Page 59 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha (Witch Twins #2)

Electra

A millisecond after I dropped to the ground, the window burst into a million tiny shards. Even though I’d automatically put my head in my hands when I dropped to the ground, I knew who it was. My body, my soul, reacted to his nearness.

My mate had arrived. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I was grateful that he had stormed in like a tornado on my behalf. But I was supposed to be the badass bodyguard who protected him. Ever since we’d been in that Humans First cell, I was struggling with my identity.

And how had he even escaped our tightly-guarded room?

Footsteps sounded near my ear and I tensed, ready to roll. If someone was planning to hurt my mate from behind, they had another think coming. But I recognised Luc’s voice.

Then I heard Bastien tell Luc to protect me. Fuck you, I grumbled internally. I was in the middle of rescuing myself when you turned up. If you’d waited another minute, I wouldn’t have needed ‘protecting’. Sure, the bullets had hurt, but I’d been almost free. Probably.

Sighing, I uncurled from my ball and rolled onto my back, holding in a groan.

If Bastien knew how much I was hurting it could set him off and I didn’t know how much of a hair-trigger he was operating on right now.

My shield was still up, so I was safe from bullets and now that Bastien was here, no-one was going to be able to get close to me.

Luc met my gaze and I glared at him. He met my black look with a wink, as if he had heard my inner thoughts and knew exactly how pissed I was about being protected.

Then it really hit me. Luc was here, with Bastien, giving me a wink. Bastien was here and Luc was helping him.

Hope fluttered in my chest.

Movement registered in my periphery and I turned my head.

Well, well, well. Slimy Silvio was trying to crawl out through the broken window, hoping to remain unnoticed.

Bastien’s deep voice pulled my attention away from my former tormentor. He could wait. “The Council Order has been rescinded. You have five seconds to stand down or I’ll rip off your heads for endangering my mate.”

I watched Luc for signs that he was worried that Bastien was about to snap. His stance stayed casual. He looked alert and ready to respond to violence from the guards, but he seemed to have no concerns about Bastien.

Finally, I turned my eyes to Bastien. He was still in his true form, but he was wearing a suit.

My heart stuttered in my chest and a pulse started low in my abdomen.

Fuck, he was hot. The jacket emphasised his broad shoulders and the fitted pants showed off his tight ass.

Until now I’d only seen him in the ruins of his clothes or almost naked.

While his naked body was magnificent, somehow the incongruity of his ogre form wrapped up in a superbly tailored suit took his hotness to another level.

Bastien was out of his cell. Wearing a suit. Luc was here to support him. And he had declared the Order rescinded.

The dots were begging for me to join them. The only way that Bastien would be here with Luc’s support and with the political power to get the Order removed was if he’d finally bonded the two halves of his soul.

It was a good thing. I knew it was. But my eyes filled with tears. Luc looked at me sharply and I pressed on the bruise on my hip, making it throb, hiding the true reason for the wetness on my cheeks.

Fuck. I couldn’t do this now. I couldn’t afford to break down.

To worry about whether Bastien regretted his decision to make me his mate now that he’d bonded with his human half.

For five years, his human side hadn’t done anything to press his suit.

There had to be a reason for that. And I didn’t want to think about it.

Too caught up in my own head, I missed something important.

And then the bullets started flying. Even though part of me knew that Bastien couldn’t be easily hurt in this form, training and muscle memory had me moving before my brain caught up.

Rolling, I came to my feet in a defensive stance, fingers already moving to enlarge the shield spell.

But before I could do anything useful, before I could actually do my fucking job , Luc grabbed my hands and pulled me behind him.

What the fuck? He wasn’t letting me do my job now either? Fuming, I tried to kick him in the back of the knee, but with Shifter fluidity he dodged me.

Just then, Silvio made another move for freedom. That was what I needed. I needed to stop thinking and start acting. To push the angry thoughts down into the back of my brain. To stop fucking worrying.

I couldn’t cast any big offensive spells but I didn’t need spells to cause damage.

My feet carried me away from Luc who, not expecting me to run, turned a fraction of a second too late to stop me.

Thankful that I had worn my steel-toed combat boots, I began to kick Silvio.

“You fucking asshole. Trying to compel me. Fucking illegal mind-rape interrogation techniques. Fuck you. Fuck you.” The locks on the box in my mind that stored all my dark thoughts rattled.

I was screaming, my body shaking with anger and adrenaline, recalling the terror and pain I’d felt when I thought he was going to get into my mind.

When I’d feared that I would be the reason why Bastien was sentenced to death.

Coupled with my own anger that I was being treated like a fragile doll rather than a competent bodyguard, I had a lot of rage to channel.

I couldn’t see Silvio’s crumpled body through the tears that blurred my eyes, but I didn’t let that stop me. He had to pay. Because of him I’d nearly betrayed my mate and his biggest secret.

Strong arms banded around my body. Even as I continued to kick and scream, I was lifted from the ground.

One large hand pressed my head into a muscled chest. The chest was familiar.

The smell comforting. I rubbed my cheek against his torso and his rumbled purr vibrated against my skin.

Oh, that’s nice . The trembles in my muscles began to dissipate.

Bastien rumbled something to Luc and then he was carrying me out of the building and across the lawn. I kept my head tucked against Bastien’s chest. My chest was tight, my eyes swollen from crying. I was a mess. Physically and emotionally.

Someone spoke nearby and I stiffened in Bastien’s arms.

Be calm , he said, in my mind. You are safe . I have you .

Bastien’s arms tightened around me and I cracked open one eye. He’d walked me to the chopper and, without breaking stride, he jumped into the cabin. Settling himself into a seat, he made no move to let me go.

Inwardly I sighed. Being in his arms felt so right, but I knew the rules. I needed to take a seat and belt myself in. Squirming, I tried to free myself from his lap.

No . He tightened his arms, his head dipping to my neck. He sucked on the bond mark. Instant heat flashed through my body. I’m not ready to let you go. Not yet .

“But the belt?”

Fuck the belt Elie. Lifting his head, he shouted to the pilot, “Don’t crash.”

My lips twitched. All right then.

The noise of the rotor blades filled the air. Bastien settled a headset over my ears, and then one on his own head. He tapped the side of mine and gave me a thumbs up.

“What about Luc?”

“He’s got backup coming. The psychic Mage will be taken into custody. If he spills everything and implicates Maximilian, I’ll be only too pleased to issue an Order for his arrest.”

A quick glance up showed that the pilot also had a headset over his ears. “Can he hear us?”

Bastien shook his head . “ We have our own channel on these headsets .” And if you would join me, we have our own special channel.

I didn’t take him up on the offer. “You think this is tied in with the kidnap?”

“I don’t know. Yet. But that’s not the proof I’m looking for now.”

“But you said you’ll have him arrested if Silvio implicates him.”

“Silvio.” Bastien’s voice was harsh. “That’s the name of the guy who’s going to be dead by tomorrow.”

I pushed an arm against the hard chest and Bastien’s arms loosened just enough for me to sit up straight and lift my face so I could see him clearly.

His mismatched eyes on mine were steady.

For a moment I lost my train of thought.

He really had bonded the two halves of his soul.

Thank the gods. He was the Bastien I knew.

The Bastien I had loved for years. But he was also the Bastien who had mated me in the underground bunker.

And he hadn’t changed back into his human form.

He was showing the world that he was a beast. A Shifter in his true form.

And he’d poured all that power into a suit.

I suppressed the flutter of panic at the thought of the conversation that he was going to want to have with me.

The one where he said, hey I know this has been cool, and I bit you, but it was really a mistake.

Like a Vegas wedding. One which seemed like a good idea at the time when the tequila was talking but when you sobered up in the morning, reality crept back in.

Yeah, I wasn’t looking forward to that talk.

I checked my shields, compulsively making sure that I had covered over the hole Silvio had made.

Bastien had barged his way through them before, saying we would no longer have secrets between us, but I needed space.

I needed my secrets. I didn’t want him to know how it would crush me when he gave me the inevitable truth.

I knew what was going to happen and Bastien didn’t need me to make it any harder than it was already going to be. We could be responsible adults.

At least I hadn’t told him about the plan to have a baby with him. Being rejected after that would have been just too humiliating.

Baby ? Let me in .

Nope. That wasn’t happening. Deflect. Deflect. All our conversations were going to use our voices. Not our mental bond.

Shit. What had I wanted to say? I was rattled, my thoughts scattering like startled pigeons.

I tried to rub my aching temples and the awkwardness of the cuffs still on my wrist halted the movement midway.

Cuffs. Silvio. Soon to be dead Silvio, according to Bastien.

That was it. “What do you mean? Dead? And why aren’t you trying to implicate Maximilian into the terrorist plot? "

Bastien’s head dropped to my ear and he bit it gently. Silvio hurt you. The only reason he isn’t dead already is because I wanted to get you out of there.

That shouldn’t make my breath catch. It shouldn’t make me hope. But it did.

I swallowed. Took a breath. Waited until my voice was going to be steady. “And Maximilian?”

“If Maximilian authorised Silvio’s actions, he’s dead too.”

I gasped. “You can’t kill him for that.”

Of course I can.

I knew Shifter justice was harsh but I’d suffered no permanent damage (I hoped, hello PTSD) and Maximilian hadn’t laid a hand on me. He hadn’t been in the room when the interrogation began.

“I don’t think that’s legal.”

His lips curled back, displaying his impressive fangs. I. Don’t. Give. A. Fuck.