Page 27 of Bind Me

“Perfect.” A familiar surge of adrenaline I used to feel in Tartarus floods me. This thrill, this anticipation for the hunt, it’s part of who I am. “Let’s flush him out.”

Chapter 8

Sasha

Barely awake, I rub my eyes as I head out the door early in the morning when the sight in front of me has me yelping.

Right there, at the base of the three steps leading up to my cabin, is a man—tied up, gagged, and grumbling through the cloth in his mouth. His face is a mess of bruises, his clothes are spotted in blood, and he’s sprawled on his stomach, wrists and ankles bound behind his back.

“Oh gods!”

At first, I freeze in place, unsure what to say or do, trying to process what in the world is happening. Then I rush down the steps to help him, but before I can reach him, Chowder darts out of the house, tilting his head curiously.

“Who left us him?” he asks, wearing his tiny vest, standing up on his hind legs. All he’s missing is a detective’s hat to really look the part. He sniffs around the man, adding, “Who would trap him?”

Good question, yet my suspicions are off the chart, flying right in the direction of Kaden… evidently my fated mate, who seems to have a crazy streak to him. Something I’m still coming to terms with.

My chest tightens, and my stomach swirls with butterflies as I recall the encounter from the other day. Sleep escaped me that night while I tossed and turned, consumed by the idea that I might actually have found my fated mate. The thought both thrills and terrifies me.

I wondered if staying away from him might make these intense feelings calm down. Perhaps the deep ache in my chest for him might eventually fade. The pull toward him is unlike anything I’ve ever felt—powerful, insistent. It demands my attention, refusing to be brushed aside.

And now this. I stare down at the bound man… Did Kaden have something to do with this? I shake my head. No, he wouldn’t. Would he?

I crouch down next to the guy, pulling the gag from his mouth. He gasps, a string of groans tumbling out.

“Fuck!” he spits out, wriggling. “Untie me, now!” His blue eyes, familiar somehow, dart frantically under the dark fringe of his hair.

Wait, I’ve definitely seen his face before. Right then, it comes to me like a tsunami—from the mission files at work.

“What’s your name?” I ask immediately.

He makes a grunting sound like he’s attempting to clear his throat. “What the fuck has that got to do anything. Get me out of these ropes!”

“Not happening. I need a name.”

“B-belu, are you fucking happy? Now help me,” he almost spits the words.

“Belu Jonsyn?” I query.

The man’s gaze pierces into me, a lightbulb clearly going off in his head that I know exactly who he is. Then he’s trying to roll over but failing, bellowing in pain.

Chowder scrambles up on Belu’s back now, sniffing at the ropes binding the man. He immediately leaps up on the back of the man’s head, his little paws petting around.

“What the hell’s on my head? Get it off, get it the fuck off me!” Belu shouts, thrashing about and trying to shake Chowder off. But my little otter hangs on, gripping his hair as if he’s a bull rider.

“Why is man tied?” he asks a bit louder to be heard over the man’s wailing.

“I’m guessing he’s here for me to find,” I murmur. I’m pretty sure I know who’s responsible, and I pinch my lips together because it’s my fault for opening my fat mouth around Kaden.

Belu’s freaking out still, and I glance at him.

“Hey, hey,” I say, clicking my fingers at him. “Focus now. Seriously, talk to me. Who did this to you? Who brought you here?”

He grumbles something unintelligible, still trying to dislodge Chowder, who’s casually hopping off him.

“I don’t fucking know,” Belu snaps, trembling. “Two psychopaths jumped me, then forced me to run so they could chase me through the woods. They were mental, and I saw my life flash before my eyes. They made me run from them the whole fucking night!”

Two guys? My mind races. Maybe it wasn’t Kaden? But no one else knows I’m hunting Belu except for my boss. Could it have been Kaden with a friend? The thought twists in my gut, partially grateful he might have helped catch my target but also irritated that he dared to interfere. Belu was mine to claim.

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