Mate (Bride, #2)

by Ali Hazelwood

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning. If anything happens to me, what do you do?” “Buy a black veil, pretend I’m a widow, cash in on your life insurance.” “You call Lowe. Ask him to come get you.” “What about your seconds?” Koen’s jaw shifts. He seems to come to a bitter realization. “I trust them with my life, but apparently not with yours. Lowe can protect you better than anyone.” His hand lifts to my cheek. Falls back to his side without touching me. “Well. Anyone but me. You’ll be safe tonight. I have people patrolling around the cabin—” “The two cardinal points, yes.” “I have twelve guards.” “That is…” I close my mouth. I’m assuming he can spare the manpower. Clearly, the headline here is Big Man Needs Peace of Mind. “Excessive, probably. Anyone watching out for bald eagles?” “There’ll be someone on the roof.” He nods like he’s about to leave again. I can’t let him go without saying, “I’m sorry.” He frowns. “None of this is your fault.” “I know. But this is difficult for you, too. And he dragged your parents into it, which I can’t even imagine…” I swallow. “I’m sorry that you have to deal with this.” His teeth clench. There’s a flicker of something unreadable in his face. “If I come back and something has happened to you, Serena, I’m going to be so fucking pissed.” I bite the inside of my lips. “That sounds like a you problem.” “Yeah. That it is.”