The Empath's Mate

The next morning, I woke up with more energy than expected. I had tossed and turned all night long replaying my afternoon with Nikola. My whole body wanted to see him again and feel him close to me. I was confused about this new…pull.

Why was I feeling this way towards a stranger? The feeling was an odd comfort but nerve wrecking at the same time. I threw on my sports bra and my leggings and headed out the door for a run. Nothing would help me sort my thoughts like a run.

The sun was still sleeping the air was cooler, around 60 degrees. I rounded the tree-filled lot on the corner and heard something large move. I stopped looking towards the woods. I left my phone behind today, wanting to enjoy the sounds of nature and a little quiet. I took a few steps towards the woods listening.

After determining it was nothing, I shook it off and continued. I was out for around 45 minutes; about 4 miles. After an extra-long shower, thanks to my daydreaming of Nikola, I arrived at the office around my usual time of 7:30 AM.

I handed Jeremy the coffee I had grabbed from Dunkin’ Donuts on my way in. I wanted to spread my good mood around to others. He lit up and thanked me a few times before I received my hug and headed to my new office.

I was shocked walking by Dr. Chapman’s office when I saw the door was open already. I don’t ever remember seeing the old director in much before 10 let alone 8 AM. I glanced inside to see him at his desk. Avoiding being noticed, I hurried to my office door down the hall and opened it.

After getting settled, I stood opening the blinds as my computer booted up. I loved the natural light. I had a feeling it would make the days here in the office more enjoyable. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t taken the time yesterday to check it out.

“Good morning, Veronica, or is it, Roni?” Dr. Chapman said causing me to jump.

“Sorry, Roni is fine.” I said automatically. “I am not used to others being here so early.” I added trying to defend my startled expression. I wasn’t used to anyone saying good morning to me let alone the head of the department. “How are you today, Sir?”

“Please, call me Peter.” He said with a hint of irritation in his tone.

“Yes, of course, Peter. I’ll remember that.” I forced.

“I am excited to begin today. I appreciate your haste in signing your contact. I have a special project I would like you to work on.” He was more friendly that I was accustomed to. “Nikola has recently found ancient texts referencing wolves, more specifically werewolves.” He paused to gauge my reaction.

My heart fluttered at the mention of Nikola’s name. I panicked a little not knowing if it was a good idea for me to work so closely with him. My head was telling me to stay away, there always seemed to be drama and the loss of jobs included in the gossip. I needed to keep my job. I couldn’t imagine losing my new raise I had just processed receiving.

“I would be happy to sir, I do have to admit, I haven’t found many creditable texts in the archives.”

I didn’t mean to agree to this new working arrangement. After the words left my mouth, my brain started to try to think of ways to get out of it. I would think of something later in the day. Right now, I wanted to know more about this information he had found.

“I have a feeling about this one, I appreciate your help. I’ve enjoyed your work so far. There is a meeting today at 9:00 AM sharp in the conference room. I have already sent you the invitation via email, you can schedule a briefing for your team this afternoon.” He seemed excited; I was allowing his emotions to flow over me.

“I have an introduction meeting scheduled for this afternoon; it will be great to dive right into the new assignment. Would you like me to send you the information so you can stop by if you are available?” I mirrored his enthusiasm.

“Of course, you do.” His face could hardly contain the smile. “I knew I made the right choice with you, it’s a shame it was not done prior to my arrival. No need to include me. Make me look good!” He said with a wink and headed out the doorway.

I logged onto the computer to accept my morning meeting invitation before pulling up my files for anything I had previously come across concerning werewolves. It was the most difficult species to find true facts, especially in relations to silver. I downloaded the files to a flash drive before adjusting my meeting length with my team.

I was staring at Nikola’s name on my email template. If we would be working together, it would make sense for me to invite him to the meeting. A part of me didn’t want to include him more than necessary. There was a knock on my door, I looked up and immediately worried he heard my thoughts or something.

“Good morning, Roni.” He flashed his pretty boy smile at me, I couldn’t stop the smile forming on my face. “Good morning.” I said quietly containing my excitement.

“I wanted to thank you for the tour yesterday. I hope I remembered it, black with sugar, right?” He handed me a coffee from the cart we went to yesterday.

“You shouldn’t have done that! Thank you.” I said taking the cup from his hands. His fingers brushed mine, I felt small sparks dance on my skin, reminding me of yesterday. My cheeks turned red as I turned my head to hide the blush.

“Remember who was supposed to provide my tour? I owe you coffee for a month!” He laughed and it was the most amazing sound. I could feel the air around us dancing, it was intoxicating.

“I forgot about that.” I grinned taking a sip of the coffee, “I wouldn’t wish THAT on my worst enemy.” I giggled taking another sip. It tasted better than usual; I didn’t want to stop drinking it.

“I spoke with Peter on my way in and he briefed me on the meeting. Do you have plans for lunch today? I was thinking we could brainstorm ideas and get to know each other better since we will be working so closely.”

I searched him for a hidden agenda, but I couldn’t find one. His aura seemed slightly different today. I tried to think of a reason not to eat lunch with him, coming up empty.

“I am available for lunch. I was planning on a working lunch anyways. Would you like to see if the conference room is available?” I wanted to offer neutral ground.

“I think we should be able to brainstorm from the local café, don’t you?” He raised a brow and I blushed.

“That works.” I said defeated. “Thank you for the coffee again, I was just about to send you an invite to my team meeting this afternoon.” I wanted to change the subject.

He raised a brow as I realized my mistake. Was I about to send him the invite? Why would I have said that I was debating it for over 10 minutes, overthinking is my specialty.

“I am glad to join towards the end of the meeting. I have 2 associates under me that will be working with us, I will bring them with me so we can all be introduced.” He smiled warmly.

I was beginning to irritate myself with my wondering mind. This man was clearly easy on the eyes, he had a great personality, and he seemed to work well with others. Even with my awkwardness and fidgeting tendencies, he didn’t seem bothered.

“My thoughts exactly. I will get it right over to you.” I said before turning back to my computer and trying to end the conversation. I heard him chuckle under his breath and it took everything in my body to keep my eyes on the screen.

“I will be back in a few minutes after I adjust my schedule, we can head to the meeting together. I can’t wait to show you what we found. You’re going to be amazed.” He said meeting my eyes once more before leaving my office.

I sat back in the chair looking at the open door. “I need to make sure to close that from now on.” I mumbled to myself shaking my head. I sent the invite, slid the flash drive into the fold of my binder before lifting it into my arms. I fumbled almost spilling my coffee but saving it at the last minute. I giggled to myself before turning to the door. I was sure I was going to beat Nikola.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were rushing out on me.” He said from his doorway.

“Of course not, I was just coming to you.” I stuttered out flustered and defeated once more.