Chapter Eight
Mateo
The Bond Awakens
It starts as a whisperin my blood.A shift.A tremor.A sensation that punches straight through my gut and splinters up my spine.
Something’s wrong with Harlow.
The sun is still high in the sky, mocking me with its merciless rays.I can’t go to her.Ican’tgo to her.I pace the security room like a rabid beast, every muscle in my body coiled, ready to explode into motion, but I’m shackled by daylight.
She’s afraid.No, she’s absolutely fucking terrified.The connection between us vibrates with her panic.I can feel her heartbeat, too ragged and too fast.I clutch the edge of the counter where my laptop rests, splintering the wood beneath my fingertips.
"Fuck!"I roar, the sound shaking the windows.
I yank out my phone, fingers shaking as I call the only person who can help right now.
“Scarlet,” I growl the moment she picks up.“I need you.”
There’s a beat of silence on her end, but her tone is instantly alert.“What’s going on?”
“Harlow is...”I say, voice rough.“She’s in danger.She’s in the forest, to the northwest, maybe half a mile past the creek.Something’s not right.I can’t explain it, but I can feel it.I know it with every fiber of my soul.”
Scarlet doesn’t hesitate.“I’m on my way.”
The line goes dead, and I wait.I try to distract myself.I check the cameras, and I cycle through the satellite feeds.I refresh the perimeter alerts, again and again.But it’s all static.No Harlow.No Scarlet.Just ...nothing.
I was worried before, but now that I have involved Scarlet, I am terrified.Losing her will kill Kyson, but I didn’t have any other choice.She was the only person who could help me.
Seconds crawl and minutes feel like years.I can’t sit down, but I can’t stand still either.I move from one end of the room to the other, my mind conjuring every fucking worst-case scenario.I imagine her bleeding and unconscious.I imagine a jagter’s arrow in her chest.
I tear the edge of the desk clean off this time as my laptop clatters to the floor.I didn’t even notice the damage I caused until blood ran down my palm.
“Dammit,” I hiss, shaking out my hand.The pain doesn’t register—only the absence of her.
Then I hear it.The buzz of the compound gate.I’m moving before the sound fades, bolting across the hall, throwing open the front doors like a man possessed.But I don’t step outside.The last rays of sunlight are still enough to cause damage if I do.
Scarlet walks in, panting, covered in leaves and mud, one side of her shirt torn open, but she’s upright.And in her arms...
“Harlow.”My voice breaks.
She’s limp but conscious.Her beautiful face is pale and smeared with dirt.The second her gaze meets mine, something in her snaps.She launches herself into my arms, her body trembling uncontrollably as she curls herself into my chest.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper, holding her so tight I’m afraid I’ll break her, but I can’t let go.“I’ve got you,mi alma.”