I gave her an empathetic smile, feeling exactly the same way. But on the heels of that thought, the very idea of leaving Caelan had this uncomfortable, painful ache settling right in my chest. It felt so uneasy and wrong that I sucked in a sharp breath.
I felt my brows lower when I saw this instant change come over Evelyn. She straightened, her shoulders pulling back, her upper body then leaning forward. Her eyes narrowed as if she were trying to see something in the distance.
“What is it? What are you looking at?”
“Hey, who is that?” Her voice sounded weird, strained, tight.
I looked over my shoulder and right away saw a massive man standing several feet from me, his hand over his sternum, his fingers curled into the material of his shirt. He had the strangest expression on his face, an almost pained one as his chest rose and fell the faster and harder he breathed.
He was just as large as all the other men I’d seen so far, and I instinctively took a step back when this low, deep rumble left him, and I saw his eyes flash with that supernatural glow I’d become accustomed to seeing with Lycans.
But he wasn’t looking at me; instead his focus was trained on my phone.
“Darragh?” Evelyn whispered, this almost panic in her voice.
I turned my attention back to the screen and saw that Evelyn’s eyes were wide. Her brows were pulled down low, and she too was rubbing the spot over her heart. “Who is that?” I almost didn’t hear her question because she mumbled so low, but I also didn’t think she was asking me. She was speaking to herself.
That rumble from the man became louder, deeper… fiercer. I snapped my head back up and looked at him. He took a step forward, then another. I swear his body was getting bigger, taller, broader. And when I saw his eyes flash once again, a startled sound left me as I stumbled back, the wall stopping my retreat.
I spied swift movement out the corner of my eye, and then a massive body was standing between me and the stranger. I smelled the wild, dark scent of Caelan, and instantly I relaxed. A sound that could only be called a warning came from my mate.
“She’s mine,” the stranger said harshly.
“Stay back. Cian. She’s mine. My mate,” Caelan said with unrestrained aggression laced in his voice. He got into a position of imminent attack. My mate started speaking quickly in a language I didn’t understand, his voice guttural and distorted, his wolf present. I looked around Caelan’s broad shoulders to see the stranger shaking his head and closing his eyes. He gritted his teeth, and it was clear he was trying to grapple with his control.
“Not her,” Cian said savagely and then pointed in my direction before slowly lowering his hand.
I felt my eyes widen when I saw exactly what he was pointing out.
My phone.
At Evelyn.
“Her,” Cian growled. “My mate.” His eyes were glowing fiercely now as he took another step closer.
Caelan threw an arm back and curled it around my body, pulling me forward so my chest was to his back. I lifted my phone and saw Evelyn still had wide eyes, her hand moving quickly over her chest. Her mouth was moving, but the connection was going in and out.
“Darragh?” she whispered, and we were then looking at each other. “I don’t understand what I’m feeling.” She glanced down at the table just as the screen froze, and then the connection was lost. I slowly lifted my head and looked at Cian from around Caelan’s big body.
Cian was staring at where I gripped the cell, my palm aching for how hard I held it.
“She’s mine,” he seemed to say to himself before turning his focus on Caelan and getting a hard look. It was like some silent communication was being passed between them, and then it was broken as fast as it was there and Cian was looking at me. “Tell me about her. Tell me everything.” His demand was clear, and I bristled.
Caelan made another warning sound. “Cian, back the fook off.”
Cian looked like he wanted to argue as he glared at Caelan, but then he took a step back. He gave a hard nod and looked at the floor. “She’s mine.” He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I finally found her,” he whispered. He looked up at me then, our eyes locking. “Please. I need tae know about her. I need tae find out who she is.” He started rubbing his sternum again. “I need tae go tae her and make sure she’s mine.”
I was shaking my head even though I didn’t know what I was denying. I knew firsthand how these things worked with these guys, with the Otherworld mating, but that didn’t mean Evelyn would be as understanding. She didn’t have ties to this world like I clearly did. This would scare the shit out of her.