“You stay safe.”
“That’s my line.”
“Mara—”
“GO. Beat up the bad guys. Save the day. Be all Dragon King-y. I’ll be here when you get back. And then—” I meet his eyes. “Then we finish this.”
He knows what I mean.
He kisses me again. Quick. Hard. Then he’s moving. Out the door. Gone.
Elena appears at my elbow. “That was—”
“Stupid? Impulsive? Possibly the worst timing ever?”
“I was going to say romantic. But yes. Also all those things.”
The bond hums in my chest. Different from the healing bond. This one doesn’t pull or demand or threaten.
It just… waits.
Patient. Certain. Ours to complete when we’re ready.
“Lennie?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I just did something nuts.”
“Yeah.” She squeezes my hand. “You did.”
“And if we survive this attack?”
“Then you and K get to seal a mate bond.” Her smile is small. Knowing. “Properly. Intimately. The way it’s supposed to happen.”
Heat floods my face. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
The alarms keep blaring.
“Shit,” says Elena. “I’d better get you to a safe room.”
I nod because that’s the sane thing to do.
Which is new for me.
The screens show Syndicate forces approaching.
And somewhere out there, my almost-mate is about to fight for our lives.
Chapter 33
Kael
Viktor’s orders echo around me. “South perimeter breach confirmed. Syndicate forces approximately two hundred strong. Using some kind of magical battering ram—never seen tech like this before.”
“What do you need?” I ask him.
