It was obvious that there was some sort of problem. Christopher could tell, even without Declan saying anything, that the mission hadn’t exactly gone as planned. Declan knew that everything was written on his face. His brother could probably tell that he’d screwed up somehow and that he felt bad.
Declan closed his eyes as Zoa wrapped her arms around him a little more tightly. He tried to imagine they were in a different world. In any other lifetime, he could pretend that they were just ordinary people. If they didn’t have to deal with Kellen, he’d take her away, he thought. That’s what he would do. The two of them could go somewhere nice, somewhere wonderful. Maybe they’d visit Dragon Isle and explore the beauty of the old castle there. Perhaps they’d go to a tiny shifter town in the mountains and just be. He’d heard Honeypot was nice this time of year.
“He wasn’t there,” Declan finally said.
“Kellen blew up the house,” Brian explained, climbing into the house. He stood upright beside Declan and shook his head, obviously just as frustrated as Declan was. “He destroyed everything before we even arrived. Declan suspects he’s aware that Zoa is missing.”
“He knows you’re the one who saved me,” Zoa looked up at Declan.
“Yeah,” he managed to choke out. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Declan had saved her. He’d rescued her. Now he had to deal with the wrath of someone horrible, but he didn’t care.
He didn’t care at all about Kellen.
Maybe Kellen would be clever and try to destroy the company’s reputation, or perhaps he’d make a big show and invade the treehouse. Who knew? Maybe he’d been lying in wait for Declan’s return, and he’d tracked them back to the forest.
All Declan knew was that no matter what happened, he didn’t give a shit about himself as long as Zoa was safe. He’d do anything for Zoa. He’d die for her.
“Yeah, ‘cause she’s your mate,” Brian rolled his eyes.
“What?”
“You just said you’d die for me,” Zoa looked up at him, blinking. “Is that true, Declan?” She licked her lips, and he wanted to kiss her so badly right then. If he could spend hours just teasing those sweet, soft lips, then he would. Maybe one day. Then, she added a question he’d been waiting for, one he’d been scared to answer. “Am I your mate?”
This was the moment.
This was the moment he’d been waiting for.
He was faced with a choice, and he knew he had to make the right one. Was Zoa his mate? He believed it more than anything else. He hadn’t believed in mates for a very long time.
His mother had always promised they were real, that true love was a possibility for all of her children, but Declan had always passed it off as a fairy tale. Then he’d met Zoa, and everything just seemed so right. It was unlike anything he’d ever expected or planned for.
Yeah, Zoa was his mate.
“Yes,” he said. Declan nodded, looking at her. He couldn’t – wouldn’t – deny it. Not to himself, and not to anyone else. He could be honest. For her. He’d do it for her. “You’re my mate.”
“Congratulations,” Christopher grinned, chuckling. “Took you long enough to admit it, you know?”
“Not the time,” Declan chided his brother. There would be plenty of time for Brian and Christopher to tease Declan later. Not that they had any room to talk. Both of them were unmated, and Declan wondered if they’d be able to admit it when they met their own mates. Judging by the way Christopher eyed his assistant every time she walked by, Declan figured it was a safe bet that neither one of his brothers would be any smarter than he was.
Right now, though, they needed to focus. They needed a plan. They needed to figure out how they were going to find Kellen, and how they were going to defeat him. Since he was no longer in one place, it would be more difficult. Still, a guy like Kellen wouldn’t stay in hiding for long. He’d come out of the woodwork, and probably pretty damn soon.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Christopher waved his hands, as though he thought Declan was being over-the-top. Christopher glared, irritated. He looked exactly the same way he had when they were younger and would fight over their shared birthday presents.
“Dude,” Brian shook his head. “Let it go, man.”
“But he-”
“Let it go,” Brian repeated. Christopher sighed, but nodded. He knew as well as Declan and Brian did that they needed to decide what their next steps would be. Zoa needed to be protected at all costs. If Kellen managed to get his hands on her again, Declan knew that the jerkwad shifter wouldn’t be as nice this time.
“We need a plan,” Declan pointed out. “Before we do anything else, we need to have a plan.” He felt proud of himself for taking charge. Usually, that was Brian’s department.
“I don’t think that we do,” Brian said slowly.
“Why not? Why wouldn’t we need a plan?”
“Because he obviously followed us.”
“Are you sure?” Declan was confused. “I looked. I didn’t see anyone.”