Page 179 of Knight’s Retribution

Rocco couldn’t agree more.

“Let’s head back,” Gunner said. “We might get a couple hours with our mates before we have to come back into the fucking city.”

There was grumbled agreement, and they took flight.

It was still fairly early when they got back to the compound, and when Rocco hit the hall, he spotted Jack coming out of his apartment, Silas right behind him.

Rocco’s heart immediately lodged in his throat. “What’s going on? Kyler, is she—”

“She’s fine,” Silas said.

Rocco’s gaze sliced to Jack. “Is she sick?”

Jack gave him a tight smile. “Talk to your female,” he said. Then he strode away, throwing a wave over his shoulder. Silas right after him.

Rocco shoved the door to his apartment open and rushed in. Kyler was sitting on the couch, rolling down her sleeve, and she spun around. “You’re back.”

Rocco rounded the couch. “What the hell’s going on? Why was Jack here? Are you sick? Hurt?”

She lifted her hands in an attempt to pacify him. “Nothing like that. I’m not sick. Jack was just drawing some blood.”

“What the fuck for?”

She stood and moved closer to him, her gorgeous eyes dipping to his lips, then back up. “Because we’ll need it when it’s time to bring T and Scarlet home.”

He frowned. “We don’t need it yet, and when we do, you can just…”

“No, I can’t,” she said and moved a little closer. “Because by then my blood won’t…work the same.”

He didn’t know what the fuck was going on. “You’re scaring me, Ky. What the fuck aren’t you telling me?”

Her hand landed on his forearm, and she looked up at him, eyes wide, breathing faster, the pulse at the side of her throat fluttering wildly. “What I’m saying is, when the time comes for you to free Tobias and Scarlet, I won’t have the ability to open the portal anymore.”

Rocco froze, there was no way she was saying what he thought she was saying. No fucking way. “I’m gonna need you to spell it out for me, Ky.”

She licked her lips. “I won’t have that ability anymore, Rocco, because I’ll be your mate.”

“What?” he rasped.

She smiled then. It was soft and sweet and a little unsure. “Will you make me your mate, Rocco?”

He grabbed for the back of the couch because his knees damn near buckled under him. “What?” he said again, like a fucking idiot.

“Things have gotten a little better, when it comes to touch, and I…well, I love you and you love me, right?”

He jolted. “Yeah, I love you. Christ, love isn’t anywhere big enough to describe the way I feel about you, but you still don’t want me touching you, Ky, and I don’t know what will happen when we mate.”

“I have a solution for that,” she said huskily.

He swallowed, mouth dry, and yeah, dick instantly hard. Because he wanted her, of course he wanted her. He wanted her every moment of every day. But she wasn’t ready for this. Still, he asked, “What solution?”

“Restraints.”

His entire body went rock solid.

Kyler carried on talking. “I spoke to Silas because I want to be your mate, Rocco, and I also want to stop those demons from hurting innocent humans, something that won’t happen unless we do this. Diemos will keep coming after me if I still have this…thing inside me. Silas suggested saving some of my blood and…and the restraints.”

She bit her lip, waiting for his response, and his demon struggled beneath his skin, trying to get to her, to their female.