I woke up with an awful feeling in my neck and a dry mouth. It took me a couple seconds and a few hard blinks to realize where I was. Since I had completely acknowledged my relationship with Easton, I had been careful to progress through the stages like a normal human would. 

But here I was, splayed out on his couch with the sun rising and my dishes from last night magically gone. Christ, as anxious as I had been last night, I must have been exhausted. I fell asleep in his house. And if the time on my phone was correct, I was going to be late for my day at Deb's.

Muttering curses under my breath, I ambled off the couch and moved to the laundry room. While I pulled on my now clean clothes from yesterday, I wondered what Easton thought of me. First I had come on to him too strong, making him nervous and almost baiting him into solidifying our mystical bond. To top it all off, I had fallen asleep on his couch like his house was a hotel for my use only. 

I decided that we could talk about it later. The last thing I wanted him to think was that I was taking advantage of him. After manipulating and controlling men for so long, using them for my own purposes, I had now trained myself to think that every little thing I did was malicious and ill mannered. I'm sure Easton would understand, he would tell me that I was worried about nothing.

"Easton, I'm heading out!" I called.

No response.

But I didn't have time to hunt for him. If I really wanted to make my own way and be a decent, honest girlfriend then keeping my job was important. 

However, when I got outside and started my car, I did spot Easton. His back was to me, but I knew it was him, though I almost felt like it shouldn't have been. The sky was clear, but he was filled with thunder and rain. His shoulders were hunched up. His head was down. If I could have seen his face I was certain that I would see unshed tears in his eyes or sorrow tugging down the corners of his mouth. 

A woman was with him. Dark dark, straight hair poured down her back, and her black clothing seemed restrictive as she raised a hand to stroke his arm.

I almost ripped off my seatbelt and ran to him, wanting to chase away whatever was haunting him.

But he did turn towards me. And my suspicions were confirmed. I couldn't tell if he had tears in his eyes, but I could see that he was close to crying, like someone had robbed all of the happiness from him. His hands were shoved in his pockets and the way his head was tipped down told me that he was carrying a crown of pain. His eyes met mine.

My thumb pressed down on the red button, ready to leap out of the car. He needed me.

But, he turned away and followed the woman with long black hair, not bothering to acknowledge me.

My eyes flashed down to the clock in the car. I was already going to be late. Maybe if he had tried to smile or waved me over or just hadn't walked away, I would have made a different choice, but right now I needed to get to work and it seemed that he didn't want anything to do with me. 

I cut off a car while I merged onto the highway, but it didn't honk so I paid it no mind. I kept my pace just above the speed limit, knowing that I didn't want a ticket, but hoping I could shave off a couple minutes from my drive. At this point in the morning on a Sunday there was only one car on the drive, tailing so far behind me that I couldn't even tell what make or model it was, but that didn't mean that police officers weren't doing their job.

When I arrived at the barn Deb was no where to be found and I hoped that it meant that she was busy doing something else and wouldn't notice that I was ten minutes late. I didn't delay, jumping into my chores immediately. If I could get my ten minutes of work done in five, it would be like I was never late at all. 

"There we are, Jinx," I murmured to the big brown horse as I led him out of his stall. The kind beast lipped at my hair while I tied him up then I started on cleaning out his stall.

I barely had a chance to put two scoops in the wheelbarrow before I heard a car pull up on the gravel. At first I thought nothing of it, not even poking my head out of the stall. Maybe a kid was arriving late or maybe it was one of the boarders checking on their horse. I continued working, even when I heard the barn doors open.

"Well hello," a man murmured, his voice low and smooth. It was affectionate and kind enough that I knew he was talking to a horse, not me. 

I repressed the urge to shudder regardless, my mind immediately thinking of Nero. But I was safe here. No one had done anything to intentionally hurt me or upset me since I arrived. Turning around and forcing the brightest smile I could, I said, "Deb is already in the barns. Is she expecting you?"

Though I had learned that horse people came in every shape and size, this man certainly didn't fit the stereotype. He was reasonably tall with muscles arms that pressed against the seams of his fine suit. His blue eyes were twinkling with confidence and something else as he rubbed Jinx's nose. The horse let out a little drool but the man didn't pull away, letting the slobber soak the expensive material.

"I was actually looking for you," the man said, shooting me a grin. 

Arrogance rolled off him in waves. I knew his type. The satin on the suit cost more than the whole car I drove here. He could smile as wide as he wanted, there was something deeper and darker beneath the expression, the opposite of Easton who couldn't hide his joy, even when he tried. 

And this man was looking for me. 

A man I had never met before, never seen on Easton's packlands, was looking for me.

My grip on the pitchfork tightened, my mind already jumping to conclusions.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, though I felt like stabbing him and running without looking back.

"You can tell me why you were speeding out here today," he purred, leaning a shoulder against the stall door frame. His large body filled the space, cutting off my access to the outside.

My throat felt tight but I forced myself to speak, "Are you a cop?"

"Do I look like a cop?" he shot back, his grin looking a little more sinister with every second that passed.

"Then I have nothing to say to you."

"I think you might. I flew all the way out to Canada to respond to a murder. A whole family was killed last night. And when I get close to my destination, I see a small gold CRV fleeing from there. And I know that you don't belong there. I know that you aren't one of Easton's. How do you think that looks?"

I could only stare at the man, my mouth falling open. Easton and Elliot's words filled my head.

Ajax. The large man with red-brown hair.

It was a terribly vague description, but it was enough. Not only was his hair colour uncommon, there was also no way to cover up his regal, entitled behavior. 

He must have been the king.

"Are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to assume the worst?" Ajax asked, his voice sickly sweet.

I said nothing. My fingers started to tremble. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell him the truth, that I had seen Easton looking somber that morning, but I have driven away anyway.

"So, I know that Nero was responsible for the murder. He made that very clear," Ajax continued into my muteness. "And I know that Nero has a particular taste when it comes to those who chases. You happen to fit that description, don't you? So you can either tell me what happened and you can help me sort this out or I can make this very difficult for you. I don't think that you had anything to do with it, but I would be negligent if I just let you walk out of here, wouldn't I? Didn't Nero want power? Wouldn't it make sense that, if he couldn't take it, he would weild it another way, maybe through a lover?"

What I should have done is tried to calm myself down. I should have tried to ground myself and realize that Nero wasn't here with me in this moment, that there was just a concerned man asking me some questions and the easiest thing to do was give him the answers he needed. I wasn't guilty of anything, much less what he was implying and I could tell him that. I had to tell him that.

But Nero was closer than I had ever thought he was. And before me was one of his kind, grilling me, almost accusing me.

I lunged for the water bucket mounted on the wall. It was stagnant and old, probably half full and filled with spit and hay. But it would be enough to get him away from me, enough to let me get to my car.

Ajax must have been watching me intently because, when I moved, he moved too. While I threw myself towards the bucket, he sidestepped as if he were leading me in a dance, slow and easy. 

"I'm not going to let you do that," he warned. 

So I resorted to the pitchfork in my hands, slashing forward. I stepped with the thrust, using all the power from my legs to fling the object forward. If he knew about my siren powers then I was plenty comfortable using my human self defense classes to get out of this one. Anything to get away from this werewolf.

But my surge was meant with stiffness, Ajax being an unrelenting force. Like he could read my mind, his hand wrapped around the wooden shaft and clamped down. Another set of smooth steps moved him out of the way of the plunging points and he kept his grip tight, refusing to let me have an inch. I let out a strangle scream and attempted to jab the pitchfork deeper, trying to wrestle it out of his grip. Ajax just watched me, his head cocked to one side and his gaze trained on my shoulders. 

Letting out a scream that caused half of the horses to stir and panic, I slammed my weight forward.

And Ajax let me this time.

All of my pent up force sent me tumbling right into his grasp. 

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hello and I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of our long stretch! Have you read Hades or Stripping for the Alpha King? How do you feel about Ajax? Full disclosure, I am not a fan.

Question of the Day: What are the misconceptions about your job?

In insurance, people think that their rates going up means that I get paid more. Um, I wish, but that money is going to rebuild a condo that burnt to the ground or a drunk driver accident that damages millions worth of property.