Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
MACKLIN
Teague strides to the bank of screens in the corner and flicks them on to watch until she’s safely in the apartment, then rubs a hand down his face.
“This sure as hell didn’t go like I planned.
I thought all I had to do was find her and there would be this instantaneous connection when the mate bond snapped into place.
I don’t understand why it didn’t happen.
” There’s a bewildered expression on his face I’ve never seen.
To be fair, Teague’s a great strategist, but Charli isn’t a company.
Stunned, I stare at him. “You knew she was your mate. Before you met her.”
Sitting, he grabs the tumbler I poured him. “I did.” He takes a deep breath. “You’re not going to like what I’m about to say.”
I tense.
“A few weeks ago, Raine Thompson came to me. She had a vision,” Teague begins. “Find my mate or lose her forever.” He takes a long drink. “So I did. A blood witch crafted the spell. Charli answered. When she called asking about a PA job, I knew it was her.”
“Mates are supposed to happen naturally, not forced with magic. What the hell were you thinking?” I murmur in a harsh tone, not wanting to say it too loudly. Teague’s taken some bold risks over the years, but this might test the Fates.
“What was I supposed to do? Let her die? Live without her for eternity? See if she’s reincarnated in the future?
None of those are fucking options. She’s my mate.
If it came down to it, I’d give up my immortal existence so she could live,” he snarls back at me.
“Raine received that vision for a reason.”
I tap my finger on the glass in my hand, wanting to be the voice of reason, but I know if she were my mate, I’d do the same.
Some witches believe seers are conduits for the Fates.
Who’s to say they didn’t purposely give Raine a vision because of her proximity to Teague.
Or because Charli needed her mate at this exact moment? I blow out a breath.
“You’re right,” I concede with a firm nod. “Forgive me, brother. If there’s a fallout, you know I’ll be right by your side and hers.”
Teague’s silent for so long I begin to get nervous. There’s more. Something big. I’ve seen that look in his eyes before.
A guilty expression crosses his face, and he exhales heavily. “Our mate.” He meets my stunned gaze with a silent plea.
I blink. Did he say what I think he said? My voice is soft as I slide forward on the couch. “Say that again.”
“Raine said she was our mate. Mine, yours, and Andros’,” he admits with a lift of his chin.
In one swift move, I stand and jerk him to his feet, then deliver the punch he knows is coming, knocking him over the sofa to the floor behind him.
“You had no fucking right to make this decision on your own. Our mate!?” I roar, my voice choking on the word as the words hit me like a sledgehammer. Charli’s my mate? Unlike Teague, I’ve never dared to believe. Still not sure I do. Although Raine’s a pretty damn powerful witch.
“I know,” he admits, throwing his arms wide. “But sometimes caution isn’t the answer. Raine came to me. I acted.”
“Anyone care to fill me in?” a cool voice asks as the front door opens. “I could hear you shouting down the hall.”
Andros stands there in his usual three-piece suit buttoned to the top, right eyebrow lifted high, waiting for an answer. His brown gaze flicks from me to Teague as he spears a hand through his perfectly styled dark brown hair.
I look at Teague, and we both turn toward the monitors and wait. A minute goes by. Her door remains closed. Teague sighs in relief. I return to scowling at him.
When neither of us answers, Andros puts down his coat and bag. “I’m guessing this is related to the woman staying in the guest apartment?”
How dare he? It wasn’t Teague’s risk to take. “You had no right to keep Raine’s vision to yourself. Or gamble with our future without consulting us! Charli isn’t a fucking corporate takeover. She’s our mate. If you’re wrong, the consequences…we could lose everything.”
Hearing this, Andros walks into the kitchen and returns a moment later, holding a cup and saucer with his afternoon tea. One of the few human habits he truly enjoys because it’s civilized. He sets it down and takes off his leather gloves. “Looks like I missed a lot. When did you get a mate?”
I smirk at Teague. “Tell him.”
Teague wearily explains what he did, but when he gets to the end, he hesitates for a brief second, then spits it out. “Raine said she’s our mate. Yours too.”
Andros calmly picks up his tea and takes a drink as if Teague didn’t just tell him he has a mate. “It’s a vision, correct? Not something set in stone.” His tone is dismissive.
A humorless chuckle escapes me. I should have known. Andros is a lawyer who argues for a living. Logic is king. I can already tell he isn’t going to give Raine’s vision any credibility, which is a mistake.
Teague rubs his palm. “When I shook Charli’s hand, the mate bond snapped into place. There’s no doubt. She’s my mate.” He pauses. “Although she’s not aware of it, so make sure you don’t say anything.”
Even though everything didn’t go according to plan, his entire face lights up every time he says the words. “My mate.” Guilt slams into me. He hasn’t looked this happy in a long time. What’s it been? A century or two? I rub a hand down my face.
Andros finishes his tea. “I’m happy for you. Truly. But all her vision did was spur you into action. Maybe you found your mate because you went looking for her, or maybe because you hired a witch to cast a spell. I refuse to do either of those things.”
Teague gives him a dry look. “You don’t believe she’s your mate.”
Andros dips his chin. “I don’t. Vampire mates are exceedingly rare. Only a couple dozen recorded. Maybe Raine only saw me in the vision because I live here.”
He pivots toward me. “And you? What do you think?”
“Raine’s accuracy is astounding. But I don’t know for sure,” I admit, knowing he likes facts, not emotion or beliefs. “And I won’t. Not for a while.”
I look at Teague. “Charli doesn’t seem to know anything about our world. She needs time. To learn about supernaturals. To come to terms with being a witch. To feel safe. Throwing another potential mate bond into the mix won’t help.”
A heavy feeling invades my chest at the thought of waiting, but it’s the right thing to do.
Teague stares at me for a second, then reluctantly nods. “I’ll agree with one caveat. No lying. If she asks if we are her mates, we tell her the truth.” His gaze hardens. “In the meantime, we need to figure out who’s after her and eliminate the threat. She won’t feel safe until then.”
Andros is listening, his face blank, but I can tell he’s worried about how this will affect the three of us. We’ve been his rock for almost seven hundred years. Ever since he stumbled into the church Teague and I were guarding in Ireland.
“I need a walk,” I tell them both.
We might have settled things for now, but I don’t kid myself that any of this is going to be easy. Teague is right. Time weighs on us heavily. The only reason the years have been tolerable is because we had each other.
My mate. Down the hall. Twenty feet away from my damn door. This is going to shred my infamous control.