Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Perhaps, but everything inside me aches to make Kari my mate, to see her grow round with my children, to love her for the next nine hundred years.
None of that will ever come to pass.
“If it makes you happier, knowing that I’ve lost Kari and will likely lose you as well is killing me.”
Raiden stares at me as if I’m a complete stranger. “Did you ever think that, perhaps, I have feelings for someone, too?”
I blink at my twin, stunned. “You never shag anyone more than once.”
He glances away with a guilty flush. “Tabitha carries my child now. It takes every bit of my will to stay away from her, to ensure her safety. It’s best for her and the baby.”
But his face tells me he’s in love with her. How did I miss that?
I know my brother can only stand to share a bed with random women while he has another in his heart because he closes his eyes and pretends. I used to do it all the time.
That’s impossible now.
I rake a hand through my hair, feeling defeated. I’ve failed everyone—my brother, my ancestors, my beloved, even myself. What the fuck do I do?
With a sigh and a shake of his head, Raiden turns away. “Let me know when you’ve come to your senses. Otherwise, stay the fuck away.”
Chapter
Eight
At the Witch’s Brew, I sit in a shadowy corner, watching Kari’s every move. I’ve barely left her sight in days.
The pub is busy for a Thursday night. Humans mingle with magickind, never knowing they’re flirting with someone not quite their own species. Music blares, drinks flow, and people laugh.
And I’ve never been more miserable.
Kari refuses to speak to me. The first night I occupied this spot, she never once acknowledged me. By the following evening, she hired a waiter—a large one—with a shaved head, sporting a skull-and-crossbones tattoo on one forearm, and a fire-breathing dragon on the other. Human, so not much of a threat to me, but I hear her message loud and clear.
Fuck off.
Nursing a scotch, I watch the ebb and flow of the patrons for the twelfth straight night. Kari may never speak to me again, but I’ll do whatever I must to ensure she stays safe, regardless of my waning energy. The one bright spot? The rest of the Doomsday Brethren have been too busy training to put in an appearance. Small favor, that. But one keeping her safer.
Not for the first time, I suspect Kari would be better protected if I learned to fight evil beside them, rather than merely waiting for it to strike. Just like I finally realize, now that I’m no longer banging a different female every night, that I’ve given too little thought to the future. What the hell am I going to do?
I have no answers, but regardless of what Kari says or believes, in my heart, she’s my mate.
Wind gusts through the pub as the door opens. Shock Denzell strolls in, his gaze hidden behind dark sunglasses as he scans the room. Damn, I really hoped the prick would steer clear.
I leap from my stool and position myself between him and Kari. “Get out.”
Shock scowls at me as if I’m a gnat. “Who the fuck are you? Not the pub’s owner.”
“Her mate. I don’t need you bringing more trouble.”
Shock eyes my magical signature with disdain. “Not her mate.”
That truth rankles. Then again, his signature suggests he’s issued an unrequited Call to someone, too…
I glare his way. “I’m not arguing semantics. Moments after you last left here, the pub was attacked. Kari was nearly killed. I won’t have that again.”
“Attacked by whom?”
“This isn’t an interrogation.”
“If you want to save her life, start talking.” Shock crosses his arms over his massive chest.
“How do I know you won’t simply end it?”
Shock shrugs. “You don’t. But how can you protect her when you don’t understand the threat?”
As much as I hate it, the bastard has a point. “The witch who attacked her is named Rhea. She was quite interested in knowing whatever you and Tynan O’Shea chatted about.”
I can’t decipher the expression Shock hides behind his sunglasses, but the way he tenses tells me he’s furious.
“Rhea is my issue.”
Despite Shock’s slight height advantage and the badassery of all his leather, I think I could thrash the bastard. I certainly have anger on my side. And if I had to, I could channel my twin’s energy. Secondary energy from Raiden has saved me in past scrapes.
“Mine as well if she comes back to kill my mate.”
But whose fault is it truly? I inflicted the Wolvsey curse on Kari.
“What bloody curse?” Shock snaps. “What are you on about?”
He can read my thoughts?
“Bingo, Einstein. What curse?”
None of your fucking business. “That compute for you?”
“Don’t be a prat. Most curses are crap, but”—Shock shrugs—“it’s your hairshirt to wear.”