Though she still appeared anxious at the thought of willingly seeking out the cobra’s mate, resolve shone in Katy’s eyes. “Well, guess I’d better pack for this reconciliation road trip with Mrs. Snake King.”
She stretched up to brush a light kiss over his lips before slipping from the bed. Gage watched her fondly as she gathered a few belongings for the journey ahead. His brave mate never ceased to amaze him. She would walk into the lion’s maw if it meant saving innocent lives. And he would be at her side, come what may.
“Crap.” She huffed.
“What’s wrong?”
“My Dad.” Katy hurried over to the bedside table and snatched up her phone. “I have to text him every couple of days, or he will start doing crazy dad things.”
“And those are…” The word dragged out as Gage watched her fingers move quickly over the screen.
“You know”—she made an impatient motion with the hand not holding the phone—“calling out search parties, putting my face on a grocery store wall, contacting every hospital in a 200-mile radius of New York. All the things.” She went back to texting, and he continued to watch the emotions, that he could also scent, flick across her face. Katy growled at the phone and tossed it onto the bed. “He wants a picture of me, Lola, and Maddie together.”
“Why?”
“Because he wants to make sure I haven’t run off with some strange man or been abducted. Both of which Ihavedone. It’s like he has a sixth sense or something.”
Gage pushed up and sat on the edge of the bed. “What did you tell him?”
“The truth,” Katy said.
He waited for her to say she was kidding. “You’re serious?” He picked up the phone and swiped the screen. “Password?”
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
Gage’s head snapped up to look at her. “Not joking this time either, are you?”
Katy folded her arms in front of her and shook her head. “I’m always serious when it comes to words. I like big words, I like odd words, and I usually have a Word of the Day. But having energy siphoned from me has overshadowed my daily word habit.”
“Can you spell it for me?”
She closed the distance between them and took the phone from Gage’s hands. Her thumbs moved quickly. “I can’t spell it out loud. But I can spell it if I use the keyboard to type it out.” She held the phone back to him.
Gage looked at the screen and tapped the message icon. Her convo with her father popped up first and he began to read.
Dad: If I don’t hear from you soon, I will start hanging up posters of you.
Katy: I’m fine, Dad. You don’t need to plaster my face on every streetlight or store window. Maddie and Lola are good, too.
Dad: You know I don’t believe your story. But you’re an adult, and I can’t ground you or threaten to take your phone away. Just tell me the truth.
Katy: *sigh* Okay, here’s the truth. Lola met a guy. Turns out he’s a supernatural species that came from another realm, and he can shift into a lion. Lola is his mate, which is kind of like marriage, only it’s really for life. When I went over to Lola’s however long ago—I haven’t been keeping track—there was another guy there, but he shifted into a panther. Then another guy crawled through her window. By this point I’m just going with the flow because hysterics aren’t going to get us anywhere. So the last guy who came in wasn’t a shifter. He’s some sort of holy man- slash-politician-slash-supernatural police. Fast forward a few hours, and there’s a knock on Lola’s door. I stupidly answered it, and Antonio was there. He was with two other guys I didn’t know. They abducted me. I found out later those two dudes are also part of this secret supernatural world.
Dad: Enough. If you don’t want to tell me, at least tell me you’re safe and mean it.
Katy: Safer than I’ve ever been.
Dad: Text me tomorrow, even if it’s to tell me an elaborate story. I just need to know you’re okay.
Katy: Love you, Dad. Everything is fine.
Gage held the phone out to her, and she took it. “You did that so he’d stay off your back? And he didn’t believe a word. Why are humans so quick to discard information that, admittedly very bizarre, could be truth?”
“It doesn’t matter what I tell him. As long as he knows I’m safe.” Katy returned to the task of gathering things to pack.
“When all of this is done, I will meet your father. I will assure him that you will never be in danger again.”
Katy paused and turned to look at him. “Because you’ll always be there to protect me?”
