Page 60 of Owning His Mate

“You need to sleep.” I stand, holding my hand out to her. Kye comes to his feet as well. “I’m going to take her back to the house so she can sleep.”

Through our bond,I say,Stay here and find out what’s going on. They wanted my blood for a reason, and they wanted Savannah’s too. We need to know why and who they wanted to give it to.

He frowns at me,and I understand why when he answers,I don’t want to leave either of you.

We’resafe in the compound.I fuss with Savannah’s hair while we have our unspoken conversation.We need information, Kye.

Reluctantly,his agreement comes through the bond. He kisses me, uncaring that we have an audience, and I return it with the same feeling. It scares me how fast he has become my person, the one I need and rely on.

The kiss says everything we both feel—our hopes, our fear, and our adoration for each other. When we part, I press my hand to the side of his face, the other clutching Savannah’s. The three of us together feels right, as if it was always meant to be this way.

“Thank you for always taking care of us,” I say softly.

He seems embarrassed by my compliment, and I get the impression no one has ever thanked him for anything.

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs. “If you need me?—”

“I know.”

I pull back, and holding Savannah’s hand, I lead her out of the building. It’s turned cold overnight, and the chill soaks into my bones as I guide Savannah toward our home—or at least the place I’m beginning to think of as home.

She’s quiet, maybe thinking about things or just tired, I’m not sure, but I let her have her silence. She needs to digest things and realize how her life has changed.

I desperately want to create a safe place for her and for all of us. I’m tired of fighting, of looking over my shoulder all the time. I want a life.

This is as close as I’ve ever been to having one, and I don’t take that for granted. If I die in this war, at least I will have experienced something good. When I step inside our building, I feel happy.

Taking Savannah’s hand, I lock the door behind us and lead her up the stairs to the bedroom. She’s barely keeping her eyes open as I help her out of her borrowed tee and into one of Kye’s. It’s so big on her it drowns her tiny frame, and the length of it has her giggling, which makes me smile.

I hate how we came across her, but she already feels like an intrinsic part of our lives.

I grab one of Kye’s shirts for myself, relishing the faint scent of him beneath the smell of the laundry detergent. Slipping it over my head, I keep my panties on before I crawl into the bed.

Savannah is already beneath the blankets, but I tuck them around her to make sure she is warm. She nestles into my side, and I brush her hair back over and over in a rhythmic movement that has her eyes fluttering.

“Do you think my mommy misses me?”

Her question breaks my heart. Considering how hybrids are treated, I guess it’s probably a good thing she doesn’t remember anything about her past. My parents allowed me to be tortured because of what I am. Halle’s mom was taken and brainwashed into becoming a soldier for the Order. Jackson and Dove believe they have a child that was stolen from them while they were captive of that white-haired bastard.

So many lives ruined and changed because we are seen as less than human. I try not to let my anger bubble to the surface. I don’t want Savannah to think it’s aimed at her, but the injustice I feel for my kind runs through my veins like poison. It adds fuel to the fire already burning in my gut.

“I think she misses you very much,” I tell her, not having the heart to give her the reality of our situation.

Chances are her mother was either tau and is now a captive of Revna’s whacky followers or she gave up her daughter to become a science experiment. Neither scenario has a good outcome, and it’s kinder for Savannah to believe whatever fantasy she needs to.

Savannah lies back, staring at the ceiling. Demons dance in her eyes that have no right to be in a child so young. “Do you remember your mommy?”

This is not a trip I want to take, but I also want Savannah to keep talking. She may remember something that can help us.

“My mom was… complicated. She didn’t want to be my mommy.”

Savannah seems disappointed by my answer. “I don’t remember mine. I don’t remember anything.” Her little brows furrow, as if she’s trying desperately to find the memories she’s lost. It’s a tried and tested method these animals use on us. Mind control, wiping our pasts away so we forget what we’re fighting for… It’s cruel on an unprecedented level.

“It’s okay, honey. Don’t try to force things to come back to you.”

She huffs out a breath. “They told me I only had one mommy anyway.”

“Who?” I ask, even though I can guess the answer.

---