He missed her.
He’d had a few perfect days, and then the damned aliens had ruined everything. If he was honest, it wasn’t even the aliens’ fault. It could have happened at any time. Demons could have invaded again. Or another hostile coven of witches could have shown up. Or they could have dated long enough that he simply needed to tell her.
In fact, in some ways, it wasn’t fair to sleep with her and not tell her that any child they conceived together would be a dragon shifter. Having only dated other shifters, that was an oversight on his part.
Fallon, a Fae who was part of the group in the Texas clan, had slept with a dragon shifter during a one-night stand. They’d conceived a child. Fortunately for Fallon, she was a Fae and aware that her infant would have talents and strength beyond that of a human. But what if Fallon hadn’t known? The results were too disastrous to consider.
But Ava wasn’t pregnant. He’d be able to tell if she’d conceived his child. He was glad, but if he’d gotten her pregnant, he would have been thrilled to raise a child with her no matter what.
In the time that he was away from the lab, he tried to keep himself busy. His astronomy equipment had taken on a more crucial role in his life, as he now actually needed to keep an eye out for any unusual interstellar activity.
So far, he’d had zero blips on the radar. The four alien DNA thieves had not resurfaced. But if they did, he’d be ready for them. He’d alerted not only his friends in Ireland but his entire clan and all of the shifters in Texas as well. He’d told his cousin in NASA, too, so he’d agreed to keep an eye out from Houston and even see if he could get some of Eli’s data mentioned to some of the officials without giving away what happened.
But even his monitoring of the skies didn’t take up all his free time. He still had hours where he didn’t have much to do. That had never bothered him before, not before Ava. In fact, he’d soaked up the spare time, happy to be able to do what he wanted in his off-hours.
But now, each moment was spent with a dull ache. His dragon missed her, too.
Mate. Mate. Mate, he’d growl late at night.
But there was nothing Eli could do to make it better for his dragon. He wanted her back, too. But he wasn’t going to push. He was going to give her the time and space she’d asked for. And in a few months, possibly when she’d graduated and received her PhD, then he’d ask her out on a date again. Maybe then, when she was no longer his assistant but a full research scientist, he could ask for a second chance. It was possible that she’d choose not to work in his lab. Any lab anywhere in the world would be lucky to have her on staff.
At this point, he was just glad she was still speaking to him.
Then, everything changed. For the worse.
On a Thursday several weeks after their encounter with the aliens, she came to his office after the lab was closed. She tapped on his doorframe, just like she always did. “Can I come in?” she asked.
“Of course.” His pulse sped up just from the sight of her. She was in scrubs that day because they’d been working with samples. She had her hair pulled up into a loose ponytail, and her cheeks were pink. She’d never looked better to him.
She dropped herself into the chair across from him and folded her hands into her lap. “I have something to tell you.”
Fuck. That was ominous. He nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I’m going to leave.”
His blood froze. This was worse than he’d expected. “The lab?”
“No. The state.”
“Why?”
She looked down at her hands. “It’s time. I’ve overstayed my welcome here.”
His voice came out steady, which was a surprise to him. “You really haven’t. Not at this lab.”
She bit down on her lip. “I need to move on. It’s time.”
What could he say? He could tell her no. That would only make her mad. He could ask her to stay or offer her an incentive. “Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?”
“No, I’ve decided.”
No. Mate. His dragon pushed at him, nearly causing him to lose control.
He looked down to see his hands balled into fists. If he wasn’t careful, he’d transform right here in his office.
Stop it, he said to his dragon. You don’t want to scare her.
“Your eyes are yellow,” she said. “Does that mean…”
Well, shit. His dragon had pushed too hard. “I apologize.” He stood up. He wanted her close, but he didn’t trust himself with her at that moment. “Let me know if you need any letters of recommendation. I’ll be happy to write one.” He walked from his office. He had to get some fresh air. It wasn’t possible for him to struggle to breathe, and yet that’s exactly what he found himself doing.
He went quickly down the corridor, ignoring everyone in the hallways. When he reached the front door, he heard Ava’s voice calling out to him.
“Eli!” she said. She grabbed his arm just as he made it to his car. “Wait.”
He looked down at the spot where she was holding onto him, and she let go.
Take her. Mine. Go.
That was exactly what he didn’t need to do. He wasn’t going to take her anywhere. Not when she was trying to cut all ties with him. She was leaving. Moving away—from him. For good. The sound of her words reverberated in his head, bouncing through his skull over and over.
“You need to leave me alone right now,” he said. He registered the hurt in her eyes, but that didn’t matter. Her safety was the most important thing, and he
