He swallows. “And the ones that are?”
“We keep them far away from the compound.” I meet his gaze, making sure he knows I’m not bullshitting him. “You’re safe here, Dawson.”
His shoulders relax, just a fraction.
“Good,” he mutters. “I don’t have the energy to fight off another one.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, let’s not test your caveman survival skills again just yet.” With that, I head out.
The second I step into the hall, Varek is there, arms crossed.
“Sonny,” he says, all business. “Report.”
I sigh. “He—Dawson—is awake. Banged up but fine. No major injuries. He killed a Dlanwik with a rock.”
Varek actually raises a brow. “A rock?”
“Yep. Man’s a menace.”
He exhales through his nose, like he doesn’t have time for my shit. “Good. And his memory?”
“Seems intact. He remembers coming through the rift, being attacked, nearly shitting himself.” I hesitate. “Also, he’s Australian.”
Varek narrows his eyes slightly. “Interesting. That makes three who arrived through the same rift.”
“Yeah, I was thinking that too.” I shift on my feet. “He says he was in Portugal when he got pulled through, though.”
He frowns. “That’s not the same place as Australia?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Complete opposite side of the wo— Holy shit, opposite side of the world. Like, my Earth geography is not the best, but I’m pretty sure if you looked at the globe andplaced a ruler against it—through it—” I shrug. “—I’m pretty sure the other side is Portugal, maybe Spain. But considering where Dawson said he was, my money’s on Portugal.
“Hmm… unexpected.”
“Tell me about it.”
Varek studies me for a beat, then says, “The prince is demanding to see him.”
I wince, barely holding back my sneer at the mention of the Glowranth. Fuck. “Already?”
He tilts his head. “Why does that sound like a problem?”
I clear my throat, not about to admit I might’ve let it slip that Dawson is apparently the prince’s fated mate. “Varek, we both know humans don’t have ‘fated mates.’ That’s fantasy novel bullshit.”
Varek’s expression doesn’t change. “You need to prepare him.”
There’s something in his tone that sets me on edge. I narrow my eyes. “Prepare him for what, exactly?”
He doesn’t blink. “For the bond.”
I stare. “Oh hell no.”
Varek’s mouth tightens. “Sonny?—”
“No.” I cross my arms. “If you’re thinking of nudging him towards this ‘fated mate’ thing to flip the prince to our side, you can fuck right off.”
He exhales, but I see the flicker of guilt in his expression. “It would be advantageous?—”
“To who?” I snap. “Because it sure as shit wouldn’t be to Dawson.”
