Chapter 2 - Cyrus

My face stings with the impact of her hand—not from the force but from that familiar sensation of her touch. I'm too stunned by her proximity to even react, frozen with the sight and nearness of Lena all over again. Irritation roils beneath the surface at both the slap and her walking away.

That brief contact leaves one word ringing through my brain, mine. She is mine still, as much as the first time I'd seen her.

I had been watching her for a week already. Fascinated by her and the old woman in the shop. The distance I was keeping had been intentional. We just needed to observe, not interact. I hadn't planned on her sliding into me like an out-of-control car outside the diner.

The moment I'd caught her recognition had hit me like a bolt of lightning. She was my mate. It shouldn't be possible, but there it was. The instant recognition between not just my own heart but my soul instantly fixating on her as if I'd searched for her forever without realizing it, and finally found her. I'd been lost in that moment, to her gray eyes and the power that she seemed to hold over me.

I push off the wall, closing the space between us in a few long strides, and reach for her hand to pull her to a stop. This is a terrible idea. My eyes taking in just how well her jeans hug her ass.

I am supposed to be checking a nearby mine, not here. Rufus is meant to take point on getting close to Lena, but before we have even finished unpacking, here I am.

The need for her that is flooding my body is making it difficult to focus. I ache for her.

"Lena, stop. Let me explain."

She snatches her hand back and spins on me. That wild mess of black curls seems to have a mind of its own in the breeze, and her gray eyes are sharp and full of fire. They are more haunted than I remember. I'm not sure if it's a cloudy day or just life that's caught up with her.

"Don't you dare. You do not get to show up here out of the blue and get to explain or apologize. Fuck you, Cyrus. Fuck. You."

She spits the words at me like knives and turns angrily back to her shop. I can hear the giggles and whispers of some older women on the corner watching the altercation. Lovely. This is definitely going to make laying low easier. Solid plan, Genius.

I give the group of old women crossing to the opposite side of the street an awkward nod before pushing forward.

I follow her again, against my better judgment, but without a choice. She's pulling me into her wake. I walk into her shop behind her and I'm assaulted by the warm smell of herbs and her scent that permeates the whole store. She's everywhere, and it's overwhelming my senses.

That scent pulls me in like getting caught in a riptide. I can feel myself wanting to do nothing more than throw myself at her feet. I have got to get control of myself. I let my eyes roam the shelves for a moment, taking it all in while trying to anchor myself in anything else at this moment other than her.

The shop looks the same. Rows of bottles and jars of various remedies. Candles that she and her grandmother made by hand. Bundles and baskets of herbs and teas for the practical healing they offered. Crystals, rocks, jewelry, and incense to cater to the metaphysical tourists.

"Go away, Cy. There's absolutely nothing you can say."

Her voice breaks with a sniff, pulling my attention back to the moment. I turn the corner around the counter where she's crouched down, pretending to be busy.

"Are you even going to let me try?"

Her eyes whip up at me, and I see that anger and hurt behind them again, cutting through me. I'm the reason for it; there was no way around that. Foolish or not, I am still hoping that enough time has passed, maybe it isn't still fresh for her. Surely, as a human, she won't feel the same way. I am desperately clinging to the idea that the mate bond can't possibly be as strong for her.

Lena pushes herself up and steps into my space. The whole dynamic of her looking up at me is about as threatening as a teacup poodle stepping up to a Rottweiler, but the ice in her eyes is something I have never seen before, and it causes me to pause.

"Why should I? What reason do I have to give you an opportunity to drag up painful memories? I owe you nothing, Cy. Not when you left the way you did."

"I had to go. There wasn't any other choice. My job. It wasn't like I had an option in getting called away."

"No? Did you have an option in leaving without a word? Did you or did you not choose to disappear from my life without so much as a note? Let alone a conversation or a phone call. Where did a job take you for eight years that didn't have phones? Clearly, you're not dead. No amnesia. So, we are most definitely left with an active choice you made. I'll come back around to my prior statement. Fuck you."

There is an undercurrent of tension between us, and it almost feels like I can see it if I just look hard enough. I reach out, trying to take her hand, and she pulls it back with a warning flash of anger in her eyes.

"You get nothing from me. That's all that's here for you. Crawl back into whatever hole you fell in and leave me the hell alone."

"It's not that simple."

"No? Well, I'm making it that simple."

Lena pushes herself away from me, and I can't help but take comfort in the fact that it looks like it takes some effort. She crosses her arms in front of her, which does nothing but push her full breasts closer together and create a distraction.

My eyes trail down, taking in her arms, which are soft and pale. Her gorgeous chest is pushed up between her arms and accentuated by the dark green of her shirt that plunges just far enough down to make my jaw clench at the idea of what's just beneath it. The full curve of her hips and ass was still absolute perfection.

"You look good."

I try to take a step closer, and she spins and backs up again, this time stepping around the counter and putting it between us.

"No, you just stay over there."

I can't help the slight grin pulling at the side of my mouth. She sounds less certain that's what she really wants, and her eyes look at me like she is thinking the same thing.

"Why? Don't trust yourself around me?"

"None of your damn business. You just… stay over there or leave. Yeah, leave. That would be better."

I slowly make my way around the counter. I put my hands up in the universal signal of "I come in peace" as if approaching a startled animal. The comparison doesn't feel far off. I can see her breath is coming shorter than usual, and her heart is pounding in her chest. It's not fear; it's the same raw attraction we've always had.

"Stop…"

"Lena, come on. At least just let me explain?"

I can see the slight thaw in her stance and posture. Her pupils are dilating, and I can smell her body responding to me. She's intoxicating, and I want to be lost in her the way I used to be.

Her hand reaches for a pitcher of something labeled storm water, and before I can really register what she is doing, it splashes in my face. Water drips from my hair and nose, soaking into my shirt. She takes another full step back away from me.

"Everything alright here?"

The sound of a male voice floating in from the shop's doorway immediately puts me on edge. I need time. Time alone with her to figure this out, and time to figure out what this means to the mission. Who the heck is this? A low growl wants to ripple out of my chest, but I suppress it as I wipe the water off my face and flick it to the floor. Lena and I are still standing there, eyes locked.

"Absolutely fine, Tom. I'm closing up early today, and this gentleman was just on his way out since I was so clumsy and spilled my storm water on him."

The intruder barges into the shop and steps into Lena's space, putting an arm around her that she ducks away from. Anger is flaring within me as my eyes snap to him with a glare.

Mine. How dare he touch what's mine? I should rip his arms off, then he can't touch her.

The fact that my irritation is this close to the surface does not bode well. I take solace in the fact that the look of disgust on Lena's face at his attempt to put his arm around her is even stronger than the one I received. She is physically repulsed by this man.

Damn straight.

"Let me get you a towel," Lena mutters with a sigh as she crosses to her back room.

I watch with more anger seeping into my body as the stranger's dark, beady brown eyes follow her movements. I step firmly to the side, blocking her from view with my body. He's a solid foot shorter than me, so there's not much he'll see if I stand this close.

"I'm Cyrus. Just moved into town," I offer him with a cold nod and extend a hand. "You are?"

There's something off about this man. I can't place it. I keep trying to use my senses to figure it out, but because of either Lena's scent, her nearness, or the herbs in her shop, I can't get a read on him for the life of me.

I don't like it. If I can get him to shake my hand, I may be able to get a better impression of him with my abilities, but he rocks back on his heels and shoves his hands into his pockets. One of my stronger abilities is to get a psychic read on people with touch. It's extremely helpful in political situations and is Nestor's theory as to why my team has the unique bond that we do psychically.

"I'm Dr. Thomas Klein."

Lena offers me the towel to my still outstretched hand and keeps my body between her and Thomas.

She doesn't like him either. He's making her uncomfortable.

"Really do need to close up, guys."

I can feel the tension in her voice. I don't think it's just her irritation with seeing me after all these years, either.

"Lena, I was hoping I could take you to lunch at Gunn"s today. You still owe me a lunch date."

I turn to look behind me at her reaction. The cringe that pulls deep at her face over the word "date" makes me feel much better about the slimy doctor's advances.

Not happening, Doc.

"Aw, I appreciate that, Tom, but I'll have to take another rain check. I really must be going. Cyrus, was it? Sorry again about the water. Please, keep the towel. Have a nice day."

It doesn't make it easier to explain all this to her, but I am starting to think there won't be anything easy about this at all.

No shit, you can't even make it two hours without sneaking out to come see her.

Lena retreats back into the stock room, and I can hear her on the other side of the door taking slow, steadying breaths.

"Well, Doc, I'd love to have lunch with you if you're interested in getting to know a new patient and resident. Although I don't think I'm quite your type."

Those beady eyes drift reluctantly up to mine, and I can sense an undercurrent of distrust and… jealousy? I am definitely not his type. He is clearly annoyed by how Lena used me as a way to distance herself from him and by my general presence.

"I'll take a rain check as well, sadly. Maybe another time, Cyrus."

"Definitely, another time."

I watch closely as his small frame turns and beats a hasty retreat from the store. He is definitely at the top of my suspect list right now for Eclipse members, along with the two who had been escorted out of town by the sheriff. Maybe Nestor is right. Something is definitely not right here.

I use the towel she brought to wipe my face and neck and pause as the overwhelming scent of her fills my senses. My dick twitches at the visceral scent, memories that are pulling to the surface of my mind.

Waking up with her pulled close against my body. My face nuzzled in her neck, kissing the spot just beneath her ear. Her powerful, thick thighs on either side of my face.

I need to get a hold of myself.

"He's gone now."

I hear the soft sigh of relief from the other side of the door that separates Lena's shop from her back storeroom. A fresh wave of anger bubbles to the surface that this weaselly man is capable of making her feel this uncomfortable.

I cross slowly to the door and lay a hand against it. A current of energy fills me as I get closer to her, and the inches of wood between us aren't enough to stop it. I'm every bit as drawn to her now as I was when I left. The bond between us and the pull she has on me is as strong as ever.

Damn it.

How the heck will I make it through this mission if I can't keep myself away from her, and she won't even let me talk to her? The truth, or at least a partial version of it, is the only thing that will help. There's no way I can tell her the whole truth.

"I really do need you to hear me out on this, Lena. I'm back because you're in danger."

She scoffs, still not opening the door.

"Danger? What danger? The only crime in this town is our town thief, who's a raccoon. I think letting you have even the slightest opportunity to try and convince me to let you talk is far more dangerous."

"Please, just let me explain."

"How can you possibly explain leaving me broken like that? Leaving us? Or have you forgotten about the eight-year-old girl you crushed, too? The one I had to make up some ridiculous story for about you going off on some safari rescue. I had to cover for you, on top of being destroyed."

"Lena, please…"

"No, Cyrus. I have saved myself a hundred times over. I'll do it again. Please, just go away. Apparently, you're really good at it when you want to be."

Regret washes over me as I lean my head against the wooden door. If there were any way to go back in time, I'd like to think I would do it all differently. The hard truth is that there wasn't ever a choice in it for me.

I have loved her intensely from the first touch. I also left without even the slightest indication because of a direct order. At the time, there really was nothing I could do.

Losing the little miniature version of her that is a packaged part of the deal is still one of the parts that hurts the most, almost as much as the sheer loss of her. Rose is just as much a part of the guilt that has weighed on me all this time.

This is definitely going to be more difficult than I thought.

"I'll give you some space for now. I'll be back to try and talk to you again tomorrow, and then every day until you finally hear me. Today, I'll give you space, but I will be close by. I'm going to lock the door on my way out, okay? I don't like that guy who was here."

"Don't try again tomorrow. Don't be close by. Just… go."