Anxo
Carrying my mate in my arms reminds me of the first night we met. Who would’ve thought that one day, her being in my arms wouldn’t be out of obligation but because of my desire to have her around me at all times.
Snuggling into me with a bright smile, Nevaeh animatedly tells Seiji about thechemistryshe felt between Harvey and Grace.
I tune them out and search Hazel for any signs of distress. She might be walking beside me, but her mind is still on the sniper we left behind. The way he disintegrated into water made it pretty clear who was behind it.
Despite my constant reassurance that Tetrad kingdom will fight tooth and nail for her, Hazel insists on hiding in the shadows for as long as possible. I admit, at one point I thought it was her fear keeping her from seeking revenge, but with time, it became clear she detests the idea of a confrontation with that man, even if it’s for revenge.
I’ve ensured she knows my entire kingdom and cavalry are at her disposal; she only needs to say the word.
“I bet a month. Grace likes to take things tortoise slow.”
“I say a week.”
Seiji turns to Nevaeh with a ridiculous expression. He’s willing to bet everything that Grace and Harvey would take things slow, but Nevaeh is practically buzzing with excitement.
“I know Harvey. That man has been begging for his mate foryears. He won’t let some douche get in the way.”
I watch my mate try to convince Seiji to back out of the bet before she embarrasses him, and I realize how hopelessly taken I am by this woman.
Everything about her is straight out of my wildest fantasies. I don’t think I could’ve chosen a better partner for myself if I tried.
It’s easy to lose sense of self in her eyes. The darkness inside them is a mere shade, never the reflection of her soul. Those eyes could capture entire galaxies if she wanted, andof course, I fell into her trap. I’m a simple man, after all. A man hopelessly devoted to his mate and willing to surrender his last breath if she asked.
From this distance, I see our newest family member leaning against my car. A limp figure in his arms catches my attention, making me walk faster. Dread washes over me when Grace’s tear- stricken face comes to light.
Before I can ask what happened, Harvey shushes me, nodding at where Grace is asleep with her head on his shoulder. Her makeup is scrubbed off, and bundled up in Harvey’s leather jacket she looks fast asleep, but the crease between her brows makes the pit in my stomach grow deeper.
My head fills with every awful possibility, and I’m cursing myself for leaving her alone. Stepping closer, I look for signs that will tell me she is at least unharmed and ease my tension. When angry red fingerprints on her cheek glare back at me despite the dim streetlight, my eyes squeeze shut.
Bringing Nevaeh closer, I subconsciously tighten my grip on her. She’s the only thing keeping me from turning around and hunting the person responsible for this.
“Who?” the growl comes from deep inside my chest, and I swallow my rage the minute Nevaeh flinches in my hold. I should look away, but I can’t tear my gaze from Grace’scheek and the light purple bruise mocking me to do something reckless.
Taking a deep breath, I press my forehead to my mate’s and apologize. She brushes me off with a quick kiss on my jaw, but I need to do better.Be better.
I promised myself the first time I saw her startle that I would never raise my voice at her or do anything to make her feel scared around me. I have to calm down before I unwantedly break that promise.
“I’ll explain everything, but first, let’s get out of here.”
I tamp down the urge to argue when I see others wanting to do the same. Grace needs rest and I need an explanation, so begrudgingly I make everyone get in the car. The sooner we are on the road, the sooner Harvey will open his mouth and I will be able to punish whoever dared touch my family.
Harvey tries to detangle Grace, but she holds tight even in her sleep, so he has no choice but to get in with Grace on his lap. Even a blind man can see how happy the giant nutcase is about Grace sticking to him like that.
It’s taking all of me not to bark at him to keep a respectable distance, but how can I when it’s clear as the day they are mates? If I didn’t know how upset Grace and my mate would be if I treated Harvey poorly, I would’ve knocked his teeth out by now.
I don’t care if they’re mates, I still want to give him the ‘if you hurt her, I’ll kill you’ speech.
It took me a year before I could suppress the need to squeeze Rick’s neck every time he was in front of me. But the delicate way Harvey cradles Grace, I have a feeling I won’t have to ask my mate to help me cover up his death as ‘an unfortunate accident’.
I back out of the parking lot with Nevaeh sitting beside me, anxiously twisting the rings on my hand resting on her thigh. Twenty minutes into our drive, Harvey finally shows us mercy byrecalling the night’s events. To be brutally honest, I completely forgot about Rick until Harvey brought him up.
Hearing what he did, I want to turn this car around and find that loser. I’ll take my sweet time picking out every single nerve in his body with my fingers, but instead of living that fantasy, I dig my fingers in my sweetheart’s thigh to keep myself grounded.
To say I’m livid is an understatement, but when Harvey assures me there aren’t any bones left for me to break, I can’t lie and say I’m not relieved. I still had to arrange for someone to clean up the mess we left behind at the club, along with taking care of Rick’s body, who was somewhere lying in his pool of blood.
Nevaeh comes close to ripping my head off when I ask a warrior to take care of Rick’s funeral, but after I explain it’s either them or we wait until we get home and host a proper funeral, she calms down rather quickly.
