Page 4 of Unwilling Mate

I force my legs to move backward, away from the scent that will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life, only to come to an abrupt halt when a low, pained whimper reaches me. All thoughts of leaving evaporate as I enter the crowded space and start searching for her. The attic is filled with random objects, boxes, and old furniture. Nestled between all that junk, I find her small body lying on a thin mattress carelessly placed on the floor.What the fuck?

I rush to her side and kneel to her level. She doesn’t stir. Her back is turned to me, and all I can see is her long golden hair fanning out on the dirt-stained pillow, but I already know something is wrong. Her breathing is uneven and labored, and her heart beats faster than it should.

Carefully, I reach for her shoulder, turning her over to lie flat on her back. Her eyes are closed, her delicate eyebrows scrunched together like she is in pain, and her full pink lips are pulled intoa frown. Her cheeks are reddened, and a thin sheen of sweat covers her forehead. She is sick. My mate is sick.

As if she is made of glass, I slide my arms under her body and lift her to cradle her against my chest. Her cheek presses against my skin, and I realize how hot she is. Fuck, she is burning up.

Quickly, but still with great care, I maneuver us out of the attic and down the stairs. As if grown roots, the three women are still standing at the bottom of the staircase, watching me in terror as I carry my mate down.

“What the fuck is wrong with her? And why was she in the attic?” I demand answers.

“She is our maid, and that’s where her room is,” the older woman explains. “She said she wasn’t feeling well so we gave her the rest of the day off,” she says as if she expects to be cheered on for her false kindness. “Who are you, and how do you know her?”

“Doesn’t matter. I need you to make her well again. Fix her so I can leave.”

“Fix her?”

“She’s sick. Make her better.”

“And then you’ll leave?”

I nod like it’s obvious I don’t want to be in the shithole in the first place.

“Okay. You can put her on the couch. We’ll have a doctor come in the morning, but you can go now. We don’t have to tell anyone about this.”

“Yes, we’ll get that door fixed and nurse the maid back to health in no time,” another woman chimes in.

Only then does the oddness of their behavior really sink in. Why haven't they tried to run or call for help? Why are they just standing there when a naked man kicks in their door and raids their house? Have I been away from humans for so long that they’ve changed this much?

A part of me wants to hand the woman in my arms over to them. She should stay with her kind, and if I knew she was safe, I could leave her. Only, I don’t think she is safe here. These women are hiding something.

“I’m not leaving until she is better.” I say the words before I’ve even made up my mind. “Where is a bed I can put her in?”

“Just leave her here.” The smallest out of the three speaks for the first time. Her hair is colored red, but her eyebrows are as dark as the other women’s hair. “Why do you care what happens to her? No one cares about her.”

“One person does.”Me.

Since no one is offering me a bed to put her in, I set out on my own to find a room. It doesn't take me many doors to open before I find a guest room in the back of the spacious house.

“I’m going to call the cops if you don’t leave,” someone yells after me.

“No, you won’t, or you would have done so already.”

I put her down on the mattress softly and peel the blanket away. The nightgown she is wearing is soaked in sweat and clings to her skin, leaving nothing to the imagination. Fuck me. As if my dick could get any harder.

“Need someone to take care of that thing between your legs?” I cringe at the woman’s voice, which sounds like nails againsta chalkboard. Looking over my shoulder, I find the redhead leaning against the doorframe, her eyes glued to my cock.

“Someone who is not you.”

“You think she will?” She points at my mate while laughing. “Abigail wouldn't know what to do with you. She is basically a retard, can’t even talk, you know?”

“If you don’t get out of my sight in the next three seconds, I will rip out your intestines and feed them to you.”

All the blood drains from her face. Her smug face falls until nothing but terror is reflecting back at me. She scrambles backward, realizing how serious I am. Before I know it, she is running down the hall and out of my sight.

I turn my full attention back to my mate… Abigail. That’s what she called her. My Abby. I don’t want to believe anything else the redhead said. Abigail looks perfect. Could her mind really be broken? Did fate send me a defective mate as a punishment?

If so, I don’t care.

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