Free Marked by Hades by Reese Monroe

vanquish Yvonne, he’d roared to life…as if she were his Mate.
    No! The demons had to have cast a spell or curse of some sort to make this possible. It had to be. He rolled over and closed his eyes.
    He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he heard shuffling in the room. He turned to his side to see Sadie walking in.
    “Here.” Sadie, eyes puffy, held a tray with food and a couple of bottles of water.
    His focus bobbed from Yvonne, who still sat on the edge of his bed, to Sadie and back. “What’s happened between you guys?”
    “She kicked the ever-loving hell out of Halena. You should have seen it.” Sadie offered a half smile and cupped her now-healed cheek. “Got me a few good ones, too.”
    He grunted.
    “Show him.” Sadie thumbed toward Yvonne. “Take off the jacket.”
    He returned his focus to Yvonne.
    She glanced at Sadie, who nodded. “Go on.”
    Yvonne pulled the jacket back and let it slide to the floor.
    Justin’s heart quivered within his chest. A fiery tingle stormed to his neck and pulsed. Her tight leather tank went taut as she heaved in a breath.
    Black hair cascaded over her shoulder to mid-biceps. Sadie smiled, but Yvonne just kept breathing heavy.
    She turned, exposing her bare shoulder.
    Justin almost choked at the sight of the Ahavah Mark. His Mark. She, this demon—or former demon—was his Mate.
    No.
    Great One?
    Silence.
    “Justin,” Yvonne whispered. “I—”
    “Get out.” He turned away from her. This wasn’t possible. It had to be a trick. The demons had done something to her…to him. He couldn’t trust this.
    “Justin,” Sadie said. “It’s okay. I—”
    “Get out !”
    “Yvonne, give me a minute. Steer clear of Halena, but just give me a minute with him, okay?”
    He heard shuffling, followed by a door clicking shut, but he didn’t have to look, he felt her leave. Felt her sadness. Her fear. Her…anger.
    “Look. I know you never wanted a Mate.” The bed sagged behind him. “Never believed in them at least. But it’s true, Justin. She’s your Mate.”
    “No.”
    “I know you feel something for her.” She smacked his shoulder. “You can’t go against The Great One.”
    “I can, and I will. I will not be bound to her.” He grunted through a throb in his side. “She may not be demon now, but she held you captive for three months, Sadie. She tried to kill Theo—and me, by the way—by keeping you from him. She helped Aggie. How could you—”
    “Remember when I was in that cave with her? I don’t know if I ever told you this. Maybe I only told Theo.” She cleared her throat. “But I sensed something in her. That we could have been friends under different circumstances.”
    “Friends?” Justin huffed. As much as he adored Sadie, she was young. Only eighteen and newly thrown into the Shomrei world. She was clueless.
    “No. I’m not, Justin. Remember who my parents are.” She wagged her forefinger at him. “And who my Mate is. I can hear whispers of thoughts, remember?”
    He huffed again.
    “I’d joked about Dyre and me being friends in different circumstances, but I remember the sense I got from her. She just wanted to be with anyone who would have her. And that was Aggie. She talked of going to earth with him to enjoy being with people. Touching them. Just being with them.” She smiled. “Hell, I get that sense now from her thoughts. Though her only thought is of being with you. But that longing to belong to someone, something. That’s real.”
    “I won’t bind myself to anyone, let alone to a demon—or whatever she is.”
    “I’m not saying to quick have sex with her or anything. Hell, I’m still freaking a little bit about all this. But the fact remains, she bears your Mark, and the way you reacted when Halena announced she’d tried to vanquish Yvonne is confirmation enough. She’s your Mate.”
    Justin’s gut wrenched. His reaction to Halena’s attempt on Yvonne’s life had surprised him, too. Mate. Mate. Mate. “So