Page 84 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

Isabella glanced one more time behind her as she and Frances exited the serene villa.She released a sigh of irritation as she slid into the backseat of the Rolls Royce.It had been one of her favorite residences.She hated losing it.

“Do you need me to call the plane, ma’am?”Frances asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

“Yes, please,” she said, leaning back in her seat.

Hyder was finishing his second plate of food when he heard footsteps approaching.He hoped it was Frances with the coffee he liked.He might ask her for something more substantial than the tea cakes and sandwiches.The request died on his lips when he saw the man calmly walking towards him.

“Hello, Hyder,” Eric greeted.

“Fuck,” Hyder murmured.

His mouth went dry as he stared into the cold, empty eyes of the rhino-shifter.Eric walked over to the table, set down a white coffee carafe, and slid onto the cushioned chair across from him.Hyder’s eyes followed Eric’s movements when the General lifted the carafe and filled a delicate porcelain cup with the steaming brew.His stomach tightened with suspicion when Eric pushed the cup and saucer across the table without pouring himself a cup.Sweat beaded on his brow as he stared at the dark brown liquid with growing dread.

“Yes, you truly are—fucked.But first, I want to know what happened to my men,” Eric replied.

Nightsky Estate:

“Talon.”

Talon turned away from the window.He bowed his head in greeting when Danielle entered the study and raised an eyebrow of inquiry when he noticed she was alone.She chuckled and motioned behind her.

“The others are coming.Sofia is saying goodnight to your grandfather.Mateo is trying to bait Xavier into showing off some of his new moves.Miles is taking care of some business, and Juliette is refreshing herself before she joins us,” she explained.

“It is good to have everyone together,” he said.

He motioned to a chair in front of the fireplace.Danielle walked over and sat down.He poured a glass of white wine for her and refilled his glass with bourbon.Walking over, he held it out to her.

“Thank you.”She leaned her head back against the back of the chair.“What have you heard?”

He sank down into the chair next to her, stretched out his legs, and stared at the fire dancing in the hearth.A low chuckle slipped from him.Of course Danielle wouldn’t have missed his quiet withdrawal from the group.A call had come in from the SBSI unit regarding the blood samples that had been collected.

“I told you this is where he kept the good stuff,” Miles said, entering the study and making a beeline for the bar.

“Does he have any whiskey?”Mateo asked.

“Make that two, please, Miles,” Juliette said with a smile.

“Xavier?”Miles held up the bottle of whiskey.

“I’d prefer a cup of tea,” Xavier said.

“Xavier, you are going to give us superheroes a bad name if they discover you are drinking tea,” Mateo complained.

“I’ll make you some.I think tea would be nice,” Sofia said.

Talon waited until the group settled onto the plush couches and chairs that formed a semi-circle in front of the massive fireplace.Despite the late hour, they were all still reflecting on their new positions as Protectors.The last few months had changed all of their lives.

“It took some digging, but we have matches for the team on the mountain,” he said.

Silence fell around the room as everyone turned their attention to him.He studied each of their faces.Mateo had a cut along his cheek.Juliette had a bandage around her hand.Those were the only signs that they had been in a battle.

“They were all ex-military.According to their files, they were either declared dead or missing-in-action between two and six years before today.I have a team working on finding out how that happened and what they’ve been doing since,” he said.

Danielle raised a delicate eyebrow.“It takes a lot of money to play dead, especially for that long,” she observed.

“Yes, it does.Xavier?—”

“I can assure you they are dead this time.Mateo, Miles, and I made sure that no bodies will be found,” Xavier replied.

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