“Are you going to be okay?” Ava asked Mary. “Do you need me to stay?”
Mary glanced at him, looked away and her cheeks flushed pink. “No, I’m fine.”
“Good. I’m glad that’s settled. I guess I’ll leave you two alone…again.” Ava grinned as she strode toward the door, opened it to step through and closed it behind her.
Emory tried to think of something to say, a way of breaking the silence without causing further distress. Mary was obviously tense, despite her contrary reassurance to Ava.
“So where are we?” she asked and lifted her head, meeting his gaze. “I have a feeling we’re not in Florida or Alabama and I know you wouldn’t risk taking me back to Colorado.”
“Remembering telling me you always wanted to visit the East Coast?” She nodded and he cleared his throat. Honesty was best but he hoped he didn’t stress her further. “We’re in New York, on the Upper East Side.”
“New York?” Her eyes widened. “I thought you hated the city.”
“Not the city so much as the troubles I left behind.” He quickly changed the topic at her questioning look. “Now that you’re here you can visit all the places you talked about. Tell me where you want to go and I’ll take you there. We’ll make a day of it.”
“You’re covering up something.” As always, Mary detected his attempt to hide from her. It was something he’d learned the first time they’d shared a cup of coffee, a trait his mate possessed that he could do without. “Don’t bother trying to deny it. With everything that’s happened in the last—” She stopped short, brows furrowing. “How long have I been here? How much dope did your doctor shoot me up with?”
“The drive here took sixteen hours.” Her jaw dropped and she gawked at him. “Don’t look at me like that,” he mumbled, ashamed he’d allowed Doc to keep her sedated for so long. “He had to use butterfly bandages to keep the bleeding under control and worried you might hurt yourself or do more harm than good if you woke up in a van full of strange men.” At her admonishing glare he asked, “What would you have done if the circumstances were different? Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing?”
Her glare formed into a scowl—one that had him grinning. It was the one look he found the most adorable, a mixture of annoyance and attitude. “I suppose I would have done the same thing,” she admittedly sourly. “But that doesn’t mean it was okay for you to bring me all the way to New York without asking.”
“Would you have preferred I left you to your relatives? The people who would have killed you if I’d given them the opportunity?” He hated the way he growled the words, knowing he wouldn’t have been able to prevent himself from doing so even if he tried. The thought of his mate being shot at—almost killed—did things to him he couldn’t control. “Is that what you’d have me do?”
The shock on her face sent guilt plunging through him. She immediately averted her eyes, staring at the bed. “No,” she whispered hoarsely, wringing her hands. “Of course not.”
“Mary…sweetheart…” He slowly crossed to the bed, step by step, taking his time. She was overwhelmed, she was confused, and from what Ava had said as she left the room Mary was terrified of what her family might do to him. How did he react to that? Like a goddamn asshole, that’s how. Putting more pressure on her, forcing her to accept things before she was ready.
“They won’t let me walk away, you know.” She spoke so quietly he had to strain to hear. “Uncle Elijah told me he’d see me dead before he let me fall into bed with a shifter. He swore it was his duty to protect my soul from damnation.”
He sat across from her, keeping an intentional space between them, not wanting to crowd her. “You know he’s crazy, don’t you?” He hoped like hell she did. Otherwise he was doomed. “He’s not right in the head. None of them are.”
“I know he’s crazy—certifiably batshit.” She took a deep breath, the sound uneven. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think what he’s doing has purpose. That’s why I can’t stay here. You have to know he’ll show up eventually. He won’t let this go. He won’t let me go.”
“Let me get this straight so our lines aren’t crossed.” He brought his fingers to her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You want to leave because you’re worried about your uncle and what will happen if he comes here. Is that right?”
“That’s what I just said.”
“It’s not because of me?” He held her steady when she tried to glance away. “You don’t want to leave because you’re afraid of me and what we discussed earlier?”
Finally, as if it pained her to admit it, she said, “No, it’s not because of that.”
He leaned in close and brushed his nose against hers. “I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.” Pulling away, he gazed into her cloudy brown eyes. “Since you’re worried about your family, I’m glad I can ease your concerns. The pack has been ready for a Shepherd attack for months. They came through here not so long ago and we learned our lesson. Trust me when I say that they don’t want to fuck with the pack again. If they do they’ll never leave. Do you understand?”
She lowered her eyes. “You’ll kill them?”
“Yes.”
A simple answer, straightforward and to the point. He braced himself for the scent of her fear but surprisingly none came. He observed Mary quietly, wishing they’d started the first stages of the bloodbond so he could be aware on some level what she was thinking. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her head, like a solider reporting for duty.
“I’m tired of being afraid, Emory. I’m tired of running.”
That’s my girl.
He rose from the bed to retrieve her bag. Right now he’d take baby steps, making sure she was comfortable and felt secure. The best way to accomplish that was to settle her into her new home. Once he had the duffel, he returned to her side and placed it in front of her.
“Then I suggest you unpack your things.” He took her hand in his, running his thumb along her knuckles and gazing directly into her eyes. “I’m not going to let you run anywhere unless it’s to me—only to me.”
A knock on the door ruined the moment but Emory managed to catch the heat in his mate’s gaze, the way she inhaled sharply and her hand trembled. The faint scent of her arousal hit like a Mack truck, slamming into him, making his cock harden in his jeans. Soon he’d ease the ache for both of them and take Mary to places she’d never discover on any map.
“I’m here to check on the patient,” Doc called through the door.
“If you don’t want him to see you in that T-shirt, I suggest you get under the sheets,” Emory said, holding back a smile.
She turned beet red and launched for the head of the bed, cursing as he chuckled. A visit from Doc and he’d be alone with his mate.
Finally alone.
Just the two of them…
Trey’s earlier spectacle gave him pause. Emory couldn’t wait too long to ask Mary about what they’d found in her bag. If he wanted to clear his mate of any suspicious behavior it was best done sooner than later. Besides, who really cared about the money and map she’d stowed away with her clothing? She’d obviously been prepared to run, something that proved she was just as smart as he remembered. He was certain she was protecting herself, trying to stay one step ahead of her enemies.
You’re focusing on the positives, not the negatives.
The nagging remainder ate at him, stirring his anger.
So what if the map in her possession had an enormous circle around New York? Mary had said she’d always wanted to go there. Serendipitous things occurred all the time. Just because the area was marked didn’t mean she’d had anything to do with the bombing months before. She’d never harm anyone or anything, he was certain of it. That was why he’d asked Ava not to dig the information out of her head, to allow him to ask personally.