Page 4 of Knot Your Damsel

That’swho Hubert sent after us?

“I am indeed a man of my word.” Mr Page saunters from the desk to the door, standing between Hubert and us.

“Thank you so much.” Hubert seems so excited, though every time he tries to look at us, Mr Page steps into his line of sight.

“We do have the slight issue of money. The price has gone up. You failed to provide us with some crucial details which made things a lot more complicated. You’ll now also have to pay for the hospital bills, cover the pay for the hours that my men can’t work because of injuries that could have been prevented and hazard pay.”

Hubert tries to say something, but Mr Page keeps going, positioning himself between us and Hubert.

“It’s the first time we’ve worked together, so I’ll presume that not providing those details was an accident and not done maliciously. Which is why I’ll be generous and round down the total amount to a nice simple million quid. How would you like to pay?”

Hubert sputters, moving his arms wildly. “How dare you! You’re nothing more than a con man. For that price, I can hire twenty people to get rid of them.”

“I doubt any of them would have succeeded.” Mr Page’s voice is calm, clear, but it sends a shiver down my spine. He’s angry, furious. He’s got a very short temper.

Caleb lets out a light rumble, like he’s agreeing with Mr Page.

“I don’t like to repeat myself. How would you like to pay?” I watch as a knife appears in Mr Page’s hand, almost as if by magic, and he plays with it impatiently, like he’s bored.

“For that price? Just kill the bitch. She’s not worth that much.”

“That wasn’t our agreement.” Mr Page’s knife flips from one hand to the other, the ease of the movements impressive but also slightly scary.

“I don’t care what ouragreementwas. I’m not paying you that much. If you won’t do it, I’ll take care of them myself.” The last of his words disappear into a gurgle as Hubert grabs for his throat, blood gushing from between his fingers.

I’m frozen in place as I stare. Unable to do anything as Hubert slumps down to the floor, bleeding out.

Mr Page kneels next to him and cleans the knife on his shoulder, looking disappointed. “I don’t like it when people take me for a fool. Once is an accident, twice becomes a pattern. I’m not letting you fuck me over three times.”

Then he stands up, the knife gone again, and looks at us. “Now, what to do about you two?”

2

Caleb

I stareat the body on the floor, Hubert’s blood pooling around him, soaking into the expensive-looking carpet.

The hatred coursing through my body is still strong, still running high.

That man has been hunting us for years. Ever since I saw him trying to manhandle Vera into a car to go to their ‘wedding’.

The moment I caught sight of them, that I caught a whiff of her pheromones, I acted on impulse.

I rushed over, pushed him aside, grabbed her out of the car and ran off. Her big white dress billowing around us as I rushed to my car and drove as far away as I could.

She was still in my lap when I finally stopped driving an hour later.

She was so thin, barely more than a skeleton. Starved. Covered in bruises.

But the fire in her eyes betrayed a fighter’s spirit.

And she was mine.

She was allmine, and I was allhersfrom the moment we met. It didn’t matter that she was much younger than me, that I was a dirty mechanic and she came from a well-off family. It only mattered that we were fated to be, a perfect scent match, and we found each other.

I should have killed Hubert that day, it would have made our lives so much easier. But that no longer matters.

He’s dead. He’s finally dead.

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