My chest rumbled when I sighed heavily. Was it too much to ask to finish college and have a little freedom before I settled down? Or even to get to know a girl and feel something more than mild attraction before my wolf bound me to her for life?
Emma’s face swam before my mind, and I found myself, once again, thinking about my visit with her last Saturday. What was it about her that made me unable to get her out of my head? She was pretty, sure, but I’d known a lot of pretty girls. None of them had occupied my thoughts so much that I’d sought them out just to talk to them for a few minutes. Twice this week, I’d gone to Gail’s for lunch, telling myself it had nothing to do with Emma working there. Absolutely nothing to do with her cute smile when she took my order or the mesmerizing sway of her hips as she walked away.
I remembered the times during our conversation at the apartment when her eyes had turned sad and she’d withdrawn from me. I wished I could help her with whatever troubled her, but she obviously didn’t want to talk about her past, and I wouldn’t push her. I had a feeling it would send her running away, and that did not make me happy.
My new route took me near the old silver mine. It had been abandoned a long time ago, and it was boarded up now because it wasn’t safe inside. Not that many people came down here anymore, which was exactly why it was the perfect place to get away from everyone.
The sound of movement up ahead followed by a series of clicking noises, alerted me that I was not alone here as I’d believed. I slowed and crept silently to the edge of the clearing at the front of the mine, curious about who or what was making that strange noise.
I don’t know what I was expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t the girl I’d spent the morning thinking about. Emma was facing away from me, but I easily recognized her petite form. What on earth was she doing down here?
The answer came when she lifted her hands and I saw the camera she held. It looked expensive, and she seemed comfortable using it. She peered through the lens and took a few steps backward, snapping pictures of the mine’s entrance as she went. She stopped and moved to her left and then to her right, taking shots of the mine from different angles.
I remembered the photographs I’d seen in her studio and realized she was taking pictures so she could paint the mine later at home. To me, it was just a black hole in the rock with cobwebs and rotting boards nailed to it, but it must look like more to her artist eye. Sara was the same way, always seeing the beauty in ugly things.
Emma spun suddenly in my direction and peered into the woods. “Hello?” she called warily, taking a step back.
I cursed my carelessness. I’d been so distracted by her that I must have made a noise. After her bad experience with Lex and Julie, I didn’t blame her for being jumpy.
I stepped from the woods into the clearing, hoping she’d recognize my wolf and know she was in no danger. Sitting on my haunches, I watched her, waiting to see what she would do.
Her eyes widened before she let out a relieved breath. “Oh, it’s you. At least, I hope it’s you.”
I nodded once and was rewarded with a nervous smile.
Her fingers twisted the camera strap. “I-I wanted to thank you for what you did last Saturday. I know you were just doing your job, but thanks.”
My head tilted to one side as my wolf listened to her soft voice. Before Emma, he’d never been around a human in his true form, and he was fascinated by her. He adored Sara because we grew up with her, but something about Emma intrigued him. I think he sensed my preoccupation with her and he was trying to figure out what was so special about this particular human. He wasn’t the only one.
“Anyway…” She bit her lower lip. “Roland said I’m safe here, so I’m going to trust that you’re not here to hurt me.”
The scent of Emma’s fear reached me, and I realized I was still staring at her. I lowered myself to the ground and rested my head on my paws, hoping I’d look less threatening. She’d probably feel better if I left, but my wolf hadn’t satisfied his curiosity yet. To be honest, I wasn’t in any hurry to go either.
Her fear abated, and she turned back to the mine. After a few minutes, she was so engrossed in her work I might as well have not been there. I was content to lie there and watch her, but my wolf eventually got restless. He didn’t like being ignored, and he wanted the human to talk to him again.
Not much I can do about that, I told him.
Emma stopped taking pictures and walked to where Sara’s old blue bicycle leaned against a large rock. I thought she was leaving, and disappointment filled me, making my wolf chuff unhappily.
He quieted when she picked up her messenger bag and carried it to a flat rock in the middle of the clearing. Sitting on the rock, she stuffed her camera in the bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a Tupperware container. When she pulled off the lid, the smell of roasted chicken reached me. My mouth watered because I’d skipped out on breakfast in my hurry to get away before people woke up. I could go hunt a rabbit or squirrel to tide me over, but I was reluctant to leave Emma out here alone.
She took a few bites of her sandwich, lost in thought. When she reached for her water bottle, her eyes moved to me as if remembering she was not alone. Her brows drew together slightly, and she sighed.
“If you’re going to hang around, you might as well eat with me.” She took half a sandwich from her container and held it out to me.
When I didn’t move, she waved it at me. “Listen, I feel weird eating with you there. I have more than enough to share.”
I walked over to her, and she had to tip her head back to look up at me when I stood beside her. This close, I could see shadows under her tired eyes that made me wonder if she was getting enough sleep.
“Wow, you really are huge,” she said with a mixture of awe and unease as she laid the food offering on the rock. “I hope you like chicken.”
I sniffed the sandwich and ate it in one bite. When I started to walk away, Emma set out another half sandwich for me. I looked at it, and she shrugged.
“I made two in case I stayed longer than I expected.”
I accepted the food. My wolf didn’t want to return to the edge of the clearing, so I lay down a few feet from Emma and waited to see how she’d react to my nearness. After all the stress of the pack gathering, it was nice being around a female who wasn’t looking at me as a potential mate. There was no pressure, no anxiety, and my wolf and I both enjoyed her company.
She ate quietly for a few minutes then looked over at me. “You’re probably wondering why I’m out here in the woods, taking pictures of this old mine. My cousin Sara used to live in town, and I’m painting some of her favorite places for her. Maybe you know her. Sara Grey.”
I lifted my head and nodded, earning a small smile from her. My tail wagged.
Emma stared at the woods. “So, that’s why I’m down here.”
The note of sadness in her voice told me there was more to it than that. My wolf heard it, too, and he wanted to crawl over and comfort her. I knew she was still nervous around me, though she did her best to hide it, and I wouldn’t do anything to make it worse.
She ate the rest of her lunch in silence then took out her camera and clicked through the pictures she’d taken. Looking satisfied with them, she put the camera back into her bag along with her other things, and stood.
“It was nice seeing you again.”
She looked like she was going to say something else but changed her mind. Walking over to the bike, she donned the helmet and pushed the bike out to the gravel road.
I waited until she was out of sight before I got up and followed her to the road where she climbed on the bike and pedaled leisurely along one of the ruts. I stayed behind her until she reached the main stretch into town. I couldn’t go any farther without the risk of being seen by someone.
My wolf wasn’t happy to watch her go, and I chided him as I headed deeper into the woods to resume my patrol. You only like her because she fed you. It wasn’t entirely true. He was curious about the human girl, even a little taken with her. If I was honest, I was a little taken, too.
I sighed noisily. It didn’t matter how much I liked Emma because nothing could come of it. Say she was interested in me and we had a few dates. Then what? Like with every other girl I’d dated, I’d have to end it before it got serious. I couldn’t have a relationship with a human and watch her get hurt when my wolf eventually imprinted on someone else. And it would happen; there was no getting around it. I couldn’t do that to other girls, and I definitely couldn’t hurt Emma that way. If she’d let me, we’d be friends, but that was as far as it could go between us.