Page 88 of Understanding Fate

Cain: No, just stuck me in a cell for the night.

The guard opens a door, and I know, without even entering, that she is inside. As soon as I enter, Noah springs from his chair.

“You still have him in cuffs!?! Remove them at once!” He demands, horror evident in his voice as he yells at the man escorting me.

“Apologies, counselor, I haven’t got the keys. I’ll send for them and have one of the prosecutors bring them,” he says, dipping his head in a polite farewell before leaving through the same door we’d entered.

My eyes never leave hers as I stare, reconnecting with her and finding peace, knowing she is perfectly fine.

I take a seat on her right and lean over to kiss her, capturing her mouth with mine in a possessive exchange. Her moan echoes through the mind-link, and I have to physically push my wrists into the silver to force myself to stop.

When I pull back, her eyes are slow to open, and she smiles knowingly.

She can feel how much I missed her. How much I want her.

Cain: Forever, Firefly.

Bri: Forever.

She responds, her voice breathy even in my head, and I take her hand in both of mine, careful to keep the cuffs from touching her skin.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to pull you out. They were giving me the run around since there are two court dates now,” Noah says, sliding into the open chair next to me. “Have they questioned or adjudicated you at all?” he asks, noting the cuffs in the leather-bound notebook before him.

“No, just had me locked up and dosed with a block,” I say, not looking at him. “What’s this meeting for?” I ask, not entirely sure why a special council for my criminal misbehavior isn’t seeing us.

“Not sure. I tried to get your hearing moved up to today, but they wouldn’t budge on it; then I went and retrievedBrielle, and suddenly, the council wants this negotiated first,” he says, shrugging and drawing his brows together to show his confusion.

“What are my chances?” I ask, knowing they’ve added some inflated charges because I’d hurt their pride when I took her.

She’s my fucking Mate.

Let’s hope it's a defense that is strong enough.

“Well, on the witness tampering, you could get anything from probation to six months of hard time. The abduction charge can be anything from five to ten years, depending on the person's determination of whether it's aggravated or not, and failure to obey is most likely a slap on the wrist to a penance of community service, six months to a year,” he rattles off, not adding any emotion to the information.

That’s one thing about Noah. He is always collected. I’ve never met anyone who has held their patience more, and he has had to go through it with our pack over the years.

As Bri considers what that would mean for us, I feel the tension running over the bond, and I rub slow circles into her hands.

Cain: It’s okay, Firefly. We knew this was a risk. None of these things will be the maximum sentence. Breathe.

She exhales, but her stress stays firmly seated on her shoulders.

Before I can ask my next question, I hear footsteps in the hall and center myself, pulling my mask on to keep my emotions to myself.

The door opens, and three men walk in. I don’t recognize any of them but I feel my Mate tense and feel the anger she has simmering.

Cain: Talk to me.

Bri: The one with the long beard. He tried to use command on me earlier.

She sends, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep a growl from escaping.

Cain: Tried?

Bri: uh huh. I guess I’m stronger than he is, too.

She sends it, and I feel her pride. It matches mine, and my need to defend her dissipates, knowing that having him not be able to force her was its own kind of humiliation.

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