Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
“So when was she due to arrive?” Sebastian asked as his scan came back void. Nothing human—or from the animal kingdom—waited out there. Definitely a doll or gnome, silently watching them all pass.
“Two days ago. So it’s still early.”
Sebastian worked magic as soon as they stepped off Ivy House land. He sent out spells in waves, throwing them way off to the sides and then closer, setting up a framework to catch anyone who might attempt to sneak in.
The first wave would hopefully be derelict mages or musclemen. They’d come solo or in pairs to make an easy grab or get information, nothing more. As long as Jessie had powerful people around her at all times, she’d be okay. For a while, anyway.
That was, unless Momar realized the sort of power he was dealing with. Then the attack would come later but be larger. Much larger, more than this territory could likely handle. He’d come in hot and take her away, killing everyone in his path.
Sebastian had thought it would be the former. He’d heard through his network that Momar wasn’t buying the stories surrounding Jessie. Sebastian had then altered his plans accordingly. But if that were the case, surely someone would’ve come to grab her by now.
The inactivity was making him nervous.
He brushed his fingers against his chest as he walked, his heart suddenly hammering. If he’d read the situation wrong, the whole territory would be in jeopardy.
NINE
When we reached the bar, I saw a familiar, shaggy shape lingering next to the open door. Light flared from the end of a cigarette.
I paused and narrowed my eyes at my nemesis, the man I called Sasquatch. He was the type of guy who gave all shifters a bad name.
His overgrown hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in a week and likely had fleas. His long, scraggly beard reached nearly to his chest and was in no better shape, and his hairy arms sported patches of dirt. He was brusque and rude and always seemed to be in my way.
His brows pinched together when he caught me looking at him. Instead of making some offhanded quip, he grunted before turning away from me. He didn’t want to tangle this evening, it seemed. For now, anyway. Maybe he wasn’t feeling surly enough, the butthead.
“You better be outta her stool, ye dirty bastard,” Niamh said as I passed him and crossed the threshold into the bar.
“I don’t have to move,” he replied.
“You don’t have’ta, no. But yer goin’ta, or I’ll make bags of yer night. Think it through.”
Laughter and talking filled the bar, along with the sound of jostling bodies, the smash of pool balls on the lower level of the bar, and the clinking of ice cubes in dozens of drinks.
But all the noise and bustle seemed to fade and dim the moment I saw him. He stood behind the bar with his hands braced against the edge. He stared straight at me with his cobalt eyes, ignoring anyone trying to get a drink or engage him in any way. I knew this was an alpha’s way of telling everyone that I was the most important thing in that bar. To him, at least.
I smiled like a dope and felt like I was walking on air. People in front of me cleared away to the sides. Those in the seats at the bar scattered, leaving me room to greet my mate.
“Hey,” I said softly.
“Hey, baby,” he replied, his gaze drinking me in. “You look beautiful.”
I barely spared a glance at the casual black dress Mr. Tom had picked out for me. I hadn’t bothered with makeup, and my hair wasn’t anything special. I hadn’t tried at all, basically, but I knew Austin would find me beautiful even at my absolute worst.
“I love you,” I told him, reaching for his hand.
“I love you too—”
“Are you going to stand around all day, lady?” Sasquatch said somewhere behind me, much too loudly. “People want to get through.”
“Lady?” Niamh replied indignantly. “Well, I beg yer pardon, ye dopey-faced lummox.”
Uncontrollable anger surged through me at the interruption. I turned slowly, power pumping. My gargoyle moved and shifted within me. Darkness rolled.
Sebastian and Niamh stood a few paces back, waiting patiently. Sasquatch was behind them, making a show of trying to get around.
Something violent twisted my guts.
“If you annoy me right now,” I told Sasquatch in what I thought was an even voice, “I’ll yank off your head and toss it like a volleyball.”
Sasquatch’s eyes rounded. His mouth clamped shut, and he spun around with a stiff back. Without another word, he walked right out of the bar.
Thank God, because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop myself from throwing him.
Niamh braced her hands on her hips, turning to watch him go. “Well, there he goes. Damn, I would’ve liked to see that.”