Page 84 of Sinful Mates

“Next time you want to divorce someone do it in person, don’t send your parents,” she spits at him. I glance at Tobias confused, and Theo tries to pull me from the room.

I yank my hand from his before heading over to the woman and standing in front of her.

“Who are you?”

“Bianca, their wife,” she says, her voice so cold. I fight the urge to shiver. My stomach drops somewhere deep. I can feel the blood leave my face. They lied to me. I can tell she is enjoying the reaction I have to her name.

“I am also the one who gets to decide your fate,” she smiles cruelly. Tobias looks at Alaric, shock and anger on his face. “What is she talking about?” he spits, taking a step toward him.

“She is a member of the council, and since you decided to take a mate before divorcing your wife, we thought it only fair she could have a say in it, decide when your new mate will be forced to choose, death or the change,” he says. I stare at the woman, a sly smile on her face. One I don’t like. She is taking great pleasure in my discomfort and I know instantly I’m not going to like the next lot of words that came from those pouty lips.

“You have three days, Imogen, enjoy them; I will take great comfort in watching them snap that pretty little neck.”

Tears build up. Before they can fall, I rip my hand from Theo’s and run from the room. I can hear yelling behind me as an argument breaks out, but I don’t care. I just want to get as far away from here as possible. Josiah and Caroline jump to their feet as I run past. “Imogen!” I hear her call out to me, but I just keep running.

I bump into people in my haste to get away from the nightmare that is becoming my life, only stopping when I run into Percy at the doors leading into this place.

Percy peers up at me with a red licorice strap hanging from his lips as he chews on it with his pointy teeth. He pulls the strap from his mouth, startled.

“Imogen, what’s wrong?”

“I need to leave. Let me out, please.” He glances around me. Noticing Theo and Tobias aren’t with me, he scratches his bald head nervously.

“I don’t think I should. Where are your mates?”

“Either open it or I will.”

“That’s not possible. Only supernaturals can open this door once inside. I’m sorry, Imogen, I can’t let you leave without your mates.” I can tell he genuinely feels bad for not being able to let me out, to escape this suffocating place. Panic seizing every atom in my body, my heart hammering in my chest so hard, I’m afraid it was going to bounce right out of my chest. I clutch my chest trying to calm myself. I haven’t had a panic attack in ages. I suck in a breath trying to get much needed air. I close my eyes trying to ground myself as adrenaline starts pumping through my veins, the familiar fight or flight kicking in. Percy touches my shoulder.

“Are you okay, love?” he asks worriedly. “Your mates should be here soon. I’m sure they won’t leave you for too long. That I am certain of.”

“My mates are the fucking problem I want to escape from,” I scream, anger taking over. I’m so done with the lies, done with them getting their way. I shove past Percy and stalk to the doors.

“Open it, now” I demand. Percy takes a step back. I do feel guilty for yelling at him, but I just need out of this place, need to get away from them. Percy shakes his head.

“I am sorry, Imogen; I can’t do that,” he says glancing back toward the door nervously that leads to the quadrangle. I peer up and people stop, looking in at me, their curious faces watching me argue with the elf. I turn my back on them before hitting the door with my fist.

“Imogen, I wouldn’t do that, you could hurt yourself. There are wards all around the place. You are human; it could have a negative impact on you,” he tries to warn me. I don’t care. Just wanting out, I push on the doors with both hands and to my shock and the shock of everyone else watching, the doors flew open, banging loudly on the sandstone of the building. I gaze at my hands, shocked with how hard I must have been pushing them for it to fly open like that.

“How, I don’t understand, how did you do that?”

“Beats me but I’m out of here,” I say, stomping out the doors and heading toward the car, I can see on the other side of the shiny veil. How did I not noticed it before. I can see it glimmering slightly.

“Imogen, you must wait,” Percy calls out to me. I ignore the strange elf and stalk through, feeling the weird suction sensation and the loud ringing in my ears, as I’m sucked out through the bizarre portal into the real world. My world. I come to the edge of the road looking in both directions. I have no idea how to get home, I don’t even pay attention on the drive here. I’m unfamiliar with the area. I only know the direction in which we pulled up. I walked over to the car. Pulling on the handle I was shocked to find it unlocked.

I jumped in the driver’s seat and smiled when I see the keys dangling from the ignition. I start Tobias’s car. I put the car in reverse before stomping on the gas, reversing out and hitting the tree next to the gate, not used to the speed. I fall forward only just catching myself before my face smacks on the steering wheel. I quickly clip my seat belt in. My heart is hammering in my chest, then I laugh. Tobias and Theo both love their cars. Whoops!

I turned the car around and pull out, hitting the gas, before the car jerk forward at a speed that would normally petrify me. I go over a dip in the road, the car bottoming out, as I head for what I hope is the City. I can’t help the sadistic laugh when I hear the front bar of the car come off from the force of the front hitting the cattle grid I run over, leaving the bumper and ripping the grill off. They were going to kill me. I press my foot down again. After driving for a few minutes, I see a sign saying the City is eighteen miles away. I slow for the bend before jamming the brakes on as Theo stands in the middle of the road with an enraged look on his face.

I wasn’t fast enough, and I ploughed into him. I close my eyes, so I don’t watch as the car is about to run over the top of him, both my feet on the brake trying to get the car to stop in time. I jerk forward smacking into the steering wheel. My hands instantly go to my head. I can feel blood trickling down the side of my face. I pull my fingers back from my head. I’ve cut my forehead open on the steering wheel.

Peering up I see Theo with both hands on the bonnet leaving a full impression of his hands. He stops the car. The look on his face, I can tell he is furious.

I start pulling at my seat belt trying to get it off, managing to get out and climb halfway over to the back seat just as the driver side door is ripped completely off by Tobias. He grabs my ankle pulling me back into the driver’s seat. I kick him and slap him. Tobias rips me from the car, my feet dangling in the air. He slams me back into the rear driver’s side. I flinch at the impact of slamming into the door, my back aching from the force, knocking the air out my lungs leaving me winded.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he screams. I do the only thing I can think of seeing as my arms are pinned in his hands against the car. I throw my head forward headbutting him, though I’m fairly sure it hurts me more than him.

He drops me and I fall on my knees clutching my head. Man, he has a hard head. I can feel a lump already forming above my eyebrow. Peering up, Tobias breaks his nose back in place before growling, making my hairs stand on end. I crawl to the back tire pulling myself to my feet. My surroundings spin as I stand.