Chapter 9
As promised, Zander woke Emmy at seven, dragging her from dreams she couldn’t quite remember.
She pulled away from Spence, and he stirred. “Shh,” Emmy whispered. “Go back to sleep.”
“Mmph.” He cracked one eye open.
She slid out of bed carefully, trying not to jostle him, and made it an order this time. “Eyes closed. Go back to sleep.”
He instantly reacted to the dominance in her tone, and his eyes drifted closed again, his breathing evening out within seconds.
Well done , Zander telepathed, and he gave her a quick kiss and left the room.
Emmy smiled and headed for the bathroom.
The shower was glorious, and she looked forward to having lots of sex in the luxurious space. There were strategic handholds all over the place, and even a bench. It looked like it’d been made with various sex positions in mind, now that she thought about it, and then realized it probably had.
She took her time, knowing she’d need the armor of perfect hair and makeup to face her first day back.
By the time she emerged, dressed in jeans and a sweater that said “smart but approachable,” Spence was sleeping soundly, his breathing steady.
Emmy grabbed her bag, lifted her boots, and let herself out of the suite as quietly as possible.
And the smell of breakfast hit her, when she hadn’t scented or heard it from inside the suite.
“Soundproof and scent-proof?” she asked.
“No one needs to know when I am hurting Spencer, so yes. There are switches, however, so you can allow sounds and scents from outside the room to come in, and when that happens, people outside can hear and smell what’s going on inside.
I rarely open them, but it’s nice to have the option for security reasons. ”
He settled a plate on the table with exactly what she’d asked for.
“Thank you. It smells amazing.” She chuckled. “Only someone who lives with shifters would make a whole pound of bacon for one person.”
“I enjoy feeding the people I care for. Most of the time that means paying people to do so, but it’s nice when I can be hands-on. Spencer shared your calendar with me, and you have quite a day in front of you.”
She shrugged. “Three classes I’ve never been to in person, and a meeting with my main advisor. How was your first night back?”
“Kendra has done an excellent job keeping everyone in line, traveling between Fairbanks and here to put fires out as they arise. Still, there were some things that needed my finesse more than her threats.”
Emmy laughed. “I imagine her threats work quite well.”
“They do, but sometimes you can accomplish more with honey than vinegar.”
“Right, but pickles need vinegar.” She looked at her toast. “It’d be nasty on bread, though — and this conversation makes no sense. I get what you mean. The two of you make a good team, don’t you?”
“We do.”
“I remember my mom saying something about Kendra, Cora, and Kirsten all working together in Chattanooga, that it was a little terrifying to the rest of the power structure. Does the whole girl-power thing really bother powerful men?”
He shook his head. “In the supernatural world, it’s about magical power more than physical power, so gender truly doesn’t matter in most cases.
Those three are formidable, no matter their gender.
” He smiled. “The fact they are friends and back each other up? Work together to best utilize each woman’s strengths?
Yes, that part should be terrifying to their enemies, of which I am not, thankfully. ”
“Do I need to know anything special to get out of here?”
Zander shook his head. “Only the airlock requires security measures, but the light will come on after a quick scan. The rest are designed to allow a fast escape. However, do not let someone come in while you have any door open. Everyone has to code themselves in. Even if it’s Spence. I’m the only exception to the rule.”
She tilted her head. “The system keeps track of where everyone except you is located?”
He lifted a brow. “My genius dragon. I’m really glad you’re on the side of good.”
She blew out a breath. “When my parents first cut my trust fund off, it was a close call, but I just…” A shrug. “I’m mischievous, not evil.”
He gave her a kiss that made her wish he’d bend her over and fuck her, and then sent her on her way. Delaney was waiting for her when she came out of the airlock, and the two made their way to the surface together.
“Ready for your first day back?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“I know that what happens at Mordnik stays at Mordnik, but damn, do I hope you decide to spill a little.”
“There’s months without sunshine.”
Delaney laughed. “That, I already knew.”
The drive to campus was familiar and comforting, the same roads, same buildings, the same coffee shop on the corner. And yet, it felt different. Lighter, maybe. Like she wasn’t carrying quite as much weight as before.
Or maybe it was just the sunshine, and weather you could walk around in with a regular everyday coat.
Her first class was fine. She knew several of the students, and had talked with the professor over video.
Then came her meeting with Professor Chen, who was excited about her progress, nodding approvingly at her data sets and projections, which she’d already sent him, but the rules said a face-to-face meeting was in order, so she was here.
“You’ve made excellent headway,” he said, scrolling through her latest report. “When do you want to start the breeding trials?”
“As soon as possible,” Emmy said. “I can raise them on my property. We have the space and the resources.”
Chen frowned. “Normally I’d prefer on-campus facilities for research animals. Easier to monitor, control variables…”
“I understand, but our setup is ideal. Climate-controlled housing, professional animal care staff, and I’ll be there daily anyway. Plus, it’ll be easier to maintain the strict quarantine protocols I want.”
He considered that, then nodded. “All right. But I’ll need to approve the facility before you bring any animals in, and you’ll submit weekly logs of all health checks, feeding schedules, environmental conditions—”
“How about a camera aimed inside the hutch that takes a picture every thirty minutes, throughout the project?”
He sat back. “Video would be ideal, but it isn’t practical to store months of it.
Forty-eight images per day is practical, though, so yes, this will be a good backup, if there are questions.
So yes, assuming I approve of the setup, it can work for you to house them, but if I see any red flags, we move them to campus immediately. ”
“Understood.”
They spent another thirty minutes discussing the logistics of where to order the rabbits from, setting up the data collection systems, coordinating with the campus vet for health certifications, and other minutiae. By the time Emmy left his office, her brain was buzzing with plans and timelines.
She had work to do. Real, important work that was hers alone, not just feeding vampires or surviving another semester. This was her research. Her future.
She smiled all the way across campus to her next class.
When Emmy got home around three, the house smelled like heaven. Rich, savory, with undertones of caramelized onions and fresh herbs.
She followed her nose to the kitchen and found Spence pulling a massive roast from the oven, surrounded by carrots and potatoes that had been roasted to golden perfection.
“Hey,” he said, looking up with a warm smile. “How was school?”
“Good. Really good, actually.” She looked at the roast. “That smells incredible.”
“It feels good to be able to feed everyone again.” He set the roasting pan on the counter to rest. “There’s fresh bread too, and I made a salad.”
Emmy set her bag down and moved to give him a hug and kiss, and her stomach growled audibly.
Spence laughed. “Sit, and I’ll get you a plate.”
She did, and watched him carve thick slices of beef and plate them with vegetables before adding a generous piece of crusty bread on the side.
Before she dug in, she told him, “I have loved you since before Mordnik, you know.”
“I didn’t, but it’s nice to hear. I felt the same.”
He’d told her that, so she’d known it. Why had she never told him?
They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Emmy told him, “Professor Chen approved my rabbit setup. Pending inspection of the facility, but assuming it meets his standards, I can start breeding trials as soon as I can get the rabbits delivered.”
“That’s great. I’m excited for you.”
“Well, I’m both excited and terrified. There are so many ways this could go wrong.”
“Of course you are, but you’re smart. You’ll identify problems, work to mediate them ahead of time, and then whatever issues still manage to crop up, you’ll figure out.”
She smiled at him, realizing he was right. There would be problems, and she’d get them sorted and figure them out. It was better to assume there would be problems that were fixable, rather than being afraid of things going wrong.
“Yeah. Thanks for that.”
They’d just finished eating when Zander’s voice slid into both their minds at once. I’d like you both downstairs when you finish eating, please.
Emmy looked at Spence, hoping he’d know what this meant, and he shrugged.
No hurry, Zander added, but I’m in the mood to play. I’ll be waiting in the playroom.
Heat flared low in Emmy’s belly. “Four more bites, and then I guess we should clean up fast.”
Spence was already moving, double-checking the slow cooker was on low to keep everything warm for whoever came along wanting food, and putting his mess from earlier into the dishwasher. Emmy ate her last four bites, put her dishes into the dishwasher, and the two headed downstairs.
They made it through all the doors faster than the night before, and Emmy considered what she and Zander might want to do to their boy tonight.
Spence didn’t lead her to the last set of steps, but made a turn down a different hallway.
“I don’t suppose there’s a map?”
“No, actually. Security reasons.”
I can draw one for you, Zander telepathed, showing how to get to the places you may want to go, if the visual will help. Once you have it in your mind, though, we’ll need to burn it.
That will be helpful. Thank you. What do you have in mind for the evening?
He sent an image of her flogging Spence’s back while Zander tortured his front, and heat shot to her core.
Oh yeah. I can work with that.
Zander was waiting inside, leaned against a padded bench with his arms crossed. He’d changed into black cargo pants and a charcoal henley, looking relaxed but with that predatory edge that meant his focus was entirely on them.
“Strip,” he said without preamble.