Page 57 of Top Secret Vampire

When we finally broke apart, breathless, her wide eyes shimmered.

I cradled her face with my hands, my thumbs brushing away the last of her tears. “You are everything to me. You’re brave and strong. I admire you more than you can imagine. You won’t face this alone. We’ll fight this together.”

“I . . . I don’t know how,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

“The strength in your heart is more than enough. We’ll take on this threat and defeat it.” My resolve surged as I pressed my forehead against hers. “We’re a team. I won’t let them tear us apart.”

“Okay.” Easing away, she sucked in a breath and shot it back out. “I can do this. Together, right?” Her uncertain gaze sought mine.

“Forever, Reese. Forever.”

“Forever.”

Her vulnerability stirred something deep within me, a need to protect her at all costs.

“I'm ready to go back,” she said.

With a nod, I took her hand and mistified us back to the attic to find the detective standing in the middle of the room, a cloth bag in his hand.

“Are you ready to proceed?” he asked Reese, his expression unreadable.

“Without the cuffs,” I said, my voice low and steady.

He studied us both before grunting. “I have to follow protocol. But if she agrees to come quietly—”

She straightened her shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I’ll come with you, Detective. Let’s do this.”

“There’s paperwork to fill out,” he said, taking her arm and guiding her toward the stairs. “But it will be relatively straightforward.”

“Thank you.” I could practically feel her resolve harden.

“No questions or comments until our lawyer arrives,” I said as I followed them down the stairs, all the way to the foyer.

“Somehow, I knew you'd say that,” Detective Carter said.

We left the warmth of her home, stepping into the cool air, and my heart ached to see Reese so worried. The videoevidence, plus him finding the statue in her attic, was much too incriminating, and I assumed all connected to her stalker who’d just upped the game.

No more games. They'd come for my mate.

I would destroy them.

Outside, he opened the back door of his vehicle and urged her inside. I climbed in with her. There was no way I'd follow, leaving her to face even this part of the process alone.

As he drove the vehicle toward town, I sent my shark shifter friend a message.

“Tell her not to say anything until I get there,” Brandon replied immediately. “I'll do my best to meet you there when you arrive.”

Chapter 27

Reese

As the detective pulled the vehicle into the lot in front of the station, my stomach twisted itself into a knot so tight I could barely breathe. The detective got out and opened the rear door, gesturing for me to go inside with him.

Wolf remained with me the entire time, his presence a comforting shadow that I needed more than anything right now. He kept his hand on the small of my back as if he could shield me from everything about to happen. I wasn’t ready for this. I'd never been arrested before, never even gotten so much as a speeding ticket.

This was a nightmare; one I couldn’t wake up from.

Inside, the warm air hit me like a slap, the entry sterile and silent except for the occasional clink or murmured conversation from some distance away. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a harsh glare over the gray walls and speckled linoleum floors.

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