Page 58 of Marked By Night

“That it does,” he agrees.

“Do you have a name besides mutt or dog?” Dante asks, being way more diplomatic than me for once.

“Nope, not yet anyway. Sadie gets to decide.”

“This is so weird,” I mutter, refocusing on the road. I pluck the original map from the cup holder and tell Dante to read me off the directions to distract myself from the shit show.

* * *

It takesseveral hours to reach our destination, and I can tell by the sharp clench of his jaw that Elian is furious by the time we get close. He hates when his plans don’t go the way he expects. Or really, he hates anything that he can’t control. And this is a massive fucking curveball.

Sadie still hasn’t woken up and I’m starting to worry slightly—despite the mutt’s reassurances she’ll be okay. I’m not ready to take his word at face value yet. Especially where my mate is involved.

My mate. It’s such a simple phrase but it holds so much meaning and fills me with inconceivable joy. I never thought this day would come. None of us did. We’d all pretty much given up hope. It begs the question, why us?

And why Sadie?

I watch in the rearview as Elian shoves his phone back into his pocket in frustration.I still haven’t been able to get ahold of the Light Weaver’s heir,he projects into my mind.

We’ve been friends with the heir—despite our parents’ wishes—since we were very young. The Night Weavers have always held a grudge for our lighter counterparts, but it was never anything serious until recently. The Elders declared war on them for our differences and we’ve been at each other’s throats ever since.

Well, I should say they have been at each other’s throats ever since. We have a pact with our friend to not engage in fights. There’s no way to know for certain if he knows they have broken the treaty until we speak to him, but Elian can’t get ahold of him.

A soft cry pulls my attention over to my still sleeping mate. She must be having a bad dream because she cries out again, thrashing in Dante’s arms. A stab of pain shoots through my heart. Dante shushes her until she jerks awake. She throws her hands out in defense, catching Dante in the nose before realizing where she is. Her hands fly to her mouth and she makes a keening noise in the back of her throat.

“I’m so sorry, Dante!” she apologizes, rubbing his nose.

“Yeah, heads-up, she’s real feisty when she first wakes up. I only tried waking her up once before I decided that it’s not worth the black eye,” her friend Ashley mumbles with a laugh as she pats Dante lightly on the back.

Dante fake groans, shooting her a mischievous look. “You hit me pretty hard, Angel. I think you’re going to have to kiss it and make it better.”

I roll my eyes and punch the fucker in the arm. Sadie smirks and kisses his cheek. Or well, would’ve if Dante didn’t turn his head into the kiss, capturing her lips in a bruising blend of passion and haste. Like he couldn’t take not having his lips on her any longer. I don’t blame him.

Sadie squeaks in protest and it’s super adorable. Though, she’d probably stab me for thinking that. My feisty little mate.

When they break apart, her guilty eyes fly to mine, and she starts apologizing to me. My lips twitch. “He’s your mate too, my Little Flame. It’s all right.”

Her shoulders sag a fraction, and she settles back into Dante. She has a lot to learn about us and our society. Fortunately, she seems to be taking everything extremely well.

25

Sadie

Warmth surrounds me, capturing me in its harsh clutches. I try to wiggle free, to fight the nightmares around me, but the heat only pulls me in closer to its dark embrace. A strong band of steel wraps around my middle as something rocks me back and forth while murmuring in my ear.

Wait, what?

Consciousness slowly reenters my foggy brain, shattering the tranquility of the moment. I jolt, hand flying out to defend myself from my foggy mind’s perceived threat. My fingers crash into a nose and a perfect set of amber eyes before my brain catches up and I realize I’m in Dante’s arms still.

“I’m so sorry,” I groan, trying to wipe his face like that’s magically going to erase what happened.

“Yeah, heads-up, she’s real feisty when she first wakes up. I only tried waking her up once before I decided that it’s not worth the black eye,” Ash chimes in, leaning forward to pat Dante on the back.

His mouth tips up into a pouty grin. “You hit me pretty hard, Angel. I think you’re going to have to kiss it and make it better.”

I bite my lip, debating for a moment before leaning in and planting a quick peck on his cheek. Or I would’ve if he hadn't turned his head. Too late to stop now. Not that I really wanted to, anyway.

My lips descend on his, and his soft mouth melds against mine perfectly. I can’t stop the groan that slips past my lips as his hand slides through my hair, gripping the back of my head as he takes control, coaxing my mouth open to slide his tongue inside.

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