Chapter 18 - Lex

I had been looking for a chance to talk to Nic ever since I came to work this morning. I had even wanted to go with Chuck to pick Nic up. But I had to come in early today. I knew the minute Nic came in. I could sense her. The connection, or whatever it is, has grown much stronger since we returned from Paris, even if I've been doing my best to ignore it.

I tried to talk to her then, but she was in a meeting, then I was in a meeting. And then I saw her in the break room. With TJ. With his arms around her. TJ is a notorious flirt, but I could have never ever believed that he would try his moves on Nic.

My blood is boiling and my nostrils are flaring as I look at him grinning up at me. I know he is goading me. I take one step forward, closing the distance between us, and pull him out of the chair by the collar of his crisply ironed shirt, and my eyes are boring holes into his skull. It seems to have no effect on him at all.

"Let go, Lex," he says mildly, grasping my hands.

"No!" I protest, giving him a shake. I am so tempted to land a punch on his mouth and wipe the grin off it. But there is still a tiny part of my brain that has retained its rationality which stops me from doing so.

"I'm just going to say it one more time," he says without raising his voice. I glare at him one final time before shoving him aside.

"How could you do this to her?" I accuse.

"Do what exactly?" He sits on the edge of one of the tables in the break room, leisurely crossing one ankle over the other.

"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm saying," I say, shoving a hand through my hair.

"What's going on?" Liam asks, wide-eyed. Pat and Damon are right behind him. They shut the door to the break room behind them.

"Ask him," I say, pointing an accusatory finger at TJ.

"TJ?" Pat prompts.

"Lex walked in when Nic and I were hugging," he says with shrug. "And immediately jumped to the conclusion that there was something going on between us. Then being the ass that he is, he threatened bodily harm," TJ says, straightening his collar and his jacket, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeves. Although I glare at him, I am feeling like an ass. Nic looked terribly upset, but at that time I assumed that it was because I had caught her in TJ's arms. Now I am not so sure.

"Why were you hugging her?" I ask, shoving my hands into my pockets.

"Because she was upset," he says, fixing me with a steady stare.

"Why?"

He pretends he didn't hear my question. Instead, he turns to the others.

"You know, I think I expressly remember Lex telling us that there was nothing between him and Nic. Wonder why he got so upset when he saw her in my arms?" TJ asks, speaking as if he is an actor in a badly directed play. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"TJ, please! Look, I am sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to any conclusions. Why was Nic upset?"

Was it because of me, I want to add as guilt weighs heavily on my heart. I wish I'd had a chance to talk to her, to apologize.

TJ merely looks at me for the longest time.

"Let's all sit down," he says with a shrug. We move to the couch at the extreme end of the break room.

"Lex, you need to get a fucking grip, man. But I will spare you the lecture for now because this is serious." TJ is no longer grinning or goading me. What I see in his eyes worries me.

"Nic thinks she's being watched," he says, looking around at all of us.

"Yeah, she'd told me that she thought somebody followed her on her way back home," I say.

"Well, it has escalated. She thought she saw something hovering outside her office window. Then again outside the break room window."

All our mouths hang open as TJ's words sink in. Our gazes turn to the break room window as one. Of course there is nothing there now, but the fact that Nic is probably being stalked by a shifter makes my stomach tighten uncomfortably.

"This confirms our suspicions," Damon says in a somber tone of voice.

"Did she get a good look?" Liam asks. There's a note of fear in his voice, though I can't tell if it is because Nic possibly saw a shifter, or because a shifter is stalking her.

TJ shakes his head.

"She thinks it is some kind of advanced surveillance technology," he murmurs.

"That's good then. A small silver lining of sorts," Liam says, relaxing a little.

"Whoever it is, is taking reckless chances," Damon speculates. What he says makes sense. No shifter would risk exposing themselves to human scrutiny.

"That makes them even more dangerous," he continues, staring unseeingly out of the window. A chill runs down my spine. Damon is right. Whoever it is, is probably unhinged, which makes them unpredictable, therefore dangerous.

"But who is it? And why are they doing this to Nic?" I ask, frustrated with it all.

"We don't know, Lex," TJ says gently. "I wish we could do something about it. With Nic's permission, I am going to put a tracking device on her."

"Yes. Yes, let's do that. I will talk to her now," I say, jumping out of my chair and making my way towards the door.

"Lex."

Damon calls out my name, making me pause. I look over my shoulder with one hand on the doorknob.

"Still think Nic isn't your soul mate?" he asks, cocking an eyebrow.

I close my eyes for a brief moment before turning to face the room. I know my denial of Nic as my soul mate is becoming borderline ridiculous.

"Even if she is, it changes nothing. I still can't claim her," I look in Pat's direction, hoping he will understand. He nods subtly.

"Leave him be," he says to the others. They just shrug. I leave the room before they can dissect the issue further.

I find Nic in her office attacking a mound of papers ferociously. She looks up when she spots me. Her eyes are red rimmed. Has she been crying? Her chair, which is usually angled toward the window, is firmly facing away from it.

"Nic," I say, taking a step towards her desk.

"I'm busy, Lex," she says, ducking her head determinedly to study the paper she has snatched from the pile.

"I'm sorry," I murmur as I walk around her desk.

"I forgive you," she says flatly without even looking up.

"Nic, please," I say, kneeling next to her chair, taking her hands in mine. Her arms are stiff as rods. For a moment it seems to me that she might consider wiggling them out of my grasp. But she suddenly goes limp and leans forward to drop her forehead on mine.

"I'm scared, Lex," she confesses. There's a definite tremor in her voice.

I pull her out of the chair and into my arms. This is the first time I have touched her since Paris. She melts into my arms. I have missed her more than I could ever imagine. I have missed the feel of her soft curves in my arms. I have missed her wonderful scent, the silky feel of her hair against my cheek.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise," I vow fiercely. She turns up her head to look at me.

"I believe you," she whispers. Her faith in me is humbling. But I am determined to do everything in my power to keep her safe. I am tempted to kiss her, even dip my head a little, but she abruptly moves away.

"Nic, I am sorry," I say simply. "The truth is, I didn't know that I'd be so deeply affected by what we shared in Paris," I say, looking at her earnestly.

Her gaze softens. She nods and her lips curve up ever so slightly. Just like that, I know that she's forgiven me for my abominable behavior.

"We're good?" I ask.

"Yes. Yes, we are. So long as you don't avoid me," she says with a genuine smile. I have missed her smile. I smile back in return. If I weren't a Quartz dragon, I would never let Nic go. But I am, and the sooner my dragon accepts that we can never claim our soul mate, the better it will be for all parties concerned.

"TJ told me that you're being followed," I say as a fresh wave of guilt washes over me. I should have been there for her, not TJ. She tells me everything she has experienced so far. When I present the idea of installing a tracking device in her handbag, she readily accepts.

"I don't know how much it will help, but it's the only thing we can think of at the moment," I say so she doesn't get her hopes high.

"It's better than nothing. Besides, it will mean that you guys will know where I am all the time. It makes me feel safe."

"In that case, I'll see if it can be arranged today."

She nods, relieved.

"Lex? What do you think it was?"

Her question makes me uneasy. I have never lied to Nic and I don't plan on doing so now.

"We have an idea what it might be, but I can't tell you just yet," I say after a long pause.

"But if my safety is in question, don't you think I should know?" she says, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"Trust me Nic, it's better that you don't," I say, looking deep into her eyes. She nods reluctantly.

"But in the meantime, make sure that you're never alone. I don't mean to scare you, but we just don't know for sure what we are dealing with," I caution.

"Well, I am going to be alone all of this week. But since I hardly go out, it shouldn't matter, I think," she says trying to appear nonchalant.

"No! You can't stay alone! Move in with me for the week. I have the room."

A myriad of emotions crosses her face. She walks forward and gently cups my cheeks.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Lex," she says gently.

As much as it pains me, I know she is right. If we live under the same roof, there is no way I will be able to keep my hands away from her. If we continue sleeping together, I don't think I will be able to stop myself from claiming her as my mate for very long.

I close my eyes and sigh, savoring the feel of her soft palm against my shadowed cheek.

"You're right," I murmur. "But promise me that you'll keep the handbag on you at all times."

"I promise," she says with a small smile.

I nod and go to find TJ. I wish I could keep an eye on Nic every minute of the day. The notion that she might come to harm makes the blood run cold in my veins. That I might be responsible for the potential threat she faces from this unknown shifter stalker weighs heavily on my heart. All I can do now is try my very best to keep her safe.

With all that stress of the past few weeks, I am glad that we have the twenty-fifth-anniversary party coming up. Lord knows we need to have some fun. Besides, all our parents are flying in for the celebration. I can't wait to see Mom and Dad.