I could see why Exos fancied her—golden locks, a gorgeous face, and curvy assets designed for a male’s hands to pet and squeeze. Yet it wasn’t like my brother to be so careless. Rather than telegraph his coordinates through our familial bond, he’d sent me here. Toher.
Which suggested he put her above his birthright.
Fascinating.
And equally disturbing.
“Can you locate him through the bond?” I asked, ignoring her question and Titus’s apology. In this situation, we could ignore the formalities.
“The connection broke,” Titus replied.
Claire’s lower lip wobbled, her dismay over the abrupt loss evident. I folded my arms, unimpressed by the useless emotion. “So reestablish it.” My brother wasn’t dead, just unconscious. I could feel his spirit thriving through the links, and as they were clearly beyond the first level of courtship, she should sense him, too. “Get over the shock, pull yourself together, and find him. Now.”
She gaped at me. “But he’s gone.”
“No, he’s not. He’s taking a fucking nap.” Not by choice, it seemed, but that didn’t matter. “But I’ll be sure to let him know how little faith you had in him to survive after we find him.”
Her full lips parted on a gasp, her eyebrows lifting. “You know nothing about me or what I just felt. He’s notnapping; he’s gone.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not worthy of him at all, are you?” I finally looked at the Fire Fae, whose hands were fisted at his sides, his annoyance evident in the tension lining his muscular form. “Why do you allow her to act this way? She’s an emotional mess and useless.” Better yet, why the hell had my brother fostered such behavior? “You’re unfit to be his mate.”
Her palm cracked across my cheek so fast I was almost impressed. “Fuck you!”
“Claire!” Titus was on his feet, his hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her back.
I massaged my jaw, intrigued by both her reaction and the lack of a sheet covering her breasts. All right, so I could definitely see why Exos had chosen her. At least physically. Because she was perfectly proportioned in every way, and well groomed, too.
“Let me go!” she shouted, squirming in the Fire Fae’s grip. “I’ll show him unfit. And how dare you judge what you don’t know, asshole. You don’t know anything about me or Exos or what we had. You—”
“Have,” I corrected her, bored again. “Past tense implies something is irrevocably broken. Your bond is very much present.” I could feel it in the air swirling around her in a protective pattern.
Which was precisely why my brother had sent me here.
Ah, Exos,I thought, understanding dawning. My brother could have given me his last location but instead sent me to guard his mate. Fuck. She must be in danger if he used the final reserves of his energy to point to her.
“He’s alive?” Some of the fight had left her posture and tone.
“Clearly, you’re useless to me,” I surmised, irritated.
“She’s new to all of this,” Titus replied, his jaw clenched so tightly the words came out stilted. “Have some compassion.”
I laughed. “Is that what this coddling behavior is called? How quaint.”
Claire growled, the sound adorably erotic coming from her mouth. “You’re an asshole.”
“Fuck,” Titus breathed, looking heavenward. “Please, she doesn’t understand our—”
“Is she incapable of owning her own actions?” I wondered out loud. “Is that why you continue to speak and apologize on her behalf?”
Emerald fire glowed in the depths of Titus’s gaze. “She’s my mate.”
“That’s clear,” I replied flatly, the depth of their connection heavy in the air. “I asked why you continue to treat her as an insignificant fae who can’t speak for herself.”
“If Exos is alive, then where is he?” Claire cut in, her eyebrows arched in challenge. “I can’t feel him, even though you say I should be able to, so where is he?”
“That’s precisely why I’m here, little queen.” I cocked my head to the side. “And you’re the only one who can answer that question.”
“How?”
