Chapter 9
Ian jumped back, staring at Emily. “What was that? How did you do that?” He demanded.
“What are you talking about? What did I do?” Emily looked at him, suddenly confused by his behavior.
He leaned back into her, trying to catalog her scent. “Something about you is different.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m the same person I have always been.” She pulled back away from him. “Seriously, are you okay? You don’t look so well.”
Ian shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “We need to find Jenn. Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her in the direction he’d seen Jenn go.
“Ian, seriously. What is going on?” Panic laced Emily’s voice.
He heard her heart speed up. He was freaking her out. Hell, he was freaked out. “I don’t know. I don’t know how this is happening or why this is happening. I need to talk to Jenn. We need to talk to Jenn. I need to know if she’s part of this.”
Ian’s heart raced harder with each step. He’d prayed to the Gods for this since the moment that he’d met Emily. He wondered if he was losing his damn mind. Was it a trick of the Convergence? Or something else entirely. Ian had no idea, but he had to get to the bottom of what was going on.
“Mine!” His wolf growled in his mind.
“I know! I know! But now is not the time. Can you not tell that something is different with our mate? Something is off?” he asked his wolf. Surely, the animal had to sense what he was sensing.
The picture of his wolf sucking in a deep breath played out in his mind. Ian paused in his tracks, pulling Emily to a stop with him. His wolf slammed against his mind.
“How is this possible? How is she suddenly…” his wolf pushed harder and harder to break free and take charge.
“I knew it!” Ian shouted.
Emily looked at him, confusion plastered to her beautiful face. “You have no idea what is going on. Do you?”
“No. I don’t. I’d appreciate it if you’d enlighten me.” She crossed her arms and tapped her toes, impatiently awaiting his response.
God, he wanted to scoop her up and toss her over his shoulder, finding a quiet spot to sink deep inside of her heat before claiming her. But that had to wait for now. He had to figure out what the hell was going on. Were all of his dreams finally coming true?
“Where is she?” Ian yanked his cell phone out of his pocket and fired off a text to Jenn.
“Who are you texting? Are you going to tell me what is going on?” Emily huffed.
“Don’t you feel different?”
“What do you mean by different?” she asked. “What are you talking about? Ian, please. Talk to me. Why are you acting like this?”
“Like something different is going on inside of you. Have you noticed anything weird?”
Emily thought about it for a minute. She debated whether she should tell him about the voice she’d been hearing in her head all afternoon. The sudden emergence of a voice in her head was weird, but nowhere near as weird as he was acting.
“Are you afraid he’ll throw you in the loony bin?” The voice laughed, almost as if it were mocking her.
“Who are you?”
“What? Who are you talking to?” Ian looked at her as if she’d grown a second head.
“What’s up?” Jenn asked, interrupting their conversation as she jogged over to where they stood.
“Smell her,” Ian demanded.
“What?” Jenn and Emily asked in unison.
“Why would I smell her? Isn’t that your job,” Jenn said incredulously.
“I’m not kidding. Just do it!” he barked at Jenn.
“Fine!” Jenn rolled her eyes. She stepped up to Emily and sniffed. Her eyebrows arched, her eyes widening at Emily’s scent. “What the fuck?” Her head pivoted to Ian.
“So I’m not losing my damn mind?” Ian asked.
Jenn sniffed Emily again. “Holy shit! How is this even possible?”
“I don’t know. I don’t get it.”
“Hello!” Emily waved her hands wildly in the air.
“For the last time, can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on instead of acting like I’m not standing right in front of both of you!
” Anger pulsed through every inch of her body.
She’d been mad plenty of times throughout her life, but nothing like this.
This anger was different. It was all-consuming.
It was the only thing that she could think about.
“Em, are you okay, love?” Ian asked.
She jumped back as he reached for her arm. “Something feels off,” she stammered. Her heart rate sped, her skin feeling like it was shrinking by the second.
“We need to get her out of here.”
Emily knew Jenn was the one speaking, but her voice sounded off. “Why are you screaming?” She grabbed her ears as the shrillness of her friend’s voice echoed in her mind.
“Calm down, love,” Ian said calmly, trying to defuse the situation.
“Stop yelling at me!” Emily cried out.
“It’s easier if you don’t fight it,” the voice in her head whispered with a laugh.
“Easier if I don’t fight what?”
“Emily Louise Holmes! What are you doing here? Get your ass to the car now!”
Alarm bells sounded in Emily’s mind.
“Not again, bitch!” the voice in her head growled.
Emily felt like she was going to pass out.
The world around her began to spin. The air thickened around her.
Unable to suck in a deep breath, she felt like she was choking.
Sharp pains tore through every part of her body, racing up and down her bones until she cried out in agony.
Dropping to her hands and knees, she turned to Ian for help. The look on his face was one of pity.
Emily knew her mom was there. She’d seen her moments before. Her eyes scanned the area. Jenn was with her mom, holding her back.
“What the hell is going on?” It felt like the world she had always known was being upended—like the proverbial rug had been ripped out from under her. She had no idea what was happening.
Agony streaked through her once again. Every bone in her body felt like it was breaking. Her skin felt like it was being ripped to shreds.
“Emily, love, listen to me. I don’t know why or how this is happening, but you need to take a deep breath. You have to relax and let the change happen.”
“Change! What change? What are you talking about?”
“You need to listen to your mate!” The voice in her head growled in her mind.
Emily fought through the pain, taking the deepest breath she could muster. She would do anything to make the agony stop.
“I can help her! I can make it go away,” her mom shouted, pushing past Jenn.
“What are you talking about? How do you even know about this?” Ian asked, stretching his arm out to block Layla’s path.
“I know much more than you think. Now, move. Let me help my daughter,” Layla demanded, trying to push past Ian.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I’m not having any of it. Nature must take its course. There’s nothing you can do to stop the change,” he growled, not allowing Layla to pass.
“You have no right! She is my daughter!” Layla shouted, pulling back before charging at Ian.
“She’s an adult! She can make up her own mind as to what she wants.” Ian blocked Layla’s path with his body. An easy task, considering he towered over her petite frame.
Layla bounced off Ian’s body. A syringe dropped from her hand and onto the ground.