Page 13 of His Curvy Mate

“My pair-bonding with Fallon is completely different…”

“You don’t know that.”

“Then explain it to me.

“I don’t have time. Andreas has gone off to fight some wizard who’s been waiting a long time to kill him, and he has an army of creepy vampires with him.”

"Then you have been bonded to a fool," Hayden said, his voice a low growl. "Going after any wizard is bad, but one with an army is suicide. I suppose you expect me to gather our warriors and go off and save him."

“We will go…”

“You will stay here where you are safe.”

Caye's eyes flashed with anger. "Safe? While Andreas is out there risking his life? You expect me to just sit here and do nothing?"

Hayden ran a hand through his dark red hair, his brow furrowed with worry. "I’m assuming Andreas does not know you are here, left you some place he thought you would be safe, and knew the risks in what he was doing. He chose to face the wizard on his own to protect you. You charging into danger won't help him—it's exactly what he was trying to prevent."

"And you think I should just let him face it alone? He's my mate, Hayden. We are stronger together. You know, as well as I do, that I am a capable warrior." Caye's voice trembled with a mix of anger and desperation. "You know what it feels like to have someone you love in danger. Would you just sit back and do nothing?"

Hayden's jaw tightened, his eyes softening for a moment as he remembered battles fought and loved ones lost. "Caye, it's not that simple. This Xenos is not just any enemy. He commands an army of the undead. This isn't a fight that can be won with sheer willpower and determination."

Caye stepped closer, her fiery gaze locking onto her brother's. "I know the risks, Hayden. But I'm not afraid. I'm not asking for your permission—his, either—I'm asking for your support. I need your help, Hayden. Please."

Hayden sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of his sister's plea. “He’s your fated mate, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” she answered, knowing he had to know even a dragon wouldn’t turn a hellhound unless the match was fated. She also knew that he knew her determination was as unyielding as his own.

"I can't stop you, can I?" Hayden said quietly, a hint of resignation in his voice.

Caye shook her head, her expression softening but remaining resolute. "No, you can't. But you can help me. We need to find Andreas and stand with him against Xenos."

For a moment, silence hung between them, the air heavy with unspoken fears and hopes. Then Hayden nodded, his eyes meeting Caye's with a newfound resolve.

"All right, Caye. We'll do this together. But we need a plan. We can't just charge in blindly."

Caye shot him an impish grin. “Yeah, time is of the essence. He left me to go look for Xenos. I couldn’t feel him anywhere.”

“That will resolve itself. It’s probably just all your body has been through with the transition. So this Xenos is a wizard and one who’s been around a long time?”

“Yes. Most likely in the Wrangell Mountains. That’s where I found Andreas and Xenos found us fairly quickly after he woke.”

Hayden searched through his maps. “When did Andreas go to sleep?”

“The Yukon gold rush.”

Hayden nodded as he pulled a map made by the hellhounds from that era. “We’ve tried to keep track of fissures in the earth, especially those that could lead down below. We can compare this one to one of the newer ones…”

“And if one is missing from the more recent ones, we’ll know we have him.”

“No, but it’ll give us a place to start. Go to Oslo and ask him to find volunteers to go with us.” He chuckled. “I wish I thought it would be a small group, but my guess is our warriors will be up for the fight.”

Caye threw her arms around her brother and gave him a fierce, grateful hug. "Thank you, Hayden. I knew I could count on you."

She left him and ran towards Oslo’s home, grateful that her brother understood. When she returned, she found Hayden making comparisons between the maps and noting three different locations where there were anomalies.

Caye pointed to the Copper Glacier. “That’s the one where I found Andreas.”

Hayden nodded. “Makes sense that a dragon would want to be close to an entry into the In-Between.”

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