Page 87 of Forged Bonds

Oswald pressed his lips to my hair.

I didn’t feel like I deserved any affection from him, as pointless of a thought as that was.

“Will Altair and Sky do the same?” Freya asked. “Or do they not count because they were on a mission with us?”

“If they get the message, they might, but ideally they’d meet up with us first to go over what the fuck happened. Since they’re not answering the phone, I’m assuming they’re in one of two situations. One, they were captured or killed by Kylan’s men. Two, they jumped over to Zemterra when the going got rough. They do a lot better in the other realm, fighting wise, and they can lie low for ages. There’s no phone service.”

My most trusted employees abandoning us in the middle of battle rubbed me the wrong way, but if they’d been near death they might not have had an option. Regrettably, we had no idea what was happening to them while we were all fighting in our own areas. Having them flee was the better option than having them dead, especially if we had to go after Kylan a second time to get Shan and Caspian back from him.

We’d need their advanced knowledge of the Zemterran landscape, both political and physical. I had no proof my cousin had taken them to the other realm, but I could imagine it made more sense for him to hide out somewhere he had more control and I had less.

“They better not be dead,” Freya said, grumbling.

“I doubt they are. The second option is far more likely.”

“Do you have anywhere else for us to go, since HQ isn’t an option?” she asked.

Sure. There were a couple of choices. The problem was that Kylan would be able to guess all of them. If he’d already made a move on my home base, I would hazard a guess he had men waiting outside all my associates’ houses and places of business, hoping I would show up somehow. I’d had a plan for where I was going to go if I had him killed, but I hadn’t counted on having him on my ass wanting revenge.

Plus, every place I’d chosen as a temporary hideaway wasn’t super conducive to planning a rescue mission into the demon realm.

They were more like calm, relaxing cabins in the woods.

“Kylan is familiar enough with me and my operations that he knows every person I’d reach out to for assistance. He’ll be watching them. I have some safe houses, but they’ll be short-term solutions. They’re too secluded for us to also be doing reconnaissance into where my cousin is keeping Cas and Shan.”

“They’re in Zemterra,” Emmett said, confirming my theory.

I nodded. “I might have someone there who is powerful enough to help us, but he doesn’t want his nose anywhere near this. He’ll need time to set something up where it doesn’t look like he’s helping us. Until then, we can go to a cabin in the woods I have rented as a getaway…”

It sounded far too fun and games. As expected, Freya shook her head. “I’ve got a better idea. How likely is it that Kylan is watching my friends and coworkers?”

“Incredibly unlikely. My cousin would be horrified to learn I would actually trust you to lead us somewhere. Putting an Omega in the lead isn’t something he could comprehend.”

“In that case, I have a few questions for my old boss. Everyone get dressed. We’re paying Matthias a visit.”

She spun around, the sheet billowing around her, and strode back into the bedroom.

“Does she realize she’s the only one naked?” I asked.

The three of us chuckled, the sounds not holding much mirth.

* * *

Despite hearing about the place all the time, I’d never visited Club Chaos where Freya worked. Well, used to work. I had to assume she was fired, considering I’d let loose a hellhound on the property in order to kidnap her and she’d been missing from work for three weeks.

All repairs had been completed quickly with the help of witches, so the club was back in business.

That didn’t stop Matthias Harlie from fucking his Omega on top of his desk during business hours, apparently.

Freya had sent me through the portal first, and I walked in on the unfortunate sight, clearing my throat. Matthias snapped his head up to growl at me, grabbing a blanket and draping it over the nude form of his partner, who let out a little whine. Then he zipped over to me, wrapping his fingers around my throat. I flashed my fangs, not letting his tight grip bother me. If I deemed it necessary, I could suffocate him in seconds. “What the fuck are you doing in my office?” he demanded.

Oswald appeared through the portal next, seeing my predicament and letting out a growl of his own. He grabbed my waist and pulled me back from the angry, half-naked vampire, and Matthias let me go. Probably only because it was now two against one.

If Freya could hurry up and make her appearance, that would be great.

Emmett came through, crossing his arms over his chest and looking surprisingly intimidating considering I knew him to be an absolute muffin.

Tense seconds later, Freya stepped into the room, the shimmer of magic dissipating behind her. Seeing the state of her former boss, she snorted. “Angels above, Mattie, put some fucking clothes on.”

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