Page 10 of Freed

The footsteps get louder as does the burned vanilla scent. Blaze.

He steps up to my cell, and when he sees me awake, a huge smile crosses his face.

“You’re awake!”

I press my lips together and give him my best glare. I don’t want to provoke him, and I’m not sure how to handle him yet. But I do need to know why he thinks we’re fated mates when I’ve seen no sign of that. The man repulses me.

He grips the bars and leans his head against them as his eyes trail over me until they settle on my face, then his smile drops.

“You’re mad,” he states sadly.

“You murdered me!”

“Dr. J promised that’s the last time.”

“You think that makes me feel better?” I ask him seriously. “Why am I even still here?”

“He needs your blood,” he says, like it’s obvious.

“He’s been taking my blood for a decade. Why does he need more?”

“You’re helping,” he says a little maniacally.

“And why are you here?” I ask, hoping to get some more information.

“I’m here because you’re here,” he says, like it’s obvious.

It’s not. I don’t understand his infatuation with me when I don’t even know him.

I just want to go home. I want to see my mates and make sure they’re okay.

“I want to go home,” I say quietly as I try to stop my lower lip from trembling. I rub my bare arms, the coldness of this place starting to make me shiver. My entire body is sore. Not just sore, but achy. If I lie down, I might sleep for a week. And I can't let that happen.

“You are home,” he says, his tone turning impatient. I look up at him and see the frown on his face as he watches me, like he’s upset. I'm not thrilled to be here, locked up in this freezing cold cell.

“My home is with my mate⁠—”

“I’m your mate!” he yells, cutting me off as his fingers squeeze the bars.

I want to scream at him that he’s not, but I also don’t want to anger the guy more than I already have. I have no idea what he’s capable of. So instead, I take a different tactic and decide to try to get some information from him.

“How did you find me? In Starfall Haven?” I ask, trying to sound curious and not accusatory.

I see some of his tension fade as his grip on the bars loosens. “I told you, I was made for you. I can find you anywhere.”

“What does that mean, you were made for me?”

He grins, like the answer he’s about to give me makes him happy. “I was born human.”

I frown, my nose twitching as I take in his scent. He definitely smells like a wolf shifter. “I started here as a guard at only eighteen. I was content with my job, until I saw you.”

“Me?”

He nods. “You had just arrived, and everyone was talking about the special hybrid.”

What hybrid?

“I was lucky enough to be in the room when Dr. J started his treatments on you.”