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Sabine winced as if he’d actually hit her with those words.

Lee rounded to me. “What do you want done to her?”

If Sabine’s eyes got big and she jerked back. “Done?”

I shrugged, my jaw so tight. Tension was riddling through me. “Just do what Cass said. Think it’s a solid idea.”

Lee frowned momentarily, turning to regard Sabine again.

She moved back a step, her eyes skirting the sidelines.

“Please run. That would make my day,” Lee said darkly.

A thrill went through me. Seriously. So hot.

He stepped to her, still frowning. “I don’t really…oh to hell with it.” He suddenly slapped his hand just under her right shoulder and pressed hard.

She cried out, her back arching. A red light shone through her eyes, mouth, and nose for a moment.

Lee stepped back. “Huh. I think that actually worked.”

“What—” She was panting for breath, daggers in her eyes. “What did you do to me?”

He scowled at her, and for a moment, the air slowed. Heat swirled. The pressure began to rise, accumulating, and as it started to move around us, dark smoke picked up from the ground, adding to it. All the while, Lee seemed to almost get taller, standing over her. His voice was ice cold. “If you ever try to inhabit another Living person’s body, this will send me an immediate alert. I will know exactly where you are and I’ll even know who you’re trying to take over. I will come for you, and I’ll be alone.”

Fear crossed her face, quickly. She glanced to me, but I only felt a hardness to her.

She’d never been kind to me. I should’ve known the first time I met her what kind of ghost she was. And generally, I liked ghosts. “Leave, Sabine. Leave town. I never want to see you again.”

She gulped but threw her head back. Haughtily. “There’ll be a time you won’t be protected by him⁠—”

Lee’s harsh laughter cut her off. “Do you really think that?” He leaned closer to her and said, almost too softly for me to hear, but I caught it. “She’s my mate.”

I went still.

I was his what?

Mate?

Lee jerked his head to the side. “Get out of our eyesight. If you wait even a day and we happen to see you, I will hunt you down.”

She shuddered and a second later, she was gone. She didn’t poof away like Benji or Noah, but she fled.

I almost preferred that.

The second he looked at me, I asked, faintly, “I’m your what?”

He swore under his breath.

“Excuse me?”

“Do you want to have this talk here? On your football field?”

“Yeah.” I drew closer to him. “I kinda do. I’m your mate? I’m someone’s mate?”

“How are you surprised by this?”

“I don’t know? Maybe because I’m human. We don’t do mates.”