Ember's POV

"I had a run-in with Kate. " I said to Jean when we finally met up as planned. He picked me up at work and took me to where we had dinner, and I felt protected and provided for just by being in his presence.


"Did you?" he asked, and leaned backward in his chair, to look at me, "what happened?" he asked, seeming very interested in what I had to say. That was one of the things I appreciated about him. How he showed interest in my life, and he didn't seem to be pretending about it.

But then again, this was the part where I was going to have to tell him about the fallen metal, as well as the fact that Paris had come to see me, and I wasn't sure how he would take it, or if I was prepared for that response. But then again, he already knew a good portion of the story.

"it was at the hospital when I was with Paris. Or, when I was done being with Paris. We met when I was leaving."


"pause a bit. I was unaware of the part where you stayed with the man." Jean said stroking his bearded chin, and I smiled a bit at his rare show of Jealousy,

"Well, I did. I felt responsible after that very heavy metal fell on him. Staying with him after that was the most humane thing, especially with the fact that I felt guilty." Did I add the fact that he took advantage of that humane part of me? No, I did not. It simply did not seem like information that he needed to know.


"Okay. Okay. Understandable. So tell me about this run in with Kate." he said and I shrugged,

"There wasn't much to it, to be honest. She tried to hit me with her cock and bull about wanting to take Paris for myself and told me to leave him alone, and all of that. And I might have lost my temper and called her out about being the reason why that metal was hanging over me."

"You think she was... The reason why that metal was hanging over you though?"

"I believe so, to be honest. That piece of metal was oh so dangling where it was, waiting for my arrival after work, just out of the blue? No, I don't think so. Someone put it there and waited for my arrival. I was supposed to check with the security camera, but just haven't gotten to it. Not like I need any kind of proof to show that woman is after my very existence. "

"I see."

"it's unlikely she did it on her own though. Probably got someone to get the job done on her behalf."

"bloody wrench." Jean spat and I could only smile,

"something of that sort," I said and brought my glass to my lips, drank from it, and looked out the window while I felt his eyes on me,

"I wish I could bundle you up and take you somewhere safe," he said after some moments passed and I turned to him with a smile,

"If I simply let you wrap me up in a cloth and take me somewhere safe, then what would that make me?" I asked, tilting my head to the side,

"a woman safe and protected," he said with firm certainty and I smiled.

"I'm going to be okay, Jean," I said, trying to convince him as well as myself, but he shook his head,

"As much as I detest Paris, I don't like to think about what might have happened to you if he had not been there when he was," Jean said and I heaved out a sigh, a bit troubled because I knew he was right. If he had not been there when he was, the outcome might not have been all that good.

"But he was, and I'm okay, so is he. So you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Until when? Tell me Ember. I won't have to worry about you, until when? Until when a scary thing happens? Let me remind you that this is actually the second attack on your life in such a short period of time. How can you say you are okay when all of the people involved in trying to hurt you have not been brought to book? How can you be so carefree about your safety?"

I sighed and shook my head and then shrugged, "It's not that I'm choosing to be carefree about my safety, it is just that I choose not to lose my mind over who might be trying to hurt me. In any case, I already have an inkling. It's stupid old Kate with her stupid old jealousy and insecurity. I can handle her."

"Perhaps you actually can. But you should never ignore the power of a woman who has been scorned. That woman is unto you, and I don't want her to have her way with you before we take practical safety measures, or at the very least do something about her."

"so, what exactly do you have in mind concerning her?"

"I say, we find evidence about everything she's done, hunt her down, and make sure she pays for her misdeeds. We do not rest until she has actually paid for all of her misdeeds."

PARIS'S POV

I saw kate slipping into the forest and wondered what the hell she was doing, going in that direction. That was the path that had led to the abandoned cabin, as well as the buried dead body.

Something didn't feel right, and rather than call out to her, I decided to follow her and see where she was actually going.

Odd how she didn’t even notice that she was being followed, but then again, she looked very lost in her thoughts. As though she pondered something entirely delicate as she made her way through the woods.

And I suppose there was also the fact that I had managed to be quiet while I followed her. Being an Alpha and years of being a predator had taught me the power of stealth while advancing on one’s enemies.

However, she ended up taking a different route, rather than the one that led to the cabin and I couldn't help but wonder where all of what she was doing led to,

"Now what exactly are you playing at, woman?" I murmured to myself, stopping when she did, to look at the world around her. Or perhaps she was looking for someone…

Then without a word, she simply blew out a breath, sat on the ground, and leaned against a tree.

"odd," I said and started walking toward her. She looked up hastily when a twig snapped underneath my shoes and I saw confusion and shock come into her eyes,

"Paris?" she questioned and sat up straighter, "what the hell are you doing here?" she asked, and I tilted my head,

"I believe I should be asking you that same question," I said to her and she swallowed loudly,

"I need a moment to myself."

"to hide?" I asked, and she looked taken aback.

"to breathe, why would I need to hide?"

"oh, I don't know, perhaps because you lie a lot, and aren't willing to face your wrongs."

"face my wrong?" she asked and I rolled my eyes. I had to hand it to her though. She was an incredibly great actress.

"Your ability to play dumb even after conceiving the worst evils is award-winning."

"What have I done now, Paris?" she said and began to rise,

"It's not just you, so I won't let you take all of the fall. It's you and that precious cousin of yours. The one you claim to be giving odd jobs to. What you seem to have failed to mention was the fact that one of those odd jobs had actually included hurting Ember."

for a moment, she seemed stupefied by my accusation, before she finally shook her head,

"I don’t think I know what you're talking about," she said,

"That's the thing, Kate. You never seem to know what I'm talking about, but in the end, all of these things always seem to have you handwritten all over them. You have your hands written all over this too. Your cousin was the one who placed that metal rod where it was. And that conversation I walked into tells me all that I need to know."

"You have it mistaken somewhere, Paris."

"I don't think so I think I have it correct this time. "

"Paris, I can explain."

"this time, Kate…," I said and stepped closer to her, "there isn’t an explanation in the world that can actually save you from me."