Page 53 of The Last Ultimatum: Part 2

“Everyone’s here because I called them in when I located you. We had this big rescue mission all planned out and everything. But someone had to go and jump the start,” I teased.

“You’d found me?”

“Of course I found you. I was in there yesterday with one of the Collectors and I caught your scent. I started calling in favors like crazy to get you out of there without causing an international incident, like some people.”

“Oops. I’m not sorry.”

“Me either.”

“I’m really sorry about your parents.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

She sucked in a shaky breath. “It was Egan. He just lost it. I didn’t even see the knife in his hand until it was too late. He stabbed your father. I tried to stop the bleeding but it was too much. It was your mother that told me to let him go. They were fully bonded.”

“I know.”

“She followed him peacefully. It was very beautiful. I hope that’s how I go someday.”

“With me being stabbed?”

“Well, not that part. I just meant together, fully bonded and still madly in love.”

“Are you trying to say you love me?”

“I do,” she said, turning to look for my reaction.

I brushed the hair away from her face. “I love you too, Tilly, my beautiful mate.”

She stiffened in my arms and shook her head.

“What is it?”

“Please don’t call me beautiful.”

I scoffed. “You are beautiful.”

“It’s not that. I wouldn’t tell them my real name. Egan and Helen both took to calling me beautiful instead. It was seriously creepy. I’m just not ready to hear that yet. I don’t think I could without cringing.”

I nodded, hating that she’d been through that. But I always knew there could be trauma from this. How could there not be?

“Gorgeous then? Goddess?”

“Much better.”

She smiled and started to relax.

Someone pounded on the door.

“At some point you have to come out. All my clothes are in there,” Grant complained.

I didn’t make any moves to get up. Instead, I kissed my mate.

She giggled and pushed me away. “I think we should get up now.”

“Boo. I think we earned a day in bed.”

“That’s not setting a very good example for the kids.”

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