Page 15 of Unforeseen Mate
“Yes, he’s given her an ultimatum: either she kills Hutch, or he kills her best friend, a woman named Fallon Kent.”
“Dr. Fallon Kent?” asked Hayden, hiding the fear and agitation that washed over him.
“One and the same. Do you know her?”
“I’ve never met the woman.” Which was the truth. What he didn’t share with Colby was that he had been seeing the intriguing Dr. Kent for months in his dreams. The woman was his fated mate, but he was not inclined to share that information with Colby. How the hell had Strode managed to find out she was important to the Ghost and kidnap her? This was unacceptable, but there was no way he would tip his hand to the lynx-shifter. “I’ve read several articles that she has authored and find her research and the conclusions she draws to be well-thought-out and far too close to the truth. She’s not a shifter, is she?”
“No. She is human and Nora’s best friend. It would be better if Nora remained here, and you went in to save her.”
Well, at least they were in agreement about who would be saving her. “Does she know Abraham is a dragon-shifter?”
“Unknown.”
“You do know Abraham’s lair is literally a fortress, which means I most likely will have to reveal at least some of my abilities and a lot of our secrets to her.” This didn’t overly concern Hayden as in the end, his mate would know all.
“Yes. It isn’t ideal, but I don’t think there’s any way around it. Nora is inclined to think Fallon will deal with the reality of what she sees and be able to accept it more easily than others might. Nora is working with my people to get you as detailed a set ofschematics of the place as she can. She should have them ready to go in the morning. You are more than welcome to spend the night here at Windsong.”
“I suppose Deke is still far too enraptured with his mate to want to go drinking with me.” While whiskey might have been the excuse, Hayden was far more interested in picking Deke’s brain. But at the end of the day Fallon was his mate and it fell to Hayden to see her safely through this ordeal.
Colby chuckled. “I would think that is a fair supposition. Come on, the clowder is getting ready for dinner.”
Hayden joined Colby and his people for the evening, enjoying the way they were able to share their lives. Hellhounds were a pack, but they were scattered in the In-Between between the worlds. Hayden’s dream was to bring them together as a force to be reckoned with above, below, and in between.
After dinner, Hayden and Colby retreated to Colby’s office to talk strategy and enjoy one another’s company. Colby was one of the few Earth-bound men Hayden felt completely at ease with. The other two were Deke and Mason. If it hadn’t been for the three of them, Hayden doubted anyone would ever have tried to engage the hellhounds.
Some of the pack resented that if the Resistance hadn’t felt so threatened, they would never have reached out. Hayden didn’t care why the time felt ripe to rejoin those who lived above; he just knew that unless they found a way to co-exist, his people were headed toward extinction with no other species capable of guarding the gates of the Underworld. It wasn’t so much about keeping those above from entering the dark realm as it was about keeping those who were already damned from trying to regain their place on Earth.
The hellhounds had to survive extinction.
“I think I’d better get a good night’s sleep,” Hayden said, lifting his glass of single malt in salute to Colby.
“Do you think you’re sober enough to get up the stairs? I haven’t drunk half as much as you, and I’m not sure I can.”
“Why walk when I can shimmer?” he said, doing so.
“Show off,” snarled Colby, good-naturedly.
“Always,” replied Hayden when only the ghost of his smile remained, before it too blinked out of existence. It was one of the major advantages of being hellhound—they could vanish and reappear somewhere else. The distance and time of their movements were finite, but in many situations, it could be the difference between success and failure.
He smiled as he reappeared in the room Colby always reserved for him. There was the most glorious shower in the attached bath—hot, steamy, and with lots of water. It wasn’t something the world in-between had. After thoroughly enjoying himself, Hayden walked over to the French doors leading out onto the balcony and threw them wide, walking out to feel the cold, crisp wind blowing off the sea.
Hayden could feel her reaching out. She was frightened, but she was in a comfortable bed and for now, at least, she was safe. He would join her and offer her comfort. That wasn’t true; he would join her in his dreams and make love to her, reminding her he was with her.
Standing on a hill up above Apophis’s fortress, Hayden called to her—the eerie sound of his howl echoing over the dark moor. He could feel her body shiver in response to his call. She looked out of a barred window toward the hill on which he stood. He was an impressive sight as a hellhound—an enormous black, shaggy, wolf-like creature, with glowing eyes and fur tinged with small flames.
Watching her intently, he began to move toward her. This time she could not run from him, although her attempts to escape him always proved futile. Hayden knew she understoodshe was dreaming, which most likely explained why she didn’t fear their encounters.
Hayden shimmered to cloak his presence from Apophis and his soldiers in case they had found a way to enter her dreams. Fallon stood waiting, her hands gripping the bars of the window. She was dressed in a gauzy, almost ethereal gown of gossamer silk. It was loose but did nothing to hide the curves of the woman beneath—curves he intended to enjoy.
As he made it past the walls surrounding Apophis’s home, he could feel his cloak of invisibility threatening to fall. He leaped up and through the walls of the main keep, allowing him to materialize behind her. Thankfully, it wasn’t the first time she had seen him naked in all his aroused glory.
“Where have you been?” she chided him.
“I did not know you were in danger. I do now,” he said, sensing her fear as his face formed a fierce expression.
He moved toward her, watching her stand her ground, her chin lifted defiantly. His mate was frightened of the situation in which she found herself, but not of him.
“Good mate,” he rumbled deep and low, his hand reaching out to go under her tangled mane, fisting it in one hand. “I have missed you.”
