Even if I died here, I’d been loved. And I’d loved him back. I had tried, anyway. Before I let the stranglehold of my own fears control my actions.
And most of all: Harris would’ve fought. He would’ve expected me to fight, too. For as long as I possibly could.
Rage and denial built up in me like a physical force—my mate’s face seared into my mind—and I mentally shoved the creature away.
Whatever it was doing to me—the mind-fuckery it was trying to pull—I refused to let it.
No, the Algea hissed, its voice turning sharp.He never loved you! No one has ever loved you! You’re not good for anything! Not as a partner. Not as a friend. Not as an alpha.
The words burrowed into me like hooks, pulling at every insecurity I’d ever had.
What if it was right?
What if Harris had just been caught up in the mate bond, in the magic, and didn’t actually care about me at all?
What if I really was as worthless as I’d always feared?
Very good, the Algea crooned, its voice sliding through my mind like oil.All you have to do is let me in. Stop fighting. It will be so much easier if you let go.
Its claws pressed against my chest, right over my heart. One push and it would be over.
Harris and I on the couch. Harris promising me we were in this together. The way he’d looked the very first time I’d ever seen him—handsome in his tux and unsure, putting on a brave face. A single mundane man surrounded by a sea of supernatural creatures.
The way I had felt the mate bond snap into place. And then I had known he was mine.
I shouldn’t have been afraid of that.
It was a gift. I had known—and loved—a man like Harris. And he hadn’t just made me a betterman, either. He’d made me a better alpha. He believed in me.
Refusal rose in me again. Stronger this time. The Algea couldn’t have me. I wouldn’t allow it.
“No,” I managed to force out, the word barely a whisper. My vocal cords were still partially paralyzed, but I made them work anyway. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
The Algea laughed, an awful and inhuman sound.Oh, I will. Very soon. But not yet.
Its claws dug into my flesh again.
Fresh agony tore through me, white-hot and consuming. I felt my skin split. Blood welled up and spilled down my ribs, but I couldn’t lift a finger to stop it.
And then—
Gunfire.
Four shots in rapid succession, shattering the oppressive quiet of the Otherworld.
The Algea shrieked and lurched away from me, orange embers blooming across its chest where the bullets had struck. It spun toward the source of the attack, snarling.
And I saw him.
Harris.
He stood at the edge of the clearing, his gun still raised, his face set in grim determination. He was covered in sweat, his clothes torn, and his eyes were too bright. They gleamed, reflecting the moonlight like an animal’s.
How was he here? How—
The Algea darted toward him, impossibly fast.
“Harris!” I tried to yell, but it came out as barely more than a croak.
