"Yeah, especially considering just how enthusiastic you were once Mr. Wyatt here let us in on the secret of that great kiss you're packing. Gee, maybe we should bottle that stuff, Braden. It would sell better than the plastic Breed teeth."

She was aware of Jonas watching the confrontation with interest. If she hadn't disliked him on sight, she would have certainly disliked him now. That, added to the anger rising inside her, wasn't helping her att.i.tude in the least.

"Your mate has a smart mouth, Braden," Jonas commented softly. "You should work on correcting that."

"Yeah, why don't I just do that for you." Braden grunted as he watched her carefully.

"Excuse me boys, I'm still in the room here." She waved her hand at them as she spoke. "The little wornan doesn't need to be spoken over. This Mating Heat or whatever the h.e.l.l you want to call it hasn't fried my brain in the least."

Braden and Jonas both directed fierce frowns toward her. It could have been cute, if she weren't so p.i.s.sed off.

"You know, I think I pretty much have the basic information now." She smiled tightly. "He wants me because his hormones are all jacked up, that's all. Hey, no biggie. Nature sucks, right?' She smiled brightly, holding the pain back. "Well, tell you what, Mr. Director of Breed Affairs. Just load your little golden boy right back up in one of those fancy little helicopters I hear you boys fly around in and transport him right back to your nice, secure little compound and see if you can't cure him of it. I'll do just fine on my own. Just like I always have."

She was furious. She wasn't a d.a.m.ned hormone magnet, and she couldn't care less whether Braden liked the effects of some chemical reaction that was all his fault anyway. She hadn't asked him to mess with her life, and she would be d.a.m.ned if she would ask him to continue to be a part of it.

"Just like you always have?' Braden snapped back then, his own voice heating. "Hiding. Aren't you tired of hiding, Megan?"

"Actually, I think I am." She inhaled roughly, facing the two men as she tilted her chin and glared back at them.

"But there's one thing you did teach me, Braden. That little shield of yours is right handy. Given enough time, I'm sure I can copy it. I'm nothing if not adaptable when I have to be. And I can adapt without you."

He stared back at her as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes slowly narrowing as a hint of predatory calculation entered them.

"Don't dare me, sweetheart," he warned her, his voice soft.

"Dare you?'She shook her head as she retained the tight, sarcastic smile she had adopted. "I'm not daring you, sweetheart. I'm telling you. I didn't need you before you began this funky hormone stuff, and I sure don't need you now."

"May I point out that the Mating Heat is harder on females than males."

Jonas spoke up at that point, his voice curiously bland. "You may want to rethink that."

"Did I ask for your opinion?'She turned and stomped toward the door. "If the two of you will excuse me now, I'll go see if I can repair some of the damage your inept humor has caused in this office." She gripped the doork.n.o.b, turning back to scowl at Jonas. "One of these days, someone is going to play this game better than you do, Mr. Wyatt. And when it happens, I want a ringside seat."

His lips tightened further as he glanced at Braden. "Your mate has a mean mouth." He growled. "It could get her into trouble."

"I believe it already has,'' she retorted in turn before jerking the door open and stalking into the hall. The hard reverberation of the slam of the door was an all-too-brief, satisfying sound as wood cracked against wood. And a muttered Breed curse was heard from the other side. Let them curse. As far as she was concerned, she'd had enough.

Braden stared at the door, his head tilted, eyes narrowed. She was p.i.s.sed and hurt, and he couldn't blame her a bit. His thoughts and emotions had been too chaotic to allow her past his shields after that first instant rejection. He couldn't risk it; not yet.

"The hormonal surges inside her will only make her worse." Jonas sighed, his tone more relaxed now.

Braden snorted. "Thanks for the warning. Just what I wanted, my woman ready to skin me alive. Thanks, Jonas."

"I'm really hoping this Mating s.h.i.t doesn't become a habit," Jonas said.

"This makes two d.a.m.ned good Enforcers I've lost to it. Tarek Jordan didn't resign due to injuries as his file states. The son of a b.i.t.c.h mated his neighbor. Can you believe that? Send a man on a mission and the next thing you know, he's Mating the little s.e.xpot next door. Now this." He shook his head with an edge of irritation.

"Worry more about why I shouldn't kick your a.s.s for p.i.s.sing her off," Braden growled, pushing his fingers through his hair as he breathed out roughly. "d.a.m.n, you could have at least tried a little tact here."

Braden could only shake his head at that point. The Director of Breed Affairs was known for his manipulations and carefully calculated games. He wasn't known for his mercy or his compa.s.sion.

"Fine. You made sure my life was a little harder for the next few days. Surely that wasn't the only reason you came out here today?'He shrugged his shoulders restlessly, trying to forget the implication that s.e.x could be coming. He was dying to touch Megan, to claim her, to mark her. Mating Heat be d.a.m.ned. She was his woman; he had just hoped to ease her into that fact.

"Not hardly." Jonas moved to the desk, sitting on the edge of it casually as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"The printout definitely came from here; our little Coyote buddy a.s.sured us of that. He's alive, by the way."

Braden arched his brow. He hadn't expected that.

"It's not easy but that boy talks when it matters. I'll let him live until he's not talking anymore."

"Do you know who printed the schedule?'Braden was determined that the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who had betrayed Megan would pay.

"I have it narrowed down. Unfortunately, Sheriff Jacobs was on the short list. The other two were Lenny Blanchard and Deputy Jose Jensen. I'm having a tail put on them; we'll have answers soon."

"Blanchard doesn't seem the sort." Braden shook his head slowly, thinking of the friendly desk sergeant.

"Those are usually the ones that make me the most nervous,'' Jonas growled. "Watch your a.s.s. I can't spare a team out here yet, Braden, or I'd have one covering you, you know that. But I'm working on something, so hopefully, I'll have a team soon. In the meantime, I'll get an investigation started on the two deputies and see what I can find out."

Braden nodded at that.

"And now for the biggie." Jonas smiled with too much enjoyment. "You and the missus have tests to undergo. Think we can talk her into cooperating?"

Braden dropped his head. Cooperation? Megan? Now?

"One of these days, one of your Enforcers will end up killing you, Jonas." He snarled as he lifted his head and dropped his arms. "And I'll be d.a.m.ned if I'm not there to see it."

Jonas chuckled at the sentiment. "Hold that thought, buddy." He smiled with all appearances of looking forward to it. "It's been a while since I've had a good fight; I think I'd enjoy the challenge."

And there lay the problem. Jonas was rarely challenged.

He played where he could, never in a manner that endangered his Enforcers, but in ways that made them willing to kill him. At the moment, Braden understood the sentiment and he was certain Megan did as well.

She was hurting. He had felt it when she stormed out of the office, and as much as that worried him, it also sent a surge of satisfaction thrumming through his senses. The key to Megan was in touching her emotions, her heart.

She was fiercely independent, determined to make a difference, even if it was only in her own little comer of the world. She was a fighter, one of the finest alpha females he had ever laid his eyes on. With a bit more training, and the right shields, she would make a h.e.l.l of an Enforcer. He turned his gaze to Jonas, wondering how his commander would take having a non-Breed on the payroll.

Jonas scowled back at him. "What?"

"She would make a h.e.l.l of an Enforcer." He kept his voice low; G.o.d help him if Megan heard him plotting her life out. "You don't have to lose an Enforcer, Jonas, you can gain one instead."

Jonas's eyes narrowed. "She's not a Breed."

"She's an Empath. And her gun collection is better than mine." He snorted at the description. Unfortunately, he knew there was a risk. Her weapons collection rocked. "But even more than that, even if she weren't my mate, she's still my woman. I won't leave her behind." And he couldn't give up the fight. Bringing down the remnants of the Council and the Pure-Blood societies was too important.

"You're not fighting the Mating." Jonas settled himself more comfortably on the desk's edge as Braden watched him carefully. "She didn't seem pleased."

Braden sighed wearily. "I don't like having decisions taken away from me, Jonas, even by nature. I knew she was mine, but I hadn't decided how to convince her yet. This complicated things. She felt the rejection of the idea of the Mating and now she's p.i.s.sed. But she'll get over it." She wouldn't have a choice.

Braden stood still as Jonas continued to stare back at him. He had that habit, as though he could see into a man's soul and gauge his worth. For most it was disconcerting; for those who worked with him and fought beside him on a daily basis it was a comfort.

"Okay." He nodded sharply. "Build her defenses and her shields. And training her is your responsibility. I'll leave it to you."

Now, he just had to convince Megan.

As a silence descended between them, the door snapped open and Lance Jacobs stalked back into his office.

"Get the h.e.l.l out of here," Lance snapped when he spied Jonas sitting on his desk. He then turned to Braden. "Megan is in her office, but if you're not careful you'll be hoofing it back to the house tonight." There was no compa.s.sion in his voice whatsoever.

"I know where your mate gets her streak of mean from now," Jonas grunted to Braden as he slowly straightened from the desk. "It's hereditary."

"You just keep believing that," Lance muttered as he moved behind his desk and took his seat. Slouching back in the chair, he watched both men with calculated interest. "She's going to fight you every breath," he informed them after several moments pa.s.sed. "And you can put a ban on whatever the h.e.l.l you want to, Jonas, that's my d.a.m.ned cousin your messing with. She's close enough to be a sister. Don't think because she lives in that desert alone that her family won't back her. Every d.a.m.ned one of us."

"Right down to the Special Forces uncles? Jonas arched his brow as Braden smothered a sigh.

"Especially those." Lance's smile was tight, merciless. "Remember that. And while you're at it, get your a.s.ses out of my department; I'm d.a.m.ned sick of dealing with Breeds."

That seemed to be the general consensus of anyone dealing with Jonas.

Braden stayed silent, watchful, measuring the sheriff as he scowled back at Jonas. The man had an unusual air about him, at once old and young.

He had seen pain, he had known death, and he had come back, wary, bitter. Braden knew his past, knew his file down to the last detail, but sometimes one could read much more in eyes that stared back from a weary expression.

"I'll head back to Sanctuary." Jonas nodded abruptly, drawing Braden's attention from the sheriff. "Let me know when you're ready for me to return with Elyiana."

The tests. The very same ones he suspected Megan would fight like a rabid wild cat.

"I should know something soon." Braden nodded before heading to the door.

As he stepped into the hall, he clearly heard Jonas's last warning comment to the sheriff.

"We'll be talking again soon, Jacobs. Very soon."

And Braden wondered just what the h.e.l.l the Director of Breed Affairs had up his sleeve now.

Chapter Ten.

Megan stalked into the house and up the stairs more than an hour later. She heard the back door open behind her.

She had known Braden would be coming in soon, knew she had to face him eventually. But not yet. She couldn't force herself to stay, to face the rejection she felt in Lance's office. To see in his eyes the anger that surged through him at the knowledge that they were bound together in ways she could have never imagined.

She had left the office without him, sneaking from the building and rushing to her Raider. She hadn't expected to be greeted by the sleek black heli-jet Jonas had flown in on, or to see Braden as he lounged against the side of the house waiting on her.

Mating Heat. Adrenaline rushed through her at the thought, sending her heart racing and, unfortunately, her womb clenching. Whatever it was, it had bound her to him. She had felt it from that first moment they met, the aura that surrounded her, calmed her. The arousal that tormented her. The kiss that left her weak, hungry for his taste. Cinnamon and brown sugar.

She could almost taste it on her lips, her tongue. Craved it, had been craving it since he had kissed her the night before.

The heat that filled her s.e.x was driving her crazy. She clenched her thighs against it, determined to hold back that particular need. She had never just rolled w.i.l.l.y-nilly into bed with any man and she would be d.a.m.ned if she was going to start with Braden.

At least, not right at this moment.

She slammed her bedroom door closed before stalking to the wide window at the end of her bed. She swiped at the tears that dampened her cheeks. The drive from the sheriff's office had left her alone just long enough for her to lose control of her emotions. She knew she needed to be stronger than this. But it hurt. For the first time since her talents had shown themselves she had been able to be close to a man. She could feel his arms around her and had known only his heat and hardness, not his nightmares or his fears. She had begun to hope that it meant something.

How stupid. A cynical, weary breath accompanied the thought. She should have known better. Life didn't work like that. And now she was bound to a man who had rejected the bond that she had felt growing between them. It had a name. Mating Heat. It wasn't natural, or so Jonas claimed; but her heart had other ideas. And the blow to her emotions that Braden's rejection had caused had shredded her control.

She flinched as her door opened, her breath hitching, another tear falling as she felt him enter the room.

"Megan." His voice was soft, regretful. "I know what you felt at the office. It wasn't you. It wasn't a denial of you. You have to understand that."

She hated the fact that she had given away her pain, revealed how much that single impression had affected her. How much she had hoped the feelings building between them were more than just l.u.s.t. For her they were, and that hurt the most, knowing they hadn't been for him.

"It doesn't matter, Braden." She fought to swallow past the emotion blocking her throat and kept her back to him, her tears hidden. "I understand."

His life was a battle, day to day. Why would he want or need someone who couldn't fight her own battles, let alone stand beside him in his?

"Do you, Megan? I don't think you do, but you will. Very soon."

"Stop." Her voice broke as she shook her head.

She could feel him moving closer, could glimpse the image of him in the gla.s.s of the window. "Please Braden, I need time_" Her shoulders shook as she fought the sobs that built in her chest. "I'm sorry. Please_"

"So you can continue to hide?' His tone grated at her already shredded nerves.

"Yes!" She whirled around, staring back at him with a look that mingled fury and pain. "So I can hide. So it doesn't have to hurt so f.u.c.king bad."

Anything else she would have said locked in her throat the second she saw his eyes. They glowed. Amber lights flickered in the deep gold color as his tight, hungry expression gave his face a savage cast. He looked like a conquering warrior. A man intent on possession.

She stepped back quickly.

"Now there's a fine idea," he drawled as he stepped closer. "Keep a bit of distance between us, darlin', because the closer you get, the sweeter that soft little p.u.s.s.y smells and the harder my d.i.c.k gets. You really don't want to make it harder. Any harder and I'm going to have to do away with these jeans and see just how deep I can push between those pretty thighs and how loud I can make you scream as you come around me."

The explicit words sent heat flaming through her body as invisible fingers of lightning began to course from nerve ending to nerve ending, sensitizing her, stoking the fires inside her hotter. She felt the wet heat dampening her panties further.

"Why?' she cried out then. "You don't want me. You don't want this_" She waved her hand between them to indicate the Mating Heat. "Why do you care?"

"You like fooling yourself, don't you, baby." He stepped closer. Megan retreated. Now was not a good time to get within touching distance.

"Now see, that's where you are entirely wrong. I wasn't rejecting you, Megan. I was rejecting what nature had done, not you. There is no reason for your anger."

She lifted her chin defensively. "I have a right to be angry with you. You were using me in those cliffs, using my Empathy to find the answers you needed just as you let Jonas use me to try to trap my cousin. Just as you used what I_" Felt. She wouldn't say the words, wouldn't address the pain of his rejection.

His gaze flickered with regret; the emotion washed over her, clenching her chest as another tear slipped free.