Show her I can protect her, cherish her, and love her until the end of times. I didn’t spend centuries to find her just to lose her now, no. Bella is never getting away from me. She just doesn’t know it yet.
“Bella,” I say softly, and see her head turn to me, her eyes locking on mine with such force, such intensity, like they always do, that I shiver. I wonder what it will be like when our bond is fully formed. “I know of a bar a couple of cities over. It’s run by a wolf. We will see if they have heard anything. If not, I know some witches who owe me a favour.”
“Okay,” is all she says, before she turns to the front, the distance between us growing, like a chasm. I sigh, unable to help myself. I wish I knew how to reach her, how to make her see that she can trust me.
She trusted me with her secret, mainly because she had no choice and what a secret that was. A clairvoyant, shit, I haven’t heard of one of them in centuries. They usually meet grizzly, horrible deaths. People don’t like to be spied on, after all, which is how they used to see them. They were locked up, used, and then discarded. That won’t happen to her. I’m surprised she has survived this long without someone realising what she is. No matter, no one will be hurting, touching, or killing my mate.
She will need to find a place where she can stay away from the world, where she can rest. It must be exhausting having visions hitting her left and right, even with her gloves I know strong ones can still slip by. No, she needs an escape, a retreat. I have such a place. I bought a castle from an old Viking fellow years and years ago. I’ve never really been there, it seemed too big, too lonely, echoing with the laughter of the previous family, only showing me what I could never have, but for some reason I couldn’t part with it. Maybe she will like it there. If not, we will find something else. Somewhere else where she can take off those gloves and sleeves and not have to worry about it.
“It will take us a couple of hours to get there, you can sleep if you want,” I suggest. She ignores me, turns over, and goes to sleep. Okay. I glance over at her prone form with a frown…have I said something?
Did I push it too far with the mate talk?
I’ll let her sleep, and if she’s still upset with me, I will ask her why. Until then, I focus on the road and head towards Howler.
“Howler.” She snorts. “Real sly.”
I grin. “Wolves aren’t known for their intellect and shyness, Bella.”
The bar is a dive, literally. The type that most humans would avoid. The building itself looks run down. It’s made of old wood covered in marks and an ancient sign hangs outside with a wolf howling as the logo. Bikes and cars are parked on the dirt to the left, and we can hear the music from here, even in the late afternoon.
Old-style beer signs hang on the outside as we approach and yank open the timeworn wooden double doors, omitting the scent of wet dog, blood, beer, and sex. I wrinkle my nose and try to sort through the overwhelming odours as Bella struts in like she owns the joint.
She heads straight to the bar, rapping on the wood and drawing the attention of the burly wolf behind it with a tea towel thrown over one bare shoulder. His yellow eyes flit to her and stay there. He isn’t even hiding his wolf, they don’t have to here. It’s run by a local pack, a safe haven for all sorts of supes, but mainly wolves...but wolves know a lot. They hear things they shouldn’t, they see more than they say.
“Whatcha want to drink?” he asks her, with an underlying growl in his voice.
“Beer, pint.” She nods, leaning against the wood and smiling at him. My eyes narrow on her, does she think I won’t kill them if they so much as look at my mate wrong?
My eyes flicker over the inhabitants. Most of the pack is here, spread among the tables dotted here and there, and pool tables and dart boards at the back. A female wolf sidles up to me, batting her lashes as she plasters herself to my side. “Hey, cutie, you here to get wild with the wolves?” she purrs, digging her long nails into my shoulder.
“No, love, sorry.” I grin at her to lessen the blow and remove her hand from me as I head over to Bella. I wrap an arm around her and drag her to my side as I nod at the bartender who is opening a beer and passing it to her. “Is Rich in?” I inquire, and he does a double take, narrowing his animal eyes on me.
“Who’s asking?” he growls.
“Me.” Bella winks. “I was hoping he could help me with something. I can repay him of course,” she says softly. Is she flirting with him? I debate grabbing the tea towel off his shoulder and choking him with it, especially when he grins at her, flashing long canines. The only one sinking teeth into her will be me.
“Is that right?” comes a familiar voice from behind us. We both turn and I smile when I see Rich, who looks pissed to see me. He points his finger at me, his wide face flaring in annoyance.
“I told you not to come here again. You wanna work through our bitches and these wolves are going to get annoyed. Downright unfriendly,” he snarls.
I feel Bella flinch and pull away from me, and I almost wince. Fuck, that’s right. Last time I was here I convinced a female wolf to come home with me over her male—he was pissed, to say the least.
“No, I don’t want any trouble. I’m here with her.” I jerk my head at Bella and she steps forward, drawing his eyes.
He takes a big sniff and then a growl leaves his throat. “What are you?”
I blink at that. Shit, if a wolf can’t even tell then she is seriously hiding what she is.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teases, and he laughs.
“I like her, okay, you have two minutes, but he’s your responsibility then, come on.” He turns and heads to a table in the corner.
He grabs a chair and sits with his arm thrown over the back as she takes a seat opposite him. I slide into the only other chair, cringing at having my back to the room.
“So whatcha need, girly?” he asks, getting straight to the point.
“I’m looking for someone, he might have passed through here,” she tells him.
“Uh-huh, and why would I tell you? What’s in it for me?” he questions, flashing white teeth at her. His power leaks around the room, calling to his wolves. Shit, we need to get in and out of here fast before they start to change.
“How about a secret?” she offers, and he leans forward, serious now. She is speaking to his wolf side. They love being in everyone’s business. “You tell me what I want to know, and I’ll tell you what I am.”
He stares her down and then quirks a smile. “You got yourself a deal. This person, tell me more.”
“He’s around my age, short blond hair and blue eyes...and he’s fallen,” she tells him, leaning in and lowering her voice.
“Fallen, eh?” He taps his chin. “Might have seen your man, would have been two, three days ago, felt him when he came into my territory. He was heading north, almost running like the hounds of hell were chasing him. Pissed off a few of my wolves with his attitude,” he informs us.
“Then we are getting closer,” she muses and nods. “Thank you, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Not without paying up you won’t.” He grins but his power flares again, and I hear some chairs push back as they come to their alpha’s call.