Corrus woke up with a crick in his neck and groaned as he sat up slowly. He quickly sent his magic to ease the tension and felt brand new in a matter of seconds. He didn't understand how humans slept on a couch night after night doing what they called couch-surfing, assuming the term was entirely accurate.

Rubbing his face, Corrus placed a hand on his knees and took a deep breath as the memories of last night rushed to his mind. How could they not? Jamie had been so confident and straightforward, and he had no choice but to repay her honesty with honesty of his own.

And that kiss they shared was something else. It was sweet, wet, and hot all at the same time. Corrus heard his dragon ask him to mate Jamie, causing him to pull back. While Jamie was the perfect woman for him, he wasn't the perfect man for her, and, more than most, he understood the power of sex in tying you to a person.

Corrus got up and walked to the bathroom attached to what served as Emily's office. He stripped his clothes off and stepped into the shower, letting the warm stream wake him up as he allowed his thoughts to run wild.

Over the years, Corrus had stopped having relationships, and eventually sex, with other people. It wasn't that he didn't want the companionship or the intimacy. On the contrary, he wanted it a lot, but he saw his inability to give that back to another.

His past partners always wanted more from him, usually after sex, and whatever hormones it involved made them feel closer than ever. They wanted him to stay home, and not go to war when the time came. They wanted him to open up about his childhood, something he never did. Corrus knew that some things couldn't be unseen or unheard and he didn't want anyone's opinion of him to change.

After his shower, Corrus picked up a fresh set of clothes from the little gym bag he kept in the back corner of the office and changed. Feeling re-energized and thinking clearly, he walked to the office computer and Googled simple breakfast recipes.

As much as he loved what he and Jamie did last night, he knew it wouldn't go anywhere. Mate or no mate, he wouldn't subject her to a life of darkness and worry.

Corrus scoffed. "At least I'm not noble. I'd be weaker than a half-breed right now." Something told him he was weakening in other ways, but he pushed the thought down. His nightmares had started up again before he met Jamie. It was normal for them to continue for a while. The emotional instability Jamie and Ethan introduced to his life had nothing to do with it, he told himself.

Twenty minutes later, Corrus had finished cooking the sausages that would go into his breakfast pita pizzas when he heard the patter of small feet. He turned down the heat and smiled as a wide-eyed Ethan walked in.

"Hey, buddy."

"Hey, Corrus."

Corrus squatted and gave Ethan a hug. Ethan hated being picked up like a baby, considering himself a big boy.

"You know you're not supposed to come down without your mom, right?"

"I know, but something smelled so good." Ethan got on the kitchen chair and tried to make sense of Corrus' workstation.

Corrus laughed. "I'm making mini breakfast pita pizzas."

"Pizza!" Ethan yelled, his blue eyes lighting up.

"That's right. But it should be healthier for you."

"Does it have vegetables?" Ethan asked, his face growing serious.

Corrus winced. "Uh, no." He'd thought about adding them in, but the idea of chopping up leaves that would shrink and serve as more of a decoration than a main component didn't appeal to him. He'd hoped Ethan would be blinded by the sight and taste of breakfast pizza, overlooking the omission.

"We have to have vegetables. Veilios says we do."

Corrus smiled but inwardly groaned as he opened the fridge door. Veilios was quickly becoming Ethan's favorite, much to Penum's chagrin. Corrus didn't mind, except at that moment, because now he had to chop up a bunch of cilantro, which was the only thing on hand.

"Alright. I've got your vegetables right here. Let me see what I can do."

Fifteen minutes later, Corrus had added the eggs to the sausages, poured pizza sauce on the pita bread, topped them with his egg mixture, then put them in the oven to bake after sprinkling cheese and cilantro over them. The smell that filled the kitchen had Corrus' stomach grumbling, and both he and Ethan ceased all small talk and stared at the oven, waiting for the timer to go off.

Once it did, both Corrus and Ethan cheered. Corrus carefully pulled out the tray and smiled when he saw beautifully golden pita bread and yellowed eggs. While he’d hated chopping the cilantro, everything else was pretty easy. He made a mental note to cook breakfast for Jamie and Ethan more often. If nothing else, the look of pure joy on Ethan's face was worth it.

"What are you two up to?" Jamie asked, coming down in her robe. The gentle smile on her face told him she still felt awkward about walking around in a robe, but Corrus just found her modesty cute.

Ethan turned excitedly. "Corrus made breakfast."

"Come sit." Corrus pulled out a chair for Jamie. "You've got to let us know if this is any good."

She sat down and smiled. "Did you use a recipe?"

Corrus nodded. "I wouldn't have known what to do otherwise."

"Then I think it'll be good." Jamie chuckled.

Corrus took out plates from the cupboard and spooned each pita pizza onto a plate and set it in front of its owner. As he set a plate before Jamie, she placed a hand on his arm and whispered.

"What's this about?"

"I just wanted to do something nice, and to help you know that I care despite how last night ended."

Jamie smiled and patted his arm. "Well talk later."

Ethan was so engrossed in trying to blow his food cooler that he missed the entire exchange. When he finally got it to a satisfactory temperature, his blue eyes widened and a dreamy expression settled on his face as he chewed happily.

"I want this for breakfast every day," he declared.

Jamie laughed. "This is very good, but you'd get tired of it, I'm sure."

Ethan shook his head vehemently, but, only minutes later, he shoved his plate away, asking for some fruit. Corrus got up and handed him an apple. He wasn't sure if he should be offended by Ethan getting over his food so quickly, or happy that he was learning healthy habits. He shrugged.

After breakfast, Corrus and Jamie sat in the living room while Ethan took a shower upstairs by himself. According to Jamie, he'd started expressing the need for independence a lot more, and now that he'd been grooming himself for months, she didn't need to check on him. Ethan actually enjoyed showing Jamie how well he'd washed.

"So, about last night," Corrus started.

Jamie smiled. "Mm-hmm. What about it?"

"Do you hate me?"

Jamie laughed. "Believe it or not, I've been rejected in the past."

Corrus winced. "I didn't want it to come across that way. I was pulling away to spare us both some confusion." Corrus paused, then chuckled. "And I'm about to add some more now."

He looked into Jamie's lovely brown eyes, which the morning light made appear hazel, resisted the urge to take her hand, and spoke as clearly and slowly as he could. "Jamie, I like you, a lot, but I'm not ready to be with you. I hope you understand that it's got nothing to do with you. It's all me."

Jamie folded her legs and picked at something in her robe. "Do you want to at least talk about it? Sometimes people think certain things would be a barrier or issue and then they realize they're not."

The hopeful tone in her voice tugged at his heart, but he shut down those feelings with an iron will. It was more than just being ready for a relationship. Corrus knew who he was and how his upbringing had and would affect him going forward. Bringing an innocent, or in this case, two innocents, into his mess wasn't an option.

Besides, the idea that Jamie might see him differently, that she might fear to leave him alone with Ethan, sent a sharp pain in his chest that he couldn't ignore. Jamie was his mate, but, as her mate, he had to do what was best for her and Ethan, even if that meant staying away.

"I'm sorry. I'm not ready to share that right now." Or ever, he thought.

Jamie sighed and got up. "Okay. I'll leave you to it."

Corrus stood and folded his arms, which stubbornly tingled with the idea of touching Jamie. He'd never seen her in makeup, but the early morning beauty she had always stunned him. She seemed so pure and innocent, which called to the protector in him. Unfortunately, the danger this time lay within him.

"I'll be checking places out with Cimmeris after we have a team meeting. I'll be back by late afternoon. Spending that much time with chatty Cimmeris is a bit much for me."

Jamie laughed, and the sound soothed Corrus' guilt. She might not know it but being apart was best for them both.

* * *

Corrus walked out of the house and found Narchis standing guard.

"Morning," Narchis greeted.

"Morning. You hear anything back from your contacts?"

Narchis grinned. "I did. I didn't get the location for a base. I'm still pushing for that, but I did get the name of a bar where a lot of Gleonite shifters hang out. They'll be having an event on Friday, so you should be able to get some answers then. You might even meet the dragon."

"A bar, huh? It looks like Gleon is carefree about what their agents do down here. Do you think Colonel Soros would go for it?"

Narchis scoffed. "Never, and she shouldn't. One of the reasons we've done so well is that we lay low. What's the point in being the Shadow Squad if we're out partying it up every week?"

"Good point." Corrus took a deep breath. "Okay, well, I'm off to get Cimmeris, and then we'll head out and check a few more Earth shifter hangout spots."

"Good luck," Narchis said.

Corrus strolled down the street with new pep in his step. He'd been worried about the case after all their hard work had led them no closer to finding a single Gleonite, let alone the dragon in question. With his anxiety came nightmares of his father once again beating him for not performing better.

Narchis' lead helped give him hope that they'd find the dragon soon. While he didn't want Jamie and Ethan to go home when that happened, it was more important to him that someone wasn't out there harboring ill intent toward the two of them.

"Good morning," Corrus sang as he walked into the base's living room.

Penum huffed and got up to leave. Corrus rushed to his side and stopped him. "Come on. It's been days. I miss my best friend. You honestly can't still be mad at me. Isn't that against Emily's teaching or something?"

Penum shoved Corrus away with a grin. "It's not about my feelings. It's a principle I'm trying to teach you. You left me out in your work, and now I want you to know how that feels."

"Believe me, I do." Corrus leaned in and lowered his voice. "Cimmeris has been driving me up the wall. All that positivity and chatter starts to get old after a while. I miss you, Penum."

Corrus couldn't believe his eyes. Penum actually blushed. Not a light, slightly embarrassed blush, but a full-on, ‘school girl talking to her crush’ blush. Folding his arms behind his back, Corrus pinched himself so painfully that his desire to laugh disappeared.

Penum cleared his throat and looked over Corrus' shoulder. "Well, at least you learned that we make the best team."

"We do. Which is why I want you to come out with me this Friday. Narchis found a Gleonite bar, and they'll be having an event. How do you feel about passing for a bear?"

Penum sniffed. "Bears are nothing compared to dragons, but I can handle acting like one for a night."

Corrus grinned and slapped him on the back. "Great. Ask Veilios to make you some bear scent, and we'll do it. I really missed you, buddy."

"Yeah, yeah." Penum rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go get your Chatty Cathy and head out. I've got a game to finish."

Corrus smiled, then walked to the foot of the stairs. "Cimmeris!" he yelled.

The sound of a feminine giggle and lips smacking drifted down the stairs and he grimaced. Who had sex this early in the morning, knowing full well they had a day of work ahead? Two people stupidly in love, that was who.

"I'm here." Cimmeris ran down the stairs, pulling his shirt on.

Corrus turned around and called over his shoulder, "I hope you washed your hands."

"Rude," Cimmeris responded.

Once on the road, Corrus turned on the radio, hoping to keep the conversation to a minimum. While he adored Cimmeris, he knew that, as the hours piled up, he'd get irritated by discussions about everything and nothing. Corrus needed peace from time to time. Especially now that Jamie and Ethan were living with him.

"So, how are things with Jamie going?" Cimmeris asked, turning the music down.

Corrus shut his eyes for a second and gritted his teeth. "Who snitched?"

Cimmeris laughed. "No one. Emily's my mate, which means I can read her mind. She had a thought about you two, and I picked up on it."

"Well, nothing is going on between us."

"Why?"

Corrus threw a hand up in the air, hating the fact that he had to explain himself, but also acknowledging that Cimmeris could act like a dog with a bone when it came to information he wanted.

"Several reasons."

"Like?" Cimmeris pushed.

"Like the fact that Jamie's safety comes first. I would never take advantage of someone while they're in a vulnerable place."

"I'm pretty sure Jamie feels very comfortable and secure with us, but go on. What else?"

Corrus huffed. "Well, there's also the fact that life in the Shadow Squad isn't conducive to raising a family. You know that. You and Emily probably aren't having any because of that."

"Emily and I aren't having kids because we want to decide where we'll raise them first, either on Brevia or here. The Shadow Squad is not an obstacle. In fact, I don't think it would be for you, either. Sure, we risk our lives going on missions, but so do a lot of everyday people just by leaving the house. Also, we get a lot of downtimes. Tell me that isn't conducive to raising a family."

Corrus clenched his jaw and drew shallow breaths, and his heart rate picked up. Cimmeris was really pushing, and now he felt more than irritation. He started to feel like a boundary had been crossed.

"It sounds like you're making excuses," Cimmeris continued, and Corrus turned sharply to glare at him.

"I'm not. I just want the best for Jamie."

Cimmeris raised his hands up defensively. "Okay. I can see that you're obviously over my input, so I'll leave you with this. You have feelings for Jamie, and she has the same for you. I think you owe it to her to try and work past whatever it is that's making you pull back from—"

"Thank you for saying that," Corrus interrupted.

"I'm not finished. You also have to remember that Jamie's a young woman, with the drive to build a great life for herself and her son. If you push her away, she might forget about you and move on to build the life she wants with someone else. Now, how would that make you feel?"

Like killing, Corrus thought. Killing the man she moved on with, then dying, because she would never look at me the same after that.

Someone's overly dramatic, his dragon said.

And you choose the worst times to speak up, Corrus responded.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question," Cimmeris said. "How would Jamie moving on make you feel?"

Corrus sucked in a breath. "Shitty. But what you don't get is that I just want her to be happy."

Cimmeris smiled. "Oh, I get it. But what you don't get is that you can be the one to give her that. Don't you want to be?"

Corrus sighed. Of course, he did, but life wasn't that simple. "Let's focus on our work."