Page 26 of Feral

So I put the Druid artifacts in a temporary holding unit and decided to search the Archive database for everything I could find on Werewolves and their mating rituals.

For professional purposes. After all, I’m going to need to know what I’m getting myself into…right?

Chapter Six

Fraser

Ipacedoutsideinfront of the building of Daphne’s flat, looking at my watch for the third time and no less frustrated to discover that it was only two minutes since the last time I looked at it.

She was late, and my mind wandered to every single possible way someone might have harmed her on the way from Archive headquarters to her flat. It was ridiculous and strange. I wasn’t even this protective of my brothers, and half the time they needed to be reined in. But this was just part of the odd way my mind and body had reacted to Daphne. Since leaving her in that office, I’d been unsettled. I thought maybe some food would help, maybe some whiskey. Maybe a brisk walk all over London and back.

Nothing worked.

So I’d decided to come to the flat at little early, hoping to suss out what this woman was. If I could do that, then I could possibly buy a charm from someone to help manage these impulses better.

That had been half an hour ago.

Now I was worse than ever and ready to tear apart this bloody city to find out what had happened to the lass. I was growling, my glamour slipping just a little in my eyes and sometimes my hands. It was scaring anyone that came near me and I knew that I had to get a hold of myself before I exposed what I was. That would cause more trouble that I didn’t need right now.

Breathe. Just breathe. She’s comin’, she’s just late, detained by work or maybe someone needed to talk to her…and then decided to lure her into a dark alley and mug her.

I pulled at my hair as frustration became anger.

Not only was I losing it over a woman that I didn’t even know, I was about to tear off and try to find her like some kind of love sick, mated fool. And I hadn’t even bitten her yet. What the hell was going to happen when I did?

It was madness, utter madness, to do this when I had no idea why my primal side was reacting to her in this way. I could hurt her, scare her and then I’d have to see that look in her beautiful green eyes.

The thought of making her terrified of me, of seeing the same disgust and horror that Silvia had worn on that day now on Daphne’s face…

But why? Why should that matter to me? This woman is no one, just a means to an end. She’ll find the artifact in a few days and be gone. What do I care if she thinks I’m a monster or not?

“It doesn’t matter, Fraser, so get yer head out of yer arse and get a hold of yerself,” I muttered.

I nodded, repeating this as I forced myself to stand still and stop acting like a pup with no self-control.

I’d managed to stop the racing of my mind and find a place approaching calm indifference when her scent came to me on the night air. It was tinged with the musty smell of books and leather, making me sneeze.

A minute later she appeared across the street, carrying an overstuffed tote that matched her shoes and scribbling something in a notebook as she walked. When I spied her, I had to stop myself from running up to her and demanding to know why she was late. It afforded me a few seconds to observe her, unaware. I took in the way she walked, and held herself. The way her lips moved as she scribbled, talking to herself about what? A spell, an answer to what was happening to my clan perhaps? If that was the case, then maybe she wouldn’t have to go with me.

The thought brought a sigh of relief mixed with disappointment, which I ignored. Living with this constant storm inside of me was already exhausting and it had only been a few hours. I was about to simply call out and encourage her to walk a little faster when she crossed the street with her nose still buried in her stupid notebook.

What is she doing?

I peeled away from the building just as a car came straight for her. My heart lurched when she didn’t even look up from what she was doing. She was about to be smashed to pieces and I panicked, leapt over the bench in front of me and sprinted across the street. Just as my arms went around her, the cab careened around us.

The cabbie screamed obscenities but I heard them from a distance. This woman was pressed tight against me, my hands around her upper arms. She stared up at me, eyes wide with shock and those kissable lips open as she gasped.

“Mr. MacDonald,” she breathed, “where did you come from?”

“Where did I…?” I pulled her after me the rest of the way across the street. “Do ya have a death wish, lass? Ya cross the street without lookin’ often, do ya?”

She looked back at the street, at me, then the street and back at me. Her skin was flushed and she gave me a lopsided smile.

“I’m sorry, I was lost in my notes,” she said, tucking the notebook in her bag. “It’s why I’m late actually. I was doing some research for the case.”

“Did you find anythin’?”

“Not much I’m afraid,” she looked down at where I still held her arms.

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