Obsession: A Rejected Mate Shifter Romance (The Mate Games #1)(24)

“Your thoughts are troubled.”

“Uh, yeah. Can you blame me? My mom keeps popping in on my dreams uninvited after twenty-three years, and I just got stabbed by a hunter wearing my ex’s skin like a Halloween costume. What do you expect? A tearful family reunion?”

“I tried to warn you.”

“Maybe next time you could go with something a little more direct, like ‘Sunday, hunters have placed a bounty on your head. Don’t leave school grounds.’ Or, I don’t know, send me names and addresses.”

She pressed her lips together. “I’ve already told you what you have to do. You need to find that which makes you strong and harness it. It’s the only way to unlock your full potential.”

“That sounds like a whole lot of vague bullshit. I’ve been trying to find my wolf for years. You want to help, Mommy Dearest? Give me something more specific to work with.”

“Your wolf is not the answer.”

“What? You just said—”

My mom glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. When she returned her gaze to me, her irises seemed to swirl like galaxies before she blinked and they became twins of my own once more. “There is only so much I can reveal. Even here, we are being watched.”

“Watched? By who? The hunters?”

“And those who wish to see you fail. Nothing short of your death will appease them.”

Well, that sounded ominous as fuck.

“Super.”

“The only way to protect yourself is to find the source of your power. Remember, the things that feed you will leave a mark. Embrace them no matter the consequences. They are the answer to the riddle of your birthright.”

“What?”

She glanced over her shoulder again, and this time, the galaxies in her eyes did not fade. “Hurry, daughter. It will not be long before they make another attempt. You need to ready yourself. Remember what I’ve said.”

“Wait, hold on! How will I know—”

But she was gone, the sound heralding her departure a series of ceaseless bangs instead of galloping horses. As I drifted, the field rippled outward like lights on the surface of a stormy sea, and I lost my sense of self.

Once again I was alone, adrift, with nothing more than the echo of her words chasing each other in the abyss.

Embrace them.

They are the answer.

Embrace.

Them.





“Let me see her.”

Alek’s voice broke through the haze of my . . . vision? Dream? Whatever you called it.

“I’ve already told your friends. She’s not well. None of you can see her right now. Not until she’s out of danger,” Caleb said.

“Move aside, Priest. You’ve had her in your lair for the last seventy-two hours. It’s time for proof of life. How can we be sure you’ve kept your control?”

“I’m keeping her alive. I haven’t given in. That’s more than Thorne can say. If I hadn’t taken her from him, she’d be dead by now.”

The energy in the air radiated tension and aggression. I was sure if this came to blows, there’d be honest to God lightning and thunder.

Alek’s voice grew colder, more intense and threatening. “You can attempt to keep me away. Vampire or not, you will fail.”

Pain radiated through me, running the length of my side, down my hip to my thigh, but I forced myself to my feet. I regretted that choice instantly. The room tilted, and a wave of nausea hit me with the force of a tsunami. Something was very wrong with me.

Lifting my shirt, I couldn’t help the little whimper of shock that escaped at the sight of my wound. Sickly black tendrils reached out under my skin, starting at the bandage and creeping across my body. A strange taste, bitter and metallic, filled my mouth. I was going to die here. How could I find my inner power or whatever if I was dead?

I stumbled forward, catching myself on the wall next to the door. “Go me. I didn’t fall.”

“What was that?” Caleb asked.

Before I could turn the doorknob, the door opened, and both of them stood there, expressions grim. I let out a hysterical giggle and pitched forward, but Alek caught me against him.

“What have you done to her, vampire?”

“I’ve cared for her. She was recovering. I don’t understand how she’s worse.”

“She’s dying. Can’t you smell it on her? Death has one hand curled around her throat.”

My skin crawled as Alek’s words echoed my own fears. “I’m fine. I just need to get out of here.” Were my words slurring?

Alek held me to him, his large palm spanning most of my back. It felt good. Better. Something about being with him, in his presence, was like a healing balm.

“Let me see the wound, Sunny. I brought something that might help.”

“How can you know what will help her?” Caleb spat. “Even Blackthorne blood hasn’t fully healed her.”

“The blade.”

“Yes?”

My knees buckled, and Alek scooped me into his arms like I weighed nothing. “Thanks, big boy. I used to say I didn’t like a man with too many muscles, but you just changed my mind.”

A deep rumble rolled from his chest. “I’ll hold you in my arms whenever you wish.”