“What do you mean, ‘the usual’ and ‘this time’? This wasn’t the first time they hurt you?” James growled.
I bowed my head and shrugged. I didn’t want to be a snitch or to have my big alpha cousin fight my battles.
He stared at me for a moment before he said, “I told them to stay away from you, Embry. If they come near you again, they’ll be banished. You need to tell me if they do.”
I nodded, and he continued. “What do you want for restitution?”
“I don’t want anything. I want to b-be left alone.”
“They need some sort of punishment, Em. It’s our way.” He got thoughtful for a moment. “I could have them banned from this month’s full moon pack run and shunned for the month. They’ll lose their status in the pack and will have to work to regain that position. What do you say?” he asked.
I shrugged. “As l-long as they don’t come near me, I’ll be happy.”
He nodded and stood up. “Okay, that’s settled. Now come on, let’s go downstairs. Your mom and dad are worried about you.”
“P-please don’t tell them about my m-mate,” I said, panicking.
“Calm down, Embry. I won’t say anything, but I think you should. I know they’d be happy for you. They love you, Em,” he said.
“I’ll think about it,” I said as we made our way downstairs. The list I had to think about didn’t seem to end. Perhaps I could tell my parents. Maybe I could have a mate.
I shook my head—one thing at a time.
It had been two days since my talk with James. My mom had told me to get out of the house, so I was walking to Haventon’s bookstore. I’d huddled in my room ever since the incident.
For the hundredth time, I wondered about my mate. I heard James tell my father the dragons had left yesterday.Is my mate a dragon? If so, why did he leave? What’s he like? Is he searching for me? Does he want me?These were the questions that kept rolling through my mind.
Without warning, I was pulled in between the buildings and slammed against the cement wall. My back radiated pain as I looked up, tears filling my eyes. Tom’s cruel eyes greeted me. Rage distorted his face.
“Faggot, you got me shunned from the pack!” he said, punching me in the stomach. “I lost my fucking status! Rick and Chad won’t even fucking talk to me!” he growled, punching me again and again. I collapsed down onto the cold cement alley.
The punches turned to kicks. I felt and heard my bones break as he stomped on my tiny frame. His assault was relentless. I couldn’t even cry out; the pain was too severe. He was going to kill me.
I never had a chance to know my mate’s name, I thought, before everything went dark.
The Guardian’s Vow
Angus
My dragon was agitated. He wanted to kill this Bazer person and go find our mate.
Seth had greeted me in the evening, just as day turned to night, and introduced me to Ummir and Julgan. Ummir’s skin—or hide as gargoyles called it—was reddish-brown. He was shorter than the other gargoyles I had met, but more built, with muscles on top of muscles. His auburn hair was a shade darker than his skin. Julgan, on the other hand, was the typical blueish-gray type. He had large wings and no smile. His stoic personality reminded me of Aaran.
“We should be at the private landing strip in about ten minutes,” Seth said.
“How far is that from the Circle?” I asked, just as eager as my dragon to get back to our mate.
“It’s a twenty-minute drive. We should be done soon,” he said with a grin.
Seth seemed to be always cheerful and to love life. If I hadn’t discovered my mate, I’d have definitely been all over him. He had a personality that drew others to him.
I nodded as I thought about my little wolf again. I couldn’t wait to get to know him, find out his name, and love him.
The plane finally descended and touched down. The doors opened, and Ummir and Julgan stepped out. I grabbed Bazer and pulled him up.
“Easy, I’m going!” he said.
I rolled my eyes. This guy was annoying as fuck. ‘Can I go to the bathroom?’ ‘Can I get something to eat?’ I wanted to deck him. Instead, I pushed him forward down the steps; Seth was by my side.
