,” Floyd said, “while we sort this out.”
A presence appeared at my side. Eaden. “You okay, Rose?”
“I—yes.”
“I had to call it in,” he explained, looking over Luke’s unconscious body. Cops were cuffing Luke’s wrists as paramedics rushed onto the scene. “I wouldn’t have bothered to get involved at all, if some of his guys hadn’t shown up.”
“You should have kept your fucking nose out of it, Eaden,” Bastian growled.
“Should he have?” I snapped, my patience thinning as I rounded on Bastian. My goblin’s gaze was still locked on Luke, death lurking in his green eyes. “You probably would have killed him.”
“I intended to—yes.”
“You intended… Are you fucking insane, Bastian?! We need the harp. You were, what, going to kill him first and ask for its location second? Or were you not that concerned that a powerful—” I stopped myself and lowered my voice.
“A powerful artifact is just floating around, putting supernaturals to sleep.”
A couple of officers rushed by, helping the paramedics as they lifted Luke onto the stretcher.
“Well then,” Eaden said conversationally. “I think I’ll leave you two to it.”
“I had everything under control, baby girl.” Bastian turned back to me.
My breaths came faster and deeper. “Don’t…
Don’t call me that. What the fuck was that back there?
! Mate? Are you going to explain that? Something tells me you didn’t mean girlfriend.
Is this some kind of mate shit I read about in my werewolf books?
Like, where we’re tied together for the rest of our lives? ”
My chest heaved. Somehow, I knew it was. There were too many signs. The possessiveness. His willingness to be something with me he hadn’t been with anyone else. The fucking roses. “When were you planning to tell me this super-fucking-important piece of information?”
My anger was better than the sense of disillusionment lurking deeper. Here I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Drop it fucking did.
“Elle…” His voice softened. Some of the frenzy melted away. “It’s… I was planning to tell you. I intended to. Shit’s just been… There didn’t seem a right time—”
“Well, sorry about all this,” came a familiar voice. Christian appeared, keys in hand, and began undoing my cuffs. Freed, my hand went to my throat where I’d felt the skin break from the blade. It must have been my imagination. The skin was flawless, even though I felt the smear of blood.
Bastian’s eyes zeroed in on my movements. Christian fumbled with his cuffs. As soon as he was free, Bastian rushed over to me, his hands reaching for me. I stepped out of his reach and didn’t miss the flash of hurt, there and gone, in his expression.
“I’d like to know what happened here,” Christian interrupted, “but something tells me the two of you need a minute alone.” We both shot him a go-the-fuck-away glare and he disappeared to speak with some of the officers.
“How could you not—?” I took a sharp inhale and shook my head. I should have expected this, should have known that things were too perfect. That there was something deeper going on. “I told you I didn’t want you keeping things from me. You knew that.”
“Fuck,” Bastian breathed, raking his palms over his face. The knuckles on his right hand were covered in blood—Luke’s blood.
My stomach churned.
“Baby girl, let me explain—”
“No. No… I don’t want to hear it.” And I didn’t.
My adrenaline was plummeting. I could barely hold myself up.
My mind was filled with confusing thoughts.
My heart felt like it was cracking wide open with the shock of the revelation, the hurt of betrayal.
I was struggling to know what I should feel, beyond anger.
Bastian reached for me again and I backed away. His expression crumbled.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said, managing to keep my voice steady.
“We’re going to do whatever we need to here.
Give statements and whatnot. Then you’re going to take me back to your place and I’m going to pack my things.
After that, you’re going to take me home.
I don’t want to talk to you right now—not about this.
I’m so...” I sighed, taking a steadying breath.
“I’m so fucking angry with you right now, Bastian.
Like, peel your skin off your gorgeous stupid dumb goblin face kind of angry. ”
“I’m not taking you to your apartment—”
“Yes,” I hissed. “You are.”
His mouth opened—
“In case you missed it, Luke is in the back of an ambulance on the way to…wherever. He’s in custody now. I’m going back to my apartment. I need… I need some space right now.”
And to be with Vivi.
Bastian’s shoulders fell. He watched me, nostrils flaring, like he was trying to get a read on me from my scent alone. “Fine,” He bit out. “That’s fine… Whatever you need, baby girl.”