Page 42 of Little Mate
I’ll just kill anyone who lusts over what’s mine. Simple as.
The gate to my sanctuary is large and ornate, the metal creaking a bit as I push it open and step through, my hand guiding her forward. And it’s when the low snarl of a large cat greets her ears that she pauses.
“What is this place?” she asks, her smile wide and expression curious. More so when a large flock of birds flies overhead, as if spooked.
“This is my private zoo, pretty girl.”
“A zoo? Are you serious?” Her eyebrows shoot up to almost her hairline, and I once again find myself chuckling—relaxing.
How many times have I done so since meeting her? It’s natural, though.
How can it not be when she’s the best part of me?
But more importantly, it cements how foolish I’ve been in the past regarding mates.
I would never trade what we have. Our bond. Our future.
“Very much so.” Rustling in a bush to the right of us catches our attention, and her head turns while I watch her. Gabriella doesn’t disappoint; she takes a step back into me—hand darting to grasp my arm while the neat blunt edge of her nails tries to dig into my skin. I’m even impressed with the minute sting that accompanies it; she shouldn’t be able to inflict any kind of pain. “Don’t move.”
A large, white albino snake slithers from the greenery with a man’s neck caught between its teeth. The male’s unconscious, body limp, but what catches my attention is his scent.
He’s fae. Royal blood.
“Holy shit.” Pretty girl’s whisper-yell makes the snake tilt its head, a slightly amused curl of the lip while the body is dropped a few feet from us. Seconds pass before the animal coils, its head waiting for orders. “What is a fae doing here?”
“That’s what you’re surprised by?”
Green eyes flicker to me, her head nodding. “Aren’t you?”
“Not the animal?”
“He’s one of yours. You’d have attacked otherwise.” Not a question, and she’s right. Hell, had Tero come any closer, I would’ve hurt him. “Is he a pet, or…?”
“Shifter. And yes, he’s loyal.”
“Good. Then I won’t scream.” A hiss-like sound comes from the beast, a laugh, and Gabby gives him a look. Just one; serious and with eyes narrowed, and the snakes swallows hard. “Don’t get cocky. I’m still considering bopping you on the nose for the less-than-stellar warning. Snakes freak me out.”
Tero’s head lowers even more, coils tighter. Admonished.
He looks pitiful and gives us the equivalent of a wounded puppy look. What the fuck?
“Are you alone?” I ask then, and both look over at me. Tero’s head nods, head tilting to the side in silent question as if saying where do you want him? “Take him down to level two, and if anything is on him—weapon or otherwise—place it atop my desk. We’ll be back late.”
The animal turns his head and moves to pick up the unconscious man, but Gabby steps forward, causing him to pause. Tero freezes as she takes the steps between them and extends a hand, placing the warm palm on his head. She’s not petting him but reading his aura—I’ve seen her father do it while alive—and his eyes close, the pastel shade of blue lighting to an almost translucent color.
This takes no more than a second, but when she pulls back, Tero’s in the most peaceful trance I’ve ever seen. Languid, he lays right where he is. His breathing is deep and even, but not asleep.
“I like him.” Pretty girl looks at me from over her shoulder, her body language matching his. Loose. A little drunk. “His intentions are honest, and his heart is loyal. He’s thankful to you. Whatever you did to gain his trust, it’s for life. His kind are straightforward that way.”
“You know of his kind?”
“All magical creatures are studied by the elders of our clan. My grandmother, while alive, was one of them, and she had a friend who was serpentine, a coral shifter.”
“And she displayed the same character traits as Tero?”
“Yes. They all do, but—”
“But?”