Page 2 of Fated to Her

“I have to grab Maya on my lunch break today. Make sure you eat,” my sister says, strolling toward the foyer desk as we enter the building.

“Yep, will do,” I tell her as I walk to the elevator.

Troy is leaning on the counter, and I see my sister’s face fall. I stop, but he just starts rambling about Bella being late, so I shake my head and get in the elevator.

I spend most of the morning organizing, pulling the filing cabinet apart, sitting on the floor, placing everything in alphabetical order, and sorting everything by dates. Paper piles are everywhere as I go through the documents and contracts. Hearing the elevator ding, I glance at my watch; it’s lunchtime.

“I thought you said you had to get Maya on your lunch break?” I tell her, turning slightly so I can see her. Only it isn’t her. My breath lodges in my throat, and my heart skips a beat when I see them step out of the elevator. Cyrus and Eli stare at me on the floor surrounded by files.

Just the sight of them makes my heat flare to life along with fear. Are they here to force me back with them?

I drop my head and frantically pick up the files before dropping them into their allocated areas. Black shoes come into my line of vision as Cyrus crouches beside me, handing me a file. I snatch it off him, and he grabs my wrist and tilting my chin up to look at him.

“Hello, love,” he says, turning my face from side to side.

I fight the urge that suddenly floods me to touch them, balling my hands into fists. The burning sensation only gets worse with him touching me.

“You’re in heat,” he says, seeming angry about it.

“Why are you here?” I ask, ignoring his statement.

He lets my face go. “You won’t answer our calls, and your mother called us last night worried about you,” Eli says, stepping closer.

Of course, she did.

I snatch the last file, standing just as Eli steps toward me. I take a step back, bumping into my desk.

“Please don’t touch me,” I tell him, the file crumpling in my grip.

“You’re in pain, Addie,” he says, his jaw clenching.

“I was fine before you showed up.”

“Fine? You think you’re fine?” he says, stepping toward me again, but I move away from him.

“Addie?” he says.

“No, Cyrus, I’m going on my break,” I tell him, grabbing my handbag off my desk.

“Well, that would be a first. You haven’t left this office during work hours since you came back,” Cyrus says, reaching for me, but I pull my hand to my chest before he can grab it.

“Addie, you can’t avoid us forever. How long have you been in heat?” Eli asks.

I sigh, looking at them. They look perfect as always in their black suits.

“I think three weeks,” I admit.

Cyrus looks at Eli.

“And you didn’t think to tell us? Instead, you’d rather suffer with it?” Eli asks angrily.

“It will go away. It has to eventually. I’m fine. I need to go.”

“Addie, heat doesn’t go away until you do something about it. With you being in heat that long, even mating you might not work straight away,” Eli says, stepping toward me again, but I move, heading to the elevator and pressing the button.

The doors are almost shut when Eli steps in. I roll my eyes, moving to the back and away from him.

“Addie, please, just let us help you,” he says.