throat right now if I let you go down there.”
“Let?” Oh, this guy was really digging the hole .
He stepped closer to her. “Sadie. You realize—if you choose to go get him, you’re making a choice for more than just getting him.”
“Meaning?”
“Free will, Sadie. The Great One gives us all free will. Sure, you’ve got a fated Mate, can’t change that, but how you choose to respond affects your bond. Accepting things, in your heart, accessing your bond to find him…”
“Acceptance is the first step to change.” She’d heard that before. “So my going in and getting Theo is like me stepping into a rabbit hole. I get it.”
“Do you? You were in Hades already. Look how hard that was. Even after, you refuted what you’d seen, what you’d felt.” He guided her by the shoulder toward his car. “This’ll be different.”
She let out a long breath and faced the blue sky. Damn . Her life had changed in a matter of days, and so not in the way she’d expected. But Theo was hurting, somehow she knew it. How sick she was back in that classroom, and the pain in her body…she couldn’t ignore that. Even now, a dull pain, like a toothache, pulsed in her stomach, her neck, her cheek, and she had a mild headache right behind the eyes, too.
She stopped at the passenger side of Justin’s car.
He looked at her over the top. “Nearest gate is ten miles.”
“You can go through any gate?”
“He told me which one he was headed to. He’s gone through it, so I can, too.”
“And me?”
“You’re his Mate. You touched the Mavet already, so you should be fine.”
Yeah, that’s reassuring.
Justin opened his door. “We can either go in and find him or go to the house and wait things out.”
“Wait? As in sit around while he gets shredded?”
Justin stopped. “Shredded? What do you mean?”
“Not exactly sure on that one other than it feels like I’m getting stabbed. Cut. Tortured.” She swallowed down the bile. “I think that’s what’s happening to him.”
“The gate it is.” He hopped into the car. “Let’s go.”
Justin jammed the key into the ignition and shifted to drive. Squealing tires followed promptly by the stench of burning rubber assailed Sadie’s senses.
“So, gates? Splices?”
“There’s a main gate in this town. Formed several years ago. Theo guards it.”
“Formed?”
“Once evil gets strong enough, it can open a gate. One the demons—those strong enough—can go in and out of freely. There are quite a few open around the United States at any given time, and Theo is charged with guarding them.”
“And splices?” Sadie fastened her seat belt and turned.
“Smaller doors. Some of the stronger demons can open them elsewhere. Takes a lot out of them. It’s not easy and it usually has to be close to a gate because those things are wicked powerful.”
“And Theo can sense those, too? Along with demons coming to the gates?”
He nodded. “Part of his job. Keeping that smut down there. And those that get out, he throws them back in, permanently.”
“And now he’s down there with them? Getting tortured? I thought he couldn’t die.”
“He can’t.” Justin coughed into his hand. “But they sure can cut the hell out of him. Make him wish he could die.”
“Or cut him enough so his Mate will come get him.”
Justin nodded. “They obviously want you dead.”
“Lovely. This demon crap is effing messed up. I don’t even know what the hell is happening to me. How I got this strong. How I’m even involved in this.” She slammed her elbow into the door.
“Don’t take your frustration out on my baby.” He smacked her shoulder. “Come on. I need you focused.”
She shook her head. So much for her planned-out life. Undergrad done at eighteen. Six-figure job. Showing the world she was worth something despite being an orphan.
It was all slipping away. All for a total stranger and his stupid brother. She clenched her fist and reached for the
“Let?” Oh, this guy was really digging the hole .
He stepped closer to her. “Sadie. You realize—if you choose to go get him, you’re making a choice for more than just getting him.”
“Meaning?”
“Free will, Sadie. The Great One gives us all free will. Sure, you’ve got a fated Mate, can’t change that, but how you choose to respond affects your bond. Accepting things, in your heart, accessing your bond to find him…”
“Acceptance is the first step to change.” She’d heard that before. “So my going in and getting Theo is like me stepping into a rabbit hole. I get it.”
“Do you? You were in Hades already. Look how hard that was. Even after, you refuted what you’d seen, what you’d felt.” He guided her by the shoulder toward his car. “This’ll be different.”
She let out a long breath and faced the blue sky. Damn . Her life had changed in a matter of days, and so not in the way she’d expected. But Theo was hurting, somehow she knew it. How sick she was back in that classroom, and the pain in her body…she couldn’t ignore that. Even now, a dull pain, like a toothache, pulsed in her stomach, her neck, her cheek, and she had a mild headache right behind the eyes, too.
She stopped at the passenger side of Justin’s car.
He looked at her over the top. “Nearest gate is ten miles.”
“You can go through any gate?”
“He told me which one he was headed to. He’s gone through it, so I can, too.”
“And me?”
“You’re his Mate. You touched the Mavet already, so you should be fine.”
Yeah, that’s reassuring.
Justin opened his door. “We can either go in and find him or go to the house and wait things out.”
“Wait? As in sit around while he gets shredded?”
Justin stopped. “Shredded? What do you mean?”
“Not exactly sure on that one other than it feels like I’m getting stabbed. Cut. Tortured.” She swallowed down the bile. “I think that’s what’s happening to him.”
“The gate it is.” He hopped into the car. “Let’s go.”
Justin jammed the key into the ignition and shifted to drive. Squealing tires followed promptly by the stench of burning rubber assailed Sadie’s senses.
“So, gates? Splices?”
“There’s a main gate in this town. Formed several years ago. Theo guards it.”
“Formed?”
“Once evil gets strong enough, it can open a gate. One the demons—those strong enough—can go in and out of freely. There are quite a few open around the United States at any given time, and Theo is charged with guarding them.”
“And splices?” Sadie fastened her seat belt and turned.
“Smaller doors. Some of the stronger demons can open them elsewhere. Takes a lot out of them. It’s not easy and it usually has to be close to a gate because those things are wicked powerful.”
“And Theo can sense those, too? Along with demons coming to the gates?”
He nodded. “Part of his job. Keeping that smut down there. And those that get out, he throws them back in, permanently.”
“And now he’s down there with them? Getting tortured? I thought he couldn’t die.”
“He can’t.” Justin coughed into his hand. “But they sure can cut the hell out of him. Make him wish he could die.”
“Or cut him enough so his Mate will come get him.”
Justin nodded. “They obviously want you dead.”
“Lovely. This demon crap is effing messed up. I don’t even know what the hell is happening to me. How I got this strong. How I’m even involved in this.” She slammed her elbow into the door.
“Don’t take your frustration out on my baby.” He smacked her shoulder. “Come on. I need you focused.”
She shook her head. So much for her planned-out life. Undergrad done at eighteen. Six-figure job. Showing the world she was worth something despite being an orphan.
It was all slipping away. All for a total stranger and his stupid brother. She clenched her fist and reached for the
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