“I believe a witch was involved in Harlow’s death,” I tell her.
Mickey’s eyes widen. “I heard you figured he didn’t kill himself, but a witch?”
“I found a stone that would have been used in a binding spell. They trapped then injured him so he would slip away faster.” I hate admitting what was done to him out loud. Knowing Harlow, he wouldn’t have begged or pleaded for his life, but he would have fought with everything in him to stay alive.
Mickey lets out a long whistle while shaking her head. “Let me know if you want help killing anyone involved or disposing of bodies. I’ve got some creatures out back I keep hungry for just this sort of thing. It’s faster and more rewarding than digging graves.” Her eyes are level with mine and dark as fuck. No wonder we get along so well.
I nod once. “I have a feeling I’ll be meeting those responsible very soon.”
“I think you’re right, Lore. I can’t wait to watch you rip them apart.”
CHAPTER24
Cyrus
My new bikegrowls under me when I open up the throttle. Mickey is a fucking genius when it comes to bikes. I already knew this, but feeling it is another thing entirely.
It hurt to lose my last ride. Even if I can’t develop a soul bond with a bike, it still becomes an extension of me, so it sucks to lose it. But they say the best way to get over something is to get under something new, and in this case, I fucking believe it. The shocks absorb each bump in the road, even with my heavy ass on the seat, and the handlebars feel like they were custom fitted to me.
She’s a dream. I’m actually dreading letting the fallen give her a test drive. If he fucks anything up, I’m going to be pissed. At least I don’t have to worry about it for a few days, because by the time we get back to the church, the sun is just peeking over the horizon. Modeus already vowed to make Lorelei rest up for this evening.
My stomach bottoms out, and I realize dread was the wrong word to use when thinking about the fallen learning to ride on my new bike. The pit in my stomach is real dread. There’s a good chance I’m going to have to sit back while my mate accepts a challenge at some point later tonight. Even knowing she already agreed to allow Egan or myself to fight most of the contenders doesn’t ease my apprehension.
“Is she running hot? You just jumped off like your balls are on fire.” Lorelei’s boots crunch the gravel when she skids to a stop in front of the garage door.
“No, it’s perfect. Like a dream,” I answer distractedly. I need to talk to Modeus and Egan. There has to be a better way to handle this than calling open season on our mate. What if the plan doesn’t work?
Lorelei looks at me sideways, like she knows I’m scheming in my head. “Okay, you sure?”
“All good,” I confirm and haul the door open as soon as the demon removes the lock. “Have you ever thought of getting a garage door opener? I could install it,” I offer, hoping to distract her.
“First you promise to cook but don’t feed me. Now you’re offering to knock shit off my to-do list before I even give it to you. I think I’ll wait to see if you deliver on your first promise.” I like that she’s teasing me. It almost makes me forget that she has an axe over her head.
“If you agree not to fight, I’ll cook tomorrow night and handle the door too.” I watch her smile slip as she regards me.
Lorelei sucks her tongue against her teeth and narrows her eyes. I should have toned down the eager beaver shit. I can tell the moment when she realizes I’m worried about her, but it’s more than that, she thinks I doubt her. “Don’t bother,” she mumbles and walks away, leaving me in the garage wondering how badly I just fucked up.
Egan slams his shoulder into mine as he rushes past to catch up to her—it wasn’t an accident. I look over at Modeus, who won’t make eye contact with me.Fuck.“I don’t like that she’ll be in danger,” I confess, but it doesn’t elicit a response. “She shouldn’t have to deal with this.” My voice is louder now.
“No, she shouldn’t, but she does.” Modeus finally looks up at me. His pale blue eyes are eerie. “But you don’t have the right to question her decision, none of us do. Not only is she your president, but more importantly, she is our master.” She is indeed my soul, my equal, and more important than myself, but master?
“You were just bossing her around,” I snap back, incredulous that he’s chastising me. I’ve also seen the way the fallen dominates her, but I don’t say that because he’s not here to defend himself, and Lorelei seems to fucking like it.
“Not even close to the same thing, and don’t try to make yourself feel better by pretending it is.” He looks down his nose at me.
“I just asked!” I defend, but there’s no point. I am scared of losing Lorelei, so does that mean I do doubt her? Now I’m questioning myself.
Modeus looks at me like he can read what’s going on in my head and understand it better than I do, which pisses me off, so I ignore him and head into the house, leaving him to lock up alone.
Lore is speaking softly to Egan when I reach the living room. “I want to be there before sunset.” She’s staring up at him while he has her hand trapped against his chest. It hasn’t been discussed, but it’s clear they communicate past the taps of their fingers. I wish I had a way to make her understand I have every faith in her, but that doesn’t mean I’m not worried.
The next few days will probably be the hardest of my life.
Lore
The shrill soundof the alarm going off wakes me. I snap my head up, confused for a moment, until my mind fills in the blanks of why I would have set it in the first place. I can see the sun is still up when I look toward the window, the tiniest bit of light coming in from under the shade. Cyrus is the one to shut off the alarm, and I let my head fall back against the pillow. “Thank you.” My voice is a mere whisper.
Last night, I thought I would never fall asleep, but with Modeus’ fingers tracing up and down my back and delving into my hair, I was out quickly. My mouth is dry, but I feel well rested, considering how heavy my thoughts were when I fell asleep.
