Page 60 of Violet

“Are you looking for Nole?” Amber asks softly.

I’m about to ask how she knows about Nole when I realize she’s mated to his brother. Of course she knows. “Did he say something to you?”

“Just that he wasn’t going to stop by the cafe.” She shrugs. “He left with the other bears.”

Left, just like that. Without making sure I was okay. Without making sure Violet was okay. He didn’t say anything to me. He didn’t stick around when I needed him.

“Are you going to stop by? The cafe, I mean?” Amber asks hopefully.

I glance at my guys, then at the unconscious Violet, and shake my head. Amber’s face falls.

“Maybe tomorrow?” I say tentatively, and she grins.

We hug again and she heads toward the Cleanly Den van, where her guys are waiting. Once she’s gone, my mates and I head back to Violet.

“The turn is going smoothly,” Aldo tells us. “We need to take her inside before her skin starts to burn, but I predict she’ll be up and about by morning.”

“If Aldo says she’ll be fine, she will be,” Bert says confidently. “He’s been around for hundreds of turns.”

The vampire in question nods while Hugh scoops her up and gets to his feet. I start to follow, but Cash wraps an arm around my shoulder, holding me back.

“I need to be with her,” I tell him.

“Right now, she needs to be with her mates,” he says softly. “It’s a vampire thing. But I can promise they’ll watch over her.”

“We’ll be there the whole time,” Bert swears. “Come by the house in the morning. I’m sure she’d want to see you then.”

“I will.” I smile and turn back to Cash. “What do we do now?”

“Whatever you want, little furry.” He smiles back, but instead of looking at him, I turn toward the forest longingly.

“You want to find your bear shifter, don’t you?” Cash asks softly.

And even though I know Nole betrayed me and then left without a word, I can’t help it. I nod.

“Then come on. We’ll take you.” Cash threads his fingers through mine, and Liam wraps an arm around my shoulder, leading me past the burnt squad car to the Screech company car.

Chapter 26

Nole

“Can one of you guys get the door?” I ask my brothers, not bothering to look up from the prank video I’m watching.

The three of us are lounging around the living room, dicking around on our phones—two hairy-ass motherfuckers and me. They look like baboons with all that hair growing out of their arms, legs, chins, cheeks, and even their foreheads. It’s so bad, they’ve had to trim around their eyes just to be able to see—but it serves them right for forcing me to show up to work in Wes’s tiny-ass suit.

Whoever’s at the door knocks again, and my brothers groan.

“Fine, I’ll get it,” Nyle finally grumbles. He gets to his feet and I barely contain a snort.

This is going to be good!

The lock clicks, the door groans, and the people outside gasp. I feel a moment’s satisfaction... but it’s dulled, knowing I can’t share it with the one person who’d understand. Violet!

I miss her so much already, and it’s only been a few hours since I last saw her. But knowing that I won’t see her at work—that we’ll never get to come up with pranks or even just talk—really hurts.

"What the hell happened to you?" a familiar voice asks Nyle from the front porch. Stupid fucking blood mage who stole my mate—who protected her, too—not that it makes me feel any better.

He snorts at my prank—at my brother—and I almost shift at the spot.