Page 38 of Taste of Danger

Spinning around so fast he’d almost tripped over his own feet, Raidh sprinted up the stairs and shot inside the house. “Jax! Jax!”

Casimir and Kalen were the first to charge into the kitchen, their footsteps thundering. Then the twins, along with Jax and Arion soon joined them. “What’s wrong, son?”

“Elvine, that headstrong woman, just headed into our realm!” Raidh gritted his teeth, so frustrated and worried he wanted to pull his dang hair out. She was amazing at snooping, never getting caught, but she had a freaking guard after her! The stakes were way too high for her to have gone alone. Especially after what he’d just spotted on her.

Jax cursed up a storm and Arion looked as if he wanted to kill someone. Namely Raidh.

“Why didn’t you stop her?” Arion argued heatedly, terror and anger burning in his amber eyes.

“Don’t take that tone with him!” Jaytee growled, pulling Raidh’s back to his chest just as Jax snarled at his twin for yelling at Arion.

It had only been a few weeks since Raidh’s attack, since so much had gone down with his father, and he still couldn’t deal with hostility.

Seeing that he lived in a house full of testosterone-filled men, Jaytee kept him in their room most of the time while Raidh worked through his issues. It was only when the house was quiet, like the early morning hours he and Elvine occasionally shared together, that Raidh ventured out.

But there were other times as well, like when he needed fresh air and wanted to interact with others. He’d actually been looking for Elvine when he’d spotted her in the backyard, knowing dang well what she was up to, and trying his best to stop her from making a dangerous mistake.

She thought he was neglecting their friendship, and to a point he was, but it wasn’t because he wanted to spend all his time with his mate.

Not in that sense.

Raidh could have told her the truth, but he knew Elvine. His best friend was the most caring person he knew, and she would have taken it upon herself to try and make him better. Like he had always done for her throughout their friendship.

As much as Raidh loved her, what he needed right now was his mate.

And Jaytee needed him. Even though Raidh was alive, Jaytee was still messed up over Raidh’s death, still had nightmares that caused him to wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

Nightmares of him carrying Raidh’s dead body in his arms.

“Stow the attitudes.” Kalen slammed his fist on the table, causing a large crack to run down the center of the wood. “My daughter-in-law just walked into danger. We don’t need this bullshit right now.” He turned to Raidh, his features softening. “Tell us what happened, son.”

Raidh told them about his conversation with Elvine, omitting the part where they thought the Frost men were hot. He’d assumed she was coming inside with him, but he’d been wrong.

“My dewdrop has somehow learned how to travel between passageways without needing to speak the chant. She just turned and took a step before disappearing.” He glared at Arion. “She’s been my best friend for over nine hundred years. I would never let her put herself in harm’s way.”

Honestly, Raidh was still trying to deal with the fact that vampires lived with them. From what Jaytee had told him, Arion wasn’t seduced by the smell of fae, but after what Raidh had been through, he would never give Arion—or Damon, for that matter—his full trust.

“How do we get to your realm?” Jax asked then looked at Casimir. “You took Jaytee to get Raidh’s soul back. Take me to get Elvine back.”

“There’s something else.” Raidh knew the men were really going to flip. He hadn’t said anything to Elvine when he’d spotted it, because he hadn’t been really sure. But if there was a chance, Jax and Arion had a right to know.

“What?” Jax already looked panicked, and Raidh really hated doing this to him. He’d grown very fond of the Frost men, and looked at them as family. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I could have sworn I saw a tiny mytconiz on her neck.” He gestured at Damon. “Like that one, but smaller.

Jax lost it. He smashed the kitchen table until it was nothing more than a pile of kindling, growling and cursing the entire time. Raidh pushed himself farther into Jaytee’s arms at the hostile display, though he understood Jax’s rage and panic.

“What does that mean?” Arion backed into the corner of the kitchen, fear in his eyes as Jax destroyed the table. Watching the small vampire’s reaction, Raidh’s heart went out to him. Arion had been livid just moments ago, but now he seemed truly terrified as Jax lashed out.

The scars on his body were a testament to the horrors the vampire had lived through. Raidh wasn’t heartless. He wanted to extend his hand in friendship, but as sorry as he felt for the guy, Arion was still a vampire.

“It means your mate is pregnant,” Kalen replied with just as much worry in his eyes as Raidh felt. “He’s just letting out his aggression, Arion. Jax would never hurt you, son.”

Raidh was still watching Arion, and saw the way he paled at the news. Like he’d just seen a ghost while simultaneously being punched in his gut.

“She’s pregnant?” he whispered.

“You take me there now!” Jax shoved a finger in Casimir’s direction with a demonic growl. “My mate is carrying mine and Arion’s child! You get me to her, Casimir. You help me find her so I can bring her home.”

“He’s got a death sentence on his head,” Damon argued. “If he’s caught, he’ll be immediately executed.”

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