Page 28 of Sparks Flying

“No. She stopped by this morning for breakfast with a few of the guys from her team, but Janice came in and Bailey, that’s her name, right? Well, anyway, she left while I was still talking to Janice. The guys stayed to eat. No idea why she ran off so suddenly.”

I had a terrible feeling she must have overheard Janice talking about me. That shouldn’t matter. My personal life was my own business, yet it bothered me that she may have overheard something she didn’t like.

I gritted my teeth. Why should it even matter? She was nothing to me. Yet, even thinking that left a bad taste in my mouth.

“Dean? Earth to Dean?”

“What?”

“You sort of zoned out on me.”

“Sorry.”

“The boys are right. Something is bothering you.”

“It’s nothing, Gia. Mind your own business,” I snapped and stormed out of her office, then marched right through the kitchen and the dining room to leave.

David made eye contact but didn’t say a word.

Back on my bike, I made one more loop around town then headed out to the cliff. She could be anywhere and I needed to calm down. Maybe taking to the air would help.

At the last minute, I U-turned and drove home. No one said a word to me as I took the stairs two at a time. In my room, I stripped out of my clothes and cracked the door that led out to my balcony.

Shifting was as natural to me as breathing.

I stood there a moment and breathed in the fresh air. There was a light breeze that ruffled my feathers and called me into the air.

I’d always loved the feel of the wind through my feathers. There was nothing else like it.

Taking my time and calming down, I flew over Ravenden as I often did on security rounds first thing in the morning and again before bed each night. It wasn’t an uncommon thing for anyone to see me out flying and it felt good to do something so normal.

I was making another round over the town when it dawned on me that I was actually looking for Bailey again.

Where the hell was she?

I finally flew out to the cliffs and had a look around. It wasn’t long before I found her running through the woods.

As I dipped down into the trees to follow her, a sense of relief and completion filled me.

I wasn’t even sure how I knew it was Bailey, but there was no doubt in my mind. It was like I’d know her wolf anywhere. And it made no sense whatsoever.

Mate, my raven cawed.

What the hell?

Mine!

Nothing could have prepared me for this moment.

I had a mate?

My mate was a freaking wolf?

My head was spinning, and I lost all sense of direction.

*THUD*

I felt a sharp pain and then the whole world went black.

---