Page 39 of Midnight Mate
At my words, Delphine blinked, and her expression cleared. The glow in her skin dimmed, and the wind settled. She stared back at me, once again the prim and proper woman from before.
“A mate for a mate, Mr. Raines, that is what the fates demand.”
“I don’t understand. I just want to heal my knee—”
“Your knee is simply the calling. It is not the answer.”
“Then what’s the answer?” I demanded, my patience gone.
Delphine simply smiled. “A midnight mate—or death.”
“How do I choose if I don’t understand what it means?”
“You know what you need to do. The choice is not up to you. In the end, she’ll be the one to choose.”
Thunder boomed and my phone rang, interrupting what had to be the strangest and most frustrating conversation I’d ever had in my entire life.
I silenced the call without even checking who it was, intent on getting more information about whatever Delphine’s cryptic proclamation meant. But when I looked up again, she was gone.
I blinked, looking around.
Overhead, the clouds were clearing fast, and bright sunlight was peeking through. But there was no trace of Delphine.
What the fuck?
I checked my phone and did a double-take when I saw there wasn’t a single missed call in my history.
Double fuck.
I charged forward, angry enough to risk the witches’ wrath. Storming up the steps and through the cabin door, I stopped short. The place was utterly empty. No Delphine. No furniture. Nothing.
My phone rang again, and this time, I answered it, needing something to be real.
“Hello?”
“East?”
“Angus.” I sighed, striding out of the cabin and down the steps to my truck.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“I don’t even know, man.”
“Okay, well, I got a text saying the meeting was over. Weird, but I thought I’d check in.”
“Thanks, man.” The meeting was definitely over.
“Did they agree to help?”
I walked back outside.
“Yes…and no.” My mind was beginning to spin with all the possibilities of what—and who—Delphine was talking about. “I need to go, but I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Okay, man. Sure. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
I drove for the better part of an hour and ended up at Cat’s apartment. She was at work, according to her roommate. But safe. No spilled blood.
