Page 41 of Winter Unleashed
The mate bond does not equal love. Whatever magic causes the bond chooses the mate who will give you the strongest offspring. Plain and simple? It’s a survival mechanism. It does not mean you're in love with them. Love needs to grow. It’s not immediate… at least not often.
“I know he does, Stell.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “He must know how I feel about him. How could he not?”
She stood and took my hands. “I’m sure he has an idea. We all do. But as powerful andold,” she said with a smile, “as he is, I can tell he’s still insecure when it comes to you and your fear of commitment.”
My gaze rested on her face, but I didn’t really see her. I let her words sink in while I nibbled my lip. Insecurity was not something I’d attribute to Liam. Sure, he’d threatened to kill Isaac if he laid a finger on me, but that was just Alpha male bullshit. Wasn’t it?
The sound of feet running toward us prevented me from having to answer myself. Stella and I turned toward the dining room entryway and braced for an attack. She squealed with delight when she saw Bruno charging toward her.
“Bruno? What are you doing back here?” she asked as he swept her up and spun her around.
“I missed you. I’d have come back right away, but I had to wait for the right time,” he said between kisses.
“Hold up,” I interrupted. If Celeste had taken him with her when she left, it was because she needed him. She wouldn’t have just let him come back to see his girlfriend, or whatever the hell Stella was. Something wasn’t right. “What do you mean ‘the right time’?”
Liam and Philip came rushing into the room. They slid to a stop when they saw Bruno. Liam came to stand beside me, but Philip stayed in the doorway. His displeasure at seeing his mate in the arms of another man was clear on his face. It made me wonder, not for the first time, if Stella’s theory on tribreeds being polyamorous was as accurate as she believed.
“I had to wait until something distracted Celeste long enough,” Bruno said, pulling my attention back to him.
“Distracted?” Worry slithered its way into my gut. “What’s she doing, Bruno?”
Liam let out a growl as he pulled Stella out of Bruno’s grasp. “She is not your mate,” he said, his voice vibrated through the room. Apparently I wasn’t the only one to notice Philip’s discomfort. I saw Stella look over to Philip. Her face contorted with confusion.
Liam’s voice filled the room. “Answer Ember.”
Bruno bowed his head a little. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude,” he muttered without looking up. “Celeste has not left her cauldron since her last trip here. It’s like she’s lost in another world.” He looked at me. “Please don’t make me go back.”
My stomach clenched. I ignored Bruno’s plea and looked at Liam. “She’s trying to get to Astrid.”
“Let’s go.” He took my hand to pull me out of the room, stopping in front of Philip who hadn’t moved. “Will you be all right?”
Philip looked at him and nodded. “Yes.”
Liam continued pulling me down the hall. His stride was longer than mine and I had to jog a little to keep up. When we got to his office, he opened the panel to retrieve the scrying mirror. He didn’t wait for Walter to come before calling Astrid.
There was no answer. He looked at me, his brow furrowed and jaw tight. “I don’t understand. I just spoke with her. She told me to call back whenever we were ready. This is not like her.”
“Maybe she’s outside,” I responded even though I really didn’t know what I was talking about. I didn’t know how the summoning of a fairy worked. But from Liam’s reaction I’d venture to guess she got the call no matter where she was.
He turned back to the mirror, chanting the secret words in the unfamiliar language again. His features relaxed for only a second before stiffening again.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning over to look in the mirror. “Fuck.”
Astrid appeared in the mirror, but she looked like she’d been through hell and back. Gnarled knots had her hair sticking up in places. Dirt covered her face and hands. Blood coated her lips. And her shirt looked like someone had taken scissors to it. Before Liam or I could speak she sucked us through to her house.
“You really didn’t need to get all dolled up for us,” I said to her, earning a grin and a wink. “I take it you know Celeste has amped up her efforts to find you? And I assume you know why she wants to find you?”
“Yes. She thinks she can kill Artemis then take her place,” Astrid said with a shake of her head then a laugh. “She sent pixies.”
My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. “Say what now?”
“Pixies are superb hunters. Celeste knows the general area of my whereabouts and she sent her little spies to find out more. Celeste seems to have forgotten who I am. I sensed those little bastards before they got within fifty miles of here.” She brushed at the dirt on her shirt then shook her head. The air around her shimmered and a second later her hair was smooth, she was clean and in a new outfit. “They’re rascally little fuckers, but they’re no longer a problem, and Celeste knows nothing new.”
“Are you okay?” Liam asked. He took her hands to hold her still while he examined her.
“I’m fine.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s sweet of you to worry.”
“Why hasn’t she ever sent pixies before?” I asked.