Page 13 of Sass Me Again

His nose twitched. No doubt, smelling her arousal. Ian clenched his jaw, his eyes once again glowing as they did when he was turned on.

“He’s trying to control his wolf. The animal wants to be set free.” A strange voice filled Emily’s mind.

“Weird,” she whispered to herself, perfectly content with ignoring the voice. She had better things to worry about.

Her heart sped as Ian quickly closed the distance between them.

“What are you doing here?” His voice came out as more of a growl than an actual sentence. Emily was surprised she understood him.

“I’m here with Jenn. What’s it to you?” she wasn’t going to let him push her around. Not like this, anyway. If he wanted to push her around in another way…Well, that would be fine.

“Do you have any idea what kind of a get-together this is?” His nostrils flared.

“I do. Jenn said it was a place for shifters to find their mates. She wanted me here for moral support.” Emily shrugged, trying to act calmer than she felt. Turning her head, she sucked in a deep breath as she tried to slow her racing heart.

“Do you even know what that word means? Did Jenn explain it to you?”

“I’m not an idiot, Ian.”

“Then you know that any shifter who thinks you are their mate has the right to claim you, in front of everyone…for the world to see.”

“What?” Emily gasped. “I’m human, that doesn’t apply to me!” she screeched, surprised by what Ian had said.

“So Jenn didn’t explain things to you then?”

She wanted to wipe that smirk right from Ian’s face. “Whatever. Maybe I’ll go find myself a hot shifter like Jenn suggested. Why not live it up a little?” She tried to make her voice sound sultry and sexy. She hoped it had.

Ian closed in on her faster than she would have thought possible—invading her space, her back pressing up against a tree. His eyes flashed brighter than she’d ever seen them.

“Watch what you say. He’s barely hanging on to his beast,” the voice in her head warned.

“He won’t hurt me,” she replied to the voice in her head before she could even think twice whether or not she should.

9

Ian jumped back, staring at Emily. “What was that? How did you do that?” He demanded.

“What are you talking about? What did I do?” Emily looked at him, suddenly confused by his behavior.

He leaned back into her, trying to catalog her scent. “Something about you is different.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m the same person I have always been.” She pulled back away from him. “Seriously, are you okay? You don’t look so well.”

Ian shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “We need to find Jenn. Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her in the direction he’d seen Jenn go.

“Ian, seriously. What is going on?” Panic laced Emily’s voice.

He heard her heart speed up. He was freaking her out. Hell, he was freaked out. “I don’t know. I don’t know how this is happening or why this is happening. I need to talk to Jenn. We need to talk to Jenn. I need to know if she’s part of this.”

Ian’s heart raced harder with each step. He’d prayed to the Gods for this since the moment that he’d met Emily. He wondered if he was losing his damn mind. Was it a trick of the Convergence? Or something else entirely. Ian had no idea, but he had to get to the bottom of what was going on.

“Mine!” His wolf growled in his mind.

“I know! I know! But now is not the time. Can you not tell that something is different with our mate? Something is off?” he asked his wolf. Surely, the animal had to sense what he was sensing.

The picture of his wolf sucking in a deep breath played out in his mind. Ian paused in his tracks, pulling Emily to a stop with him. His wolf slammed against his mind.

“How is this possible? How is she suddenly…” his wolf pushed harder and harder to break free and take charge.