Page 37 of Protector

I planned on waiting for Tristan, but Fallon was antsy about getting an eyeful of his penis with Lucas prowling around behind her, one hell of a scowl on his face.

He’s not mad at us. When I glance at the Alpha, then throw a look Fallon’s way, she shakes her head and mutters, “He’s been like this since we walked back on pack land and realized something was wrong. It’s like he knew something went down with the witches. He came right here, and we found this mangled witch floating in the lake. Not pretty, I’ll tell you that.”

That’s all she tells me. At least, until she throws a blue cloak—my favorite color, and one that obviously belongs to Eleanor—over my shoulder before gesturing at me to start moving with her chin.

“Come on, babe. Come with me. I’ll lead you back to the house.”

With Fallon and her sense of direction, I’d be better off walking with my eyes closed until I got my sight fully back over following her. After five days in the doom and gloom in the caves, I have to keep blinking just because it’s so Luna damn bright out.

After we’ve gotten far enough away, I bump her shoulder and tease, “Babe? Don’t let your mate hear you call me that.”

“Afraid of my big, bad wolf?”

“Afraid for you maybe. I can take him down.”

Fallon sighs. It’s a sound of pure relief. “You’re okay, Jeannie. You’re really okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

She pauses for a moment. “Know what? You’re right. If there’s anyone I know who could survive close to a week in a damp, dirty cave, it’s Jeannie fucking Lipton.”

Damn right.

“Well, it wasn’t a trip to the day spa or anything, but I did have good company.”

She doesn’t comment on that. Instead, she just gives me a side-eye as she looks me up and down.

I’ll give Fallon credit. She doesn’t say anything about my wild hair, the dirt on my skin, the scent of sex that clings to me, or the mildew that’s probably seeped into my fucking pores at this point. I mean, the look on her face says everything for her, but she magnanimously keeps her trap shut about my appearance.

She does, thankfully, tell me about everything that happened while I was trapped in the cave as we walk.

From finding Claude’s body to Lucas’s alpha wolf sniffing out the blood ward that was keeping us trapped, Fallon and her mate weren’t sure that Tristan and I were in there, but it was a pretty safe bet that we were. Why else would the witch’s last dying act be to curse some random cave unless he was keeping something inside?

A patrol over the entire pack territory revealed no sign of the Beta or me, though they did stumble upon Gabriel’s remains. At that point, they knew it wasn’t just one witch who attacked the pack, but two—and Lucas ran right back to the Coven House with Fallon to confront the others.

On the plus side, it really was just the two of them gunning for me because I killed Remy. On the other, it turns out it’s really, really hard to break a death curse like the blood ward.

It took eight different witches, four days, and Fallon finally conceding that she would lead the coven while also being a member of the pack before the blood ward shattered about two minutes before she started screaming my name.

Of the three of us, it was Lorelei who was always the mother hen figure. Tell that to Fallon. As she spoke, she confidently—and surprisingly—led me to the pack house with only one wrong turn. Then, once we were facing the back of the house, she shuffles me in inside, refusing to let me say a word about what happened in the cave until I shower and change into one of my spare outfits.

While we were talking during our trek to the house, I was able to get a couple of words in edgewise. She knows my side of what happened with Gabriel and Claude, from their ambush to the way that Tristan appeared just in time to throw his weight into the fight. I explained how he’s the one who told me to go to the waterfall, and that we never expected that Claude would follow us or cast that final spell until it was too late.

After that, I’m sure she can guess what happened, especially since I kept looking over my shoulder, searching for Tristan and Lucas. If he left the cave right after I did, he should be close on my heels… but he isn’t.

Where is he?

I don’t know, but I tell myself that he’ll be waiting at the pack house after I get clean… only he isn’t. As I head down the stairs, moving toward the kitchen where Fallon told me to meet her when I was done, I search for Tristan through our bond. It’s there, but only just, and it’s so stretched, it’s easy to tell that he’s nowhere near the house.

What’s going on?

Where is my mate?

CHAPTER 12

TRISTAN

The shower does wonders for me. I feel almost human—well, shifter—now that my hair is brushed, my ass isn’t hanging out, and I’ve lost the last of the chill. My biggest complaint is just how hungry I still am, and as I push the door to the kitchen open, seeing a PB&J with a side of potato chips sitting on a plate, I almost start to drool.

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