My heart thumps. Heavy and insistent. I don’t think I’ve felt it beat since the mate bond was broken. It makes sense that Sammy is my heart.
“What’s he doing?”
“Filming a porno over in Eastside.”
I pull myself out of the water and hurry over to my storage box and start pulling clothes on.
“You want the address?” asks Mal.
I nod.
“You want backup?” he asks.
I turn to him as I pull a pair of sweatpants on. I’d rather wear jeans, but I don’t want to waste time drying off.
“How many people will be there?”
He thinks for a moment. “A couple of cameramen. The producer. A lighting guy, a sound guy. Maybe a fluffer. And Sammy’s co-stars.”
My stomach rolls at the plural in co-stars. My hands keep robotically covering my body with clothes.
“All mundane humans?” I ask.
“Yep,” says Mal.
I shake my head. “Then I don’t need any help, thank you.”
I retrieve my phone from the box and turn it on. There is already a text from Mal with the address. I hate that I need it. I hate that I can’t feel where Sammy is as clearly as I can feel where my feet are. He should be a part of me.
I slip my phone into the pocket of my leather jacket, nod a final thanks to Mal and run to the front of the house.
Then I jump into the nearest car. It’s the one with the keyless ignition, just a button to push to start. I can’t see the keys, but as long as whoever used it last left the keys in here somewhere like they are supposed to, it will all be good. I push down on the brake pedal and press the button. The engine roars to life and I sag in relief.
I back up onto the road and then accelerate far too fast. Racing through the city to save Sammy from himself.
It takes far too long to get to the annoyingly nice building. I want it to be a rundown shit hole in a scary neighborhood, but it’s a professional studio in a beautiful converted Victorian warehouse.
Miraculously, there is a parking space. I throw the car in. The whole way here I skirted the edge of driving legally because getting pulled over would eat up more precious time. Now I’m all out of patience.
Sammy needs me and he has waited long enough.
I jump out of the car. Burst into the lobby and fly up the stairs to the studio. The doors nearly break off the hinges as I enter. Everyone jumps and turns to look at me. The room is full, butI only see Sammy looking impossibly tiny on an enormous bed surrounded by three hulking men.
“Stop!” I say.
Everyone freezes. Sammy’s wide blue eyes fix on me. The rest of him is utterly motionless. Shit. He is not my mate anymore. He is no longer immune to my voice.
I run forward and scoop him up into my arms. It’s awkward as hell because he is practically the same height as me, but he weighs nothing, so I can do it.
As soon as I have him, I turn and hurry back the way I came. Sammy is buck naked, but he will be in the car soon enough.
I place him carefully on the backseat. Then I jump into the front and get us the hell out of here. The traffic is easing, but still frustrating. I want to speed and swerve, even though the urgency has passed. I have Sammy. He is in my back seat. He is safe now. And by the smell of things, I got there before anything happened.
We are halfway home before my command wears off. Sammy springs to life with vibrant passion.
“What the fucking hell, Blue!” he exclaims.
I don’t say anything. I just grip the steering wheel tighter and keep driving. We need to be home. Home is safe. Home is where everything makes sense.
