12.

 

Rhett had been wandering through the quiet streets of Brookside for hours in search of the source of the evil that the device had picked up on when he had been at the speed dating event. He wasn’t any closer than he had been at the get-go and found himself feeling very frustrated because of it.

He was rounding the corner, delighted by the wafting scents of the bakery nearby, when he froze. The device was starting to pick up on something. It had been finnicky, that much was certain, but any hint was better than nothing.

He fumbled to take it out of his pocket and stare at it, hoping desperately to catch sight of the direction in which the negative energy was located.

It flashed red just long enough to show him that something might be happening east of the bakery, and he hurried toward it, a deep sense of concern and urgency prompting him onward.

Another red flare of light exploded from the device and Rhett turned sharply, honing in on his dragon senses in an effort to find the source of the negative energy it seemed to be picking up on. When he found the pathway leading into the dense forest of the park, Rhett frowned and quickly disappeared into the foliage. In the distance, he heard a faint sound, and his heart lurched suddenly. Mia.

He didn’t think twice before following it as quickly as he could. He emerged from the trees just in time to see the man from the speed dating event lunging toward Mia.

A deep growl emanated from his throat as he launched himself forward, shocked when Mia beat him to the punch. She administered a swift blow to the man’s chest, knocking him backward with such a force that he flew through the air. She didn’t hesitate and moved swiftly to grab a branch from the ground and lunge at him, ready to bat him away with the bluntness of it.

Rhett was momentarily stunned but shook his surprise away and intervened. Mia was shocked at first to see him, but he could tell by her energy that she was immensely relieved. He barely registered the fact before executing his attack.

The man was struggling to his feet, and when Rhett reached him he was quickly on his back in a pile of dirt and pine needles.

“Shifter,” the man growled under his breath.

Rhett snarled and punched the man in the face, then again, then again.

“Stop…”

He halted his fist mid punch and turned his head to face Mia, who was staring at them with her eyes wide in fear and apprehension. She didn’t want Rhett to continue. But why?

“Please, I don’t want to see anybody get hurt beyond the point of no return. Please stop hitting him. I’m scared, and I just want to go home now.”

Rhett frowned, staring down at the man that had attacked her. He was furious that anybody would dare try and hurt her. “We should at least call the police.”

“I have dealt enough with police for today. Can we just get out of here now?”

A deep growl began to emanate from his throat, but he didn’t have a whole lot of choice. He felt like the best thing to do was to do what Mia wanted. “Come on, babe.”

Mia looked to him in surprise, opening her mouth as if she was going to say something to him, possibly reprimanding him or simply asking him what he meant by calling her babe, but rather than speaking, she simply nodded and followed him silently down the path.

Rhett could tell she was shaking, seriously disturbed by the encounter. Without even thinking about it, he put his arm around her, taking her close to his body gently. He could feel her relax silently against him, looking up at him with a strange look in her eye. There was nothing that she could say that he couldn’t tell by that. She was disturbed by the situation that had taken place, and she was grateful for his assistance. Not only that, but there was something below the surface that he could sense. Something personal and private. Something that he could definitely tell was there. Something he reciprocated himself, although he really didn’t want to. He wanted to hide his feelings; he wanted to be able to ignore them and pretend that they weren’t there.

It didn’t do him any good to be close to her like this, but Rhett still couldn’t help but tighten his grip around her shoulders protectively as he guided her toward the safety of the road ouside the dense foliage of the trees.

 

“Are you all right, Mia?” Rhett asked, looking at her seriously as he guided her to the sidewalk. “That was kind of crazy. Are you sure you don’t want to involve the police?”

However, some small part of him was glad she was insisting not to get the authorities involved. He did not want to lose sight of the man he had attacked. Whoever he was could ultimately end up leading Rhett to the greater problem.

“I’m going to be all right,” she said, running a hand through her hair and shaking her head lightly. “I really don’t want to deal with any more police reports right now. It seems like right now I am such a freak magnet. Present company excluded. I guess.”

“You guess?” Rhett asked, unable to hide a smile. “I suppose freak is one of the nicer things that I have been called since we moved here.”

“I mean, you did leave rather abruptly at the restaurant. I don’t know what to think of somebody like you. This is really weird to be seeing you like this. I thought that you don’t like me.”

“Like you?”

Rhett was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the statement. He didn’t just like her. He was having an internal crisis about what to do with his feelings for her. If only she knew. But maybe it was better that she didn’t.

“It doesn’t matter. And I mean, even if you don’t like me, most good people would want to help protect somebody. So, thank you. Let me give you something for your trouble.”

She began rummaging through her purse, and Rhett watched Mia in disbelief as she pulled out a twenty dollar bill and waved it at him.

“I am not going to accept money for saving you,” Rhett said, shaking his head slowly. “Anyway, it looked as if you had things mostly under control. Do you take some sort of martial arts classes or something? You were very brave.”

Mia laughed, a small sound that almost bordered on hysteria. “Actually, I have no idea where any of that came from. I have never fought with anybody like that before, and I certainly don’t have the strength it would take to win.”

“That isn’t what it looked like to me,” Rhett said, eyeing her curiously. “That was pretty impressive. Also, a little bit strange if what you say is true and you are simply a weak human. Which I do not believe to be the case at all…”

“A weak human? What are you, an alien?” Mia asked, laughing at the strangeness of Rhett’s statement.

Rhett was taken aback by the directness of the question, and the carelessness with which he had directed his statement. She had called him out, and he was glad that she had changed the subject on her own before she had a chance to gauge his reaction. He hated to lie. And he especially hated the thought of lying to Mia. For some reason, she demanded the utmost honesty from him, and anything beyond that, he couldn’t fathom.

“Anyway, if you’re not going to take the money, at least take my gratitude,” Mia continued, breaking into his thoughts. “I’m sure you have plenty of other things to do tonight rather than hanging out with me while I make it back to my car. So, go ahead and do whatever it is that you were doing before any of this happened.”

“At least let me walk you to your car,” Rhett insisted. “I still don’t feel comfortable. All of this was very alarming, and I want to make sure that you are safe.”

There was no way in hell he was going to let her out of his sight. Even if she decided she wanted him to go, he would lurk in the shadows to keep an eye out to make sure nothing else might happen. Something strange was going on, and he was starting to get an idea of what that might be. Was it possible that Mia was involved for reasons beyond his comprehension? The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

“I guess that you can walk me to my car, I don’t see why that would be too big of a deal.”

Rhett nodded, relieved that she was willing to allow him to take care of her, even if it was in just a small way. It was better than having to pretend that he was leaving and watch her from a distance, wishing all the while that he was close to her and they were able to have a conversation together.

“So, you have been having other incidences?” Rhett asked, looking carefully at Mia. He didn’t like the sound of that. Mia being a freak magnet. Something about this whole situation was making him very uncomfortable. He wished that the device was working properly. If she wasn’t a descendant, then why was all of this negativity following her? Unless…

“Yes, I have. I don’t even want to talk about this because it makes me so angry, but there was a strange man outside of my daughter’s school, staring at us. He was walking toward her and when he saw me, all bets were off. I don’t know what’s going on, but all I know is that I need to protect my daughter. And now, I feel like I need to protect myself as well. Why is all of this happening to me?”

“I know of a safe place,” Rhett said, frowning deeply. “For you and your daughter. If you would like to go there and get away from whatever is troubling you. We have a cabin outside of the city limits. It’s beautiful out there. There aren’t a lot of people. If you’d like, I can give you the key.”

“You really don’t have to do anything like that,” Mia said, shaking her head. “We’re going to be fine. I just wish that everything was back to normal. Not that I ever knew what normal was…You must think that I am such a mess. I clearly can’t take care of myself. There is something wrong with me. Why else would these things be happening to me like this?”

“I really don’t think that is a constructive way to be thinking about any of this,” Rhett said, turning to Mia thoughtfully and catching her gaze. “Something beyond your control is going on and it has nothing to do with your capabilities. That’s a dangerous way to think. How can you allow yourself to believe that events beyond your control determine your worth? It really does not make any sense to me and I would advise you strongly against it.”

Mia laughed and took a deep breath, looking at the ground.

“I know, but you have no idea what it is like to be a parent and worry every day about whether or not you are doing the right thing for your child…”

Mia trailed off, her beautiful eyes growing heavy and tired.

And yet, somehow, Rhett had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. She was doing her best to be strong and responsible. Working hard. Supporting the one she loved most. She had the weight of the world on her shoulders and no one to share it with.

“I know that you’re stressed out and upset right now,” Rhett said, wishing more than anything that he could take her face in his hands and kiss away all her worries. He could take care of her. He could be a great father. Raise her child. Give her children.

No, he couldn’t let himself indulge in these thoughts. He had to stay focused. “But these things happen, and it doesn’t mean you can’t take care of yourself. I saw, back there, just how well you actually can, so give yourself some credit. And if you feel a need for protection, there is plenty you can do about that. Whether you want to go to the cabin or not is fine. Just don’t give in to feeling helpless. Because you’re not. You are amazing.”

“Thanks,” Mia said, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

Rhett felt a jolt of panic electrify him. Had he said or done something wrong? What had he done? Was she going to be okay? It was always tragic in the movies he had researched when the women had tears in their eyes. Had he really made her feel that terrible?

But then again, sometimes there were also happy tears. He took a step back, grimacing in concern and confusion, holding a hand out at the woman as if to either ward her away or to invite her closer.

“Are you…happy?” he asked tentatively, hoping for the best.

Mia’s brow arched high and she gaped at Rhett.

“What in the world…?”

She shook her head and wiped her eyes, sniffling softly. “I’m fine. Neither happy nor sad. Just overwhelmed. Why is it at times men are so bad at emotions?”

Rhett opened and closed his mouth, then sighed. “I don’t have an answer for you.”

“It really doesn’t surprise me,” Mia said. But she seemed more amused than irritated or disappointed, so Rhett gave her as charming a smile as he could muster.

“I know that there are probably a lot of things that I’m not very good at, but I will do my best to be there for you if I can. I hope you know that.”

“Actually, I didn’t know that,” Mia said. “I have been feeling pretty disappointed about the way that our last date went. What was going on in your head when you left that way?”

“I was done with my food,” Rhett said simply.

How would it ever be possible to explain to her the internal dilemma that he was having about whether or not he should be with her or save himself for his fated mate? There was no easy answer to any of this, that much was certain. But it was especially difficult having to look the one that he loved in the eye and trying to figure out what was the most reasonable and responsible course of action to take.

“All right, whatever you say,” Mia said, shrugging lightly.

Rhett nodded. “I guess I am a little bit picky, according to some standards of the people here.”

“Everybody is different,” Mia said. Her face was still tense, and Rhett realized quickly that she was probably still feeling upset about the attack. She hadn’t pulled away from his comforting touch, but at the same time, he knew she was unhappy and felt rejected by him for making a quick exit the last time they had seen each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to be as careful as possible. He stared at her, hoping to gauge her reaction.

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice distant. She clearly didn’t have her mind on the question at hand any longer.

“Are you all right, Mia?” he asked, frowning. “Would you like to get something to eat? I can treat you. Maybe to try and make up for my rude behavior before.”

“Which time?” Mia asked, raising a brow at him.

Rhett laughed and shook his head. “Whatever time you think needs made up for the most. My treat. What do you say?”

“I would really like to calm down before I see my daughter. She is so sensitive to my moods. I don’t want to scare her or make her think something that is going to happen. Besides, I would want to talk to my mom about everything that happened, and I don’t want Jewel to overhear it. She’s a strong little girl, but there’s a limit to what you should expose your children to.”

“I understand,” Rhett said, though he had never raised a child himself. Protection of this sort still made sense to him.

“Sometimes, I feel like the worst mom in the world,” Mia went on. She was really down on herself tonight. How could someone so beautiful dislike herself so much? “Especially if I went home upset like this and made her feel like there are bad guys lurking all over the place. The whole purpose of me coming out tonight in the first place was to go to the police and protect her from the bad guys. Now I am a target as well. What would she think if she finds out?”

Again, tears began to spring into Mia’s eyes, and Rhett frowned, tightening his grip protectively around her shoulders and tucking her close to his chest for a comforting hug. She let him hold her and he rested his cheek on the top of her head, speaking in a low voice that remained even and soothing.

“There are people all over the universe who are never going to make decisions in favor of others. They are selfish and unkind. And the sooner she learns how to protect herself against those types of people, the better. It’s not weak for you to be targeted by people who have bad intentions. It is weak of them to target you in the first place,” Rhett said, stroking Mia’s back gently. She was beginning to relax against him, her soft sobs soothed gently by his actions and his words. “All you can do is try to be honest with her and protect her as best you can against those types of things. And teach her what she can do for herself. That’s really all you can do. You can’t blame yourself or feel personally responsible for the fact that evil exists. You are not evil.”

“I just never want anything to happen to her. And if I can’t protect myself, I can’t protect her. And she knows it.”

Rhett looked down at her seriously, pulling away just far enough that he could meet Mia’s eyes. “You need somebody who will protect you both,” he said, his voice serious and full of conviction. He wanted to be that man. He desperately wanted to be the person who was able to protect Mia and her family.

He was so frustrated. How was it possible that the world was so full of danger that even someone as innocent as this woman would fall prey to it? Even if it wasn’t because of things going on in the universe outside of human knowledge, humans always turned against humans on earth. That was just the way it was. And he hated it so passionately. He resented earthlings for their inability to get along and take care of each other. And so much of it boiled down to poor communication.

Humans were so uncivilized and brutal. How could he possibly even consider loving one? And yet, looking at Mia as he held her close, his body aching to be her only source of comfort and security, he knew that his feelings for her were beyond a choice at this point.

But what if she turned on him one day? What if he chose to turn his back on his people and his fated mate for a human who would ultimately succumb to the worst qualities of her species and break his heart into a million pieces? There weren’t a lot of ways that a man like him was vulnerable. Only his love could be a weakness. And giving it to a human seemed out of the question.

“I just can’t stand the thought of something happening to the people I love,” Mia said, turning her glittering eyes onto Rhett, and trying to wipe the tears away. “I’m sorry that I broke down like this. We should probably go.”

Suddenly, all the doubts were once again out of his head and another strange conviction to take care of this woman and claim her as his own overwhelmed him. He wanted to make sure she was safe and sound. She didn’t want anything unreasonable from him, did she? She wasn’t out to hurt anybody. She was just trying to protect her family and herself. That was actually incredibly responsible and admirable of her, that wasn’t something he should be angry about or suspicious of.

Now, it was clear that the only issue he had involved turning his back on his brothers by loving a human rather than a mate that would provide him with a child that would keep shifter magic alive throughout the universe.

“All right,” Mia said, placing her arms through Rhett’s, and allowing him to lead her down the rest of the street to the parking lot where she had left her car. “Thank you, by the way. For saving me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“I would save you every day if I had to,” Rhett said, grimacing and cursing himself inwardly for the sudden and embarrassing admission. But rather than seeming put off by it, the woman seemed rather flattered and pressed her head gently against his arm. The slight pressure of her warm face against him drove him to the brink of his self-control, and he had to tell the dragon within to calm down, although it was incredibly difficult to hold it back.

Mia seemed stricken quiet by the words, and they continued on their way in silence, Rhett holding her gently by the waist as they walked. She seemed to take comfort in his nearness, and he decided not to overthink everything. At least not for now. Not for a while. Not when everything felt so right.