Maces POV
Pulling into the underground parking lot, I parked next to Kalen and John before hopping out of the car.
Kalen also gets out, and we quickly go over the plans again while John plays with my phone and pairs it
to his and Kalen‘s so they can track me.
“We will be right behind you. John will grab Ava from the meeting spot, and I will follow. Derrick and Dion
are waiting for the call. Once we have your location, we ambush him.” Kalen tells me and I nod. My heart
was thumping rapidly as nerves kicked in, and I was stressing over leaving with Carter, even if only
temporarily.
“Here, but just in case this disconnects, take this,” John says, handing me something that looks
suspiciously like a suppository. He‘s pulling my leg, right? I hold it up, looking at it.
“And what am I supposed to do with this?” I ask, and they both mumble and look away from me.
“Oh, hell no! You shaft it!” No way was that going up my butt.
“It‘s just a precaution,” John mutters. “I don‘t see you shoving anything up your ass! Do I look like a drug
mule?” I snap.
“Always the other …” Kalen starts to say, but I hold up a hand to stop him before he can tell me his
suggestion.
“Nope! Definitely not.” I growl, annoyed at how easy they were discussing my nether bits.
“Geez, woman, just swallow the damn thing!” John says. I growl but swallow the rubbery device.
“You better hope that comes out. And easily. I am not going to the damn hospital and explaining this
shit!” I tell him and John sighs.
“Hey, you wouldn‘t let us get anyone involved but Derrick and Dion, so we need backup plans. That is
the backup plan,” Kalen tells me.
I rolled my eyes before snatching the water off him and sculling some. The damn thing felt like it was
lodged in my throat.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I glanced at it knowing it was getting close to the time. We quickly
went over the plans once more. Carter said Ava would be dropped to the old mine tunnels where he
dropped Micah.
Once I was out of the city with him, that was where John was heading first.
Kalen was following behind me to the borders in one of the delivery trucks that came in this morning.
God knows how much he had to pay the driver to the truck over and wait around, but a random car
would look suspicious.
“Okay, where are you meeting Carter again?” John asks.
“The train bridge. Then once we leave the city limits, he said he would make a call to whoever has Ava.”
I waited for the message to come in. It was the only thing going that we couldn‘t plan for because we
didn‘t know when he would ring. Once the message comes in, I drive to the station, and we all split up.
Kalen went to pick up the truck, John, to get Ava. As I drive toward the train station, I passed Dion and
Derrick. However, when I got to the train station, my phone rang again, and I saw no sign of Carter.
“Where are you?” I ask Carter.
“Get on the train that is waiting,” he says, and I look at the train.
“No. We had a deal,”
“And the deal stands. Yet if you think I am stupid, Macey, and that I wouldn‘t know you have a plan, then
you are mistaken. Get on the train and catch it to the first stop out of the city,” he says, hanging up, and I
curse.
I shake my head, racing to catch the train before it leaves. I had to jump the turnstiles, and I slipped
through the narrow door gap just in time.
nce inside, I went to text Kalen when I noticed a teenage girl sitting in one of the booths. She had her
headphones in, and I quickly tapped her shoulder. She looks up at me, startled. I could tell she was a
rogue, and after a sniff of the air, she pulled her headphones from her ears.
“Can I borrow your phone to send a message?” I ask her. She looks at my phone in my hand.
“Out of credit,” I tell her before she says anything. She hands her phone over, and I quickly message
Kalen off it, untrusting of my own phone. Handing it back to her, I watch the city slip by, passing Dion and
Derrick, that was parked on the overpass.
I wait by the doors as the train passes over the city. However, I glanced down seeing police cars and
black SUV‘s racing toward the borders before I recognized John‘s car screeching to a stop as his car is
circled.
I try to see what is going on, pressing my face to the glass as I curse. But the train was going too quickly,
and I sucked in a shaky breath. The train keeps going. The girl whose phone I borrowed waves me over.
“I um, think this is for you,” she says, showing me the phone screen. Kalen had replied. “Borders
blocked, hang tight. Something is going on,” is all it says, and I swallow and quickly thank her. I had no
doubt this was Carter‘s doing
“Fuck!” I hiss under my breath.
My phone rings, and I rip it from my pocket.
“I noticed Taylor isn‘t with you. And you have no suitcase,” Carter purrs, and I grit my teeth. He laughs.
“Little mate, you won‘t get one past me, so I don‘t know why you tried. Never mind, it‘s alright. I will
forgive your dishonesty. Make sure to get off at the next stop. I will be waiting,” he says before hanging
up.
Looking at the train map on the wall, I had no idea what train I even got on, but we passed two stations
without stopping. I sat down until I felt the train begin to slow.
Getting off the train, I moved to the parking lot and spotted a black Mercedes waiting. Carter stood
leaning against the hood. He looked impeccable in his suit, and the bond burned to touch him, but I
stamped that urge down.
“What, no hug?” Carter purrs, stalking toward me. I try to sidestep him but am swept up in his arms
before being pinned against the car.
“Where is Ava?” I growl.
“And where is your phone, love? Hand it over,” he growls, feeling my pockets. He finds my phone before
dropping it and stomping on it.
“Ava?” I demanded, knowing everything was not going to plan. I was barely holding myself together.
“In the trunk. Now, I am done playing your little games of cat and mouse, so I will release her the
moment I have marked that pretty little neck,” he says, pressing closer, and I turn my face to the trunk,
and I could hear the faint banging and groaning coming from it.
“No. Release her, then we can leave. Let her out, Carter,” I tell him.
“I want assurance first. No one will risk your life. So you want her, you will let me mark you,” he says,
trailing his nose across my neck. I swallowed, trying to stamp down the urges of the bond to give in to
him.
The sparks were relentless the longer he touched me, making a moan escape me. Carter chuckles,
though I seethed on the inside that he had this effect, but if it worked in distracting him, I would use it to
my advantage.
“Now there is the reaction I have been looking for,” Carter murmurs, nipping at my neck, and my breath
comes in uneven breaths as the sparks and bond reacts to my mate. Glancing around, I see the girl from
the train waiting at the bus stop. If I could just get Carter to release Ava, I know the girl would help her.
“Not here. We have too many observers,” I tell him, and he glances around before reaching for the door
handle. He pulls on it, opening the door. I glance at it as he steps away from me and nods to get in.
“You want her back, then get in. Once I have marked you, I will let her go and not a moment before,” he
says, and I bite my lip and reluctantly get in.
“You‘ll let her out?” I ask worriedly. What if all of this was some ploy? Carter leans in, clipping in my seat
belt. When he pulls back, he smirks. “Of course,” he purrs, pressing his lips to mine.
Instead of fighting the bond, I allowed it, answering his kiss and internally cringing the entire time. Yet this
insane man seemed to think the feeling was reciprocated and cupped the back of my neck, deepening it.
His lips trail down my neck hungrily, and I offer it to him. Tears burned my eyes at what I was about to
allow him to do. I just hoped I was strong enough to fight the bond afterwards.
“Do it,” I whisper, and he pulls away to look at me.
“Ava can catch the train home from here. Do it, so you know I am yours,” I tell him. He observes my face
for a few seconds before glancing around the parking lot, and I notice it beginning to empty. The girl I
could no longer see, she was by the bus stop, but now I couldn‘t see her.
“Carter?” I ask, turning my attention back to him.
“And you‘ll mark me?” he asks, pecking my lips.
“You‘ll let her out?” I ask, and he nods.
“Then yes, but…”
“I will let her out,” he repeats, and I suck in a breath and quickly nod. Carter kisses me, and I kiss him
back, playing along when he pulls me to the edge of the seat so my feet are hanging out the door while
the seat belt feels as if it would strangle me. He crouches in front of me, his hands trailing up my thighs
when he turns his head, offering me his neck.
“You want me to go first?” I ask.
“Well, unless you can fight an Alpha mark, Love, you first. Because you won‘t be awake long once I mark
you,” he says, and my heart beats like a drum in my chest as panic kicks in.
Carter grips my face in his hands.
“I promised, didn‘t I?” he says. He offers me his neck, and I hesitate before leaning closer when I feel my
canines tear from my gums as his scent overwhelms me, the bond flaring to life, and I sink my teeth into
his neck.
The bond surges as my chest tighten and my heart swells, letting his soul intertwine with mine. Carter
grunts, tugging me closer, holding me in closer until the bond forges. When my canines retract, I run my
tongue over his mark, sealing it. My body felt traitorous, and I tried to remind myself I still had control.
“Good girl,” Carter purrs, pecking my lips before he rips my head to the side and sinks his teeth in my
neck. I clench my eyes shut as pain rips through my shoulder before pleasure makes my entire body
tingle, and I submit to the bond and let it forge. Yet as the bond formed and blossomed, I felt my body
become increasingly heavy, and I sagged back against the seat.
Carter turns me after sealing his mark, pushing me back in my seat and untangling the belt that was
caught around my torso.
“Ava,” I murmur, fighting the overwhelming exhaustion.
“I will release her. Sleep,” he says, kissing my head and shutting the door.
My head hits the glass as I slump to the side, yet I see Carter go to the trunk and pop it in the side mirror.
He rummages around before I see Ava stagger forward before slumping on the ground as her legs give
out from under her. Moments later
Carter climbs in the driver‘s door while Ava undid the gag from her mouth
Carters starts the car, and relief floods me when I see she is alright. My eyes flutter as I force them to
stay open, a fight I was never going to win. Yet while Carter spoke soft words, I saw the girl rush from the
bus station toward her as he pulled onto the highway, and I smiled sleepily. She was safe. Me, not so
much.
“You won‘t regret this, Macey; I will take good care of you,” I hear Carter‘s voice. No, but you will regret
ever meeting me, I thought before the oblivion of the mate bond swept under me.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda