Stalked (complete)

20

Drew knocked on the door a few hours later pulling our attention to him. Micah still looked slightly irritated with him but allowed him in regardless.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Much better. How long was I out anyway?" I asked.

"Ten hours," Micah said.

Wow. I must have needed the sleep.

"Scarlett would like to see you at some point," Drew said to me.

I nodded absently, "I should be good in a little bit."

He nodded. I got the feeling there was something else he wanted to ask but he was holding back.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he brushed off instantly.

I laughed lightly, "If you want to meet her, she should be getting out of ballet pretty soon."

He flashed me a thankful smile, "So you're signing off?"

"Of course. Go," I prompted.

I noticed Micah's confused expression but waited until Drew was gone to explain. I planned on sticking to my promise of a vacation and a raise because of everything he had done for me. Hopefully Micah would agree. If not, I was doing it anyway and Micah would just have to live with it.

"He found his mate," I said.

"He did?"

I nodded, "Ironically enough, it's my sister."

"Is she of age?" He asked in that authoritative voice he loved so much.

I smiled playfully, "Maybe."

He tossed me a pointed look, "Is she?"

I nodded, "Barely, but she is. I couldn't imagine a better fit for her."

"So that means he is going to be my brother-in-law, huh?"

I cocked my head to the side, "I don't know. I guess we will see."

"Too late. You already told me you want to marry me."

I laughed, "I can back out if I want."

He smiled, a genuine, brilliant smile, "I won't allow it."

I shook my head a little, "Always so demanding."

He shrugged, "Comes with the territory."

"So you said you'll give me anything I want, right?" I asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Of course."

"I want to give Drew some time off."

"Okay."

"And a raise?" I questioned.

He laughed, "A raise for the man that kissed my mate in front of me?"

"He did it on my orders," I retorted.

"I almost killed him, you know."

"You wouldn't have done it," I said.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I think somewhere deep down you knew something wasn't right about the situation and that's what stopped you from killing both of us."

His smile faltered a bit, "Perhaps. I honestly don't know what stopped me from killing you but I am happy it did. I couldn't have lived with myself knowing I killed you."

"I know," I said as I played with my fingers.

He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently. The familiar contact was more than welcomed. I needed him, to be near him and to have him love me.

"So my family won a bunch of money?" I asked though I already knew the answer.

"Oh did they?" He asked innocently.

"Mhm. My parents were pretty happy," I commented.

"And that made you happy," he asked.

I nodded, "Of course. They've worked really hard and they're excited about being able to just spend time with my sisters."

"You have a great family, Em," he commented.

"I do," I agreed enthusiastically, "I hope I'm as good as them when we have kids."

"You are going to be a great mother. I only hope I can keep up with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I already know you are going to be involved in every aspect of their life. I will still be king and just as busy as I am now."

"You'll make time," I said pointedly.

"For you and them, of course," he said with a smile.

"Good. Now about that raise," I reminded.

He rolled his eyes but couldn't possibly be mad at me, "Fine, fine. A vacation and a raise effective immediately. Happy?"

"Very... Have you thought more about Scarlett?"

"Why are you so adamant about this?"

"I just... She helped me when I needed it most and she didn't question me about it. I just want to give her the opportunity to be as happy as we are."

He sat back in his chair and watched me carefully. I knew he was trying to make something of my persistence but really, I just wanted her to be happy.

"Fine. If he is her mate, I will allow it but if he's not, I don't want to hear anything about it again."

"Got it," I said with a wide smile.

"And if they do have a child, they have to be open with both sides on the child's abilities."

I nodded. That was an easy enough request. I hoped Scarlett would understand that and be willing to work with Micah. She was grounded enough to understand his reasons behind this unfortunate event.

"So who shot me?" I asked.

"A guard that is no longer with us," Micah said dismissively.

"Why did he shoot me?"

Micah's expression darkened, "She ordered it. She had pushed me to kill you myself but apparently she knew I wouldn't do it so she ordered them to kill you on sight."

I stayed quiet in an attempt to calm the coursing rage but of course, that wouldn't work.

"I am leaving her fate up to you," he said.

Rage suddenly turned to jealousy at the thought of him not being able to hand down a death sentence to her.

"Why?" I demanded.

He looked as if he was expecting the sudden change in emotion from me but I was still fuming.

"You are the one she hurt. I assumed you would want a say."

"Are you sure it's not due to any residual feelings?" I asked calmly though I was far from calm.

"Emma," he started but I crossed my arms.

"Would you like to know where I was when I was ambushed?"

I stayed quiet but nodded slightly.

He reached into his jacket for a moment but I still refused to look at him. I stared at the wall but felt something set on my arm. Curiosity got the better of me and I looked down, shocked to see a ring. I just stared at it speechless. No words could describe what I felt in that moment.

"I was planning on waiting for the right moment," he said quietly, "If that doesn't solidify my commitment to you, I don't know what will."

"I-I," I sounded like an idiot trying to form words.

It was too soon, wasn't it? I couldn't help but want to say yes. I knew he was it so what was the point of waiting?

"You are the only woman I could ever want or need. I'm not asking for an answer now but I wanted you to know where my mind was."

With that he gave my arm a light squeeze and left the room. The ring was something I was not expecting but what confused me more was that I was actually happy about it. We had only been together for a few weeks but I could understand why it wouldn't feel sudden to him. He had known about me for five years and he was raised in a way that you find a woman and marry her.

I rolled the idea around a bit trying to decide what to tell him. He had not actually proposed but he did give me the ring. What would my parents think? I had just told them about Daniel so would they assume I had been cheating on Daniel? Would they support me or think I've officially lost it? They were very level people and a move like this might upset them. Then again, this was my life. Micah was the only thing I hadn't doubted; I wanted to be with him and to hell with everyone else's opinion.

"You look exquisite for a woman that just took a bullet," Scarlett said softly from the door.

I tried to smile but I knew I couldn't pull it off, "Thanks."

"That is quite the ring," she commented as she approached the bed.

I finally picked up the platinum ring and examined the large, square diamond. The band displayed dozens of diamonds surrounding the circumference. I didn't know much about diamonds but I knew Micah would only settle for the best.

"I take it you have not given him an answer?"

I shook my head absently, "I just... this is really sudden."

She shrugged but the motion was so elegant it was hard to believe it was a shrug.

"He is your mate. There will never be anyone else so why not marry him?"

"Did Micah put you up to this?" I asked only half teasing.

She laughed, a beautiful, melodic sound, "Of course not. He did mention you might want another preternatural woman to talk to though."

"Of course."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

I shook my head, "I've made my decision."

She smiled gently, "He said there was something else you would like to tell me. Something concerning my past with vampires?"

"Yes. I just have a question first. The vampire you wanted to marry, was he your mate?"

"He is," she corrected.

"I talked to Micah and he has agreed to allow you to marry him with a stipulation."

"What would that be?"

"If you have a child, he wants you to be open about the abilities."

"Fair enough," she agreed, "Thank you, Emma. You have no idea what this means to me."

"You helped me when I needed it most. This is the least I could do for you."

"I knew you would be good for this race," she said with a smile.

She ended up leaving me alone shortly after our conversation. I threw the sheets down and looked at my stomach. I looked bruised but nothing more. It was hard to believe I had taken a bullet to the stomach not even a day prior. I did notice I was only wearing one of Micah's plain t shirts and prayed that he was the one to change me.

I got out of bed and stretched out a little, still holding the ring in my hand. I slipped it in place on my left hand just to see what it looked like. It fit me well; I had been worried about the large diamond overpowering my small hand but it complimented me instead of overbearing. It looked amazing.

I showered, washing away any excess blood. Every so often, the ring would catch my eye and I couldn't help but stare at it. What the hell did I care if my parents didn't approve? I was an adult and I could make my own decisions. If I wanted to marry Micah, I would.

Drying my hair, I solidified my decision. I had made my decision earlier, but I still had some doubts. Now, I was sure of what I wanted.

I changed into another of Micah's shirts but when I went to slip on my underwear I noticed black blood had dripped on them. Well, damn.

"Micah," I called.

Within seconds, he was rounding the corner. His eyes instantly fell to my hand. I had completely forgotten to take the ring off! I wanted to talk to him first!

"Um," I started but couldn't really finish. What was I supposed to say?

"I see it fits well," he commented.

I played with my finger absently, "It does."

"Do you not like it?"

"It's beautiful. I guess I thought this would happen differently."

"How so?"

"I thought I would date someone for a couple years, get engaged for another year or so then get married."

"You can tell me no, Emma. I won't be mad and I won't hold it against you."

I looked down at my hand again, "I know that my family won't approve."

"I'll hold on to it for now," he said as he approached me with his hand out.

I instantly pulled my hand away from him, "No it's mine," I said quickly.

He laughed lightly but slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I realized that even though it seems really sudden, I know I'll never want anyone else. I want to marry you, Micah."

He cupped my cheek with a light smile, "We will wait awhile before marrying but I would like to announce our engagement soon."