Marked Mate

27

ROMAN

I couldn't think. My mate wanted me to hand her over to a psychotic serial murderer... fuck. My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest as I scowled at my computer screen.

More fucking emails from Nyx. All information about our next meetings and what he's hoping to gain from my involvement. He spoke to me as if I was an old friend, and it bugged the hell out of me. He was poaching my mate's kind. He was a sick and sadistic man, and I wanted no part in it.

Had Scarlett really thought this all through? Did she really think that she could go into the Enclave clan and twist and turn things to manipulate Nyx in order to save her kind? I fucking loved her passion. I really did, but she needed to take her own safety into account. It wasn't worth getting killed over - especially if it wasn't going to free the others.

It was the evening, and even though I'd been working all day, I was throwing my all into it and losing myself to even more work. There was far too much to do, and I didn't want to fall behind.

"Your eyes are going to go square if you don't stop staring at your screen like that."

I jumped at the voice, my mate's soothing tone whistling through the air. She looked beautiful in her sweats, and my insides melted at the sight of her. A chuckle escaped my mouth, and I sighed at the screen before closing my laptop. "What have you been doing all day?"

Scarlett huffed, settling down on the couch beside me, allowing her head to fall onto my shoulder. It felt amazing. "Practising my gift with Erica. I've been thinking..."

My eyebrow arched. "Yes?"

"Well, I know you're worried about me going into the Enclave clan to spy on Nyx."

I shook my head. "There's no need to worry when it's not happening."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Roman, listen to me. I know you're worried that I won't be able to find anyone who is willing to try and escape, and if I do, they might get caught. I was thinking that maybe if I practise my gift, I can find a way to communicate with you."

"Communicate with me? You can't get into my head, Scarlett. How do you expect to do that?"

"It might sound stupid, but what if there is a way? What if I really try? Like work really hard, and then I'll be able to communicate with you in some way or another." Scarlett's eyes were hopeful, and she cocked her head at me as she waited for an answer.

I couldn't help myself, and I leaned forward and captured her lips with my own. She was sweet like honey, and the sensation went straight to my cock, hardening underneath my workout shorts.

I wanted her. So badly.

"Roman," Scarlett giggled, pulling away and cupping my cheeks. "You're not answering me."

I grinned. "Because you're too beautiful. I can't pay attention." I was upset with her, yes, but I understood that this wasn't her fault. I wasn't going to blame her for wanting to protect her own kind. If I were her, I would probably do the exact same thing. The mate bond was screaming at me, though. It wanted to keep her safe in my arms - where she belonged.

"Is that possible, Scar?"

The nickname took her off guard, and a dazzling smile took over his face, causing my breath to hitch.

"Um, I don't know, but anything is, right? Please, just try it with me. Help me practise. We can talk about me going in and spying on Nyx after we've tried." Her pleading tone was enough to cause my knees to feel like they were buckling, and I knew that if I were standing up, I would have fallen over.