Deep, Deep Trouble

It was worse than I realized P.O.A.H hadn't only found her, they had also initiated a retrieval team. As I tailed Nikki home from Tianna's, I counted at least 3 cars doing the same.

I used my police training to get close to each of them and took pictures of their license plates. I would have loved to get photos of the occupants too but I didn't want to risk getting caught.

Dismay flickered down my back when all 3 cars came back registered to owners that lived in her building. I watched as 6 agents in total exited the cars. Knowing how the agency operated, my guess is that they had surrounded her. Their usual approach was one above, one on either side, two across the hall, and one below.

This was exactly what I was afraid of but I was prepared. I had everything I needed to disappear; taking her with me. The only decision I had to make was whether I was going to do this with or without her consent. My wolf practically hummed its assent to kidnap our mate but I knew that if I took that route she would hate me even more than she already did.

I sighed in frustration as I listened to my mate crying. I ached, physically, knowing there was nothing I could do about it. As we were right now, she wouldn't accept any comfort from me.

Tomorrow, as soon as she woke up, I would explain just how much danger she was in and convince her to come with me so that I could protect her.

As I planned what I was going to say to convince Nikki to leave with me, I also mapped out how I was going to take her without alerting the P.O.A.H agents. I also needed to figure out what I was going to do about her friend, Tianna. When I saw her step out of the car covered in bruises, I knew there was no way I could leave her. Worse, there was no way Nikki would leave her.

A sense of unease fell over me. There was a lot to do if I was going to keep my mate safe. At the top of the list was figuring out her connection to the P.OA.H. At the behest of the Supernatural Committee, I had infiltrated the organization 3 years ago.

I still had no idea who was at the helm or why upper management wanted to get a hold of my mate so badly.

A low guttural growl escaped my throat at the thought of all the dangers facing our mate. I quieted my wolf and turned my thoughts to the next thing on my list: figuring out the mystery of how a human became a royal's mate to begin with.