Page 21 of Marked For A Bite (Rebellious Mates #2)
But Logan's presence beside her created an anchor of calm confidence, his tactical readiness radiating through their mate bond like warm honey in her veins. She could feel his strength flowing into her, bolstering her courage and settling her restless energy into focused determination.
"Breathe," Logan commanded quietly. "Your heart rate is spiking again."
"Sorry," she whispered back, forcing her breathing into the controlled rhythm he'd taught her. "First mission nerves, I guess."
Logan's hand found hers briefly, his fingers intertwining with hers in a gesture so tender it made her chest tight with emotion. "You're about to discover something incredible about yourself down in that bunker. Whatever the scroll reveals, we'll face it together."
A low whistle echoed through the morning air—Kieran's signal that the perimeter guards had been neutralized.
"That's our cue," Logan said, his demeanor shifting instantly from tender mate to lethal weapon. "Remember the plan. I go down first, you count to thirty, then follow with Lena."
The hidden valley spread before them in all its deceptive tranquility, autumn colors painting the trees in brilliant oranges and reds that seemed to mock the violence they'd just unleashed.
Zoe followed Logan's silent approach to the concealed hatch, her enhanced senses picking up the metallic scent of blood from Kieran and Malcolm's work.
Logan's fingers traced the edges of the hidden entrance with professional efficiency, locating the mechanism that would grant them access to the underground bunker. The sight of him in full enforcer mode—every movement calculated and every breath controlled—sent inappropriate heat down to her core.
Focus, Zoe, she commanded herself sternly. You can fantasize about your deadly mate after we survive this mission.
"Two guards below," Logan murmured, his enhanced hearing confirming what their intelligence had suggested. "Standard protocol—I neutralize the immediate threats, you provide Lena the space she needs to work her magic on those protective wards."
He cupped her face briefly, his thumb tracing her cheekbone with devastating gentleness. "Whatever happens down there, trust yourself, and trust me."
"Always," she breathed, meaning it with every fiber of her being.
Logan descended into the bunker with the fluid grace of a predator entering his domain. Zoe began her count, each number marking another second closer to discovering her destiny. Her birthmark throbbed with warmth, as if responding to the proximity of answers she'd been seeking her entire life.
Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty.
Zoe dropped through the hatch into the underground chamber, her feet hitting the stone floor with barely a whisper.
The scene that greeted her made her wolf purr with vicious satisfaction—Logan had already engaged the two guards with his signature knife work, his movements a deadly dance of precision and power.
Blood painted the ancient stone walls as Logan's blades found their marks with surgical accuracy. The brutal sight should have horrified her. But instead, watching her mate kill with such lethal efficiency to ensure she discovered her destiny, sent primal arousal flooding her system.
God, he's magnificent, she thought, positioning herself to give Lena clear access to the scroll's protective chamber. He's deadly and he's mine.
Lena descended gracefully, her violet eyes already glowing with the magical energy she'd need to counter centuries of protective wards.
"The magical signature is stronger than I expected," she murmured, her hands weaving intricate patterns in the air.
"These spells have been feeding off the scroll's power for generations. "
The ancient chamber hummed with mystical energy as Lena worked, her delicate features tightening with concentration. Zoe positioned herself for optimal defensive coverage, her throwing knives ready in case additional threats materialized.
"Almost there," Lena breathed, sweat beading on her forehead as she unraveled the final protective layer. "Just need to?—"
The stone floor erupted without warning, a hidden passage revealing three additional guards who emerged with weapons raised and murder in their eyes.
Zoe's enhanced reflexes kicked in before conscious thought could interfere, her throwing knife leaving her hand to bury itself in the throat of the nearest attacker.
Logan moved like liquid violence, his tactical awareness allowing him to engage two opponents simultaneously while Zoe handled the third.
They fought together with an instinctive synchronicity that transcended their brief training sessions, their movements complementing each other as if they'd been partners over lifetimes.
Zoe ducked beneath a guard's wild swing, her primary combat knife sliding between his ribs with a wet sound that should have made her sick.
Instead, the successful kill sent triumphant satisfaction coursing through her veins.
This was what she was meant for—standing beside Logan as an equal, protecting what mattered most.
The last guard fell to Logan's hunting knife, his father's blade opening the man's throat in a crimson arc that painted the chamber walls. Silence settled over the underground space, broken only by their controlled breathing.
"Clear," Logan announced, his eyes already scanning for additional threats.
"Got it," Lena gasped, the ancient scroll materializing in her hands as the final protective ward dissolved. "The Lunar Prophecy, in its original form."
Zoe stared at the artifact that held the key to her destiny, her heart hammering with anticipation and terror in equal measure. Whatever secrets lay within those ancient markings would change everything—her life, her future with Logan, and the fate of both their worlds.
But as they left the underground chamber, Zoe felt nothing but fierce satisfaction. She'd proven herself in combat, fought beside her mate as an equal, and taken the first step toward fulfilling a prophecy three centuries in the making.
The hardest part was just beginning—deciphering the scroll's mysteries and learning exactly what price destiny would demand from them both.