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answer anything that needs to be addressed.” Em had never had anyone have so much confidence in her before, and wasn’t sure what to do about it.
    “Brock said that he would be back tomorrow to speak with me. Do you think you could ask him to stay away? I don’t want him as my mate or anything else. I don’t want anything to do with him.” She had a feeling that Rayne wouldn’t ask him, but it didn’t hurt to ask.
    “No . If you want him to stay away, then you tell him. If you know what a mate is, then you have a pretty good idea of how they are when it comes to their mates. And Brock is very protective of his friends. I can only imagine what he’d do to protect you.”
    “I don’t need a protector. I just want to be left alone.” Rayne laughed, and Em felt herself grow angry. “ I’m not being funny. I do not want him to come near me. He makes me feel all mushy inside.”
    “ If you tell him that, then you’ll never get rid of him. But I’m letting you know right now that it will do you little good to tell him, and you just might find he’s not so bad once you get to know him.”
    That was the problem; she didn’t want to get to know him, or anyone else for that matter. If it wasn’t for the fact that she needed a job, she would have left when she could after the man had grabbed her at the other shop.
    Em went to the cash register and watched Karin ring out a few customers. Everything was marked on it, and if there wasn’t a price on something, a sheet with prices on it was in a large notebook near her that had pictures of everything that they sold. As soon as she rang out the first customer on her own, Karin left. Em had never been so proud and terrified in her entire life. She hoped Karin returned soon because, for as much as she wanted to crawl away and hide, she wanted to make this work even more.

Chapter 3
     
    Brock was just finishing up for the day when Bronwyn knocked on his open door. She’d been in Ryland’s office for the better part of the afternoon and now came down to bother him. He looked at her when she sat the baby carrier down and glared at him.
    “Were you going to tell me?” He shrugged. “I have as much right to know what’s going on as anyone else. Why did I have to hear about your finding your mate from Neal when he called to tell me that he was going to be late to dinner? And what do you think your mom is going to say?”
    “She told me that she was glad for me and to bring her by for dinner soon. I told her, like I will you, that I don’t want you to go down there and welcome her to the family because she doesn’t trust me as yet, and I need to make her see that I won’t harm her. Rayne seems to think she’ll bolt if given enough reason to do so.”
    “Someone hurt her?” He nodded. “Do you know who yet? And when you find out, will you tell me so that I can beat the ever loving shit out of him? I may be a mom, but I’m one shit kicker when I need to be.”
    “ Yes, you can be, but I think I can handle her for now. You don’t even know her yet and you’re already willing to protect her for me?” She smiled at him. “I’ll take care of the man, whoever he was. I have a feeling it’s a vampire, just so you know. She’s terrified of Peter, and when Rayne told her that we were cats, she didn’t seem all that surprised. I think she’s aware of us, but that doesn’t mean she likes us overly much.” At least she’d let him touch her. Now he had to convince her that he wasn’t going to hurt her too. That, he figured, was going to be a great deal harder.
    “Neal told Ryland that she couldn’t hear or speak. Do you know if the vampire did that to her or not?” He told her that he thought so but again didn’t know for sure. “What have you found out about her?”
    “Not much. She’s twenty-five and single. Her father is alive, as is her mother. She’s in a mental institution, however, and has been for the past several years. There are four brothers,