Chapter Two

Nolan was pacing his hotel room as he made the phone call to his parents, Stanton and Oleta Osborn, two hours later. He hoped he’d given them enough time for the party to die down so they could take his call.

“Nolan?” His mother’s voice came through, but in the background, he could hear many other voices too. “Hang on. Let me find someplace quieter.”

He waited, listening to the rustling sounds of movement for a few moments.

The sounds died down, and then his father spoke. “Nolan. Where are you?”

“Hey, Dad. I’m so sorry. Is Mom with you?”

“Yes,” she replied. “We have you on speaker. We’re in the bedroom now.”

He’d intentionally called instead of reaching into their minds, wanting to hear their voices but also not wanting there to be any misunderstanding in his tone and inflection. “I’m in a hotel room for the night.”

“Why?”

He took a deep breath. “One of my clients at the law firm was laundering money. A lot of money. I stumbled on the inconsistencies last night and then spent hours making sure I was right. This morning I went to the police. It’s bad. I’m so sorry, but I’m a witness.”

His mother gasped. “So, what are you saying?”

“I have to lie low, Mom. Until the trial.”

His father cleared his throat. “How long will that take?”

“Not sure yet. They haven’t even arrested the guy yet. Could be months.” He rubbed his forehead as he stopped pacing to stare out the fifteenth story window at the bustling city of Calgary below. The lights twinkling all over the streets and buildings were a reminder that life would keep moving on while he hid.

“Months?” His mother’s voice rose, a pitch higher than it normally was.

“I wanted to at least see you for a minute this evening, give you and Dad a hug, welcome you home. I spent half the afternoon arguing with the officer to let me stop by. And then…”

“Oh, son,” his father said, “what a mess.”

“Yeah.” He leaned his forehead against the glass. There was no way to shake the memory of the scent of his mate from his mind. He needed to ask the hard questions now. “I communicated with Paige.”

“We know. She was pissed,” his mother said.

He smiled at his mother’s choice of words. Pissed wasn’t a word she normally used. It must have been bad. “I couldn’t explain things to her at the time. I was driving, and the officer was with me.”

“He’s human,” his father confirmed.

“Yes.” He took a deep breath and then forced out the big question. “Who is she?” His voice was weak, thready, unsteady.

“Oh.” His mother sounded surprised. “You don’t know?”

“No. Paige started to tell me. I cut her off. Her scent hit me like an avalanche. I’ve never met her.”

His father cleared his throat. “Addy is a wonderful girl. You’ll be pleased.”

“Addy?” He searched his mind for that name. How was someone at his parents’ coming-home party he’d never heard of?

“Adriana,” his mother corrected. “Adriana Tarben. She’s Alton’s younger sister. Her friends call her Addy.”

Adriana… What a beautiful name. Someday he would be her best friend, and he would not be calling her Addy. He smiled. Adriana Tarben…

He swallowed the lump in his throat, hating that he had not met her tonight. “So, she’s from Silvertip? What’s she doing in Calgary? What does she look like? Is she mad?”

His father chuckled.

Nolan winced. “I’m sorry. This is your night. I should be focused on you. How was your trip? Was the flight okay? Tell me all about Australia.”

His mother’s laughter reached his ears next. “Don’t be silly. We can discuss our trip another time. We’re home. We’re safe. The trip was great.” She hesitated. “This day is no longer about us, though. Yes, she’s from Silvertip. She moved here in August to start school at U of C. She’s been staying here in the house for the last two months with Alton and Joselyn, but she’s looking for an apartment now that we’re back.”

He interrupted. “U of C? How old is she?” Please tell me she isn’t eighteen.

“Twenty-three,” his mother added. “Sorry. I didn’t say all that quite right. She’s already got a degree. It’s in computer science. But she hated it. She’s gone back to school.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. He was thirty-one. He didn’t think he could possibly start a relationship with someone who was eighteen. In fact, he shuddered. Twenty-three was far more palatable.

His father spoke again. “Would you like to speak to her?”

Nolan closed his eyes. “No. Not yet. Let me figure something out here. It’s going to be difficult. I mean I told the police this morning I didn’t have a girlfriend. No attachments. I don’t know how I’m going to handle this.” He hated for his first communication with Adriana to be by phone. It was so cold. How could he possibly express himself appropriately? His chest tightened. He needed to see her. Touch her. Kiss her.

Damn. His cock stiffened at the memory of her scent.

“Is she…” He didn’t even know what to ask.

His mother’s voice was gentle. “She went straight to her room when you left. Your room, actually. Paige went in to talk to her for a while. I’ll go talk to her after we get off the phone.”

My room… A burst of jealousy rushed through him. She had access to pictures and information. His sisters and his parents could fill her with information. He had nothing.

Hell, she had his childhood in that room…

For the first time in his life it annoyed him that only family members and bound couples could communicate mind to mind from a distance. Until they completed the binding, he would only be able to communicate with Adriana telepathically if they were in close proximity.

His mother must have read his mind, possibly even literally, since he doubted he was blocking well.

“Honey, pull up her social media. And, well, call her. I’ll text you her number.”

Right. Why hadn’t he thought of that? So far, he’d done nothing but panic. His hands were shaking. It was a wonder he hadn’t dropped the phone. This was so unprecedented. What the hell was he supposed to do? No way on God’s green earth was he going to be able to sit in this hotel room for months on end without meeting her. He needed to figure something out. Fast. “Can she stay with you?”

“Of course,” his father confirmed. “But I don’t think that was in her plan. She would have moved out already if she’d found a place. She’s been looking for a roommate, hoping she would meet someone at school to share the rent with. She didn’t know a soul at the university when she arrived.”

“Well, things are different now. I’d rather she be with you.”

His father chuckled again.

“What?” Nolan stiffened. Was his request so strange?

“So possessive. You haven’t even met her or spoken to her, and already you’re giving orders.”

Was he? He shook his head. “Of course not. I just want her to be safe.”

His mother’s soft giggles filled the air. “I remember when I met your father. He did the same thing. I’m pretty sure he was only about six-foot-three when I met him, but that day he grew four inches.” She laughed harder. “His chest puffed out, and he got all alpha on me before I even caught his name.”

“I’m not getting all alpha,” Nolan contended, his shoulders squaring. He immediately released the tight muscles when he understood what his mother meant about his father getting taller.

His father spoke again. “It’s normal. The impulse to protect., but take my advice, from experience, you won’t win any points if you start ordering her around right off the bat. She’s a grown woman. She won’t take it well. Trust me.”

“Who’s ordering anyone around?” Nolan knew he was getting defensive. Dammit, she was his mate. He just wanted her to be safe. His life was upside down. If anyone found out he had someone in his life who was special, she could be in danger. But even without the threat of his stupid money-laundering client, he would still prefer his woman not be living in an apartment alone. Why was that so unreasonable?

“Just a suggestion,” Stanton added. “She’s welcome to stay here as long as she likes, son. You know that. But I’m sure we’re cramping her style.”

“Her style?” Nolan stiffened again. What style? It wasn’t like she was going to go out late carousing around with friends and come in drunk or bring men with her. He gritted his teeth. Did she do that before today?

“Nolan,” his mother soothed, “calm down, honey. We just got here this afternoon. We don’t know her well yet. Your father is simply suggesting you choose your words wisely, especially if you aren’t able to meet her face to face.”

He sighed. Arguing about this subject was ridiculous. He was inventing imaginary problems for no reason. When did he get so damn possessive?

When you stepped out of that car earlier and inhaled your future. That’s when.

“We should get back to the party, honey,” his mother continued. “Is there anything you want me to say to Addy for you?”

“Tell her… Just tell her I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” Oleta’s voice was soft. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Yeah.”

“Bye, son,” his father added. And then the line went dead.

Nolan lowered the phone, breathing heavily. He needed to get a grip on himself and fast before he fucked up the most important thing that would ever happen to him.

»»•««

It was after midnight when a soft knock sounded on Adriana’s door. She hadn’t moved from her fetal position on the bed for hours. “Come in,” she said as she inhaled the scent of Nolan’s mom.

Oleta stepped into the room and shut the door behind her with a snick.

Adriana’s eyes were well-adjusted to the dark, and she could see the smile on Oleta’s face. The blonde-haired woman looked so much like her daughters, it was uncanny. She also didn’t look old enough to have a child as old as Nolan. He had to be over thirty.

Oleta sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Adriana’s shoulder. Her smile widened. “You found his old leather jacket.”

Adriana swallowed. “I hope you don’t mind. I didn’t mean to snoop around. Paige—”

“Of course, hon,” Oleta interrupted. She waved her free hand through the air. “Don’t worry about a thing. Tear this room apart if you want. I don’t think my son has secrets in here he would keep from you.”

Adriana relaxed marginally.

“Are you okay?”

Adriana shook her head slightly. “No.”

Oleta chuckled. “Of course not. Silly question. Stanton and I spoke to Nolan on the phone a bit ago.”

Great. He’s speaking to everyone on the planet…except me.

“He wanted me to apologize on his behalf.”

She’d already gotten this apology from Paige.

“I was at least as frustrated as you earlier. That’s why I didn’t come in here sooner. I wanted to speak to him first and slap him around a bit.” Adriana was going to love this woman. Her gentle hand squeezed Adriana’s shoulder. “Anyway, I can’t imagine what on earth the Universe is thinking today. She must be laughing hard at this twist.”

That was an understatement.

“Nolan is an accountant. He owns his own firm. Apparently, he discovered one of his bigger clients was doing something illegal. He went to the police, and they put him in a hotel for his protection.”

Adriana’s entire body jerked. She bolted upright. “Are you serious? Is he safe?” Her heart beat rapidly.

Oleta’s smile broadened. “I think so. He was with the officer when he came by tonight. He wanted to have a moment to see us before he went into hiding, but when he scented you…” She took a breath. “Honestly, I think the main reason he didn’t come inside was because he didn’t want to put your life in danger.”

Adriana couldn’t breathe. “My life?”

She shrugged. “By association I guess. He’s probably worried his client will come after his loved ones when he finds out.”

“His client doesn’t know?”

“I don’t think so. Not yet. This all happened this morning.”

Adriana chewed on her bottom lip. “That’s awful. How long will he be in hiding?”

“Not sure yet. He was afraid it could be months.”

Adriana’s eyes bugged out. “Months?” That was a long time for her to go without meeting her mate. So many possible reasons why he hadn’t faced her tonight had run through her mind in the last few hours. He had a girlfriend he needed to break up with. He didn’t want to bind to someone at this point in his life. He hadn’t wanted to meet her in front of so many people. Dozens of thoughts. None of them included witness protection.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet. He’s still figuring things out. I’m sure he’ll call tomorrow with more information.”

Adriana nodded. On the one hand, she was relieved this had nothing to do with her. On the other hand, she was freaked out with concern for his safety. But one thought still lingered. Why didn’t he reach out to me himself? All these messengers were making her dizzy.

“Your brother is worried about you. Joselyn too.”

“Tell them I’m fine. I’ll talk to them in the morning.” Adriana didn’t feel like hashing this out with her brother or his mate tonight. She wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep.

For a few months.

Too bad bear shifters didn’t need to hibernate for months at a time. Now would be a great time to take advantage of that ability.