Page 119 of Your Coffin or Mine
Aubrey:
I’m sorry. I can’t do this.
What the fuck does that mean? I quickly dial her.
The solid sounds ofbeep beep beepgreet my ear, and my stomach drops that much further as tires pull away behind me. Dust kicks up into a thick cloud, cloaking me in dirt and debris, but I can’t find the will to care as anguish rips through my being.
She left me?
“Why is everyone leaving me?” I whisper.
Aubrey wouldn’t do this, not like this.At least I hope she wouldn’t.
The thought that she would leave after agreeing to be mine tears at something fundamental inside my chest. A keening cry leaves my lips as tears well in my eyes, and I slap my hands over my face to hide them. My nostrils flare the next second as clarity roars through my brain, and I glare at the taillights slipping over the bridge of my lands.
There is no way Frank didn’t have a hand in this.Where the fuck is Doyle?My blood boils as I recall Frank has a nearby airfield, and there’s no way that pompous prick didn’t fly here in something.
If he took her, I will find her.
Changing back into my bat form, I fly up around the castle and zoom over the trees, intent on reaching the small stretch of land Frank has always used for his flying contraptions. The stench of exhaust meets my nostrils and I push myself harder, morphing and changing to let my feet touch the ground at the small airfield with its empty tarmac. There are no planes to be seen.
Engaging my keen sense of smell, I track her to a few feet away where fresh tire marks have imprinted the dirt road. I growl in frustration when I realize I am too late. Staring up into the night sky, I spot the twinkling lights of the private jet in the distance and catch the faint rumble of the engine, long gone.
I smell no more than a tiny trace of her, and my stomach sinks with the realization that she really has left me.
Chapter 36
VLAD
“For the last time,I did not invite Frank here.” Doyle rubs at his temples as he sits in his chair across from me, obviously still fighting the effects of whatever Jekyll used to incapacitate him. “You started all of this by going viral.” He punctuates this with a glare from across the desk of my study, rubbing the back of his head and wincing.
Bullshit. “I highly doubt that.” Frank must have been planning this from the start.
I don’t for a second believe Aubrey would leave mewillingly. She has always spoken her mind and would tell me herself if she were unhappy, unlike Hilda. I stare at the fireplace, going over recent events, and there is no doubt someone has orchestrated all of this.
“It’s true. Frank wouldn’t have wanted to join Jekyll in coming here if he hadn’t seen you plastered all over the internet with a human,” Doyle says.
I grind my teeth to keep from losing my temper entirely and hurting my one friend in the world. “What do you mean,joinhim here? I didn’t realize I had extended him an invitation.”
His brows come together, a resignation filling his expression. “You wouldn’t leave her alone, so I had no choice but to ask Jekyll’s opinion. He thought maybe the sunscreen could be causing some side effects.” He holds his palms up, shaking his head. “You have to admit, it’s not a bad theory. You started eating and then claiming she’s your mate almost instantly. What did you expect me to do?”
So he did invite them here.
My fist clenches with the need to pummel him, but his attire gives me pause. I have not seen Doyle this disheveled in years. His white shirt is unbuttoned, he doesn’t have a hair in place, and dirt stains cover most of his arms and a shoulder. His expensive suit jacket is missing entirely. For as long as I have known him, this is as dressed down as I have seen.
It serves him right for not discussing Jekyll with me.
“Except sheismy mate, you idiot. Vampires are not like the wolves you’ve studied. I am acting this way becauseshe is my bride. A drop of her blood, Doyle, and I haven’t eaten in hours.” I wave my hand through the air in frustration. “Get me a plane to the Americas.”
Thunking his elbows down onto the chair’s armrests, Doyle ducks his head and runs his fingers through his hair. “Impossible. We’ve been hacked.”
“What do you mean, we’ve been hacked?”
“I mean that Frank has locked down everything. I can’t get into the router because there are no phone lines at all. No Wi-Fi, no nothing. You see?” he huffs out, flipping his open laptop on a nearby table toward me and pointing at the “No internet connection” message on the screen.
Frank would try to keep me grounded, most likely thinking the mate bond will fade given half the chance.
“He also took down the cell towers. We don’t have access to anything. We don’t even have a radio to use to get you anywhere.You’re going to have to wait, and I don’t know how long.” He sits back in his chair, tossing his hands into the air as he does. He scowls at the computer screen, pulling at his hair roughly, making it stick out in all directions. “I don’t know what to do.”
