Page 34 of Deranged Demons

“An assassin!”she gasps, struggling to get up, and I stroke her feathers until she calms.

“He won’t kill me now that he knows we’re fated,”I assure her.“Not that he could, even if he tried.”I think about his scent of bitter chocolate and crisp mint, and the memory of him between my legs makes me antsy.

“That also means you can’t kill him,”Shade points out.

There’s a commotion upstairs, and Nate and Prince Callan appear, weapons in their hands. It's actually comical to see them rush down here so fast. Air swirls around the room, teasing my hair as Prince Callan stares at me and then at Shade. Moving past him, Nate prowls around the room, his eyes glinting like he’s searching for his prey.

“You can relax,” I tell them. “He’s gone. At least, for now.”

“Who is?” Prince Callan asks.

I sigh heavily. “Another one of my charmingmates. Seems I’m mated to a Drozac assassin.”

Nate frowns. “A Drozac? I thought those bastards can’t have mates?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, other than that Lady Fate must hate me,” I reply. “I’m guessing I’m his target, but he’s going to have to rethink those plans now that he knows I’m his mate.”

Nate’s lips twist into a smile. “There’s never a dullmoment with you, is there, gorgeous?” His cat eyes flick to Shade. “She all right?”

Shade flutters her feathers, and I nod slowly. “Luckily for him.”

“I never knew it would be so hard to keep a single female out of trouble,” Prince Callan mutters, finally sheathing his sword and strolling around the room as the air settles. He studies the painting on the wall closest to him, his brow furrowing.

“I didn’t know any of these bunkers existed,” I say as I watch him walk beside the wall, taking it all in. “I thought everything was destroyed in the blast.”

“Neither did I,” Prince Callan replies. He disappears for a moment as he enters the bedroom, then he reappears again. “Everything here is well preserved.”

“If this one exists, it’s possible there could be more around the city,” I say. “When this is all over, I’d like to get a team together to search for them and catalog what we find,”

Nate’s eyes sparkle. “You think you might find something of worth?”

I arch my brow at the thief. “I think I might find out more about the beings who lived here. Aren’t you curious about what they were like and how they lived? We don’t even know what they looked like.”

“I tend not to worry ‘bout the dead, love,” Nate replies as he flops onto the lounge beside me and drapes his arm behind my shoulders. “But I’ll admit it’s nice to be able to stay somewhere a little moreaccomodatin’ for a change. So, now that you’ve found all your mates, who votes we stay here until King Dalton comes to collect us? It would beat movin’ around the city.”

I bite my bottom lip.Three mates.It’s the most common number of fated mates for a powerful female, but for some reason, I don’t feel like I’ve found everyone. And even if I have, I don’t know where the Drozac assassin has disappeared to. I need him to complete the bonding ritual.

Nate goes on to say, “Your new friend will be back if that’s what you’re worried about. He won’t be able to stay away.” He must read the expression on my face then, because his brows rise and he goes onto add, “Unless you think you’re tied to more?”

I brush my hair away from my face. “I have a feeling Lady Fate thinks I’ve got a thing for assholes, and she’s not done with me yet.”

Nate grins. “Then the hunt continues.”

Prince Callan doesn’t look impressed. Striding up the stairs I hear the trap door close, and a steel bar move into place. The archangel appears again a moment later, his face passive. “I need to rest before we move on. The door is reinforced and locked from the inside. This way we can get some shut eye without having to worry about any alphas or your new…friend.” Then he makes his way toward the bedroom without another word and closes the door.

“One of these days I’m going to find out what his deal is,”I send to Shade. When there’s no reply, Ipeer down to see she’s fallen asleep in my hands. Reaching across, I place her on the lounge on my left side, keeping her tucked against the back of the chair. She’s barely out of my hands when Nate closes in on my other side.

His warm, earthy scent washes over me, and I swallow hard. A low rumble starts in his chest as his reddish-gold eyes narrow, his gaze fixing on my lips.

“If you’re getting ideas—” I start.

He gives me a predatory grin. “Course I am, my queen. You’re my mate.”

I try not to squirm with him this close to me.Was it always this hot in here?“You don’t need to call me that, you know. I’m not even a queen yet.”

“For my kind, we call our mates our queens,” he explains.

Ah.Now that I didn’t know.“And how can you be so sure we’re mates?” I say. “Something tells me you’re not the type of male to settle down.”

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