Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“You ever think that I could’ve helped with that?” he asked, glaring.
“I think we didn’t know what we were dealing with,” Chance cut in. “And until we did, we weren’t sharing the information that our brother died for.”
Dalton looked at him in surprise. “You know me.”
“We know a lot of Vampires,” Chance replied with a shrug. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Knock it off,” I shot at Chance over my shoulder.
He made a zipping motion over his lips.
“It’s almost over, baby,” I whispered, reaching out to wrap my hands around Rosemary’s thighs. “All right? We won’t have to do this much longer.”
She just nodded.
“Breaking it down, we’ve got three names of Vampires who have money coming in and out of the human militia’s war chest.” I looked at Dalton from my place crouched in front of Rosemary. “Multiple transactions. They were trying to hide it, the payments were filtered through dummy corporations and overseas banks, but the proof is there.”
“Who is it?”
“Guess,” Chance said. “Try to guess.”
I was going to kill my brother.
“Keihley, Morren, and Adamson.”
“No way in hell,” Dalton replied.
“The numbers don’t lie, Cavendish,” Chance practically sang.
“I know Adamson,” Dalton said in disbelief.
“Like we know you?” Chance wheedled.
“He wouldn’t do this. The Vampire is loyal to a fault.”
“He’s dirty,” I replied. “The evidence is extensive.”
Dalton was silent for a long moment. “Can I see what you have?”
“Chance?” I asked.
“I’ll get my laptop, since yours is shit,” he grumbled as he stomped away.
I stared at my mate. Even with the remote look in her eyes and her face void of expression, she was still so beautiful that it made me ache. I didn’t understand how I’d missed how much pain she was in—pain that I was causing. She always looked so ready to take on the world when I saw her.
Realization hit without warning. She hadn’t just been keeping the effects of the mating heat to herself.
She’d been actively hiding it.
The showers she’d barely finished when I walked through the door. The light conversation that didn’t really touch on anything she’d done while I was gone.
“Come with me,” I ordered, rising to my feet.
Chance could answer any questions that Gary and Dalton had.
Without a word, Rosemary rose and followed me out of the room. I paused long enough for her to slip on a pair of boots before leading her out the back door. The rain had stopped, but the air was thick with moisture as I led her to the barn.
“Did a little cleaning today?” I asked as I looked around the space.
“I had some time on my hands.”
“Why?” I asked, turning to face her. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“What would it have changed?” she shot back, pulling her hand from mine. “Would you have stopped going? No. Would you have taken me with you? Also, no. So why would I say anything?”
“Because I’m your mate,” I argued. “Because I have a right to know if something is hurting you!”
“You knew it was hurting me,” she countered. “You knew, but you thought I could handle it, so you just kept doing it.”
“That’s not it—”
“Isn’t it?” she asked. “I told you I had a high pain tolerance, so you thought that gave you permission to do something that you knew would hurt me.”
“I know it’s uncomfortable,” I replied.
“Uncomfortable for you,” she spat. “Not for me. Uncomfortable is the flu. Uncomfortable is being tied to a chair for a week. Uncomfortable is spraining your ankle. When you leave, it isn’t uncomfortable. I can’t think straight. My entire body seems to be working toward one goal—driving me insane.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, reaching for her. “I didn’t know—”
“I ran our entire driveway barefoot today,” she said, jerking away. “I didn’t even have a bra on.”
“I was fine. I just—”
“I know that,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “And if the paranoia hadn’t gotten so bad, I would’ve known that then. But I didn’t. I was convinced that you were in trouble or dead somewhere. I was practically fucking feral!”
“I was a couple of hours late,” I yelled back.
“More than a couple of hours!”
“You’re safe here.” Gods, I felt like a broken record. “But I cannot make sure that you’re safe everywhere if I don’t find the head of the fucking snake.”
“So…go,” she screamed, shooing me away. “Go find the head of the snake, or watch videos of your dead brother, or whatever hell else you want to do. Don’t mind me. I’ll be fine. Just like I was fine today and fine yesterday and fine the day before that. I’m dealing with it. I tied myself to you, and I’m fucking dealing with it, okay?”
“You regret the bond?” I asked, jerking back from her.
“What bond?” she hissed. “This isn’t a mating bond. This is some cosmic joke.”
“Are you fucking serious?”