Page 60 of Fire in My Blood

My head starts spinning, and I blink at Lyn. This is obviously a big deal. “What do you mean mated?”

Lyn narrows her gaze at me, a faint crimson tinge in her eyes. “Lucas did explain to you about mating before he offered you his blood, right?”

My heart does a somersault in my chest, and I have to swallow before I can get my voice to work. “He didn’t exactly offer me his blood. I sort of bit him by accident during sex. I didn’t mean to, it just happened in the heat of the moment.”

I can’t let Lucas take the blame for this. It’s obviously a serious issue, even though I still don’t know why. “What does mated mean?”

Lyn averts her gaze and sighs. “Where’s Lucas?”

Closing my eyes, I swallow back another bout of tears. When I open my eyes and speak, it’s nothing more than a whisper. “He left. I don’t know where he’s gone. He was really disgusted with me for biting him.”

Lyn’s body is tense, but her expression is neutral when she looks at me. “Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed. I’ll call Markus, Lucas’s team leader. He’ll want to talk to you.”

Her face softens in sympathy. “Don’t worry, okay? Markus is blunt, but he’s fair.”

I don’t know what to say, so I get up and walk into the bathroom. I still don’t know why Lyn was so shocked that I’ve had some of Lucas’s blood. She said we are mated, but what does that mean? Is it just another word for sex, or is she referring to something more permanent?

After pulling off the T-shirt I put back on after Lucas left, I turn on the shower and step under the spray. The cold water beats down on me, but it soon warms, and I wash my hair and body while I let my tears flow freely with the water.

There’s something soothing about crying in the shower, and even though my heart is still broken, I feel a little more grounded when I finally turn off the water.

Perhaps Markus will help me convey to Lucas how sorry I am. It might not solve anything, but at least he’ll know I didn’t mean to upset him.

Chapter 37

Lyn

“Lynette. We’ve just landed. I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes.” Markus’s voice is hard and angry.

“Good, so you know what’s happened?” I suspect as much, but it would be good to get it confirmed.

“Yes. Don’t let them leave. I need to talk to them.”

I let out a silent sigh. “Lucas has already left. I don’t know where. But Erica is here, falling apart. I don’t think this was planned, and she’s devastated. I’ve told her you’ll want to talk to her. We’ll be in the den, waiting for you.”

Markus is silent for several seconds. The only sound I hear is the shower going in the bathroom.

“Twenty minutes.” He ends the call.

I close my eyes.Fuck!This is unbelievable. Mated by accident, and then Lucas runs off without taking any responsibility for what happened. It’s just so out of character for him; if I didn’t experience it firsthand, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Erica obviously has no idea what it means to be mated to an elemental, or even what mated means for supernaturals. I don’t know all the details about being mated to an elemental, either, even though I’ve known the team for centuries.

But then none of the team was supposed to mate again. The last time it happened, it was a disaster, and that’s the reason the elementals took an oath never to fuck a human. It was supposed to prevent them from falling in love with one.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opens, and Erica steps out. She’s dressed and her wet hair is braided.

“I’m ready.” Her voice is calm, and she meets my gaze with a sober expression on her face. Her eyes are puffy from crying, but there are no tears in them now.

I give her as warm a smile as I can muster, even though rage is boiling in my gut, knowing the pain she must be going through. “Good. Markus will be here in a few minutes. He’ll be able to answer all your questions. Let’s go to the den. He’ll meet us there.”

She follows me out of the room, and we walk side by side down the corridor.

My respect for this woman is growing by the minute. If not for the way her hands are fisted at her side, she would have appeared calm and unaffected by what’s happened.

Erica is strong. But then she’ll have to be to get through this, if it’s even possible.

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