Page 112 of Malice
A knot twisted in my stomach at his words. Logically, I’d already surmised that would be the case, but hearing it confirmed made it real in a way I wasn’t yet ready to deal with. The idea that Merri might actually be out of reach was too horrible to contemplate. But the wards hadn’t been breached, I’d know. She hadn’t left us.
Not yet, anyway.
“She wouldn’t be wandering the grounds alone, would she? Not after the attack,” Sin murmured.
I cocked a brow. “Have you met our girl?”
“We should split up like we did the last time she went MIA.”
“Look at you go, G.I. Joe. Using your fancy soldier words,” Sin said, slapping Chaos on the shoulder.
“G.I. Joe wishes he was as strong as me.”
“As strong asI,” I corrected, unable to help myself.
A low growl rumbled from Chaos, but I wasn’t worried about him at present. I needed to ensure my mate was accounted for.
Yourmate. She’s your mate now?
The word felt right, even if my brain stuttered every time it was said. For as much as my words earlier had been for Grim, they’d been a reminder for myself as well. The horsemen might not have been made to have a mate, but that didn’t mean our course couldn’t be altered. Just because something had always been true didn’t mean that it would continue to be. I was intimately familiar with evolution. Too familiar, in fact, to ever believe I was exempt from it.
One had to adapt to survive, and it would seem that Merri was crucial to that process. Did I want to reflect on how necessary Merri felt to my survival? No, I absolutely did not.
“I’ll check in with Christian and see if he’s seen her. She’s grown rather fond of him over the last few weeks.” I headed for the front door, not waiting for either of them to tell me their plan. I trusted them to handle it.
It was a short job to his cabin, and as it turned out, there was no need for me to knock on the door. As I approached, Christian was coming around the back, a pair of dirt-stained gardening gloves adorning his hands.
‘“Ah, monsieur, what can I do for you?” He began removing the gloves as he drew closer to me.
“Have you seen Merri today?”
His eyes widened, mouth forming a littleObefore he shook his head. “No, I am afraid not.”
“Damn,” I bit out, frustration and panic spiking.
“Is something the matter?”
Glancing around, I searched for any hint of her. A flash of red, Merri-sized footprints, a dropped hair elastic. Anything would be better than what I came up with.
“I had really hoped she’d be here,” I admitted.
“Did you two have an argument?”
“You could say that. Technically, I wasn’t the cause of the issue.”
“Ah, well, I wish I could help you, but I have been gardening all morning, and I have not seen her.”
I blew out a breath and ran a hand through my hair as I recalibrated my options. “Right, well... I’ll let you get back to it then. If you do see her, come find me.”
Christian nodded, pulling the gloves out of his back pocket and shoving his hands into them. “Of course.”
Where are you hiding, hellcat?
I glanced around the grounds, hoping inspiration might strike. Or better yet, that she’d come walking my way. I’d gladly accept her fury if it meant that she was safe in hand. Preferablymyhand.
I’d only just left Christian and begun a search around the back of the château when I felt it. That hook tugging and twisting my insides.
I’d wanted a sign, butthiswas not at all what I’d had in mind.
