"What the hell was that about?" Trina croaked out the moment she got the motorcycle helmet off.

Dane had come to a full stop in front of a one-story brick house. As soon as they pulled up in the yard, the porch lamps flickered and the lights inside came on.

"He was a trespasser. He was looking for something but he didn't say what,” Dane said, lifting her off of the bike and setting her down on her feet.

Trina swore that her blood pressure had sky-rocketed five times over, and plus this mark that Dane insisted was on her throat felt like an annoying skin irritation. She rubbed her throat as she said, "Well what happened to the guy? Did you kill him?"

"No, but the way he was firing to kill I probably should have. I caught his scent before he ran off. I really need to find out what's going on."

"Is this your other home or something?"

Before answering, he slid his fingers against her neck and back along her nape. He gave her a single kiss on the forehead and then said, "Don't worry. You'll find relief soon from the mark. It's the first time it's risen on your skin, so it's going to be noticeable. As time passes, it won't bother you as much."

"About that…" Before she could finish her sentence, his brother Brock opened the door to the brick house and came to stand out on the porch.

"I need to have a word with my brother before we head into town," he said, taking her hand.

When they reached the front steps, the brothers greeted each other silently, and this time Brock gave her a respectable nod.

"You're mated," Brock said, as they crossed the threshold into the house. "Forgive me for ever doubting you, brother," he added, and then closed the door.

"That's what brothers are for…and yes, we most certainly are."

"Have a seat." Brock motioned toward his couches. "Can I get the new Mrs. Magnus something to drink?”

She nodded. "Water or juice, if you have it."

"Be right back." Brock exited the room.

“Explain this mating mark to me," Trina said, following Dane to a small closet near the other end of the living room.

She watched as he grabbed one his brother's flannel shirts and shed his torn and tattered shirt. He'd sustained a few bruises and scrapes from the recent scuffle. She hadn't seen the fight with the trespasser, but it appeared that he'd been knocked across the face a few times too.

"You're feeling okay, right?" she asked, reaching out and taking his forearm and then letting her fingers slide over the scratch on his jaw.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He took the hand that was on his face and then urged her into a small guest bathroom near a kitchen. “Look at your neck and tell me what you see." He adjusted the folding medicine cabinet so that she could see both sides of her face and neck.

Her attention moved to her throat where she'd felt the changes on her skin and sure enough the mark was there, right above her collarbone. "Two infinity signs, forming an X. How did this happen?"

"It's a birthmark. It's been there since you were born. Sometimes, they're not visible until something happens to activate it, like meeting your mate."

"Just meeting?" She grinned.

"Us not being able to keep our hands off each other sped up the process," he added.

Dane must have heard Brock waiting in the living room because he walked back out. Brock handed her a glass of ice with a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of water.

Once they were seated on the couches, Brock asked, "You got something?"

"Yeah." Dane reached into his back jeans pocket and pulled out a ripped shred of clothing and handed it to his brother.

Trina recognized instantly that it was the same type of fabric from the trespasser’s shirt.

Brock held it up to his nose and took a whiff. "Smells of cigarettes and processed meat."

"That's what I got from it. He either has connections to one of the butcher shops or the meat market."

"Then, it'll be easy to find him," Brock replied.

"I would have run that bastard down and beat the answers out of him, but I wasn't going to leave Trina out there alone with the house burning down."

"Understood. I know you were going to tear that old house down anyway, but he and the person who set him up to do this need to be found. He either needs to be turned in or dealt with."

"That too, brother," Dane agreed. "But I'm also interested in why he was snooping about on my land in the first place. I'll need you to help me to gather some scouts. I want the answers that he ran away with."