Page 80 of Those That Are Lost

“Turned?” Bree presses, eyes darting between the two of us.

“Bree… this isn’t easy.” Red pauses.

“Rory, what is it? You can tell me. Should I send him away first?” Bree darts daggers my way again. I recall her threat when Red and I first got together. Despite the time they’ve spent apart, I have no doubt the female in front of me will inflict some damage if she thinks I’ve harmed Red in any way.

“Vampires still exist,” Red practically whispers. I can’t see her face as I stand behind her but as Bree takes a step back, I’m guessing my mate has flashed her fangs.

Bree walks back a few more steps until she hits the bed, sinking into the soft mattress covered in silk sheets and a velvet runner.

“I…” She struggles for words but I hear her heartbeat pick up and smell the adrenaline flood her system.

In a flash, she’s standing again, whipping around Red and coming at me like she did in the foyer. “You fucking turned her?! What did you do? You’ve damned her to hell!” She tries to slap me again, possibly rightly so, seeing as I am partially the cause of Red’s life derailing.

Red is quick to intervene and blocks the blow.

“Bree, no! You’ve got it wrong. He’s my mate!” She pushes her friend back, getting between us.

That makes Bree pause.

“You’re actually mated? Like irrevocably bonded? Lives woven together?” She uses the Fae terminology.

“You said you could scent it.”

“I can smell that you’re fucking regularly, your scents are practically the same.”

“That’s the mate bond.” Red tells her.

“It’s similar to Fae,” I offer. “We are bonded permanently but our lives are not dependent on eachother. Mates can outlive the other, although many choose not to.”

“Did you choose this?” she aims at Red.

“Yes. It’s not fated like it is with Fae.”

“I can’t believe this.” Bree begins pacing the length of the room, her heels thumping on the carpeted floor.

“Bree, I know it's a lot. I hated that I had to leave. But I had to. I’m so sorry.”

“Why did you leave? You were together in Froan.”

“I…” Red struggles.

“There’re some vampires in Froan who don't want us together. We were seeing each other in secret from them. We had to leave when they found out.” I summarise with as much detail as I can give.

“That doesn’t explain why you couldn’t tell me or Claire. You just disappeared from the gala last year. Do you know we had searches done, reported you missing, have been running a campaign?”

Oh, shit. I wonder how Adicious took to that.

“I’m sorry. I am. Bree, it was serious. We had to leave and have been moving around since.”

I note how she doesn’t mention our months apart.

“What are you doing here in the capital now?” Bree asks, her heart rate finally calming even though she’s still pacing.

“We’re working out a way back to Froan. You can’t tell anyone you’ve seen us. Please.”

“You’re still in danger?”

“Yes.”