Chapter 179

“What did the gangsters or cultists look like?” Shade asked in concern, warmth and sympathy shining oddly in his brilliant blue eyes.

I shook my head. “It was dark in the forest, and I was running for my life so I didn’t get the best look.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Catnip,” Shade said. “But you’re with us now. You have our protection.”

“What were you doing alone in the forest?” Sideburns pressed. He didn’t seem to buy my story. That dude wasn’t as softhearted as his younger brother. “No normal girl would wander alone in the forest in just a sleeping gown.”

He irked me. I hated it even more that my body craved him, even now, after all his sharp judgments.

“I might have been sleepwalking for all I know,” I answered curtly.

“Your pursuers might have been a group of witches, sorcerers, and mages from Mage Town,” Shade offered, trying to diffuse the rising tension. “Witches are into all kinds of cults and black magic, and they’ve been growing bolder lately.”

“Oh my gods,” I blurted. “Do you think they wanted me for a virgin sacrifice?”

All three men blinked, their mouths open, but no words fell from their lips. Heat rose in Sideburns’ and Shade’s eyes. The word “virgin” seemed to have a magical power over red-blooded males. I’d thrown them off track.

Excellent.

I should be a virgin, right, if I hadn’t— I shook off the image of me lying naked, unable to move on that operating table, surrounded by a group of men and women in white coats. My mind refused to go back to that place.

 “I must have slipped from my small town in the human city to the mages’ realm without realizing it,” I said, still flushing and shaking my head in dismay. “Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Shade cleared his throat. “There have been a lot of illegal and suspicious activities on the border with the mages.”

Sideburns looked thoughtful, heat still radiating from him. Perhaps he was still thinking about me being a virgin. He might not like it, but his body responded to mine. It was like we were both engaged in this battle of wills. Our wills and minds said we weren’t good for each other, but our bodies were attracted to each other like two magnets.

“Let’s not speculate,” Sideburns said, trying to shake off whatever image was in his head. “Everything must be based on facts. But, rest assured, I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Then he started asking the same questions again. It was an interrogation trick, but I was in no mood to keep playing this game. Anger boiled within me. If anyone else tried to do this to me, I could be more understanding and even pretend to accommodate them.

But this man was supposed to be my mate, by big fat Fate’s design, even though he was grumpy about being paired up with a girl who had no social status. In his big head, he refused to believe a “bottom feeder” like me could have sharp intelligence that rivaled his own.