Page 65 of Fae Devoted

I’ll come for you soon as soon as it’s safe.

Stay put for me, Jo. Please.

Sitting down hard on the edge of the bed, Johnnie flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling, the crinkled receipt he’d written on pressed to the cold knot in her stomach.

Now what?

Chapter 19

Johnnie stared atthe expanse of parkland in front of her, drinking in the beauty of the rising sun and its slow reveal of fall’s patches of oranges, reds, and yellows amid summer’s lingering green, unveiling like an unfinished quilt. The awakening forest sang a sweet melody if you listened closely enough. Yet today, the peaceful setting failed to calm her mind—calm her heart.

She was angry with Jacob. The bitterness in her chest felt foreign, and she rubbed at the stinging ache beneath her breastbone.

“How could you leave without talking to me first?” she whispered into the cool breeze lifting her hair. “How?”

Hownot why.

Johnnie knew Jacob. She knew Ferwyn males. Had been raised with big brothers and a protective sire. Grew up a cherished minority amid a pack of alpha males. It wasn’t a surprise Jacob wanted to keep her safe, though the reason for his deciding to go it alone after everything they’d been through remained a mystery.

“Was it the Fae sending those vamps after us that spooked you?” Johnnie bit her lip. He’d been scared for her during the fight, but she’d been petrified for him. And they’d handled it. Together.

He couldn’t believe the Sídhe Lord would come to look for Jeremiah himself, could he? Surely a powerful ancient would send his lackeys to do the grunt work. And it couldn’t be the addition of the second Mating Mark. If anything, confirmingJohnnie was his Ca’anam should have glued Jacob to her side, not torn him away from it. Was he afraid of Jeremiah…or King Alexander?

“What do you want, Dylan?” she asked, sensing his presence.

“I have to head out for a while,” he said behind her.

“Then go.” Johnnie didn’t turn to answer. Dylan was still on her shit list for his part in her forced staycation.

“The bobcat they called me about the other night is at it again.” He paused as if waiting for her to respond.

She didn’t.

Sighing, he added, “There’s a female in his territory going into an autumn heat. The park ranger asked if my wolf could chase him off. He’s too close to the campgrounds, and it’s making the tourists nervous.” Most humans found a bobcat’s piercing mating scream disturbing, often mistaking it for a child or woman crying in distress. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“No.”

“I haven’t asked a question yet.”

“But you will.”

Dylan sidled to her side; his eyes fixed on the same serene scene as Johnnie. “Will you promise to stay in the cabin until I return?”

“My answer’s still no.”

“Johnnie, please.” Dylan moved in front of her, obstructing her view. “Beta Tucker told me the KoH have Fae Touched after his brother.”

“What else did Jacob say?”

How much do you know?

“Shortly after arriving in Detroit, you were attacked by rogues who wanted his twin.”

“Yes, we were.” Jacob somehow managed to stick to the truth without revealing the full gravity of the situation. If she weren’t so mad at him, she’d be impressed.

“If you understand the danger, then why are you fighting me on this?” He scrubbed at his forehead, expression pinched.

“I won’t stay locked inside the cabin.”