“It’ll be all right.” He killed the engine and faced her. He couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke the side of her wary face. “You’ll be safe here, I promise.”
To his surprise, as they walked from the vehicle to the front door of the imposing mansion, Devony slipped her hand in his. He didn’t know if the gesture was meant to reassure him or herself. Nor did he care.
After the night they had just endured, he was glad to hold on to her. He was more than glad to feel her at his side; he was proud.
He wouldn’t even be standing there if not for the life-saving gift of her blood.
Through his bond to her, he felt the knot of worry tighten inside her as the door swung open and Eli stood in front of them. He was flanked by Jax, both warriors still in patrol gear, right down to the weapons that bristled at the ready in their hands.
“I’ll be damned,” Jax muttered to Eli. “I thought you had to be joking when you said he was waiting outside.”
For what wasn’t the first time, Rafe wished his teammates understood the truth. That he wasn’t the turncoat loser he still had to pretend he was. Their suspicion burned, even though he had worked hard for the past few weeks to make sure he’d earned it.
Seeing that mistrust leveled on Devony, too, put a sharper edge to his voice. “I need to talk to the commander.”
Neither one of them moved out of the way.
Elijah’s gaze narrowed on Devony for a moment before sliding back to Rafe. He let out a caustic laugh. “Who’s the stray? Didn’t I see her hanging with that gang of losers when we ran into you at Asylum the other night?”
Rafe lowered his head on a warning growl. “She’s mine. That’s all you need to know.”
The protective, possessive part of him rose to Devony’s defense. His response would be the same no matter if he were staring down a friend or a bona fide enemy.
To his credit, Eli stood down. Just a little.
Jax crossed his arms, still in battle stance at the threshold. “You’ve got some kind of balls, man. The commander’s not going to like this. Neither will Nathan, once he finds out you’re here and you brought her with you.”
Rafe didn’t have the patience for reprimands or questions, especially when he couldn’t tell his teammates a damn thing. And not while he was standing outside with Devony knowing Opus’s death squad was likely combing the city for her.
“I’m not here to talk to either of you, damn it.” He took a step forward, ready to forcibly enter the mansion if he had to. “I’m only going to talk to Chase.”
“Let him in.”
From behind the pair of hulking warriors, Commander Sterling Chase appeared. Eli and Jax parted, making way for the immense Breed male. Chase was always an imposing figure with his broad shoulders, muscled bulk, and piercing blue eyes beneath his crown of golden hair. Tonight, there was a gravity to his demeanor that Rafe had rarely seen.
His displeased gaze moved from Rafe to Devony, lingering for a moment on their joined hands. He turned away from them without comment. “Come inside, both of you. Rafe, my office.”
Rafe stepped forward, leading Devony. On Chase’s dismissal, Eli and Jax went back to whatever they’d been doing before Rafe’s arrival. And from within another room on the main floor of the mansion, Chase’s mate, Tavia, appeared along with Carys and her mate, Rune.
Carys gaped, a hopeful smile spreading over her beautiful face. “Rafe? Oh, my God!”
When she would have run to him in greeting, the dark-haired behemoth who was her blood-bonded mate held her back, his thick arm wrapped firmly, yet tenderly, around her midsection.
Although Carys was as unaware as anyone that his exile wasn’t permanent, it felt good to see she hadn’t lost faith in him. He only hoped her brother Aric and the rest of the warriors would be equally forgiving if and when he was able to return to the fold.
Of those in the room now, only Commander Chase and his mate Tavia were privy to the truth. Tavia strode up to Devony and him.
“Hello, Rafe.” Her soft gaze lit on Devony. “Hi. I’m Tavia Chase.”
“This is Devony Winters,” Rafe said when she seemed incapable of words. “Her parents and brother both worked for JUSTIS in London, at the headquarters.”
“Oh, I see,” Tavia said, a look of tender sympathy in her eyes.
“Devony’s Breed,” Rafe added. “She’s a daywalker.”
Carys’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? That means we’re related.”
Tavia seemed less surprised, which indicated that Lucan had shared the information Rafe provided in his last report. Chase had obviously made his mate aware of the half-sister she had lost in the JUSTIS bombing, and the niece who had unexpectedly ended up in the middle of Rafe’s mission.
