Page 21 of Mate
“You gave an interview that stuck a bull’s- eye on your back, despite my repeatedly stated and very valid objections.”
“No, I meant— ” Stepping outside is like walking into a wall made of screams. Unsurprisingly, my presence here has attracted a crowd big enough that the network busted out the VIP barriers.
“— abomination— ”
“— never forget what the Weres did to my people— ”
“— liar, you’re a liar— ”
“— blessed with the power of blood and the blood of power, the flesh will be reborn and take new shapes— ”
The last one is my personal favorite. Koen’s, too, judging from how his pupils turn into slits.
But there are half a dozenWe love you, Serena, you’re so brave, you’re still one of ussigns, and I smile at their owners as Koen pushes me forward and opens the passenger door of the car for me.
He grabs the edge of the roof to protect my head. When I slip onto the seat, he leans against the door and says into my ear, “You did good in there, killer.”
The shrieks, the interview, the man bleeding in the lobby— it all becomes background noise.
I look up at him. Don’t bother hiding my smile. “High praise.”
“Didn’t say you didgreat,” he mutters, closing the door after me.
We do have sandwiches for dinner, but Koen’s the one who ends up making them, with a little help from Ana.
CHAPTER 5
His seconds like her, they have from the very start.
Traitors.
Present day
IWAKE UP FLOATING SEVERAL FEET ABOVE THE GROUND— ANDpromptly decide to go back to sleep.
This is nice. I am, for once, not cold. My bed smells pleasant and woodsy, not at all like rancid nightmare sweat. The pillow is the perfect consistency. Everything about the situation is cozy and restful, and I see no reason to interrupt it— until a worried voice pierces through my cocoon of joy.
“Please, tell me that she’s sleeping and not unconscious.”
My eyes flutter open, and two realizations hit me: the person speaking is Amanda, Koen’s closest second.
And I’m very muchnotin bed.
Koen is carrying me inside a cabin that doesn’t look too different from the one in which I’d spent the last weeks, one arm hooked under my bent knees, the other cradling me to his chest. My head nestles in the side of his throat, where the scratch of his beard tickles my cheek. The events of last night wash over me in rolling waves.
Look at me, living to see another day.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“Almost dawn.”
We must be a few hours away from my cabin, then. “Are we in the Southwest?” That’s where he’s going to take me, right? Back to Misery and Lowe.
“Still Northwest. We stopped at one of our safe houses.”
Lazily, I paw at Koen’s shoulder and stretch in his arms. “I can walk.”
“Me too. Wanna start a club?”
