Page 109 of Your Coffin or Mine
“They’re not going to be happy about this,” he hisses loudly, causing a staff member and guests in the hall to turn and look. “Frank will try to fight it, and honestly, I can’t blame him. This is the most insane thing you’ve ever spouted.”
He smiles and waves, playacting for the humans watching and whispering amongst themselves.
I turn to him briefly as we walk. “What if I’m right, Doyle?” I’m always right about everything, so him whining at me now makes little sense.
He throws his hands forward. “But what if you’re wrong? You have to know they will never let this go if you are. Forcing a mate bond with a human is against the rules.”
Forcing a mate bond, he says.I know what draws me to Aubrey is the real deal.
I sigh. “Come off it, Doyle. I don’t have time for this.”
“You forget I was there, Vlad. I was there during Angelique,” he goes on. “I warned Frank the same as you did about mixing with humans, and look how he turned out.”
Normally, any mention of Angelique or Celeste and I would want to pummel him, especially mentioning Frankenstein’s hand in how it all transpired. Now I can see why he raged and railed against the world when his own mate, Celeste, died. I will never let that happen to Aubrey.
“I will protect her.”
“Against them all? Aubrey has no idea what she is getting into.”
I smile and allow him to see, to feel the rage boiling within me at the mere thought of anyone touching her. “Aubrey will be fine. If she accepts me, there’s nothing they can do.”
His brows come together. “Yeah, but until then.”
Until then, she could become a target. I always knew that, but I’m hoping to convince her by the end of the week. So long as everyone leaves us alone, everything will go splendidly.
She did say okay to “dating” as the humans call it.Even after I told her everything.
I shake my head and continue down the hall. “Find Jekyll before someone does something stupid. I am fairly starving after all.”
He rolls his eyes at the joke.
“This is not going to end well,” he murmurs.
His throat is in my hand the next millisecond before I wrap it around the back of his neck, hugging him to me. I nuzzle his head with my own, like I would when he was a boy. “Doyle, I have waited centuries for her. My father waited more lifetimes than I can fathom for my mother, and I vow to you here and now, I will never let her go. I cannot.”
He huffs. “This fucking sucks. You know this is going to create an even bigger rift among us,” he says, whining, and I grin, hugging him for a moment before shoving him away.
He is correct. This could plummet our friendship forever, but I find I don’t care. Aubrey is more important, and times have obviously changed. She is mine, and that’s all that matters.
“No larger than what it is already.”
Rotating my shoulders, I loosen, allowing the monster to slide free as I rip off my tie. I rip my cloak off, preparing to fly off into the night. The faster I find Jekyll, the faster I can get back to Aubrey.
“Fine,” he growls. “But I am not saying fuck all for you. Frank is going to have an aneurysm.”
“That would be so tragic.” Maybe next time he can get a better brain, the blockhead.
“Just try to get along. The party will be over soon.” He sighs and takes one last look around. “I saw Jekyll leave his car, but I can’t smell him inside.”
“If he’s not inside, then there’s only one place he could be.”
“The cathedral?” he asks, stroking his chin.
I nod as I open a window on the second floor in preparation. “Only place I can think of. Although, I don’t know why he’s not coming to me head on.”
Then again, it’s Jekyll, and nothing he does makes any sense. It’s why I can’t tolerate his presence. I like calm andcontrol, which is best achieved alone in solitude. Jekyll is chaos personified.
I jump from the open window and morph into a bat, relishing the crisp wind rushing over me. It doesn’t take me long to pick up their scents when I head over the forest, proving I was right—like I always am.
