Little did she know, it already belonged to her.
The smellof bacon circulated through the air as Faye hurried to finish breakfast. The shower was running; Vander was finally up. It was mid-morning, and her stomach released an angry growl, demanding to be fed. Thanks to Vander showing up in the wee hours of the morning, she didn’t get much sleep, and they’d worked up quite an appetite.
She blew out a nervous breath, sprinkled a little shredded cheese in the eggs, and took the bacon from the oven. She needed to tell him about his friend showing up at her job last night. It still freaked the hell out of her. How could a man just disappear like that? Or, better yet, how did he freeze Teresa in place and take away her memory of it? From what she knew, even shifters didn’t have that power. What was that guy?
She grabbed her coffee mug from the counter and took a healthy sip. She sighed and leaned back against the counter, the delicious, caffeinated liquid sliding down her throat.
“What’s the sigh for?” Vander’s voice broke through her thoughts.
She jumped.
“Huh?” she asked. Turning, she found him in the doorway with just his jeans on. Her eyes were mesmerized by his bare muscular chest and well-defined six-pack.
He stepped into the kitchen and walked toward her.
“After the night we just had, the smell of bacon in the air the next morning and sighing does not go together,” he joked and stood in front of her.
She placed her cup back on the counter. He trapped her between the counter and his muscular body. She tipped her head back so she could look at him. His amber eyes always took her breath away. His stare was intense, and he waited for her to speak, the joking put aside.
“What is it?” he asked softly.
“I lost a patient last night.” She felt the same emotions overcome her when they’d pronounced the patient’s time of death.
“So sorry to hear,” he murmured, concern on his face.
She smiled softly and thought on the events of the evening before.
“Something weird happened last night. After they called the guy’s death, I went outside for a breather. It’s never easy to lose a patient.” She paused, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
He patiently waited for her to start again. It felt good to finally get this off her chest. The sheer presence of him comforted her and calmed her nerves. Somehow, she knew this wasn’t something she should keep from him. The guy last night gave her the creeps. She might as well spill the beans.
“I was sitting outside, and a friend of yours was there.”
“What?” His voice hardened, and his hands tightened on the counter. “Friend? What did he look like? What did he say his name was?”
“Umm, he actually never told me his name. He knew mine, though. It was hard for me to see him since it was dark outside.”
“What did he say?” Vander asked, his voice softening, but his eyes darkened, and something dangerous flashed in them.
“For some reason, he knew that you were smitten with me. I didn’t tell him anything. I just knew that I was scared?—”
“Did he say anything else?” Vander asked, cutting her off.
Her body trembled from the intensity of his stare. Her anxiety climbed higher with her thinking back to last night.
“Yeah, he told me to give you a message. He said for me to tell you to cease your pursuit of him or he would take something of value from you.”
Vander growled. Her heart slammed against her chest, and she watched him back away and turn from her. She could see he was torn over something. He combed his hand through his thick hair.
“We need to go,” he said. Turning back, he stepped to the stove and cut everything off before taking her arm. He pulled her to her room.
“What’s going on?” she cried out.
“Pack a bag, now. You can’t stay here.”
“Why not? Who was that man?”
“He’s no friend of mine. He’s an evil dragon shifter who we’ve been tracking. He recently wiped out an entire village, and we’ve been hunting him down to exact justice for the survivors of the village.”
