Chapter 8 #2
He was a brave one, Rhett’s mate. Sensitive, yes, but also brave. He’d put himself in danger without a second thought back when his former manager had lost his fucking mind.
And now he was putting himself right between me and my mate, shielding him from me, holding out one hand and giving me a hard stare.
“Levi, I…”
Levi shook his head, casting a short glance over his shoulder to where my mate was hiding in the corner.
“Why is he in a cell?” he demanded. “It’s cold as fuck down here, and no one even gave him a blanket. Where’s his jacket?”
“He didn’t have one on him,” Rhett said. “Just a cloak, and we weren’t sure if that could be used as a weapon, so…”
“So you took it from him?” Levi finished, raising his brows.
Rhett sighed, frustration on his face. “Yes, we did. Look, sweetheart, we didn’t know if he was a danger to us.”
Levi snorted, one hand still raised while the other caressed my mate’s hand in a soothing motion. “Nix?”
That was my mate’s name?
Nix?
My wolf rumbled approvingly.
“You’re all seriously telling me you’re afraid of him? You think he’s a danger to you? We’ve been friends for months. He’s the one who’s terrified of you.”
My wolf howled, the hit landing as it probably was intended, while I tried filtering away the information he was revealing. So, my little mage had been hiding right under my nose for months? Had he known I was his mate? I’d certainly never scented him, which meant he hadn’t been close to me.
“Look,” I said, trying to glimpse my mate, but he was very good at making himself small.
And fuck. Every time I said something or moved, he flinched again.
“I made a mistake, okay? I shouldn’t have had him put down here.
The situation was chaotic.” Otherwise I’d have realized he was my mate way earlier than I did.
I told you so, my wolf provided, when really, he hadn’t. He’d said Nix was our mage, not our mate.
Same thing.
Ugh.
“Let me make it right, okay?” I tried looking past Levi, tried addressing my mate directly. “Would you like to go upstairs?”
Nothing.
Just another flinch, his arms tightening around his knees.
“He’s not really talking,” Rhett said with a huff. “He said something about Levi earlier, but he refuses to elaborate.”
Rhett pulled a face, baring his teeth even in human form. Under normal circumstances, his frustration would be funny to me. The way he always lost his chill persona when his mate was concerned was hilarious, but right in this moment, I got where he was coming from.
I wanted to see my mate.
Nix.
I wanted to see Nix. Wanted to hear his voice. Wanted to be the one who held his hand and comforted him.
Instead, I was the one who made his fear spike whenever I took a deep breath.
Did he realize I was his mate?
Levi glared at both me and Rhett before turning back to Nix, a soft smile on his face.
“The beds upstairs are great. Rhett brought me here after he saved me from dying an awful death out in the woods during a thunderstorm. I haven’t told you that story yet, right?
What do you say, do you want to go upstairs with me?
I’ll get you situated.” Rhett and I got a look warning us away from saying anything against what Levi was proposing.
Jasper cleared his throat. “I’d like to take a look at him, Levi.”
My mate’s heart rate kicked up a notch, the bitter stench of fear washing over me in a fresh wave.
“He’s a doctor,” Levi explained. “He helped me a lot.”
“Don’t need a doctor,” my mate whispered so quietly that even I was barely able to hear him.
I wanted to tell him that yes, he absolutely needed a doctor since he’d fucking collapsed, but Levi was quicker.
“Agree to disagree. Come on. Let’s get you situated upstairs.”
Levi got up, pulling my mate with him. For a moment, there was tension because my mate tried to stay seated, but Levi pulled more firmly on my mate’s hand, and in the end, he got up.
He was…
Beautiful, my wolf supplied.
A walking skeleton was the first thing that came to my mind. My wolf roared, growling at me for not appreciating what fate had given us.
But that was just it… I did appreciate the gift I’d gotten, as unexpected as it might’ve been.
I appreciated having found a mate, and I felt the pull between us, felt the need to wrap him up in my arms, to protect him, to cherish him, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that he didn’t look healthy. Not even close.
He was trembling as Levi guided him first past me and Rhett, then past Jasper and Paul.
“I bet someone made snacks. Are you hungry? I bet you are. Herb said you didn’t stop by to get leftovers.
And yes, I asked. Sue me. And since the protein bars I gave you couldn’t have lasted you this long, you must be starving.
I can get you hot chocolate. I would love to make you a good coffee, but I haven’t quite managed to convince Gray that we need an espresso… ”
Levi’s voice got quieter and quieter as they started climbing up the stairs.
I let out a breath.
Go, my wolf urged, throwing himself at me. I dug in my heels to stay here and not start walking.
Let Levi handle it first, I told him. Then we’ll go and introduce ourselves.
“Soo…” Rhett said, running a hand over his face. “That was…”
“Not good,” I finished. “What happened? I was told there was a commotion down here?”
Rhett nodded, his face twisting into a mix of fury and worry.
“I’m still not sure what happened. Something weird between that Nix guy and Levi.
When Levi touched him, there was a blinding light, and Levi started glowing.
I thought the mage was attacking him, but Levi insists that he didn’t.
” Rhett sighed. “He’s mad at me, you know?
Like, really mad because we put his friend in a cell. ”
“That’s on me.”
Rhett laughed. “Yes, it is. But I didn’t fight you about it, and honestly? After everything that happened down here, I’m not sure you were wrong.”
A menacing growl filled the cell, rumbling out from deep within my chest as my wolf made his dissatisfaction known. He was of the opinion that our mage definitely didn’t belong down here, and I agreed. That’d been an epic fuckup on my part.
“You don’t agree?”
I let out my breath and looked at my friend. “Well, let’s put it like this. If you think you fucked up epically with your mate tonight, I promise you I fucked up so much worse with mine.”
Rhett’s eyes widened. “With yours? Who… holy shit. That guy?” He nodded at the stairs. “Are you trying to tell me that guy, that mage, is your mate?”
I nodded.
“Dude. You threw him in jail!”
“I know,” I said, pursing my lips. I’d fucked up so badly.
“Why? I mean, he’s your mate. Yeah, you don’t really know him, but he’s your mate. Do you really think he’d hurt someone? Don’t you have any faith in fate at all?”
“I didn’t realize,” I admitted. “I was on edge. There was so much shit happening, and when one of the wolves told me the mage didn’t belong to him but had come from within the territory, I snapped, okay? And now he’s terrified of me.”
Rhett grimaced. “Pretty sure he’s terrified of shifters in general. Levi said something about that earlier. But I’m afraid you putting him in a cell without even talking to him doesn’t exactly help.”
No, it very much didn’t.
“What do I do now?”
Rhett laughed. “You grovel. A lot.”
Yeah, I’d been afraid that was what this was coming down to.
“Do you think he’ll forgive me?”
Rhett shrugged. “He’s your mate. I’m not sure he has much of a choice in the matter, but it might take a while. Especially if Levi is right and he’s afraid of shifters. Maybe try finding out why.”
I would.
I would find out everything there was. Because while I’d been curious about how a mage had ended up here before, now I was desperate to know everything about what had led to him hiding out here.