Page 37 of My Unbearable Mate

“I think about it all the time.” I surprised myself by admitting it so easily. “Definitely what it would’ve been like to have a family with you. Watching you raise them to be just as fiery as you are. Growing old with you. Making a difference in the clan.”

She let out a long sigh. “You never found anyone else?”

I shook my head and clutched the steering wheel tighter. “Couldn’t even think about dating for a long time. Then when I finally let myself try, I kept trying to find you in them. And it turns out, you’re one of a kind. There’s no one like you, Clover Crowley.”

“Some people would say that’s a good thing.” She beamed at me. “I was terrified that I’d run into your wife and kids when I came to ask for your help, and I had no idea how I’d handle that.”

“How come?”

“Because there was no way you wouldn’t have told this fictional wife about me, and there was also no way she’d think I was anything but a heartless bitch. I expected it to feel like a slap in the face.”

“Is your reputation the only thing that was on the line in that scenario?”

“I don’t know, Bellamy.” Her lips curled up in a mischievous grin. “Why don’t you tell me how this ends?”

It shouldn’t have been a surprise that I needed a bulletproof vest for this conversation. “That’s a little complicated because we don’t know what we’ll find when we recover the locket. There’s a good chance your grandmother stole it. It could change everything for the clan. And if you have magic?—”

“I’m not talking about the clan, or my grandmother, or her stupid locket.” Clover rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about me and you.”

What I really wanted to do was pull the truck over and take her on the side of this lonely highway. But we couldn’t use sex to avoid every argument, as much as I would like to.

“I was too,” I finally said. “It’s bigger than us now. Maybe it always was.”

“Yeah,” she said. “You’re probably right.”

Clover turned toward the window, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing. I wasn’t afraid of anything, except for this woman shattering my heart all over again. Now that I was pretty sure her magic had been stolen and used against her…and me…fuck, it was complicated. If only there was a spell to put our past completely behind us and give us a clean start. I would empty my bank account for that potion.

And there would still be no guarantees, my bear reminded me. He had an answer for everything except for how to claim this woman.

Why did fate seem so easy when it happened to everyone else?

We were quiet for the rest of the drive. A part of me dreaded finding this stupid locket because it could mean saying goodbye to this woman, this time for good.

Fight for her, my bear said. She needs that more than she’ll ever admit.

My GPS startled us both by announcing it was time to turn off the highway into Coeur d’Alene. It led us to an apartment building downtown, near the lakeside beach.

“This doesn’t make any sense.” Clover wrinkled her nose as she looked up at the converted industrial building. “It’s a nice place, but it’s not I-special-ordered-a-custom-antique-motorcycle-that-probably-costs-a-fortune nice.”

“I agree, but maybe it’s an office.”

“Or a front for something else,” she suggested. “If Anders Lynwood has access to a computer and a credit score, he can’t be a figment of my imagination. And Major Lowe doesn’t seem like someone who’s easy to scam.”

“No, he’s not.” But Anders Lynwood was supposed to be dead. These were all excellent points, but things were making even less sense now. The databases I had access to were as good as they got. If he was alive, we should’ve already had a lead on him. “Let’s go see what we can find out.”

Clover confidently walked up to the door and tugged on it, letting loose with a low growl when she discovered it was locked. The noise that came out of her made me want to back her against the doorway and forget all about Anders Lynwood.

“Guess we’ll have to wait for someone to come out.” She considered the list of names on the buttons. “I could play the auntie card, once I know who we’re here to visit. Or we could press all the buttons and see which one of Anders’s neighbors has trust issues.”

“No need for either.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and swiped.

“I understand you’re strong enough to huff and puff and blow the house down, but I thought we were trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Wait, what are you doing?”

Her eyes widened as I positioned my phone at the lock mechanism, and I winked at her just after we heard the satisfying click of it disengaging.

“What sorcery was that?” she asked as I held the door open.

“You’re not the only one with magic.” It felt way too natural to put my hand on her back and guide her up the stairs. Whoever was using this address didn’t live on the ground floor. The door that corresponded with the number on the invoice was on the third floor. There was a floral wreath outside. It didn’t feel right.

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