Page 36 of Feral Mate

CHAPTER 18

EMERY

Dawn broke, although the only way she knew that was by the smell of bacon wafting through the air and glancing at her Rolex that she vaguely remembered Mason removing from her wrist and placing on the nightstand beside her.

“That smells good,” she murmured as she rose up, letting the covers puddle into her lap, her naked chest with its stiffened nipples on full display. Before she could say something incredibly stupid, a movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she spied a beautiful curvaceous redhead.

She snatched the bedclothes, covering up her upper torso. “You might have warned me,” she hissed.

“Oh, don’t mind me. He threatened poor Eddie and I both with death if we disturbed you.”

Emery focused her eyes and realized her watch didn’t say six-forty, it said eight-thirty. “I can’t believe I slept that late.”

Dressed only in his jeans, his way too sexy body being displayed far more than she liked in front of another female, Mason brought her a plate with bacon, eggs and home fries. “Eat.”

She glanced up at him and the disarming way he smiled at her put everything into perspective. Emery didn’t know who the redhead was, but she held absolutely no interest for Mason. He purred silently down the link, soothing and reminding her that any lust he had was for her and her alone.

The redhead shook her tousled mane. “I’m Brie by the way. Mason gave me the IP address and password for your laptop. That sucker was a bitch to enter even when I had it written down.” At some point during the night, Emery had written it on the bottom of Mason’s foot, ‘just in case.’ “Our techs have downloaded all the data, wiped it clean and sent a localized electromagnetic pulse confined to your flat to dismantle anything else that may have been there.” She glanced at her cell phone. “We’re running late. I’d appreciate it if you could get dressed. I’d like us out of here as quickly as possible. We’ve got a plane waiting at an abandoned, private airfield. We’ll fly under the radar to Halifax. From there, the accommodations will be a lot nicer. Colby Reynolds is sending his most comfortable plane complete with bedroom, conference room and chef. By the time you touch down at Windsong, you’ll be well rested and fed. Although the guy upstairs does make a mean burger.”

“Aren’t you coming with us?” asked Emery.

“I’m afraid not. Putting Colby and I in the same vicinity has a habit of going sideways; besides, you’re not the only people I need to get on their way to safety. Get a move on.” She stood up and headed for the exit but stopped and looked back. “Oh, and Mason, your brother wanted to let you know he’s glad you’re alive but plans to punch you in the nose for not using the link to let him know.”

Mason chuckled. “He might find fighting with me to be even more difficult than he did in the past.”

“Yeah,” Brie said with a smile. “Cave lion versus snow leopard? My money is on the cave lion. Oh, and Deke Campbell laughed his ass off when he found out she turned you.”

“I didn’t bite him; I injected a solution containing my DNA into him.”

Brie laughed. “I’m sure you did, but you have to know, no one will ever believe that. And if I know Campbell and North, they are going to give Mason there all kinds of shit over it.”

Emery ate her food quickly and was dressed and ready to go in record time. Brie backed up an old Range Rover to the pub’s loading dock, and hid them under blankets, tarps and smelly fish packed in ice. Emery doubted even the most sensitive nose would be able to detect their scent. They drove for more than an hour. Emery knew she should be afraid and uncomfortable, but she wasn’t. She was snuggled up next to Mason, her back to his front, and that was all that mattered. Every so often he’d nuzzle the back of her neck or kiss one of the puncture marks she knew was there.

Once at the airport, they were spirited onto what looked like an old cargo plane, which proved to be far more sophisticated. Looks really could deceive. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but the plane rolled down the runway and lifted off in an effortless, but short climb. They flew what seemed to be a haphazard course with Emery thinking several times the pilot was going to run into something. Harrowing as it was, she guessed they were well under the radar.

When they turned and headed southwest, Emery finally felt as if she could breathe. They landed at an airport outside of Halifax, just as the sun was going down. They moved from the cargo plane to the sumptuous corporate jet.

The captain stood at the top of the stairway, shaking their hands and introducing them to the chef before admonishing everyone to take their seats and buckle up. The plane and its passengers were made ready and the jet raced down the runway, lifting off with a smooth trajectory into the night sky.

“Now that we are airborne, I can offer you a steak or wild caught Alaskan salmon,” said the chef.

“If you like fish at all,” said Mason, “take the salmon.”

She grinned at her mate, and then turned to the chef. “Salmon it is.”

“If I might suggest adding the rosemary parmesan potatoes and the garlic green beans,” offered the chef.

Mason nodded his head, and Emery said, “Make it two.”

It didn’t take long for the little man in the chef’s coat to return bearing two beautiful plates of food. When he’d left them alone and they’d each had a chance to eat, Mason said, “Beats a bag of stale roasted peanuts.”

Emery laughed. “It does indeed, and you were right, this salmon is divine.”

After they’d eaten and thanked the chef, the pilot and the flight attendant, they retreated to the bedroom and were surprised to find a king-size bed with a soft, but firm mattress. Mason had been the perfect gentleman from the time they left the Harbor Light until now and Emery was beginning to wonder if he was regretting what she’d done to him.

“I’m not sure if I should apologize,” she started.

“For what?” he asked, seeming to be genuinely surprised.

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