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  Something else occurred to Rone—maybe she was still being watched. Maybe Two had put her here as a kind of bait and she knew she was being monitored. Could that be possible? He wasn’t sure and he hadn’t sensed any menacing presence around her but maybe it was so. At any rate, it was easier to believe than thinking that she had forgotten him completely.

  He would have to proceed with caution—try to get her alone so they could speak in private. And he would be on the alert. If anyone was watching…if they threatened her at all…Rone felt his hands curl into fists and inside him, his Beast woke and growled menacingly. It didn’t really understand what was happening—it only knew that Rone was upset which upset it as well.

  Rone sighed. If only he could make the other half of himself understand what was going on—if only he could enlist its help! But that was impossible because his Beast had never truly been tamed by Kate. Despite her protests to the contrary, Rone had judged her too frail and tiny to withstand that particular trial-by-fire. She had never seen him in his fur-form…or mated with him when his Beast was out.

  That was how Rone wanted it—she was his Lalli, his little one, and she must be protected, even from him—especially from him. Instead, they had been able to use her gift—her Knowing—to allow her to meet his Beast in a round-about way. The result was though it liked Kate well enough, the Beast had never really adopted her into the pack or acknowledged her as its Mistress. It was not truly tamed to her hand, which Rone now regretted.

  If someone really was menacing Kate and it came to a fight, he would be unable to unleash the most powerful weapon he had. Due to their incomplete bonding, his Beast could not be trusted around her. When filled with the Blood Lust, it might kill her as well as whatever enemy was attacking. He could do a partial change but it wasn’t nearly as effective as a full shift.

  Rone squared his shoulders. Whatever came, he would just have to be ready. He would rescue Kate and take her away from here, back to their ship where he could examine her and make certain she was all right. After that, he wanted to hold her—to feel her small body safe in his arms and know that she was really and truly well and whole and his again.

  He would love her so tenderly, he promised himself—he would spend hours between her thighs tasting her just the way she loved it—drinking her juices and lapping her sweet pussy until she moaned and cried and called his name. Within him, the hunger stirred again. Gods, how he needed her!

  He swore to the Goddess, as he ducked out of the dark shop and began to trail her from a distance, that once he got her back, he would never let her go.

  Chapter Three

  Kate was almost to Mayors, the jewelry store where she worked, when the sudden urge to pee hit her. Damn it—she should know better than to drink those freaking shakes on her break! But they were pretty filling and a lot less empty calories than grabbing a corn dog or a big plate of noodles which Mimi preferred.

  The main restrooms were back in the food court but luckily, there was a small, winding hallway—more of a service corridor, really—down at her end of the mall, just past the jewelry store where she worked. It was mostly storage areas and closets filled with janitorial equipment but there was also a tiny employee bathroom at the very end of it. Kate didn’t really like going down there—it was kind of creepy, especially in the evening if the mall wasn’t very busy—like tonight. But it did come in handy in a pinch.

  She cast a glance to her left, looking over the waist-high railing that ran around the top floor. It was a long drop down to the first level. She didn’t like heights—it made her wish that her store was located at the ground floor instead. The top floor of the mall, where she was walking, was nearly deserted. There was more activity down below, however.

  She could see the play area from here with some scattered moms sitting around the perimeter chatting while their kids ran around like crazy things playing tag in the enclosed area. The indoor playground had been sponsored by Busch Gardens and had been decorated to look like a giant zoo with an immense plastic elephant, a kangaroo with a pouch big enough to climb in, a lion that roared when you pulled his tail, and a zebra to crawl on and “ride.”

  Kate watched the kids playing for a moment, imaging how it would be to have children of her own. Of course, that would never be unless she found Mr. Right and settled down. Ha—as if that was ever going to happen! Long term relationships never lasted for her. She was too weird—the Knowing made her different and even guys who didn’t have the slightest bit of sensitivity to unseen things seemed to sense it. Plus, when they found out she could read them by touching their skin, they became a whole lot less interested in touching her. And even if she could have found a guy who didn’t mind having his secrets revealed every time they made skin-to-skin contact, there was the little matter of her scars…

  Kate shrugged her shoulders irritably. The scars in question ran the length of her spine, just between her shoulder blades. The tissue there was tight and unyielding, making her itch sometimes.

  The itch made her self-conscious—as though everyone could see the ugly scars beneath her clothes. Which was silly. She ought to be over it by now—her scars were part of her, like her red hair and green eyes—like the Knowing. Besides, she was always careful to dress appropriately and keep her back covered. Nobody would ever catch her out on the beach in a bikini, even if she did live in Florida now.

  She came to the long, narrow corridor, started to go down it …and stopped. Was it her imagination or was it darker down here than usual? Were some of the overhead lights burned out or was management just cutting them back to save money? It seemed like a ridiculous gesture in such a huge, expensive mall but Kate had known them to do stupid, petty things in the hope of saving a few pennies before. For whatever the reason, the service corridor certainly seemed dimmer and spookier than usual.

  For a moment she debated going back to the main restroom but she only had ten minutes left on her break and it was a long walk back to the food court. Besides—what was there to be afraid of? A lot, whispered a voice in her head and she flashed on the tall man with glowing blue eyes.

  But that had probably been just her imagination working. She hadn’t slept well last night—mostly because of the damn dreams she kept having. Probably her subconscious mind had just turned some random guy into her own personal boogieman and played a little trick on her because she was so tried. She was armed, after all. The comforting weight of the Glock under her arm made her lift her chin and step confidently down the dim hallway.

  She used the bathroom and washed her hands without incident and in plenty of time to get back to work.

  “See?” she muttered to herself as she swung open the door. “You were scared for nothing. There’s nobody he—”

  The words died in her throat as a huge, menacing man stepped out from the shadows where he had plainly been waiting for her. He was wearing tight black leather trousers, a wife beater t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. She recognized him from the brief glimpse she’d had in the food court. It was the man from her dreams again. So her subconscious hadn’t been making him up.

  He was real and he was more frightening than any nightmare could ever be.

  Kate looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. He was massive—6’8 at least—with shoulders fully twice broad as hers. Either one of his muscular thighs was as big around as her waist. His hand, when he held it out to her, was a big as a catcher’s mitt.

  “Kate,” he growled, in an inhumanly deep voice. “I’m here for you. I finally found you.”

  Kate stumbled backwards, trying to get away from him but he was blocking her only exit from the narrow hall, his muscular shoulders filling the tight space.

  “No!” she gasped. Just as it had when she saw him in the food court, her pulse started racing and she suddenly couldn’t get a deep enough breath. She took another stumbling step, tripped over her sensible work heels, and fell flat on her back.

  Trapped! I’m trapped! her mind screamed. He�