Vanessa flipped pancakes on two pans so they could eat sooner. The milky aroma made Emma hungrier. She must’ve added more eggs and butter – yum!
“So … he didn’t ask for your number or anything else?” she asked as Emma nursed Gladdy while walking around the small apartment, her arms getting sore. Her baby had been gaining weight and she couldn’t be any less happy.
Since Emma came home a little late last night, Van was late for work and her nasty boss didn’t stop nagging her for it the entire time of her shift – the customers could hear him and gave her sympathetic looks but at least she received more tips.
“Well?” Van asked as she flipped her long blonde hair, and Emma rolled her eyes at her.
She owed her friend an explanation and so she told her the truth - about the man who saved her, how he saved her, and that she lied to him about her name and where s
The long drive was silent, the soft snores of her friend, Van, in the background. From the sideview mirror, Emma had her eyes closed too, but Niquel could tell that she wasn’t asleep. Gladdy - it was a beautiful name for the baby. She was sleeping too, cradled safely on the arms of her lovely mother. After a year, she hadn’t moved on from Dylan’s passing. It was evident in the way she behaved when he came up. Niquel was a walking reminder of him and seeing him in person must’ve been like seeing him once more. It was the only choice Niquel had, and it took everything in him to hold himself back from comforting her in his arms the way she liked it and assure her that it’d be alright – she wouldn’t have to endure anymore hardships because he was there. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. In the cramped space, her scent was drove him crazy – the sweet fragrance of vanilla and freshly baked bread made his mouth
“Why would you look for him?” she asked. “He wasn’t a somebody. He had no connections to the high-end community. If he did, he would’ve told me.”Her voice carried a tone of anxiousness – of course, they didn’t keep secrets from each other. Except that he lied to her or kept his origins hidden for reasons, primarily to protect her because their kind didn’t crossbreed, especially with mortals. He made a wrong move when he marked her though, thankfully, having been kept in the dark, even if she came across one of them, she’d come across as ignorant. He … realized that just then.“Perhaps it would be best if we talked about this some other time, Emma,” he said. “It will be too much for you take in now, and for today, I just want to remember my friend.”She didn’t reply.“I&r
“What made you change your mind?” Henry asked with a straight face. He was leaning onto the office desk, which had to be replaced after that day. It was about time too – it was probably the oldest thing in the office.“He stalked her,” said Hunter as if it was a completely normal thing to do. Wearing a light blue shirt, leather jacket, and dark blue denim jeans, with aviator glasses clipped on his shirt’s neckline – either he was going to the Angel’s Club or that he had a date – probably both.“That’s unlike you,” said Henry. “Will you take the mate bond seriously now?”Aidan looked him straight in the eye. “No.”“Asshole.”Henry must really like this girl to cuss – swear words rarely came out of his mouth. Hunter raised a brow at his broth
“Ms. Emma … or would you prefer ‘Dami’ instead?” he smirked, and she blushed.“Emma … Sir.”“Let’s start over, shall we?” he said. “Henry asked me to look into West Side, with regards to plans of branching out. I happened to be at the same place as you were, and good thing I was else you wouldn’t be here right now.”Emma looked down, cheeks taking on a deeper shade. Aidan didn’t mean to embarrass her, but what would she think of him if he admitted that he was indeed stalking her. Her apple cheeks had a naturally rosy color to them but seeing them deepen in color … had a certain charm to it.“I like it,” Arke commented. He was fully awake, wagging his tail excitedly at her presence.“I’m sorry,” she said. “I … jus
Niquel watched Emma from across the street. She was seated in front of a coffee shop, waiting for him. He couldn’t keep himself from calling her last night just to hear her voice. And he almost hit his head on his desk when he asked her to meet up with him. As expected, she was about ten minutes early from their agreed-upon time. Typical Emma.He crossed the street. Emma was busy with her phone, scrolling through something with her brows furrowed in concentration. Just watching her triggered his beast awake. It wanted to feel her again, the mark on her neck keeping him in check.His senses let him know that there were women checking him out, but he didn’t pay them any attention. The supernatural beings knew who he was and unlike the humans, they kept their distance and minded their own business. Might as well – Niquel had no interest in any other women but
Niquel stood beside her, holding her shoulders to support her. She looked like her knees would give away any second. “Emma, what’s wrong? What happened?”“Gladdy…” she cried, turning to face him with a worried face.Niquel had seen a multitude of emotions in her beautiful green eyes – happiness, concern, love, rage, disgust, lust even, and emptiness, but never had he seen fear. She had always been a strong woman, even when she talked about her horrid past, her eyes were tainted with sorrow, grief, and anger, that fear seemed to be alien to her. Something was very, very wrong here, and the one word she said awoke his dragon.“Let’s go,” he told her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her along as they rounded the corner to where he parked his car. Sparks shot through him from the sensation of her touch, but now wasn’t the time. The
Aidan was in Henry’s office. His feet were on the table as he leaned back on the chair, eyes to the ceiling and deep in thought. His mate was the first to reject a date with him and it didn’t settle well with his ego.He deduced it had something to do with his approach. Chances of keeping her within his reach might’ve just diminished because of a brash move. They barely knew each other. And he already let her know that he knew about her child. It would’ve rung alarm bells in her mind.“I miss mate,” said Arke. “Go to mate.”“It’s a Saturday, Arke.” He sighed and craned his neck to the side. “We can’t just show up in her front door.”“I want to see mate.”
Aidan held the two tighter then dashed out into the hall, hoping that she was somewhere else in the city. He arrived down the stairs, just as the gas tank exploded, causing a loud explosion and adding more to the fire.He had to get the two out of the building. The soundwaves rang in his ears that he didn’t notice the man who had just gotten to the second floor.“Get out!” Aidan shouted as he neared him. He stopped when he realized the man was no human but his enemy, the death of whom would bring forth an eternity of triumph to his kind.“You…” he growled, but before he could act on his impulses, fire blazed through the top of the stairs, reminding him of the current situation. “Get the fuck out of my way!”Aidan walked past him, woman and baby in his care, then felt the man follow him out of the building. Once they were out