Page 49 of Betrayed Auctioned Mate

Keira sits beside me on the uncomfortable couch, arms tucked around her knees. She looks mortified by the whole situation. She’s always been tough—stronger than anyone gives her credit for—but as a result, she’s always been terrified of being seen as weak. But this has broken through her defenses in a way that makes my chest tighten.

Bigby appears in the doorway. “We’re sending you to a safe house close by,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. “No use in sending you out of the state—it’ll just make it harder to protect you. It’s a lakehouse on the southern tip of Halfmoon Lake, isolated enough that no one will be able to find you. Ado, you’re going with her.”

I don’t even think to argue—it’s what I’ve been prepared to do since the phone call. But I know what this means. Both Keira and I are being pulled from the mission until the threat is handled. It might jeopardize all of this. The mission that was supposed to be our chance at finally putting an end to this nightmare—tohernightmare.

Keira’s face falls, the devastation clear in her eyes. “You’re pulling us both?” she asks, her voice almost a whisper.

Aris glances at me. “If Ado wants, he can stay here,” he says. “But I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

I shake my head firmly. “She goes, I go.”

Keira’s fingers shoot out, and she grasps my hand. She squeezes hard, sorrowful eyes locked on the ground. Sorrow for me, sorrow for her, sorrow for all of this.

“I don’t want to hide,” she says quietly, though there’s a tremor in her voice. “I want to help.”

“You are helping,” Aris says firmly. “Staying safe and out of sight is the best thing you can do right now. And you can still take point from the safehouse—and Ado can help from there, too. The raid is still on. But if they get their hands on you again, all of this will have been for nothing. You know how we feel, Keira. None of us want to see you hurt.”

Keira’s eyes flicker to me, then back to Aris. The wetness in her eyes spills over, and a tear slips down her cheek.

After a second, she nods.

Aris nods back, his expression relieved. “Okay. Get packed, quickly. Stay away from any windows—we’ve covered most of them, but be careful. We’ll have the van ready out back fifteen.”

As Aris and Bigby leave the room to oversee the preparations, Keira turns to me, her face pale. “Ado, I—” she starts, but the words seem to die on her lips.

“I know,” I say softly, stepping closer to her. “I know you hate this. But I’m not letting anyone touch you again. Not now, not ever.”

We move quickly after that, gathering what little she’ll need for the time at the lakehouse. I grab my own gear as well, and we meet the others by the van. Percy is double-checking the engine and brakes, and Rafael stands nearby, scanning the area for any signs of trouble. The back of the van is loaded with computer equipment and weapons—and on the side, the logo of an unrelated catering company has been plastered. You would never know it’s one of ours.

“We packed food in the van. You’ll be safe out there until this is all over,” Rafael says, offering a tight smile as he loads our bags into the van. “We’ll keep in touch. Aris has already set up a secure line for communication. But in case your phones are compromised—” He tosses me two burners. “Everyone’s numbers are in there.”

I nod tersely. Keira lingers close to my side, peering around. She hasn’t spoken much since we left my room, her silence more telling than any words could be.

We say our goodbyes. She hugs Olivia and Maisie tightly, murmuring something I can’t hear with them. Aris squeezes myshoulder firmly, and the look in his eyes tells me everything I need to know about whether he still believes in me.

I watch as Keira climbs into the van, her movements slow and deliberate, like she’s carrying a weight far heavier than her small frame should bear. I clamber in after her, and we both don caps and sunglasses. We’ll be taking a circuitous route to the safehouse, which Byron already planned out in the console, just in case we’re followed.

The van pulls out. In the sheer light of sunrise, I set off down the main road through Rosecreek, headed North.

Keira isn’t crying, but I can tell it’s still a close thing. She’s always been so unshakeable in my mind, especially since she came back, newly armored by her experiences and life in the city. But now, she needs me, and again, I can’t find the words inside me to tell her I’m going to be everything she needs me to be.

Instead, I reach out, resting a hand on her arm and squeezing gently.

Keira puts her cold hand on top of mine and holds it there, staring mournfully from the window.

“I’m going to keep you safe,” I promise, watching the road. I can’t tell if she’s listening, so I say it again. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Chapter 25 - Keira

Beyond the Rosecreek Bottoms, two or three miles south of the town, a long, narrow road curls off the main drag into a dense patch of trees. If you drove past it every day, you still might have missed it.

When Ado pulls up to the safe house, I blink. It’s as if it’s materialized out of nowhere. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear their local mage must have been involved somehow.

We arrive just as dusk starts to bleed into night, and the last traces of light turn the horizon a soft pink against the shadowy treeline. It’s beautiful here.

The property is just as secluded as promised, ensconced in dark trees and casting a mirror-like reflection over the still, almost-black water. It’s angled over a tiny inlet—you probably wouldn’t even see it from the lake. I step out of the van, my boots crunching on the gravel. The air is crisp, but I have to gulp down oxygen. It’s as if the entire world has thinned out.

Ado starts to unload the van in silence. I stand in the dirt and count my breaths.

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