Page 66 of Midnight Kiss

Being bonded was the same as being tied to the U.C. or to being subjugated. If I had had a choice, I would never have come here. I would never have joined Sanguine Nox or the U.C. While their goal was noble, not all of their methods were, and I wanted to be rid of the pressure to perform now.

Why now? Because of her. She’d helped me realize what was important. And I had added another set of names to my list prepped for revenge.

The walk to my car was a blur. I got in and started the engine, speeding off toward Emily’s apartment building, images of her in danger in the front of my mind, driving me onward. Not only was the book a problem, but now the bonding.

She was a Guardian, and our sex had awoken it in her. Her being in danger was entirely my fault, and I would ensure that she was safe and free, no matter what. Even if it meant that I could no longer be a part of her life.

23

EMILY

“Where is she?” The voice drifted into my dreams, and for a moment, I was sure it had come from him.

Alex. Alex had come to fetch me. To find me and protect me from whatever was going on.

But that wasn’t possible because he was the one who’d put me in this position in the first place.

“Let me past, Michael!”

My eyelids fluttered open, and it took me a second to gather my thoughts. Where am I? The ceiling was different, and my gaze wandered through the unfamiliar living room, past the bookcase, toward the kitchen and the open doorway.

Michael stood there, one hand on the jamb, facing off against Morgan.

“—feeling ill, and I need her to be safe, so she’s staying here.”

“That is really weird,” Morgan said. “And incredibly creepy. Let me past, now, before I call the cops.”

Mike gave an exaggerated sigh and stepped back so Morgan could enter the apartment. She locked eyes with me and rushed over, then dropped to her knees beside the sofa. She pressed the back of her hand to my forehead.

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?” she asked. “Why are you in Mike’s apartment? Do you need help? Do you need me to call the cops?”

“No,” I said, glancing past her at him. “I don’t need you to do that, Morgan. I’m fine with Mike. He’s helping me.”

“It doesn’t seem like he’s helping you at all,” she said. “It seems like you need a friggin’ doctor, and he’s keeping you locked up. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Everything’s fine, I promise,” I said. “I can’t explain everything to you right now, but I need you to trust me.”

“Trust you?” Morgan asked. “I don’t have a problem trusting you, Em. It’s Michael that I have a problem with.”

“Look, what did I ever do to you?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Morgan said. “Except pretend that you were friends with us because you wanted to get to Emily. You’re a weirdo and a creep, and I am not about that.”

“You have no idea what’s even going on,” Mike said.

“Exactly.” She slapped the back of her hand into her palm. “So how about one of you actually tells me what’s going on before I start throwing hands.”

I struggled upright, but my arms gave out underneath me, and I flopped back onto the sofa, the leather squeaking beneath me. My hand wandered, seeking out my phone, and I found it tucked under the cushion beneath my head. I needed to get hold of Alex and make sense of this.

A part of me wanted to cling onto what we had, even now, because for the first time in … ever, I’d felt like I deserved love.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Emily?”

“Morgan,” I said. “I’m fine, all right? I promise I’m fine. I want to be here with Mike. He’s … helping me with something important.”

Her frown deepened. “With something important.”