Page 12 of In the Line of Fire
“I guess it’s a good thing mine is a hatchback I picked up for cash a month ago since it sounds as though we’re taking yours.” She scanned the street again. “But you’re going to have to tell me where it is first.”
I flashed her a mischievous grin. “We’ll need to walk for about ten minutes, but I have something much more impressive waiting for us than a car.”
“Color me intrigued,” she murmured as I led her in the direction of the nearest portal.
I probably should’ve asked for more details about the dark practitioners, but my need to know more about my mate made me ask, “Why were you studying moss?”
She filled me in on how she’d gotten interested in bryology while doing her undergraduate studies and had been working on her doctoral thesis when the mess with the coven started. I was even more impressed with the woman fate had chosen to pair me with by the time we neared the cave system where the portal was located.
“Are you sure we didn’t take a wrong turn somewhere?” She scanned the treetops. “I’ve been roaming these woods since I was a kid, and there isn’t much to see out here.”
I squeezed her hand. “Trust me?”
“I must since I’m here with you,” she teased.
My fated mate had chosen to place her faith in me, making me proud as fuck. Tugging her around the rock formation that hid the entrance we were going to use, I explained, “There’s a network of underground portals that will allow us to travel across the world in the blink of an eye.”
“All over the world?” she echoed.
I was about to blow her mind even more. “Some of them lead to other realms.”
“Whoa,” she breathed.
While Soleil was wrapping her brain around the concept, I led her through the cave and down to the glittering curtain that would transport us thousands of miles in seconds.
“How does this work?” she asked.
“I’m not sure what kind of magic powers the portals, but the process is really simple. We step through from here, and the next thing you know, we’ll be outside the portal located on Veles land,” I explained as I checked the shimmering space for any sign of life. After confirming the coast was clear, I tightened my hold on her hand and stepped through the portal, keeping her right behind me in case I missed anything. Less than a minute later, we walked out of the cave that housed the portal nearest my house.
“It’s wild how fast and easy that was.” Her gray eyes were wide when we stepped into the forest deep in Veles territory. “Knowing about the portals would’ve been useful more times than I can count over the past few years.”
Some of my tension eased now that I had my fated mate on my family’s land, where I knew I could protect her. But I wouldn’t fully relax until we were in my home. I wanted her petite body spread out on my bed, her dark hair spilling over my pillows, and her gray eyes hazy with desire. I needed to claim her as my mate. To sink my cock deep inside her pussy and speak the ancient mating words. To bite her shoulder and leave my mark against her pale skin, tying us together forever.
