Flopping on the couch, she thought back over the last few hours. When she saw him take of those glasses her response had been a natural one, but her inner voice hadn’t even flinched. She already knew who he was, and accepted she was perfectly fine.
She did get a flash of warning every time she thought of leaving. She was sure something was tracking her when she left California. If it wasn’t Cal then who or what was it?
Getting up she went to the door, she would only stay long enough to find out what was happening and eat one or two of those delicious smelling pork chops.
The place was quiet as she descended the stairs. “Cal?” she called out in the main foyer.
“In the kitchen, Paige.”
She walked through the dimly lit living area and then through the dining room until she reached the kitchen that was ablaze with light. Cal was standing at the stove stirring a pot of gravy.
“I turned the lights off in the other rooms; with Selma’s Christmas candles in the windows, I thought it was bright enough.”
“Thanks, it was fine. I just don’t really like the dark.”
He nodded his head in understanding. “I heated us some food.”
He fixed them each a plate before coming to the table to sit.
He slid her plate a little closer to her. “Nothing on that plate will hurt you.”
She eyed the food before lifting her fork to take a big bite of the mashed potatoes. She rolled her eyes in ecstasy, added more gravy, and dug in.
“Your brother is an excellent cook.”
“He will appreciate hearing that. According to him, he does everything better than me because he was born three minutes before I was.”
A huge smile lit up her face. “What do you say about that?”
“I tell him he was born first because he’s the one always getting into sticky situations from which I have to rescue him.”
Laughter tumbled from her lips at the expression on his face. He obviously cared for his brother, not only his brother, but his people. The restless need she felt to run evaporated. She was amazing herself, but at this moment she’d rather be with him than lying awake in a lonely apartment wondering about the rest of her life.
“You wouldn’t laugh if you knew about the horrific situations where I had to rescue him. Then again maybe you would. I remember this one time…”
Cal told her stories that made her laugh as they ate dinner. Paige never noticed the dark shadow that crossed the window, but Cal did. He also paid attention as Victor slipped out of the house seeking the source.
Chapter Five
The sound of her laughter eased the tightness in his chest. He took a risk when he walked away saying he didn’t care what choice she made. His Matra shredded his chest when he walked out the door. It took all the discipline he learned over the years to make himself keep walking.
He stood in the kitchen as he listened for her footsteps coming down the stairs hoping he would not have to stop her from making a run for the door. When she turned to walk into the living area the pride he felt in her grew. She was still weary and he knew it. Her inner voice would only have so much sway over her. Any female in her position would be right to be distrustful.
Now she sat at the table laughing at stories from his past unaware of the danger that was stalking her.
“Where did you grow up?”
Her grey eyes sparked with an internal fire she couldn’t see yet but it beckoned him. He wanted to run his hand over her cheeks to feel the heat at the contact of his skin on her.
“We grew up here in Newburg.”
“How’s that possible? Do the people of Newburg know about you?”
“Let’s just say Newburg is different. You’ll find out for yourself soon enough.”
“Are you done? I’ll do the dishes since you heated up the food. I don’t want Selma to come down to dishes in the sink in the morning.”
“I’m finished.”
She gathered up the dishes and went to the sink. He took his time to look at her without her watching him. She was short compared to him no more than five seven. She had a wealth of auburn hair she kept in a ponytail and beautiful gray eyes. He loved them already. Then there were those curves. Beautiful soft female curves he wanted to get lost in.
He wanted to bury his nose in her neck to memorize her scent as he held her close. A smile lit his eyes as he pictured her waiting for him, grey eyes glowing as she opened them and welcomed him into their bed.
His Matra let a small sound of need slip as they thought of the female who was their mate. He wanted her, but how did he tell an unsuspecting female she was meant to be his mate as well as the mate of his Matra and that she was being hunted because she was one of the rare females who could mate with his kind.