Page 8 of Sass Me Again

“The devil himself couldn’t keep me away.”

Ian’s resolve was stronger than ever. He knew that Emily wanted him. After the passion they had shared last night, he didn’t doubt it. Not one freaking bit. He was tired of her parents running the show. Emily wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She just needed to know there was more to life than what her parents allowed her to experience.

“Ian, nice to see you. What can I do for you?” Rafe asked.

“Thanks for letting me take up some of your time. I’m hoping you can help with a problem I’m having,” he replied, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake by bringing his issue to Rafe.

“I can try. What’s up?” Rafe pulled two beers from the fridge and offered one to Ian. “You look like you could use this.”

“Thanks.” Ian popped the lid off and took a healthy slug, hoping to calm his sudden case of anxiety.

“Better?” Rafe asked.

“Yeah. So…here’s the thing. I know who my mate is.”

“Congratulations! That’s a great thing. So, what’s the problem?” Rafe eyed him skeptically.

“She’s human.” Ian spat the words from his mouth like a day-old bagel.

“I’m failing to see the issue here.”

“My mate is Emily Holmes.”

“As in the daughter of Mayor Holmes?” Rafe asked.

“The one and only.”

“Well, that complicates things. Doesn’t it?”

“Just a bit,” Ian said. “And I’ve known that she’s my mate for a very long time. I can’t stay away from her anymore.” The Gods knew he tried. He sacrificed his mate for the good of the pack. He walked away from her rather than push the issue, because not only was she his mate, her father was the Mayor of the neighboring town. As far as Ian was concerned, Mayor Holmes was nothing more than an asshat with a hard-on for destroying shifters. The fact that his one and only child was the Fated mate of a shifter was going to hit that mofo hard.

“How long have you known?” Rafe asked.

“Since the moment I met her.”

Rafe’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve known her for years!”

Ian could see Rafe doing the mental math in his head. “Yeah. I have and somehow, I’ve managed to stay away from her and not force the issue because it would have looked bad for the pack. But I can’t keep going like this. She is my mate.” If his wolf had his way, he’d track her ass down and claim her right now. Had he not been with her last night, he might have been able to keep a leash on his needs, his feelings, but being with her again had caused something inside of him to snap.

“What’s your plan?” Rafe asked.

“Jenn asked her to go to the Annual Convergence with her this weekend. I’m going to make my move there. I figure if I can get her out of town for a few days and away from her parents, she might finally see that we are meant to be together.”

“You know there’s going to be hell to pay with the Mayor when he finds out?” Rafe eyed him up to see if he was up to the challenge.

“I don’t even care anymore. I’ll do what I have to do to claim my mate. I need her in my life. So does my wolf. Neither of us can take it anymore.” The was the crux of the matter. Ian couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without Emily. He needed her more than he needed his next breath.

“I’ll call Marcus and give him a heads up,” Rafe said.

“Do you think it’s going to be a problem taking a human to the Annual Convergence?”

“No. It shouldn’t be a problem. It certainly won’t be the first time a human has been there. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a pretty frequent thing.”

“Really?” Ian asked, surprised by Rafe’s answer.

“Yeah. Isabelle has been instrumental in making changes as needed to the Convergence. She’s recognized that not everyone will have a shifter mate. Hell, look around. It’s not all shifters at Black Paw these days.”

“True.” Rafe was right. Black Paw had an influx of other paranormal species. It was something Ian hadn’t considered.