Page 63 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate

I sniffed the air. That was too much copper for such a small splash of blood. Enraged by my discovery, I barreled onto the porch, hopped down the steps, and roared into the yard. Dozens of nocturnal critters scattered away from the edge ofthe yard—and that was probably a good thing considering what would happen if I didn’t find my mate soon.

“Where is she?” I boomed at the yard. “Show yourself,now!”

“So touchy,” came a teasing voice, “but I’m afraid I must do what most of your people believe is fair.”

Out of the darkness came a woman slightly taller than Robyn with leather black hair, khaki beige skin, and honey eyes. She wore an evergreen robe like Robyn and an expression of disdain.

She sneered while holding her elongated nails to Robyn’s throat—right on the spot where I marked her. “An eye for an eye.”

“What the hell did I take from you?”

“Not me,” she taunted with a whimsical laugh. She blinked, turning her eyes black in an instant. “Me.”

I growled as I bowed into an attack position.

She flicked her wrist, drawing a tiny line of blood from my mate. Robyn was void of emotion for the moment. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but she didn’t look good. Her usually golden tawny skin was rice paper white and appeared to host a sheen of sweat. The way she grabbed the woman’s wrists to keep the claws away from her neck was rigid and determined.

But weak.

I held out a hand. “Don’t hurt her.”

“I can’t guarantee my nail won’t slip.”

“What do you want?”

She bared her teeth, snarled, and then licked her lips, standing tall like a model. “The inheritance. You tookSostrethfrom us. We can’t continue without his blessing. You ruined us. You ruinedthis.” She dragged another nail across Robyn’s throat, prompting a squeal.

I jumped forward with both hands raised in surrender. “Come on, there’s gotta be something I can get for you, right? Something you can’t get in your dimension, eh? You have needs and desires, too. You’re a unique demon.”

Her grip loosened. “Can you get me the Biltmore?”

“You want an estate?” I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“No, you fool. It’sinthe estate. A Bi—” Her tongue lengthened and drooped, then tugged taut like it was being pulled by an invisible hand.

My ear tingled. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as a drop of rain dabbed my forehead. Another one fell. And then another. Thunder rolled in from the east.

I smiled. “I may not know your name yet, Demon. But I will. And my sister will help with that.”

The demon woman screeched as her head snapped back, and her mouth widened like a snake unhinging its jaw. Cries of terror resonated from her throat that glowed a heavenly white. To my left, Faye approached with her hands raised, shouting in Latin as her eyes went white.

Hurricane Faye had just landed.

Hell yeah.

Faye clapped her hands together. “Let hergo.”

“Tell me what to do!” I shouted over the growing storm overhead. Lightning struck the yard, kicking dirt and rocks up from it carved a crater into the ground. I shielded my eyes against the water and debris. “Faye!”

“Grab Robyn!”

My heart urged me to stand still. “Faye, don’t.”

She didn’t look at me, but I could see the tears streaming down her face as she held her palms open, locked down her stance, and bent furiously toward the demon woman holding my mate hostage. “Just…grab…Robyn…”

Thunder crackled above our heads. The sound prodded me to pounce on the demon woman and wrestle Robyn away as Faye continued to work her magic. As solid of a plan as it was on paper, I knew that, in practice, something had gone wrong. Faye wasn’t holding up her hands as steadily as usual. The storm was turning into a frenzied hurricane.

My sister was losing control.

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