Lilly settled into the back seat of the sedan trying to relax when her eyes locked on those staring at her from the rear-view mirror. If she lived a thousand lives she’d never forget those commanding green eyes. King. She tried to tamp down her welling emotions as she tore her eyes from his.
    Jenny waved goodbye as King put the car in drive and pulled away from the manor.
    Lilly shifted uncomfortably. She looked a mess and she knew it, but why it should matter was what bothered her. She had spent weeks working beside King and wanting him, but now she felt indebted to him. No, indebted wasn’t the right word. She felt more, much more. She shook her head, trying to find the proper term for what it was that had her so uncomfortable around him all of a sudden. When he was near, she wanted him away and when he was away she wanted him near. I’m just grateful…appreciative. She was lying to herself, and wondered if King knew it too when she heard a soft snort come from the driver’s seat. Her eyes flashed to the rearview mirror, and King peeked up at her once before putting his eyes back on the road.
    Through her years at StoneCrow, Lilly had discovered countless things about what she had thought were werewolves. She had accepted the position as Monroe’s paralegal assuming that he was an attorney or that there was one employed on the estate. There wasn’t. Monroe was well-educated and knew enough legal jargon to know what he wanted done and how he wanted it done, he just needed somebody smart enough to draft the pleadings and documents. That’s where Lilly came in. She was his right hand woman, his personal assistant. From picking up his dry cleaning to drafting Court Briefs, she was a perfect fit.
    During her first week of employment, Monroe had growled an unfriendly warning to her to let her know she was on a six-day probationary period. “Six days to prove your competence, Ms. Worthington. No more, no less. I suggest you don’t get comfortable in your office.”
    She’d busted her ass for the first six days. If she didn’t have the answers he wanted, she chased them down. If she didn’t know how to fulfill a task, she figured it out. She’d relied more on her sheer competence and organizational skills in those first six days then she had in the past five years.
    She learned rather quickly though that appeasing Monroe would be the least of her worries. It didn’t take her more than two weeks to deduce that something strange was happening behind the friendly façade of StoneCrow Industries.
    Lilly’s eyes flicked back to the rearview mirror and caught King’s eyes pulling away. She cleared her throat and began tentatively, “I, uh…wanted to thank you for…”
    King tensed and kept his eyes on the road, “For killing in your name?”
    “No!” Lilly gasped, appalled at his misinterpretation. She didn’t know what to say or how to say it, so she reclined back in the seat and fought to keep her emotions under control. She didn’t need or want King trying to sniff her out. She’d been horrified when Jenny had told her they’d carried that ability. Her mind had flashed to the dozens of times she’d been highly aroused in King’s company. Monroe had to have scented it too. Now, the mere knowledge that he could scent her emotions had her squirming uncomfortably in her seat. Then her eyes caught sight of the tall hedgerow that separated StoneCrow Manor from the cabins that were still under construction, and slowly being erected, one by one behind the manor. She turned slightly as the car passed the hedgerow. “Um, shouldn’t we be headed the other direction?”
    King glanced up at her in the mirror, but didn’t respond.
    “I don’t want to see anyone now. I’m tired and I need to get home.”
    Still silence.
    Lilly frowned up at the rear view mirror. “Are you ignoring me for a reason?”
    He didn’t look up from his driving, “Crow wants you kept on the estate.”
    Lilly didn’t try to mask her anger. “I don’t care what Mr. StoneCrow wants.”
    King’s eyes met hers then in the mirror. “I want you on the estate.”
    Lilly took a deep breath, trying to control her temper. “I need to get home. I have bills to pay and…plants to water.” Plants to water! Yeah, real pressing issues!
    King’s lips cocked into a half-smile. “You don’t have any plants and all your bills are paid automatically through your account. Crow has continued to pay your salary while you’ve been recuperating. Your bills are taken care of.”
    Lilly dropped her eyes and whispered angrily, “He didn’t have to do that.”
    “Yes, he did.” King growled in response. Then his eyes found hers again in the mirror.  “Any other compelling reason you don’t want to stay on the estate?”
    Lilly blushed. “I don’t have anywhere to stay.”
    “It’s been taken care of.”She dropped back against the seat cushion in resignation. “Do I have any say at all?”
    King looked up to meet her eyes, “No.” 
 
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