Page 7 of Chev's Mate

I place my ear against the door, listening for any sounds of life. My ears aren’t nearly as good as that of the strong breeds, but I can hear heartbeats from close proximity. There’s nothing but silence, but it doesn’t calm me.

I doubt Chev will be gone for long. This job isn’t worth my freedom, and I need to disappear before he returns. There aren’tmany places for females to escape, but I’ve heard rumors of lands where shifters don’t have jurisdiction.

The door handle doesn’t budge when I try to pull it open, and after three consecutive attempts, I realize it’s locked. Chev locked me in here? How? The lock is onmyside of the door.

I kick at the wood, not caring that the action makes my toes sting. I’m faintly aware that I’m hyperventilating as I yank at the door repeatedly, trying and failing to break the lock.

Why would he trap me in here? It’s probably because he knows I’m going to run.

What if he tries to kidnap me, forcing me into some obscure, hidden area within the shifter lands? It’d be easy for him to do. Chev’s the leader, and he has nobody to answer to. There’s nobody to stop him.

Chapter Three

VANESSA

I IGNORE THE blisters forming along my palm as I yank at my office door, my desperation to leave growing by the second.

My panic is all-consuming, and I struggle to regulate my breathing as I continue pulling at the knob. Chev probably wedged something against the door, preventing it from opening, and I grimace as I give another unfruitful yank. I have no idea how long I’ve been locked inside here, probably no longer than five minutes, and I let out a frustrated shout as I kick the wood.

It hurts my foot.

“Help!” I scream.

Nobody answers, and I grimace before trying again.

A wiser person probably would’ve accepted that nobody was around to hear them, but I refuse to give up. It’s only a matter of time before somebody walks down the hallway and hears my angry shouts.

The shifters really chose the thickest wood money could buy, so I’m sure my screams aren’t traveling far.

I scan the room for something I can use to break the door. I tried doing it with my fists, but all that’s earned me is a sore wrist and bruised knuckles. My palms are sweaty and sticky as I pull open my dresser drawers and look for something, anything, I can use.

This room is empty, and I doubt the laptop or charging plug I’ve been given will be of any help.

Wait. I can message Echo.

My computer chair tips over with the force I use to shove it out of the way. It takes me three tries to unlock my computer, my shaky hands and frazzled mind causing me to type my password in wrong the first two times. I tap my foot impatiently against the floor as I navigate my way to my messages, angry with both myself and the computer for its slower-than-instant speed.

I think I might be hyperventilating again, and I freeze when I hear something in the hallway. Footfalls. Two pairs of them.

I’m back at the door a second later, banging against it with a scream. It’s about time somebody made their way here. I grow louder when the feet stop just outside my office door, and I listen carefully to the sound of something heavy being slid aside.

I knew Chev propped something up against the door.

It’s pushed open, and my lips curl into a relieved smile before I see who’s standing in the hallway. Chev is back, and he’s not alone. The large man beside him has entirely black eyes and hair, and I immediately recognize him from the news.

He’s a demon, the King of Wrath. Aziel.

I step back into the room, my heart dropping. What are they doing here?

Aziel looks me up and down as Chev did earlier, but I’m happy to note there’s no sexual nature to his gaze. If anything, he looks bored, which I take as a good sign. I like when men aren’t happy with what they see. It means they’ll leave me alone.

“Who’s this?” he asks, turning to Chev.

I curl my fingers around the fabric of my shirt, my eyes darting nervously between the two men. Why did Chev bring Aziel here? Does Chev know I’m being placed at the Wrath facility?

I hope not. I don’t want him to know anything about me.

Chev shifts his weight from foot to foot. “This is Vanessa,” he says. His tone is soft, regretful even, but I know it’s a lie. “She’s my mate.”

---