3. Restlessness

Who was that man?

He seemed so real?

His scent lingered in her room.

What? Wait! That was crazy talk.

Emma shook her head and just tried to shake him from her system.  She had a busy day and she didn't need Mr. Perfect to ruin her big presentation at work.

Nope! Not her!

She rolled out of bed and started to wash up but she still couldn't forget.  Why wouldn't he say his name?  Something about having power over him.

Cool!  She wouldn't mind having power over his luscious body.

MINE!

He said she was his.

What the hell did he mean by that?

Letting out a low growl in frustration with herself, she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.

There it was again.

His scent! How could that be?  Can you imagine scents like that?

He smelled so perfect; it was a musky scent with a hint of fresh rain.

How could this be?

MINE!

Why did she keep hearing that?

What Emma didn't know was that Matthias was still watching her from the shadows of her room, something that he would now need to be careful about, as their mating connection grew stronger.

He watched as she stood as still as a Michelangelo statue, in all of her glory and perfection.  Her porcelain white skin glistened from her shower and her red hair cascading down, dripping like rain.

How he longed to kiss her perfect skin?

She dropped the towel and dressed quickly as she kept having feelings that someone was watching her.  The feelings were mixed with his scent and she was disoriented by fear and desire.

"I need to shake this off! I can't behave in this distracted manner at work or I'll lose my job," she grumbled.

Suddenly the scent was gone, for she was alone.

She was able to get dressed and headed off to work with her hair up in a professional bun.  Wearing a tailored blue suit with black patent leather shoes, she was ready for the marketing presentation that she needed to give.

She had confidence!

Emma's presentation went over with a bang and everyone was impressed with her market intel and the board members approved the new marketing strategy.

She was walking on the clouds as she was packing up her office for the night.  Daydreaming about her mystery man.

Randy was standing there in the hallway and knocked gently on the door before entering.  Emma froze in place because Randy was practically a Greek god and she always avoided him because whenever Tony found out that she was talking with him, it ended in a fight.

Somewhere, deep down, she thought Randy knew this and tried to taunt Tony.

"Hey! What's up?" Emma asked as she started to pack her computer bag again.

"I heard the news.  Tony ditched you last night.  How are you doing?"

She glared at him and didn't want to respond.  How was she going to correct Tony's lies? She broke up with him.  She decided not to correct the lie and just replied, "I am fine.  Actually relieved."

"Oh! I thought that you might need a shoulder to cry on and lips to kiss.  I was going to offer mine for the evening." Randy said with a straight face.

She just stared at the gorgeous blue eyes and wavy blond haired god that was standing in front of her.  Oh, another time, another place and under different circumstances, she would have taken him up on his offer.

Shaking her head, she answered, "Randy, we just broke up last night, not even 24 hours.  I need time to recover and I am not up for a one night stand.  Maybe in a few months, if you are actually looking to have a real relationship."

He looked taken aback and asked, "Really? Do you really think that I would ever settle down? That's just so cute!"

He laughed as he walked away and she was relieved that she got rid of him by pretending like she could be interested in him.  It worked!

She walked absentmindedly to the elevator and wanted to die when she smelt the musky-rain scent again.  The eyes, she felt the eyes.  What was happening to her?

If she only knew how close Matthias was, she might have died.  He was standing there in his Schatten form, watching her now as she headed to the hotel.  He wanted no harm to come to her as she walked home from work in the city.

Once it appeared that she was in her room for the night, working on her computer in her PJ's with a pencil stuck in her bun, room service ordered and eaten, he left her until she went to bed.  He would be back soon for another evening of dream casting.

As midnight rolled around, Matthias returned and watched as she fitfully slept and he entered her dreams to sooth her restless soul.

This time he brought her to the grand ball room within the castle and he dressed her in a beautiful cerulean blue gown with silver beads.  Her hair was pinned up with diamond accents and curls hanging around her face.  She looked magnificent, like the queen that she would be one day.

He was in his tux and crossed the ballroom to greet her.  "Emma, darling you look beautiful. Someday, my dear, we will rule this world and all of our subjects will bow down to you."

She looked at him with such wonder and curiosity.  What a crazy world she was creating in her dreams?  It must be this fancy hotel and the old fashion charm.

Matthias laughed and her heart raced as she felt the pull to be in his arms.  Holding out his hand like the perfect gentleman, he took her into his arms and they danced to the music playing in the background.

"Emma, my dear you feel so wonderful in my arms.  May I kiss you?"

Nodding without using her words, Matthias pulled her into his embrace.

He just stared into her eyes before he leaned in and kissed her soft lips.  She didn't hesitate since she had spent the day desiring him.  When they separated, she let out a soft sigh of pleasure, thinking 'Mine!'

Whispering her name, he said, "Emma, I cannot wait to bring you here forever. We belong together and we will be so happy in each other's arms."

Gasping, she managed to say, "But, how? Once again, I say that I don't even know your name."

"In time you will. It's too soon.  Let me get to know you better." He leaned in and let his kisses trail down her neck before moving back to her lips.

Emma gave in to her passion for him, thinking this is just a dream.

It's just a dream!

Why resist?

She could be as wild as she wanted to be without regret!

She didn't realize that with each tender touch, their souls were intertwining and once she met him face to face, she would be powerless to resist him.

He didn't dare move past kissing her, not yet. The mating bond was getting stronger and he would need to be careful because she would be able to sense his shadow soon.

He knew that she could smell his mating call for he could hardly resist hers; jasmine and roses.

What perfection!

They walked outside onto the balcony and he held her as they took in the beauty of the land.  She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed in contentment at his touch.

He was irresistible to her and her desires to know him intimately were growing by the second.

He stayed with her in her dreams most of the night, kissing and teasing her.  Before he left, he whispered, "Emma, I am already falling in love with you my mate.  I cannot wait forever to have you in my arms."

She thought, "What a dream? Do I even want to wake up from this?"

In the morning, Emma felt as if she hadn't slept a wink and his scent was all over her body.  She couldn't shake his presence off of her and her desires and fears were growing exponentially.

This stranger was not only invading her dreams but somehow was sharing a bizarre reality with her.

Was she going crazy?

The last thing that she remembered was his warning, "Emma, do not betray me by talking about me to anyone.  No one, Emma.  Do you understand me?  Or you will pay the price and you will not like the consequences."

She was shaking.

How could she betray the man in her dreams? Why couldn't she tell her friends about him?

Shaking her head, she decided that he was just a dream, ... right?

He was reading her thoughts when he cast to her, 'Because I am real and you are mine!'

She froze in place and wanted to die.

Without thinking, Emma reached out and her hand passed through his icy Shatten shadow.  She shivered as the words slipped past her lips, "You are mine!"

Binding their souls further together.

Soon there would be no escaping his world.