But he didn’t think too hard on that, and instead moved a step closer. Her pupils were still dilated, and the scent of her calm demeanor came through, telling him she was under compulsion still.
“Go home, know you’re safe, and don’t think about anything that was unpleasant.”
She slowly nodded, and continued to stare at his face. She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her. “What’s your name, female?”
She stared at him over her shoulder, blinked a few times, and the scent of her awareness coming back surprised him. She was strong, had a powerful mind for a human, and was fighting the compulsion.
“Abbi Mack.”
He played her name in his head over and over again. He moved back in the shadows after releasing her hand, and watched as she rubbed her forehead and moved away from him. After about ten feet she stopped, shook her head, and looked back in the alleyway where he stood, but he knew she couldn’t see him. The shadows were too thick, too concealing.
Lathan knew that no matter what, no matter the fact she was safer, better without him in her life, he wouldn’t walk away from her. She was his mate, and nothing could change that.
Chapter Two
Abbi stepped into her home, stood there for a moment, and let the night’s activities wash through her. She remembered leaving work, having to walk through the bad part of town, and then she remembered looking into glowing eyes. After that everything went blank, just disappeared. But there was this nagging in the back of her head, this thumping, this remembrance that wouldn’t surface.
Scrubbing a hand over her hair, she pushed away from the door and went into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass out of the cupboard, she filled it with water and rested her hand on the counter as she drank. She kept trying to remember what happened, why she felt like something big, monumental had taken place, but no matter how much she tried to pull those memories up she got this blackness, this onyx wall of confusion and frustration.
Going out of the kitchen and toward the stairs, she passed by the window in her living room and stopped. The back of her neck tingled, the tiny hairs standing on end. Even the hairs on her arms stood up. The feeling of being watched consumed her, and she turned, stared out the window, but only saw trees and the lone streetlamp on her corner. But even though she saw nothing, looking out the window, feeling as though she wasn’t quite alone had everything in Abbi standing at attention. She gripped her hand tighter on the banister, and after a second moved over to the front door to make sure it was locked.
Placing her hand on the cold, hard wood, she rested her forehead on the door and breathed out. Why did she feel like this? What happened to her from the time she walked past that alleyway to the time she found herself stepping into her house?
Maybe she just needed to soak, to relax and forget about everything? It certainly sounded like a good idea, and so putting everything behind her she made her way up the stairs and into the bathroom.
She filled her yellowing tub with hot water, poured in some cheap bubble bath, and faced the mirror. This house was a piece of shit, something she rented and had been living in for the last three years. She’d love to move out, but working at a bank in the city, one where she was a teller, didn’t make her nearly enough to afford anything nicer.
Besides, the house may be a piece of shit, but she could be living in worse, and in a far crappier neighborhood. At least she had a place to stay, a roof over her head, and a job that allowed her to pay her bills.
After slipping into the tub and turning off the tap, she rested against the back of the tub and closed her eyes. The water was a little on the hot side, and the steam rose up around her, but she felt herself relax and her head clear. The longer she stayed in the hot water the more her muscles relaxed. It was when she was on the verge of drifting
“Go home, know you’re safe, and don’t think about anything that was unpleasant.”
She slowly nodded, and continued to stare at his face. She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her. “What’s your name, female?”
She stared at him over her shoulder, blinked a few times, and the scent of her awareness coming back surprised him. She was strong, had a powerful mind for a human, and was fighting the compulsion.
“Abbi Mack.”
He played her name in his head over and over again. He moved back in the shadows after releasing her hand, and watched as she rubbed her forehead and moved away from him. After about ten feet she stopped, shook her head, and looked back in the alleyway where he stood, but he knew she couldn’t see him. The shadows were too thick, too concealing.
Lathan knew that no matter what, no matter the fact she was safer, better without him in her life, he wouldn’t walk away from her. She was his mate, and nothing could change that.
Chapter Two
Abbi stepped into her home, stood there for a moment, and let the night’s activities wash through her. She remembered leaving work, having to walk through the bad part of town, and then she remembered looking into glowing eyes. After that everything went blank, just disappeared. But there was this nagging in the back of her head, this thumping, this remembrance that wouldn’t surface.
Scrubbing a hand over her hair, she pushed away from the door and went into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass out of the cupboard, she filled it with water and rested her hand on the counter as she drank. She kept trying to remember what happened, why she felt like something big, monumental had taken place, but no matter how much she tried to pull those memories up she got this blackness, this onyx wall of confusion and frustration.
Going out of the kitchen and toward the stairs, she passed by the window in her living room and stopped. The back of her neck tingled, the tiny hairs standing on end. Even the hairs on her arms stood up. The feeling of being watched consumed her, and she turned, stared out the window, but only saw trees and the lone streetlamp on her corner. But even though she saw nothing, looking out the window, feeling as though she wasn’t quite alone had everything in Abbi standing at attention. She gripped her hand tighter on the banister, and after a second moved over to the front door to make sure it was locked.
Placing her hand on the cold, hard wood, she rested her forehead on the door and breathed out. Why did she feel like this? What happened to her from the time she walked past that alleyway to the time she found herself stepping into her house?
Maybe she just needed to soak, to relax and forget about everything? It certainly sounded like a good idea, and so putting everything behind her she made her way up the stairs and into the bathroom.
She filled her yellowing tub with hot water, poured in some cheap bubble bath, and faced the mirror. This house was a piece of shit, something she rented and had been living in for the last three years. She’d love to move out, but working at a bank in the city, one where she was a teller, didn’t make her nearly enough to afford anything nicer.
Besides, the house may be a piece of shit, but she could be living in worse, and in a far crappier neighborhood. At least she had a place to stay, a roof over her head, and a job that allowed her to pay her bills.
After slipping into the tub and turning off the tap, she rested against the back of the tub and closed her eyes. The water was a little on the hot side, and the steam rose up around her, but she felt herself relax and her head clear. The longer she stayed in the hot water the more her muscles relaxed. It was when she was on the verge of drifting
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