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Chapter 38

"Go find out what you can. I need to know how many."

Damion nodded his head. "I guess I could do that, since you asked so nicely." He shot me a wink, then in a burst of orange, he disappeared.

Silence hung heavy between us.

A million worries pierced my skull, my mountain never ceasing to grow. As if one magical being wanting me dead wasn't bad enough, now an army was after me. Not just me, they wanted Brady too.

He could have been a leader. A king. He could have been revered, and yet here he was, hated by his own kind, all because of me.

Because I'm human.

I never thought I'd regret being human. I never thought that I'd feel ashamed of it. People didn't have to feel shame over humanity. As far as the world is concerned, being born human is like winning the species lottery. Top of the food chain.

But we aren't top of the food chain. They are, and Brady, someone with enough power to be held mightiest if the mighty, gets stuck with me.

"I have to leave for a while," he murmured, still not looking at me. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, absorbed in the news that was given to him.

"Now?" The word choked me, forcing me to clear my throat as the emotions bubbled too high.

He nodded, jaw tight, eyes still averted. "I'll have someone stay with you to keep you safe. I won't be gone more than a day."

He stood, and I watched as he walked into the house without so much as a glance over his shoulder. Tension kept his back stiff, and his sudden disinterest in completing our bond only increased the unease I felt.

Maybe he changed his mind.

I sat up, relieved to see that I could, then slowly followed.

Brady sat at the table with a phone pressed against his ear, murmuring words too soft for me to distinguish. The moment I entered the room, he cut the call short. "Someone will be here soon."

My nerves kicked up a notch. "Who? I could just stay here by myself. You could charm the place or whatever, like you did at my dorm." I didn't want to be left alone with one of his kind. Just the thought of it set my nerves on edge.

His eyes darkened. "I could, but it does me no good if you don't stay put, and frankly, I don't want to return to learn you've been kidnapped while I was gone."

His words cut like a whip against my flesh. It stung, and didn't help at all to ease the doubt still coursing through my mind. "What's wrong with you?" I snapped. Fuck this. I'd done nothing wrong. I couldn't help it that I wasn't some super magical being that could build libraries in my brain and fight fire with fireworks.

Brady snorted. "What's wrong? You heard Damion. This is bad, Sweetheart. The sooner I get it fixed, the better, and I can't do that if I have to worry about you. Desirae will keep you safe while I'm gone."

Like a puppy.

Heat filled my face, and no matter how hard I tried not to, Owen's words about humans being pets, animals in a zoo, kept repeating through my mind. I understood his reasoning. I got that I couldn't really do shit in comparison to what his kind was capable of. I didn't fault Brady for any of it.

I'd just never felt smaller.

A burst of red lit up the room, interrupting our conversation, and leaving behind one very tall, very leggy, redhead. Her eyes found Brady's, and the two smiled at each other.

Sure, he can smile now...

Her hair wasn't the orange fire that Red's was. Desirae, as Brady called her, had hair the color of blood, matching lips, and she didn't even acknowledge me as she crossed the room to embrace the man I'd been embracing only moments before.

Brady hugged her briefly, still smiling, then pushed her back to look at her face. "Thank you," he said.

Desirae's smile fell. "This is bad, Brady. I've been trying to contact you. Why have you been ignoring me?"

Brady's eyes cut to me, then centered back on her face. "I've been dealing with some things. The man who's started this kidnapped my mate." He motioned over to me. "Desirae, meet Amelia. Amelia, this is my very good friend Desirae."

My chest eased slightly at his introduction, but tightened back up when the girl didn't even acknowledge me.

"You've got bigger things to worry about. You know how humans are viewed. If you'd answered me, you'd know just how bad word has gotten around of this. The fact that it's you, only makes it worse."

Brady shook his head. "I know. That's why I called you here. I'm going to the council now." Determination filled his eyes. "They can't go against it. It's fate. It would be unnatural for them to try and deny the bond."

"How do you know?" She lowered her voice, but not enough I couldn't hear.

Brady's jaw clenched. "Don't ask me that. Of course I know. It's impossible not to."

"But you haven't bonded."

Her words seemed to set off a bomb inside the room. Everything, even the ocean sounds in the distance, dulled to a hush. How can she know that? Can they sense it?

"That's not from lack of trying," he murmured dryly. "But I didn't call you here to question my bond. Will you keep her safe or not?"

Desirae nodded softly. "Don't get mad. You know I'd do anything for you, Brady. All you need to do is ask."

My hackles rose at her tone, but Brady didn't seem to notice. He offered her a tight smile, then stepped away to pull me into an embrace. "I won't be gone long," he said, then added into my ear, "We'll finish this when I get back. I'll take you somewhere, another damn planet if I have to." His grip tightened, and the sparks returned at the contact, causing me to lean into him. "You're mine, Sweetheart. I won't let any of this stop me from having you."

Like a balm to my soul, his words soothed the lingering doubts.

I looked up at him, and the severity of our situation hit me like a gust of storm force wind. He was leaving, off to face an army of people that'd labeled him a traitor.

What if I never see him again?

A fear greater than any nightmare, any monster, hit me at the realization that he might not come back. "Brady... I..." I wasn't sure what to say. The thought of never seeing him again brought me back to a few hours before, to being in that room and thinking I'd never escape. Feelings bubbles up inside me, things I hadn't even realized until that moment. Every little thing he'd ever done. His smile. His jokes. The way he'd handled all of this despite my reluctance and sometimes downright nastiness towards him. All of these things swam around until it was clear, inside my mind, in big blue neon letters. "I want you to come back." I met his eyes, and an overload of emotions filled me. "I'm sorry that I'm causing all this tr–"

My apology was cut off as Brady pulled me into his chest, holding me tight against him. "It will take more than an army to keep me away." He loosened his hold and looked down at me, then gently placed his lips to mine. His eyes were shining, my new favorite color, bright neon blue, Brady's blue. "Especially now." He smiled, stealing my breath before a burst of that same blue took him away from me.

I sucked in a breath, trying to shake the anxiety his departure brought. My eyes landed on the girl standing across the room.

Desirae held an annoyed expression, and the moment our gazes met, she rolled her eyes and walked away.

I took a seat at the table and placed my head into my hands. I was so tired. Every time I thought I'd gotten ahead, had a victory for once, something new would come along to replace it, something worse. Maybe, I was cursed. Maybe, I'd pissed someone, somewhere, off in an astronomical way.

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