Taken by my mate; Second Chance

COVYN

Evadiene paused and waited for me to unlock my office door, silently, entering behind me and shutting the doors. As she did she noticed the second doors and pulled them closed and then did the same to the doors on the other side that entered the library.

Sequoia had followed us the whole way, never leaving her side, and now curled into one of the chairs. Evadiene did the same, moving to sit in a chair in front of my desk and I followed her lead taking my own chair.

“So?” I asked finally after several long silent minutes.

She huffed. “I don’t know how to begin.”

“Is there something you wanted to tell me? About you? About Spencer? Is there something you’re worried about?”

She looked up at me, a brief smile as I asked questions. “I’m worried about him. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“Is this about what you were worried about before? When you tried to leave?” She nodded. “What is the threat to Spencer that concerns you?”

“My brothers,” she said quickly, almost excited that she was allowed these words.

“What threat do your brothers pose?” I too was excited to be able to ask these things. So many things were different this time.

“They are strong. Very strong…. I was selfish to let Ambrose bring me here. Deep down I knew it was wrong to put him at risk, but…”

“He makes you feel safe,” I finished for her when she drifted off and she nodded.

“If I leave, I can severe our bond and they won’t find him.” I could almost see her heart breaking with the words, but she would do it to save him.

“Spencer won’t let you go,” I reminded. “He’s yours as much as you’re his.”

Again she nodded. “That’s why I came to you.”

“What do you think I can do about it?”

“You know something,” she said carefully. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I can feel it. ‘You never asked’,” she quoted me from the night before. “It’s familiar. I know that sounds weird, but I have a knack for these things. You know more than you should… I need to leave.”

“Evadiene…”

“I love him,” she blurted out suddenly. “I have never felt so much happiness as I have just being near him, and I know they’ll try to kill him.”

I wanted to say that they were both safe here, but I knew I couldn’t promise that. Our boarder was failing. Sure it was stronger now than it was when they got in before, but I knew they would find a way. Her leaving would save them both, but their hearts would ache everyday they were apart. Breaking the bond, though it should be impossible I knew she had a way, would not erase the ache now that they had been together. I didn’t expect either one would live long alone.

“There needs to be another way.. I won’t help you leave,” I told her firmly. “He doesn’t deserve that, and neither do you. We will find another way.”

She looked about to cry, but I folded my arms, remaining firm. A tear slid down her cheek. Soon it was joined by others, but she wouldn’t let herself whimper.

“Please Covyn. You’re the only one strong enough to stop him from following me..” her lip trembled but I didn’t change my expression.

She didn’t say anything more, pushing her chair back to leave before she paused. “I could ask you questions.-“ she turned to me and I could see she was desperate, “-the ones that no one asks so you can’t give the answers you want to. I’ll do it, I’ll ask them all, and figure out what you need.”

For a moment I thought about it, just to ask her to reject me, but I shook my head. “Not worth the cost.”

She drew her lips into a thin line and nodded once before going, leaving through the library. When the door had closed behind her I slumped in my chair. I had been at murder trials that were less strenuous than trying to tell Evadiene ‘no’.

I didn’t like that she was feeling desperate, and thought more about the clue Sequoia had provided the first time. My part was just obviously her big book that I had gone to get for her, and she had that now. Spencer had been there when the second clue was discovered, and I thought about everywhere they had been together. I hadn’t even asked her about her days, so all I had to go on was the general flow of events.

She slept after her attack and he was there, they came to dinner after that, and I was with her all night. They had been in the gym, but I doubted the clue was there. Evadiene had started to fix Daley’s car… both of those were after Sequoia’s hint though.. I worked backwards from the night we found out that she is a Phoenix, and that morning I had attacked her in our room. We had come to this office with my betas to discuss it..

It was like a light had turned on in my head. She had said she wanted to find a book she was sure we would have. I had already read the two others she had brought to my office the one day, cover to cover, and found no real hints there, except that Alpha Stone bringing in a corpse that infected the other dead being like the Trojan Horse. I couldn’t remember any of the others she had brought to our room that night, and we had never gotten around to talking about them.

I huffed for a moment, rubbing my face with my hands. Even with things unfurling more quickly, it wasn’t making things any easier. This time we had found out that she isn’t human long before figuring out what her species is, and Spencer didn’t find out before the rest of us despite dating her this time. Then there was Daley’s book to wonder about…

Again, I wanted to hit myself. She had been to the library this time too, when we were looking for Daley’s book and she had found a whole stack of things. We had never gone back to see what books were left after people had picked through them. I stood up quickly, nearly knocking my chair over as I moved to the back doors in my office.

I think I terrified the poor librarian as I marched over and asked for the books left from the other day. She pulled them all out, assuring me she only saved them in a drawer like this because it had been me to give the request.

“What is this sticky note for?” I asked, flipping through the five that remained.

“Ah yes,” she smirked. “One of the books was quite old and important, so I hid it away into it was asked for.”She pulled out a blue book and handed it to me gently. “I thought this was missing, it had been unaccounted for for a long time, please…” she hesitated, looking at me with her neck shown, “be gentle with it.”

I chuckled lightly. “Of course.”

The blue book had metal bent over the corners that looked like flatten and folded circles, maybe even coins with the residual etchings. I looked over it for the title of the book but the gold lettering on the cover and spine had been completely worn off.

I smiled to myself. I couldn’t feel the hum the way Evadiene said she could, but I had a strong feeling this was the one. I went back into my office, sitting behind my desk only briefly before my door burst open.

Spencer stood there, absolutely seething. He was nearly foaming at the mouth in his rage, his shoulders heaving up and down as he stalked toward me with more reproach than I had ever seen from anyone, especially directed toward me as Alpha. He slammed his fists into my desk, growling loudly when he caught the lingering smell from the chair beside him.

“Where is my mate!”