“So I don’t have to stay at the guild?”
A heavy whine, something crashing inside the building, the fire gutting the inside.
“No,” Kyle said. “You only have to return when assigned a hit.”
Rae turned, looking up at him with wide eyes full of hope. She looked beautiful even covered in blood and soot, an open book with every emotion flashing across her features like his favourite story, and he loved her for it.
Cupping her jaw, he tilted her head better to meet his lips. She tasted like everything he’d ever wanted, and without a word he pulled up an image of his bedroom, and drifted them both back home.
Chapter38
Epilogue
TITUS
THREE WEEKS LATER
Titus walked quickly through the labyrinth of entwined corridors and halls, ignoring the druids who came to sneer or gawk at his mate. Many kept a wide berth, expressions a mixture of anger, fear, and indifference to a woman gracing the abbey. Others tried to approach, but quickly scattered once they met his gaze.
Rae had been furious at having to wait, suffering more damage than they’d originally realised, ripping several muscles as well as a few severe burns. Nothing permanent, her relic doing its job at healing her at a faster rate than a normal human, but now she was almost entirely healed.
Excitement vibrated her every single step, and he couldn’t wait to get her back home, to place the collar around her throat while she dropped to her knees. She laughed when he revealed the leather piece, but eagerly fastened it tight. It marked her as his, but that was something private between them. He still wanted something she could physically wear in public, warning everyone that she was taken.
The door to Councilman Edwards office opened with a strategic kick, the Councilman himself jumping to his feet as they strode inside.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he sneered, eyes settling on Rae. “Why would you defile our sacred place with awoman?”
Rae turned to the druids who came to Edwards aid, ready to fight.
“Did you honestly just complain that I’m awoman?Jesus Christ, your priorities are seriously wrong.” She looked around the room, seemingly unimpressed with all the white.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Edwards asked. He settled back in his oversized chair, his hands clawing over the edge of the armrests. “You’ve entered uninvited.”
“I came to discuss your recent problem with Vector Lawrence Wallace,” Titus said, his tone empty. “Seems even you couldn’t sense the Daemon within your precious abbey.”
Edwards growled, the leather squeaking beneath his grip.
Rae brushed her hand along his desk. “Poor baby, having a Daemon fool you like that.”
“He infiltrated the Order,” Titus added. “And used your name to hire a contractor.”
“Everyone leave,” Edwards barked, dismissing the druids behind with a dismissive flick of the hand. “Now.”
Rae pouted, moving to stand behind his chair before producing a small knife, only to stroke it against Edwards’s cheek. Titus smiled, Rae loving to tease her prey with a blade.
Edwards remained calm, his eyes anything but when they met Titus’s. “Tell her to back off.”
“You seem to think I have any control over my mate,” he said with a chuckle. “But you failed as the Archdruid, and because of that you’re compromised.”
“I cannot be held accountable for a Daemon’s trickery,” he snarled, Rae reaching around to hold his head still. “It will not happen again, I have already made arrangements to fix it.”
“Your mistake almost cost Titus his life,” Rae said, dropping her voice to an angered whisper. “Maybe I should take yours instead?”
There was no fear in Edwards’s expression, not for Rae, at least. “I cannot absolve you of your choices, you ascension is a disgrace to our Breed,” he snarled, gaze direct. “The Order was created to neutralise threats to keep the world safe, and you’ve become a threat.”
Rae pressed the knife hard enough it pierced his skin, but still Edwards didn’t react, not daring to look away from Titus. Edwards thought he was the only threat, but clearly he didn’t know Rae.
“Are you saying you were aware of the hit?” Titus asked, holding his breath for the answer.
