Page 13 of Winter Unleashed
“Well done, Ember. Control is the key to power. You can be the most powerful being alive, but with no command over your power, you’re asking for trouble.”
“It was pretty crazy before your help. Thank you for that. And the cinnamon buns,” I said, but something niggled in the back of my mind…
It bothered me that I couldn’t remember when she’d arrived at my house or how long she’d been there. I knew how to control my power, but I didn’t recall her actually teaching me anything.
“It’s my pleasure,” she replied, ushering me toward the hall. “Go get ready for the day. I’ll clean everything up here before I leave this afternoon.”
Someone pounding on my front doorwoke me. I rolled onto my back trying to remember how I’d gotten in the bed. Naps were not something I normally had time for, but I must have been exhausted if I couldn’t even remember lying down.
Muffled shouts joined the incessant pounding. On a sigh, I got out of the bed and made my way to the door. “Calm down,” I called. “I’m coming.”
I opened the door to see Stella standing beside a tall, handsome man. My heartbeat sped up when I realized he resembled the jerk from my nightmares. The man’s expression was tight as he openly stared at me.
“Why is he here?” I asked. My voice hitched a little, and I cleared my throat to cover it up.
“Em? Are you okay?” Stella asked, taking my hands in hers as she examined me.
I tore my eyes away from the man to look at my friend. “Why is he here, Stella?”
She stiffened and her eyes widened a little. “Can we come in?”
“No. He can’t come in here. I want him to leave,” I demanded. I looked at the man. His eyes still hadn’t left me, and his attention was making my stomach clench. “Stop looking at me like that, I don’t know you. You need to leave. Now.”
His jaw clenched and the skin around his eyes tightened. I could tell it took some effort for him to soften his features before he answered me. “You know me. I’m Liam Fraser, the Autumn Alpha.”
“I knowwhoyou are, but I don’tknowyou. Please leave.”
“Em? What’s wrong? Are you angry with Liam?” Stella asked in her usual comforting tone.
“Angry? No, there’s something about him. My gut is telling me he needs to leave.”
Stella turned to Fraser with a solemn expression. “Maybe you should go. I’ll talk to you later.”
He stared at me so intensely, for the first time in my life I wanted to back down, run away from a threat. I’d fought men of all sizes throughout my years, but something in his look told me if I fucked with him, I’d regret it. He relaxed his gaze and pulled his lips into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Ms. Steele, I’m sorry if I upset you. I hope one day you’ll forgive me for whatever wrong you think I’ve done to you.” His smile fell into a frown. “The last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt you.”
Confusion set in as I watched him walk back to his car. I stared after him until Stella squeezed my hand. “Em? Can we go inside? We need to talk.”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I muttered, letting her pull me into my house. Something niggled at the back of my mind. Something I couldn’t quite bring into focus.
Once we settled on the couch, she angled herself to see me better. “Sorry about Liam. He’s a little out of sorts since he lost his mate three weeks ago.”
“Uh-huh,” I grunted still trying to sort out the niggle.
“Have you had any unknown visitors recently?”
“That’s an odd question but no.” The niggle intensified, and I nibbled my lip while trying to clear the image, but nothing came.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I barely heard her as I pulled the man’s face to the forefront of my mind. There was something about him I couldn’t put my finger on.
Stella gripped my shoulders and forced me to look at her. “Em, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just feel like I’m forgetting something.” I rubbed my eyes and ran my hands through my hair. “There’s something about that guy. I’ve seen him in my dreams, nightmares really. He’s terrible to me in them.”
Stella let out a little gasp. “I need you to tell me what you’ve been doing the past three weeks.”