Page 16 of Chev's Mate

I’ve been blocked from messaging her, and it seems that hasn’t been changed.

My mate still doesn’t wish to see me. She’s a blessed breed, so I know she feels the bond as I do. It’s only a matter of time before her urge to seek me out overshadows her fear. I can’t wait, and I snatch my newest hobby off my desk before rising and heading toward her old office.

Shifters sidestep around me, all too nervous to meet my eye. I’m happy not to have the distraction of their conversation.

Vanessa’s office still smells faintly of her, and I shut the door to keep the air in before sitting at her desk and flipping open my book. I don’t know much about nymphs, but I found a wonderful book on them in Silas’s library. I’m determined to get through it before he notices I’ve stolen from him and comes to collect.

I find the page I last left off on, already giddy. The more I learn about my mate, the more my excitement grows.

The nymphs are a fun breed.

I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never paid too much attention to them before finding Vanessa. They’re not physically strong—even the males weak and small—but now I find the nymphs to be nothing less than fascinating. They love nature, which is ideal, considering my home is in the middle of wooded shifter lands.

The females are occasionally gifted with affinities, too. They usually tie into emotions or nature, and I wonder if Vanessa has any. I’m sure she’ll tell me everything there is to know about her once she realizes I’m the man she’s meant to be with.

The next section offers a physical description of nymphs, but I skip over it. The author of this book clearly has a sexual interest in them, and I don’t want to read something that’s going to make me angry. I’m sure he’ll have written something crude about the nymph female’s shape or size, and I don’t care to read it.

Nymph women have always been highly sought-after. Their delicate nature and giving personalities were a perverse fascination for many of the males who purchased females for pleasure. The thought of Vanessa being abused by them fills me with an uncontrollable rage, but I do my best not to let it consume me. That’s best done by avoiding the sections of the book that objectify them.

Nymphs don’t like violence, so I will be calm for my mate.

A knock on the office door draws my attention, but I ignore it. It’s probably Echo coming to lecture me about being in Vanessa’s office. I’m going to pretend I’m not here until she goes away. Sometimes it works.

The door slams open, the thick wood smacking against the wall.

It’s Aziel, and I smoothly hide away the book I stole from Silas. Aziel welcomes himself inside Vanessa’s office, and he pretends not to have noticed the book as he shuts the door behind him and looks around.

“How’s she doing?” I ask.

Aziel cocks a brow. “Hello to you, too.”

Vanessa’s office has a pretty view, and Aziel peers out her window. The view from my office is even better, and I think Vanessa will love it. She can sit on my lap and admire it while I work. Then she can admire me.

“Well?” I ask. “How is she?”

Aziel rolls his eyes. “She’s adjusting well,” he finally says. “She’s been busy, and the women seem to like her.”

I nod, happy to hear it, as I trail my fingers aimlessly over my mate mark. It’s slowly darkening, but not nearly as quickly as I’d like. Had I made a better first impression, there’s a chance it’d be black by now. Vanessa and I would be in a good place, and instead of the news talking about my mistreatment of my mate, they’d be celebrating us.

“Has she asked about me?” I ask.

I have a feeling I already know the answer, but I’m a glutton for punishment.

Aziel shakes his head, giving me my answer even before his lips form the wordno.

My bear urges me to seek Vanessa out and hide away with her, and it’s getting harder to fight the urge. What if she’s in danger and I can’t reach her in time? Despite my trust in Aziel, a part of me is angry with his involvement in keeping her from me—even if I know he’s doing it at her request.

Aziel steps closer to me, and I frown when I catch a hint of my mate on his clothing.

He visits his facility most days, but my bear doesn’t seem to understand or care that he’s not doing it to spite me. I’m starting to see my dearest friend as competition, and for once, I’m grateful Aziel is stronger than I am. I’d hate to lose control and accidentally kill him.

Aziel seems to sense my growing anger as his nostrils flare and his eyes narrow. His body grows rigid as he prepares for a fight, and a second later, the full extent of his power fills my lungs. It doesn’t intimidate me the way he wants it to.

If anything, it only seems to worsen my misplaced fury.

I stand to match his height. “She’smymate.”

Aziel nods, quickly agreeing. “I have no interest in her, Chev.”

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