Either way, the queen had assured her that the mutated virus that had negated her earlier mating bond would fade from her system and not affect any future bond. If she wanted to stay mated to Daire, she could.

Her mind was mushy and her body exhausted, so even though she didn’t care for his bossiness, he was correct that she needed to rest. Even so, it took a while for her to drop into dreamland. Life had always been difficult, and she’d learned young that if any happiness stormed her way, she should grab on to it with both hands.

Daire made her happy when he wasn’t driving her crazy. If she could just get a handle on his overprotectiveness, and if she could just get him to see her as an equal, even in battle, then they stood a chance.

If he wanted a chance.

Maybe he didn’t.

That thought made her heart hurt again, almost competing with the pain pounding in her shoulder. She’d never force him to stay with her, and she should probably get some sleep before trying to figure everything out.

She tried to open her eyes, but they remained shut. “When we awaken, we really need to talk,” she mumbled.

His hand tightened on her nape and then quickly released. “Oh, baby, you can count on it.”

Chapter 21

The plane turned and then leveled off again. Daire read through the many manila files he’d stolen from the vault, his mind spinning and his gut churning. Felicity slept on the fold-out couch running the length of one side of the airplane, and he sat at a table working across from her. He’d slept a few hours and had awakened in Miami, where they refueled.

He’d mated her.

Shit. She’d mated him.

They both could’ve probably healed the markings, although the mating would’ve stayed. But, without any discussion, apparently they’d both decided to leave the markings in place.

Now the woman, his woman, slept like the dead on the sofa.

She was disorderly, disobedient, and disorganized. The woman loved to rob banks and blow stuff up, for goodness’ sake. But suddenly, a peaceful, calm woman sounded, well, boring. Even unappealing.

A mating needed to be planned out, though. What had he done? He had tortured Kellach with the fact that he’d mated a human without any planning or discussion, and now he’d done the same thing. Even though he’d been weak from healing himself, he hadn’t fought the instinct for a second. The moment her marking scorched his flesh, any fight or discussion had been over.

He’d been drawn to her from first sight at the Fire bar. Not once had he considered the role of fate in his life. He was an enforcer, and he chose his own path. If there wasn’t a path, he bulldozed one.

But looking at her now, her face so young and relaxed in sleep, he allowed himself to wonder. Did fate play a part? Was there a reason he’d been so drawn to her? He’d always seen a snapshot of his future mate in his head, and the picture sure as hell didn’t include a bank-robbing insane demonness. Maybe he’d dodged a bullet by avoiding the boring life he’d assumed would be his.

Felicity Kyllwood was anything but boring.

His phone buzzed, and Adam took shape on the screen. “We had an attack against two members of the Coven Nine,” his brother said without preamble.

Daire stiffened. “Who?”

“Aunt Viv and Brenna Dunne Kayrs, who was in Dublin on business,” Adam said. “Viv’s guard took care of the threat, but one of them got caught with a dart. He’s recuperating.”

Daire glanced at the clock. “How’s Brenna?”

“Fine. Jase was with her and put the assassin through a wall.” Adam shrugged. “Jase took several darts to the neck, and nothing happened. So now we have definite confirmation that Apollo doesn’t harm vampires.”

Daire exhaled a ragged breath. Vampire soldier Jase Kayrs was a good friend as well as being his cousin Brenna’s mate. Thank goodness the darts hadn’t hurt him. They also now had confirmation that the drug had reached Dublin as a weapon, so things were about to get dangerous for the leaders of the witch world. Well, more dangerous than usual. “I’ll have the pilots chart a new course.”

Adam shook his head. “I’ve got things covered at home. As soon as I reach Dublin, I’m sending Kellach and Alexandra back to Seattle to find the distributor and manufacturer of Apollo. We need information more than we need bodyguards right now, and you have to take down the Titans of Fire and get the facts, Daire. Enough is enough.” He glanced to the side. “I’m several hours from reaching Ireland.”

How odd they could talk from airplanes going in different directions. “Remember when we had to send letters to communicate?” Daire rumbled.

Adam nodded, his eyes tired. “Aye. The modern way is easier, but it has led to all sorts of new problems.”

Like the creation of Apollo. Daire shuffled the papers. “So long as we have a connection right now, let’s talk. I’ve gone through the papers we found, and Simone is all over them.”

Adam frowned. “You don’t think she’s involved with the manufacture of Apollo, do you?”

“Of course not.” While Simone came off tough and bitchy, she was the most loyal person Daire had ever met. Plus, if she wanted to take out the other members of the Coven Nine, she’d use missiles and not subterfuge. She completely lacked any sense of subtlety. “But somebody has taken great pains to set her up.”

Adam sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Okay. When you get to Seattle, send me copies of all the documents. We’ll have to start tracing all of the evidence.”

Before it showed up publicly? “We need to warn Simone. Things are going to get dicey before we figure it out.” Being removed from the Coven Nine would hurt her, so he had to make sure it didn’t happen. “When I find whoever is behind this, I’m ripping off his head.”

Adam nodded. “That’s a plan I support.”

Yeah. Daire grinned. One could always count on Adam to go for the quick kill and not screw around with it. He cleared his throat. “Ah, one more thing.”

“What?” Adam said, focusing in.

“What kind of a disaster are we facing, PR-wise, if I mated Felicity Kyllwood?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

Adam’s jaw went slack and his chin dropped. “Are you joking?”

“No.”

“Planning ahead?”

“No.”

Adam blew out air, disbelief darkening his eyes. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”

Daire glanced over at the pale features of the goddess sleeping so peacefully on the sofa. “Aye.”

Adam coughed. “Well, let’s see. If Zane Kyllwood found out you touched his mother, he’d probably put out a hit on you. When he finds out you mated his mommy, he’s going to come for you himself and rip off your head.”

“She’s way too young to have a grown son, much less three of them,” Daire mused. “She could have kids well into her nine hundredth year.” As a demon, she was barely an adult, really. Compared to a human, she’d be around twenty-five years old.

“So what?” Adam exploded.

Daire frowned and turned down the volume on his phone speaker. “I’m just saying. Sure, she’s Zane Kyllwood’s mother, but she has an entire life to live still. And the woman is fuckin’ crazy, Adam. No way would she just sit quietly and, I don’t know, knit sweaters or anything.” She was meant to live a full life, and something in him, deep down and insanely possessive, wanted to live it with her. “She’s meant to blaze trails, not sit on the sidelines.”

“You have it bad,” Adam muttered. “Assuming Kyllwood doesn’t slice off your dick and feed it to alligators, your response in the witch nation will be split. Strategists like Aunt Viv will love the idea of a permanent alliance with the demon nation, but right now, especially with Simone’s alliance with the demons being used to hurt her, you could face some opposition.”