Chapter Seven
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Because EmmaLee seemed to be at her wits end, Connor had decided to let her believe she could have free run of the town. Little did she know that either he’d be watching her or someone else would be if he had to attend to business. He’d slipped a tracking device into her purse tonight, but he understood that wouldn’t be enough to keep her safe. It was merely a precaution in case Slater nabbed her.
That thought almost made him turn around and insist she move in with him. He wouldn’t because he wanted EmmaLee to get to know his better side and not think he had no control around her.
Then tell her she is your mate, his wolf urged. She’ll understand why you’re so protective.
Connor couldn’t do that yet. It was why he always acted so standoffish around her and worked hard to put some emotional distance between them. He feared that with one touch, he’d combust. Making love with her was totally out of the question. His wolf would insist on biting her, and he couldn’t let that happen yet—at least not until this Slater business was settled. He’d die if anything happened to his mate.
Because she’d never met his father, his dad could follow her for a day or two while Connor figured things out.
Connor reached his house and headed inside. Needing to stop thinking about her, he grabbed a beer and settled in front of his television. She’d be safe for the night.
Or would she?
He lasted about an hour before he admitted he wouldn’t get much sleep tonight if he didn’t make sure EmmaLee was figuratively tucked in for the night. Connor would check up on her while giving his horny wolf a chance to let loose. After undressing, he stepped out of his house and then shifted. Once in his animal form, he ran toward EmmaLee’s house, enjoying the strain on his muscles and letting the endorphins build. He had no intention of changing back into his human form when he reached his destination. If he did, he’d be naked, and that would really freak her out. She’d stare at his erection, and if she came too close, he would have to claim her. No, this was all about keeping her safe, which meant once he was certain she was okay, he’d leave.
As he neared her home, he didn’t detect any other shifter signature looming nearby and his muscles relaxed. Connor should probably turn around and sprint home, but it wouldn’t hurt to edge a bit closer—just to have visual confirmation she was okay.
Light lit the living room and all seemed calm. Not that he could smell her alluring scent from outside, but he could sense her essence. After circling her property a few times, his wolf began to whine.
One look is all I need, his wolf said.
You can’t see inside from this close to the ground. The problem was that Connor wanted to look inside too.
Then shift.
Even though it was cold, he moved to the side of the living room window and did as his wolf suggested. One peek was all he required.
Oh, shit. Big mistake. She was on the sofa with an e-reader in her hand. That part was all well and good. The problem was that she was wearing a camisole, and her nipples were protruding. If that wasn’t bad enough, her tiny panties made his mouth salivate and his cock harden.
Knock on the door, his wolf urged.
Are you crazy? I’m naked. No, you got your peep show. Now it’s time to go back.
Let’s watch a little longer.
Before he gave into his horny wolf, Connor shifted, and then high-tailed it out of there.
*
The next morning, Connor was slow to rise. Sleep had been a long time coming. It didn’t seem to matter that he’d taken care of his sexual urges before hitting the hay. The moment he fell asleep, he dreamed of EmmaLee—and the desire and need for her returned with a vengeance. This constant edginess wasn’t good for his health or for those he worked with. Something had to give—and soon.
The only antidote was to delve into work and try to forget about EmmaLee Donovan for a bit—assuming that was even possible. There was certainly enough to do at the office, especially since he needed to show Ronan the ropes, but concentrating would take all of his control.
Connor showered, shaved, and dressed. After he ate breakfast, he touched base with his dad to make sure he had an eye on EmmaLee.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be extra aware for any shifter signatures,” his father said. “Are you certain this Coghill guy will come after her?”
“No, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“That’s good. Don’t worry; she’ll stay safe. Your mom’s calling me to breakfast. I need to go.”
Once at work, Connor parked in front with the rest of the crew, and then headed inside. Lexi barely glanced up as he walked by, which wasn’t her usual style. Just as he was about to ask if something was wrong, a heavenly scent invaded his body—the same scent he’d tried to forget all last night in his dreams.
Connor spun around and faced Lexi. “EmmaLee is here?”
She lifted her chin. “Yes.”
“Why?” He’d never be able to concentrate with her around. It was one of the reasons why he hadn’t suggested she remain at the office in the first place. That and the fact the safe room was occupied at the time.
“When I told her that McKinnon and Associates had these amazing databases, she asked if she could come in and access them. I figured that since you want her protected, what better way than to have her here?”
Connor couldn’t argue with her logic or admit why he didn’t need EmmaLee there. “Good thinking.”
As soon as he entered the large break room, he spotted EmmaLee’s back, her blonde head bent over a computer. He wanted to walk on by, but he couldn’t ignore her.
We want her, so be nice, his wolf whined.
I’m always nice.
His wolf chuffed at him. You can be a jerk. Please don’t piss off our mate.
His wolf said the last part on a growl and Connor pictured him baring his teeth. As hard as it was to admit, his wolf was right for a change.
“EmmaLee!” Connor said with as much cheer as he could muster, trying not to let his eyes betray him.
She spun around and smiled, and not merely a friendly type of smile, but one that looked like she wanted to eat him. And here, he thought he was the wolf.
“Connor, I was beginning to worry that you weren’t coming in today.”
“I slept in.” He wasn’t about to say her face kept invading his dreams and prevented a restful night. He moved closer and instantly realized his mistake. “What are you doing here?” Thankfully, he didn’t sound too accusatory.
It didn’t matter that Lexi had already explained it to him. He wanted to hear what EmmaLee had to say. He also needed to ask his dad why he hadn’t let him know EmmaLee had left the compound.
“Lexi offered me a ride in this morning. She thought I’d be safer being surrounded by you all. Besides, you have much better Internet service.”
His father must have spotted Lexi’s car and figured it out. “I thought you wanted your freedom.”
If he’d suggested she come here—which he never would have—she would have balked, believing he wanted to imprison her.
“This is freedom to me. I like being around people.”
“Great. Let me know if you need anything.”
He spun on his heels and strode off, hoping she didn’t call his name. Her scent was swirling inside him, causing all sorts of things to happen to his body. He didn’t need her seeing his teeth sharpen or the hair on his arms sprout. If she made a comment about his reaction, he hoped he could tell her it was because he just wanted to protect her and not because he wanted to ravish her until she became his.
*
When Connor walked off without any further discussion, EmmaLee’s heart turned heavy. What had she said to make him run away this time? Yes, he needed to get to work. She got that, but he could have asked what she was working on. EmmaLee mentally shrugged. Maybe it was for the best. He probably would have scoffed at her anyway. It wouldn’t matter that Jackson, his best friend, had shown her some research he’d uncovered. It addressed a realm called Cargonia that mimicked the Earth. She had to say it was a little out there even for her, but Jackson assured her this place really existed.
Pushing Connor’s less than welcoming response aside, she continued reading the article Jackson had shown her. If she thought the first half was hard to swallow, the rest was really strange. But if dragons did exist, why couldn’t this other realm? Cargonia had demons, witches, shifters, gods, goddesses, and a portal connecting it to earth.
“Enjoying the article?”
EmmaLee nearly leapt off her chair at the intrusion. It was Jackson. She swiveled around to face him. “It’s unbelievable.” Literally.
“I thought so at first too, but a man by the name of Zane Barons is from Cargonia. He works over at the firehouse, or at least he will for the next few months.”
The only way she would have been more stunned would be if Jackson had told her that a dragon shifter lived nearby. “You’ve met him?”
“Yes. In fact, he’s mated to the sister of our Clan leader’s mate.”
EmmaLee was overwhelmed. “Do you think I could talk to him?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He nodded to the computer. “Do you have any questions so far?”
She chuckled. “Questions? Only like a million, but I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I’m sure you have plenty to do without babysitting me.” She wanted to ask if Connor had told him to be nice to her, but she didn’t really want to know the answer.
“I have a few minutes.” Jackson dragged a chair over. “What would you like to know?”
“Naturally, this new realm has me curious, but let’s start with the basics. What can you tell me about fated mates?”
He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs. “Interesting topic. I don’t recall the article mentioning that.”
Oh, crap. She had hoped he wouldn’t have noticed. Now he’d think she was referring to Connor. Okay, she was a little bit, but she would be leaving soon. “I want my research to be complete. Start with how shifters are mated on Earth.” Then she’d compare it to the sketchy information Vinea had provided.
Jackson’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “I thought Vinea would have filled you in.”
“It was a sore topic. To be honest, I don’t think she had much expertise in that area. It wasn’t as if she and her sister compared notes.” That was mostly true.
Jackson chuckled. “I’m sure you’re right. Devon has assured me that the two have recently made amends though.”
Her pulse soared. “I’m so happy to hear it. I can see we have a lot to discuss the next time I call.”
“I’ll tell you what I know. Supposedly, Naliana decides who will be paired or mated with whom, though how she makes that decision, nobody knows. One of the two persons involved must be a shifter or a Wendayan, though I’ve never asked two humans if they think they’ve been paired.”
This was all so exciting. She’d heard bits and pieces about how Naliana had been chosen over Vinea for the job of mating the shifters. “Go on.”
“What I do know from experience is that when a shifter gets near his mate, his body, or maybe it’s his inner animal, goes wild.”
“Wild, as in he shifts?”
Jackson leaned forward. “That can happen, but usually we can control it. For example, the first time I met Ainsley, my mate, my body betrayed me totally. I could barely catch my breath, nor could I stop the hair from sprouting on my arms. The damnedest part was that I hated Ainsley. You see, she was a Changeling.”
“A Changeling?”
“Yes. It’s a long story. Suffice it to say that even though I didn’t want to be attracted to her, I couldn’t help it. I was in denial for quite some time that Ainsley was my mate.”
EmmaLee tried to think back to whether Connor ever had such a strange reaction. His facial hair had grown, and his eyes turned amber on occasion, but she didn’t know if that counted. “Did it get better? I can’t imagine going through life like that.”
“Thankfully yes. The need to be with Ainsley kept growing until we mated, and then it became worse.”
“Worse?”
He smiled. “Yes, but over time, it has leveled out to where it is tolerable. At least now, I can focus on my job, in part because I can sense if she’s in danger or if she’s upset. All high level emotions are shared between us.”
EmmaLee couldn’t imagine being able to feel what Connor was thinking—assuming he was turned on or afraid. “If you’re in a fight and are hurt, would Ainsley know?”
“Absolutely. The hard part is that she’d want to help. Fortunately, she can become invisible when she wants. Her adversaries don’t stand a chance.” He smiled.
“Vinea could do that.”
“Very true, but Ainsley isn’t a goddess—at least the world doesn’t consider her one.”
Aw, that was so sweet. “This really helps clear up a few things. Thank you.”
“Any time. Anything else?”
“Not at the moment. I need to finish reading the article first.”
Jackson stood and then headed back down the corridor. EmmaLee’s mind reeled. Had she known how much she would have learned about shifters and their habits by coming to Silver Lake, she might have agreed to take Connor up on his offer sooner.
A minute later, different voices sounded down the hallway, and butterflies attacked her again. It was Connor talking with someone, and she looked over her shoulder to see who it was. A huge bearded man, matching the description of Lexi’s brother, walked alongside him.
“Let me introduce you to the woman I’m watching over,” Connor said as he led this man over to her.
Was that all she was to him? Of course, it was. His older brother had asked that he make sure Slater didn’t bother her again, and Connor had done just that.
“EmmaLee, this is Ronan Laramie, Lexi’s brother.”
“Nice to meet you.” While this might not be the time or place to ask him questions, she didn’t want to lose her opportunity to find out what he knew about dragon shifters. “Your sister said you might have seen a dragon shifter during your bounty hunting days.”
“Ah.” He glanced over at Connor whose brow had risen. “I thought I did, once, but I couldn’t swear to it.”
Connor clamped a hand over Ronan’s shoulder. “Let me pour that coffee I promised you, and then I want to show you our technological headquarters.”
“Sure.” He turned toward her. “Nice meeting you, EmmaLee.”
“You too.”
Really? Connor had to drag away her most important source just when things were getting good? What was up with that? Because Lexi believed Ronan would be in Silver Lake for a while, EmmaLee would surely have other opportunities to speak with him.
Once Connor made the two coffees, they returned down the hallway again. She turned back to her computer, wanting to reread the story Jackson had shared, after which she’d search for other information about this new realm. Unfortunately, her mind refused to stop spinning. Connor wasn’t indifferent to her, but he was uneasy around her. Why? Did he think her crazy ideas would rub off on him? Or did he know something and didn’t want to chance spilling the beans?
She now had a new goal. To find out which it was.