Page 6 of Dark & Dreadful Brutes

His anger faded just the tiniest bit.

“Where’s your bear? Did it grab my friends?”

He glared at me. “She’s not a bear, she’s an idorr. And her name is Gleam.”

I blinked.

That was… not what I expected to hear.

“What’s an idorr, then?” He’d pronounced the word eye-door, so I made an effort to do the same.

“A magical animal much stronger, faster, and smarter than its distant relatives, the bears. They form a mental and soul-deep bond with some fae, becoming our life companions.”

I blinked again. “So… you’re married to a bear?”

At least he wouldn’t want to have sex with me.

Then again, he was gorgeous. Maybe I should’ve been mourning that fact.

“No,” he growled. “To be bonded with a beast is to be connected as friends. Gleam has a mate.”

Oh.

“And you don’t?”

“Enough questions,” he snarled at me.

“You don’t get to yell at me for not knowing something and then yell again when I try to learn,” I shot back. “You’re the one who abducted me.”

“I rescued you.”

“You and I both know you had some selfish reason for showing up where and when you did. And it probably has something to do with this.” I gestured to the silver handprint on my arm, and then to the matching one I’d noticed on his palm.

He glared at me.

I glared back, waiting for an explanation.

Finally, he said through gritted teeth, “It’s a mate bond.”

Damn.

That was not what I expected to hear.

“A mate bond?”

“Yes. It appeared when I grabbed you, which means fate has decided for whatever reason that we’re meant to be together. I spoke the words necessary to complete my side of the connection—don’t repeat them or we’ll end up stuck together permanently.”

Veil.

“I don’t even remember what you said.”

Even as the words left my lips, something in my mind whispered,

“Sillah ovim rett warum.”

“Good.” He jerked his head to the side. “Gleam is here. Prepare to say goodbye to your friends.”

“Where am I going? You’d better not kill them.”

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