Dying to Date(56)

I already found him, she wanted to scream, but instead she nodded. “Goodbye, Tarian. Be safe.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead, a mockery of the kiss she truly craved, before stepping past her. Tarian didn’t pause as he walked out of the door and out of her life.

Melissa waited in silent pain as her ears heard the sound of the elevator doors close behind him.

Only then did she turn to her father.

“I will never forgive you for this,” she vowed.

He looked at her with bleak eyes as he inclined his head. “I know.”

Turning on her heel, she marched away from the family she’d spent days trying to reach.





Chapter Fourteen


“There’s a walk-in for you, Ms. Redgrave.”

Melissa glanced up from her desk. “I have a few minutes, Mary. As long as the issue isn’t too pressing, show them in.”

She turned back to her computer screen, staring sightlessly at the plans for the museum fundraiser she’d once been so excited about. But that had been B.T.D. Before Tarian Drake. Life after him seemed far more colorless than it ever had before. Her charities and responsibilities were monotonous. For all of the difference she was making in the human world, she had zero power in the supernatural one.

“Melissa?”

The soft voice had her head shooting up. Abbey stepped through the doorway, crossing to her desk as she had a hundred times before.

“Don’t,” Melissa warned as she sat.

“It’s been a week,” she said. “Time to come out of mourning.”

“Oh really?” She arched a brow. “How long were you laid up the first time Lucian dumped you?”

Abbey flinched, and for a moment she regretted the harsh words. Her friend was not the real target of her anger.

“As you point out, I’m no stranger to loss,” Abbey began.

“Temporary loss,” Melissa cut her off. “We can’t trade war stories until Lucian walks away from you and never looks back.” An impossibility, and they both knew it.

“Lucian is my mate,” Abbey tried. “It wouldn’t be the same.”

She turned back to her computer and refused to look at her friend.

“I’m sure Tarian was adventurous and fun, but he wasn’t your mate,” Abbey said.

Silence stretched while she refused to comment.

“Was he?” Abbey breathed.

A growl caught in her throat. “I don’t know,” she nearly snarled. “My father ruined any chance of finding that out.”

“But…it’s so fast.”

“You are the relationship expert. Tell me how long mates normally take to recognize each other.”

“Two to three months,” she said in reply. “Though not all matches follow that time frame.”

“What was the fastest you have on record?”

Abbey chewed her lip before relenting. “Twelve hours.”

Melissa snorted. “Sounds like time doesn’t really factor into this then, does it?”

“Fair point. But Melissa, if he was your mate, you’d be bleeding right now.” Abbey drew a deep breath. “When Lucian left me it was like the color left the world. I know humans view mating differently than you do, but the devastation would be the same. So the question remains, is that how you are feeling?”

She turned away, unwilling to confess anything to a woman who would only report back to her father.

Abbey waited a long moment before pulling something from her bag.

“You got a 94 percent match,” she said, tossing the folder onto the desk. “I told you Vivian was running a recruitment campaign, and it actually worked. We had a flood of new members in the past few days. There are a few others I could set you up, with but none as high as him.”

Melissa flipped the beige folder open and looked down at the print out of a member’s match profile.

“Gryphon,” she said.

“Strong. Handsome. No baggage. He’s not likely to abduct you before a date.”

“Neither did Tarian.”

Abbey waved the protest away. “Semantics.”

Melissa snapped the file closed. “I’m not interested.”

“A match that high is unheard of.”

She refrained from hissing at her friend. “Did I push you to date when you were abandoned?”

“I believe there was some talk about getting back on the horse, yes.”

Shame shot through her. “Then I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me.”

“You are really taking this hard,” Abbey said, surprise on her face.

Melissa picked up the file and held it out to her. “I’m not interested in any matches. I realize I have four more handpicked dates left, but I really don’t care. Please put my account on hold for the time being.”