Moon of Misfortunes

31

Rubio pulls me from the room and into the main quarters of the palace. He drags me up to our room, looking around with a frown.

"Where are our suitcases?" he asks.

"I don't know," I reply, frowning as I notice they are gone.

"I had your Beta take them to the car. Matt offered to drive you both home," Rosia states from behind us.

Her voice startles me, and I slap a hand over my chest to soothe my rapid heartbeat. My breathing starts to level off after a few seconds.

"You scared me," I huff.

"My bad," she replies, shrugging. Rubio steps forward, catching her attention. He glances at me before continuing.

"Nikolai is dead in Adaline's old room," he says firmly. A grin tugs on her lips before she chokes it back.

"Thanks for telling me, but I already know. My guards scraped him off the floor. No worries on my end," she snorts. "He was a dead man walking."

Rubio nods in acknowledgment. He tosses a glance over his shoulder, his eyes flickering a few shades darker. Possessively, he reaches out to grab my hand, tugging me forward. He looks over at Rosia, her eyebrows knitting together.

"Thanks for your... hospitality. We will be leaving," he says, his voice dropping lower, leaving no room for negotiation. Rosia squints before stepping into our path out the door.

"Hold on," she commands, her hand darting out to signal us to stop. "What's changed with you two? Did something happen?"

My gaze lifts to Rubio, who looks hesitantly at her. His eyes return to their usual honey color.

"We are mates," he says.

"Chosen or?"

"Fated," he smiles at me.

Rosia's mouth hangs open in shock. I giggle at her expression.

"I-uh. Oh my Goddess," she stammers, her voice uneven. "That's incredible! Second chance mates are rare, I never dreamed of ever meeting a pair."

"Now you have, but we do need to head out soon. We've wasted enough daylight," Rubio states.

"Oh yeah, of course. Let me walk you out," she rushes.

She guides us out of the palace and onto the circle drive. Matt, the familiar blond guard and Rubio's former Beta, sits on the fender of the SUV, texting on his phone. He hears us approaching and smoothly stuffs it into his pocket.

"Still addicted to that thing?" Rubio questions, causing Matt to roll his eyes.

"Some of us aren't ancient, like you," he counters sarcastically.

Rubio opens the door of the SUV for me. I turn to look at Rosia before hugging her softly. She freezes for a second before returning the embrace. I pull away.

"Don't be a stranger," she offers.

"We won't," I smile back for a second. I turn to Rubio. "Ready?"

He ushers me into the backseat. He pauses, glancing at Rosia.

"Let me know if you need anything. You have my number," he says. She nods.

"Safe travels," she says, her voice warm.

He slips into the backseat with me, his slacks brushing against my bare skin. Matt hops into the driver's seat, his eyes watching us through the rearview mirror for a moment. The SUV roars to life and begins to pull away from the palace. I steal one last look at Rosia and the palace before turning to face forward.