Page 9 of Definitely Dead

But he also happened to be the only person in sight.

“Hey,” Sunne said, adopting the same cherry expression he used to greet patrons at the library. “We’re a little lost.”

The guy paused at the mouth of the alley, his big frame visibly tense. A thick beard covered the lower half of his face, obscuring his features, but his eyes pinched at the corners as if Sunne’s very existence offended him.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” the stranger said, his voice quiet with a hint of gravel.

Obviously. He thought he’d made that clear. “Right. So, uh, if you could just point us in the right direction, that would be great.”

The man’s eyes—one a deep, rich brown, and the other a bright, burning amber—flickered to his and Lizzie’s clasped hands, and a low growl sounded from his chest.

Okay, weird, and kind of rude. Sure, the guy was stupid hot, but he really needed to work on his people skills.

Lizzie immediately shook off his grip and took a measured step to the side, creating distance between them.

Sunne sighed as he shot her a wounded glare.

“Traitor,” he muttered from the side of his mouth before focusing on the male again. “Anyway, if you could just tell us where we’re supposed to go, we’ll be on our way.”

“Hey, Tyr, wait up.” Another muscle-bound male dressed in solid black jogged out of the alleyway, pausing across the street when he spotted Sunne and Lizzie. “You’re new.” Striding forward, he offered his hand, his lips stretching into a grin. “I’m Rune. Welcome to the Underworld.”

“I’m Sunne.”

He reached forward but froze when the other man—Tyr, apparently—growled again. Tired, confused, and just wanting answers, he pulled his hand back and huffed out an irritated breath.

“Seriously, what is your problem?”

Tyr’s entire body trembled, from anger or something else, it wasn’t clear. A pale light glowed from his dual-colored eyes, and his upper lip peeled back to reveal an impressive set of elongated canines.

Scary.

Kind of hot.

Utterly unhelpful.

“Well?” Sunne demanded. “Say something.”

Another deep, harsh growl spilled from his lips, and when he finally spoke, it was only a single word.

“Mine.”

Chapter three

Drowninginanoceanof conflicting and unfamiliar emotions, Tyr couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. Nothing made sense, but at the same time, he had the unshakeable conviction that his entire life had been leading to this moment.

Long-buried instincts clawed their way to the surface, each one vying for dominance. A possessiveness of this stranger with an aura as sunny as his name. A fierce protectiveness that made his vow to the Nightstar family look like a pinky promise in comparison.

And the absolute certainty that this vibrant human would change him in irrevocable ways.

“Well, shit.” Turning to Sunne, Rune rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I hope you were planning to stay.”

Tyr waited, his heart pounding, for Sunne’s answer.

But his mate didn’t respond. Instead, eyes the color of melted chocolate bore into him, assessing him, as if Sunne could see every secret written in his soul.

Finally, he looked away, his gaze flickering to Rune, and he nodded. “I’m staying.” He gestured to the girl beside him. “She’s not.”

A strand of glossy black hair fell over one eye when he moved his head, and Tyr had the insane urge to reach out and brush it away, offended that it obstructed his view. Guessing his touch would be unwelcome given the circumstances, he curled his fingers into a fist and rooted his feet to the hard stones beneath his boots.

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