underground escape route. I'm very safe there, and it's far enough away so that if the lessers come looking for you, they won't assume you're with me."
She got ready for an argument, lining up counterpoints in her head.
"Okay, thanks," Mary said. "Give me a minute."
The female went upstairs and Bella paced around, wishing she had a weapon and knew how to use it.
When the human came down with a canvas tote bag five minutes later, Bella took a deep breath.
"How about a coat?" she said, when Mary went for the door without one.
"Yes, A coat." Mary dropped the bag, walked over to a closet, and drew on a red parka.
As they crossed the meadow together, Bella tried to rush their pace.
"Moon's almost full," Mary said as they rustled through the grass.
"Yes, it is."
"Listen, when we get to your place, I don't want you calling Rhage or anything. He and I... we've gone our separate ways. So don't bother him about me."
Bella swallowed her surprise. "Doesn't he know you're gone?"
"No. And he'll find out on his own. Okay?"
Bella agreed only to keep Mary's feet moving. "Can I ask you one thing, though?"
"Of course."
"Did he break it off or did you?"
Mary walked along in silence for a moment. "I did."
"Um, did you, by any chance... Were the two of you intimate?"
"Did we have sex?" Mary shifted the L.L. Bean bag to her other hand. "Yes, we did."
"When you made love, did you notice a kind of fragrance coming from his skin? Something like dark spices and - "
"Why are you asking me this?"
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry."
They were almost at the farmhouse when Mary murmured, "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever smelled."
Bella kept her curse to herself. No matter what Mary thought, the blond warrior would be coming for her. A bonded male did not let his mate go. Ever. And that was based on her experience with civilians.
She could only guess what a warrior would do if his female took off.
Rhage walked through each room in Mary's house. In her bath upstairs, he found the cabinet under the sink open. Lined up inside there were extra toiletries, like bars of soap, tubes of toothpaste, deodorant. There were gaps in the neat rows, as if she'd taken some.
She was staying somewhere else, he thought, glancing out the window. If it was a hotel he was probably screwed, because she'd be smart enough to register under a different name. Maybe he could try her work -
He focused on the farmhouse way across the meadow. Lights twinkled inside.
Would she have gone to Bella's?
Rhage went downstairs and locked up. A split second later he materialized on Bella's front porch and pounded on the door. When Bella answered, the female just stepped aside as if she'd expected him.
"She's upstairs."
"Where?"
"Front bedroom."
Rhage took the stairs two at a time. Only one door was closed, and he didn't knock, just opened it wide. Light from the hall spilled into the room.
Mary was sound asleep on an enormous brass bed, wearing a sweater and a pair of blue jeans he recognized. A patchwork quilt had been pulled over her legs, and she was half on her stomach, half on her side. She looked utterly exhausted.
His first instinct was to take her into his arms.
He stayed right where he was.
"Mary." He kept his voice impersonal. "Mary. Wake up."
Her eyelashes fluttered, but then she only sighed and moved her head a little.
"Mary."
Oh, for fuck's sake.
He went over to the bed and bounced on the mattress with his hands. That got her attention. She shot up, eyes petrified until she saw him.
And then she just looked confused.
"What are you doing here?" She pushed her hair out of her face.
"Yeah, maybe you want to answer that first?"
"I'm not at home."
"No, you aren't. You're not where you need to be, either."
She settled back against the pillows, and he became acutely aware of the dark circles under her eyes, the pale line of her lips... and the fact that she wasn't fighting with him.
Don't ask, he told himself.
Ah, hell. "What happened this afternoon?"
"I just needed some time alone."
"I'm not talking about how you ditched Fritz. We'll get to that later. I want to know about the doc's."
"Oh, yeah. That."
He stared at her while she fiddled with the edge of the quilt. As she stayed silent, he wanted to scream. Throw things. Burn something down.