“When will you return from your meetings?” Jess lowered her voice. “No offence, but I’d rather have the place to ourselves when we mate.”
Mitch laughed. Yeah, Diar was being a cockblocker.
“I’ll be back in three days. Get ready, Jess, because we’re committing to the mate bond. And if you think of running,arguing, or anything else, be prepared. I will kidnap you and woo you stupid until you submit,” Mitch warned with a smile.
Jess grinned happily. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Ditto.”
Dairmad
“Damn, I still feel weak,” he muttered as he headed into the garden, taking breaks on the way. Jess’s apartments were quite far, so what would have been a five-to-ten-minute walk took longer.
“Here,” a growl said, and he was scooped off his feet.
“Holy crap, Big Foot!” Diar exclaimed in shock.
“Hey, Hunter Scum,” Big Foot growled out as he carried Diar into a pretty garden. Diar smiled despite the slight fear he felt. Then the insult registered.
“You stink and need a bath!” Diar retorted, and Big Foot stopped walking and stared down at Diar in his arms.
“Want to walk, puny human?”
“Allergic to water, overgrown ape?” Diar shot back. He began bouncing up and down, wondering what on earth was happening, and then realised Big Foot was laughing.
“You’re taking a risk,” Big Foot stated as he carried Diar into the garden and placed him gently on a stone bench.
Diar grinned. “Funny, Mitch says one day I’ll get my comeuppance, but not today, my friend,” Diar said.
“Don’t think we’re there yet,” Big Foot responded as he shifted into Durant.
“Jeez, you’re huge in either shape,” Diar commented. “And we’re not where?”
“At the point of being friends,” Durant replied.
“Only you are stopping that.” Diar looked over the garden. “It’s so peaceful here. You can forget what’s happening out there. If I were you, I’d never leave.”
“You sound troubled?”
“Yeah. Mitch saw the person who fired the missile.”
“Missile?”
“Handheld one. It’s a Sealgair Uilebheist special tool. They took a flare gun and crafted small missiles that fit inside it. Those rotten bastards made sure they had the impact of a normal one,” Diar explained. “I now understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of one. It was lucky that I caught a glimpse of it and was already moving to avoid it. If I hadn’t… not even Pandora could have saved me.”
“They were aiming to kill you,” Durant surmised.
“No doubt. If they’d succeeded, Mitch would have gone scorched earth,” Diar said quietly.
“Isn’t Mitch at war with them now?” Durant asked curiously.
“Yes. But he’d have gone nutso on their ass. It’s no empty threat from him. Mitch isn’t heading home to have meetings like he told Jess. He’s determined to kick Frederick’s ass, and he’s going Rambo on him. And he’s without backup,” Diar worried.
“Do you think Mitch needs it?”
“Against his psychotic cousin and family? Alexander has lost his heir, Mitch. Frederick is the next best thing. Alexander’s going to move to protect Frederick.”
“Then maybe we need to protect Jess’s mate,” Durant mused.
