Mated to War Read Free Page B

worse,
Charli Smythe, as he now knew her, had had him chasing his tail like a damn dog
this last week. Every time he thought he had a handle on her whereabouts, he
received a lead pointing him in the opposite direction.
    Now that he knew her chosen
profession he suspected her skill with the computer far exceeded program
development. She was hiding from something other than him, and he was positive
she’d made sure there was a confusing data trail that led to nowhere to ensure
her continued anonymity. He would have been impressed by her ability had it not
been used to keep him from her side.
    He hadn’t even been able to pump
Nikki for information about her friend. Viper was keeping her isolated in their
quarters for everyone’s safety. No one was able to predict how she would react
to what she had become. She was a unique creature before both Devil and Viper
had saved her life, even though she had been human. Now as a half fae and half
vampire, she was one of a kind.
    “How … how did you find me?” Charli
stammered. Her face was awash with worry and anger.
    “You’re my mate. There’s nowhere
you can hide that I can’t find you, kitten,” he warned. Though what he’d said
wasn’t completely true. When they mated he would know exactly where she was at
all times through the link that would form between them during their mating
ceremony. Until then he would be using all of his resources to gain that
information.
    “ Kitten ! That’s a bit backward, isn’t it? Considering what you can
turn into,” she scoffed, and Judge would have bet anything that she was trying
desperately to maintain her anger.
    Bringing his hand up to her
face, he gently ran his fingers down her cheek. “Our children will be referred
to as cubs, not kittens.”
    She backed away from his hand,
though her gaze stayed on him, yearning, fear, and anxiety swarming through her
eyes. As he raised his hand to run through his hair, he saw her flinch and take
another step back. The move was telling. By her actions, she spoke of the abuse
she had received at the hand of someone. Someone who won’t be of this earth
for very much longer. His mountain lion wanted the blood of the person who
had placed that fear in his mate’s stunning eyes.
    “How’s Nikki?” Charli asked
warily.
    “By all accounts she’s doing
well,” he responded, moving around the table to take a seat. “But Viper hasn’t
allowed anyone to see her outside of Devil. Not even Gabby’s allowed in to see
her. They didn’t want to take the chance that the bloodlust newborns usually
suffer would affect her.”
    “Bloodlust?” she whispered,
looking around at the busy restaurant.
    “Devil had to change her to save
her. She’s part vampire,” Judge explained.
    “She’s something else, though,
isn’t she?” she asked, leaning over the chair in front of her to maintain
privacy rather than sitting down.
    “Yes, she’s also part fae. But
it’s the vampire blood that is worrying both Devil and Viper. Some newborn
vampires are lucky enough to avoid the uncontrollable need for blood, but most
aren’t. Devil and Viper are just waiting to see if the bloodlust takes a hold
of her.”
    “And has it?”
    Judge pointedly looked at the
empty chair, silently encouraging her to sit down. Once she realized that he
wouldn’t answer her question until she complied, she plonked into her seat with
a “humph.” Only then did he share what he knew.
    “No, but still Devil and Viper
remain vigilant. From my understanding, Viper even convinced her to quit her
job as a nurse.”
    “She would be devastated,”
Charli said softly.
    “She was, but she knew it was
the right thing to do because no one knows what outcome combining these two
creatures would produce.”
    Judge watched as Charli’s eyes
went blank. No emotion could be seen in them. He knew what was happening. He
had witnessed her having a vision in his office. His beast became restless, and
he understood exactly why. While these