Page 231 of My Unexpected Mate

When I heard that I would have to pair up with Blake to scout the area, I was pissed. I was sure I would kill him and bury his body in the forest.

But I didn’t.

I saw how hard he was trying, and it made me realize he really was sorry.

I couldn’t help the anger though. I needed somebody to blame, and he was really easy to blame.

“Cassie is right,” I mumbled. “I am sorry, Blake. I am just hurting.”

“I know,” he sighed. “It is my fault you are hurting, and I understand why you are angry. I am angry at myself as well. But I didn’t think straight at that moment. I was blinded by fear. The only thing I could think about was him hurting Cassie.”

I can relate to that. Just the thought of somebody hurting Cassie made my blood boil.

“And Aria was convincing,” Blake continued. “She insisted on fixing this. She told me she would be okay. She told me she couldn’t let anyone else get hurt because of her. And it made sense. I was just trying to protect Cassie. I didn’t want or mean to hurt anybody else in the process.”

I nodded. “I know. I am sorry, Blake.”

“I am sorry too, man,” he said with a small smile.

I gave him a smile in return. But it didn’t reach my eyes. I won’t be able to smile for real until I have Aria back.

There was a knock on the door, and Mike peeked inside.

“Jack and I are leaving,” he said.

“What time is it?” I asked him.

“7 am,” he said. “Gabriel’s and Nick’s shift ends in an hour.”

I nodded. “See you soon.”

Mike gave us a weak smile and closed the door behind him.

“Wow, 7 am,” Cassie said quietly.

“Try to get some sleep, Cass,” I said and motioned for Blake to follow me outside.

“No way,” she said. “I can’t sleep.”

None of us got much sleep since Aria was taken. I was walking to my room to try to close my eyes for a few hours when I heard Cassie crying in her room. She woke up an hour ago after she dreamed that Aria was dead. I got inside her room to comfort her, and she was crying on my shoulder until Blake interrupted us.

I sighed and grabbed her hand. “Okay. Come on, let’s go grab a cup of coffee.”

Blake and Cassie nodded, and we walked downstairs to the kitchen.

I was pouring the coffee into the cups when we heard the doorbell.

I looked at Cassie and Blake in surprise.

Who the hell was that?

Gabriel and Nick were in the forest.

Mike and Jack left.

None of them would ring the doorbell. They would just come inside.

What the hell was going on?

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