Page 5 of Feral Mate

“In time, my beloved. In time,” he promised as he rose from the bed and dissipated into a dream that seemed to evaporate and escape through the doorway, onto the balcony, and into the night sky.

Emery got up and rushed to the door, flinging it open to embrace the frigid air. She stood for only a moment, watching the aurora borealis dance and skitter across the night sky. Reluctantly, she returned to the warmth of her room and her lonely bed.

* * *

For the next few days, she attended the various seminars, panels, and other gatherings of the summit. Emery had to admit that unlike most summits, this one was incredibly interesting, and she found herself increasingly excited for the tour and to hear what Kam Perkins had to say. She found herself being singled out for attention, not only by Kam, but by other executives of NLGP, often being moved to sit with them for lunches and breaks.

On the last day of the summit, those who had signed up were taken on an extensive tour of NLGP’s main laboratory, but there were many buildings, labs, and offices that were off limits. Several of the more notable scientists voiced their objections but were given a polite no. Toward the end of the day, Kam found her and pulled her aside.

“Oh god, it’s been nuts today. I thought we were on the verge of a breakthrough and then the whole thing came apart. I also didn’t think the tour would last this long.”

“I think you have several guests that were disgruntled by their limited access.”

“Weren’t you?”

Emery shook her head. “Not at all. I’m sure a lot of the research you’re doing is highly confidential and probably classified, and although no one likes to admit it, the scientific and academic fields are no different than any other. They are highly competitive, and everybody is looking to solidify their name and reputation with the next big discovery.”

“I agree. Is there any way I could persuade you to stay an extra night? We’d pick you up first thing in the morning and give you an even grander and more thorough look at the facility. I’ve even arranged for a sleigh ride around the grounds.”

“I’m not scheduled back at my lab until Monday.”

“Even better. I’ll need you to sign a general confidentiality agreement, but we’d be happy to pick up your hotel tab until you have to go back. I could show you around Reykjavik, and we could get to know each other better. Please say you will.”

Emery laughed. “How can I say no to such a lovely invitation?”

“Great. Is nine too early?”

“Not at all. I’ll see you then.”

Emery boarded the deluxe tour bus and headed back into town—excited at the prospects for her future in a way she’d never been before. Even leaving the center hadn’t filled her with the sense of freedom that now seemed to be embracing her. It would seem that her destiny lay in Reykjavik under the starry skies and magical lights of the aurora borealis.

CHAPTER 3

EMERY

Northern Lights Genome Project

Reykjavik, Iceland

Six Months Ago

It had taken longer to extricate herself from her former company and get onboarded at NLGP than she had thought it would. Her former employer had tried to play hardball and insisted she wasn’t free to accept a new position with NLGP. NLGP’s battery of lawyers had debunked that belief. Emery then had to arrange for a move to Reykjavik and all that entailed. She was grateful that the NLGP human resources and legal departments had been with her every step of the way.

Emery had opted out of the company-provided housing as well as several of the apartment and condo complexes many of the other employees had utilized. Instead, she’d taken a converted storage space over the most amazing bakery in the old town portion of Reykjavik. It wasn’t large by any stretch of the imagination, but it was open, had a view of the harbor, and the walkability of the location couldn’t be beat. It also came with a covered parking spot, so she was able to purchase a small SUV to commute to and from the lab as well as get around town and out into the country.

She didn’t officially start her day until later, but she’d been given early access to her space in order to go and set up her station the way she liked it. Each of the departments had a main lab where scientists shared their work, experiments, and data. Collaboration was a big thing at NLGP. Each of the scientists had their own ceiling to floor modular cubicle. They didn’t have doors, but the glass cubicle walls did offer a certain degree of privacy. Emery had been asked to choose a basic layout of her cubicle so that the modular furnishings could be set and readied for her to personalize.

Her onboarding specialist, a woman named Heidi, with blonde hair pulled back in a severe bun and who she had yet to see smile had assigned her a laptop which would be delivered to her at the start of her workday. Emery knew she had a lot of reading to do in order to get up-to-speed with the work being done in her area.

She had been assigned to Carson Payne’s team. Payne was one of the leaders in his field of genetic research and was considered nothing short of brilliant by others. She’d been flattered when Payne had picked her to join his people. They were working in one of the more secure labs within the NLGP complex, necessitating more extensive security and background clearances.

Emery had expected to be greeted by a guard manning the security desk. What she hadn’t expected were three guards at the desk and an additional one to accompany her to her new workspace. The guard was polite but detached. She was a bit surprised when he offered to carry her boxes to her new space for her.

“I really appreciate this,” she said as he tapped his security badge against the sensor, followed by pressing his thumb against the sensor and then peering into the retinal scanner. They entered the lab and automatic lights came on overhead, lighting the workstations in the middle of the room. He led her to the far end of the lab to one of the roomier cubicles that had a large window on one end overlooking an internal outdoor space. She was glad she’d chosen the furniture configuration she had, as she was certain had she chosen another, she wouldn’t have been assigned a cubicle with so much natural light.

“That’s part of what they pay me to do—help the scientists.”

She sensed a wariness in him. Emery understood that. Shifters could usually pick up when there were other shifters around, but when living amongst humans, they tended not to befriend one another. There was little doubt that if humans discovered the shifter society, the results would be catastrophic—if not as a whole then certainly to that individual.

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