“Where’s Derek?” Emma asked Clem.

She had turned to see Clem and the other two guys walking into the house after her, but Derek wasn’t among them. She refused to admit, even to herself, why she was looking for him.

What’s there, if not just to trouble him? she thought, a sly smile tugging at her lips as the memory of him tripping—twice—flashed in her mind.

“He might be outside,” Clem replied, his eyes drifting to the ceiling as though he was avoiding hers.

“Outside?” Emma’s temper flared again. “What’s he doing outside when we clearly need more hands in here?” She placed her hands on her waist, glaring at Clem. “This whole house is in ruins. One of you should get him.”

Clem hesitated. The girl intrigued him—more than he was willing to admit. She stood there, fuming silently, yet there was a kind of spark in her he couldn’t ignore. 

Not wanting to get on her bad side, he turned to Leo. “Go get Derek.”

Once Leo left, Clem glanced back at Emma, trying to break the tension. “So… where are you from?”

“I’m not from around here,” she replied flatly.

“But where…?” Clem pressed, curiosity shining in his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a spy,” Emma said, chuckling at her own words.

For a heartbeat, Clem froze. Did she know? Could she possibly suspect what they were? 

But then, catching the playful glint in her eyes, he realized she was only being vague. Her mystery pulled him in all the more.

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a spy,” he teased, smiling. “You’ve got good moves, babe. How did you learn that?”

A faint blush touched her cheeks. “My father enrolled me in martial arts classes when I was younger. You know, for protection.”

She didn’t add the truth—that she’d snuck out night after night against her father’s wishes to train with Mr. Tammy. Some things Clem didn’t need to know.

“Cool,” Clem said softly, watching her with unguarded admiration.

When he noticed a streak of dust on her cheek, he lifted his thumb and gently brushed it away. Her skin was soft beneath his touch. Softer than he’d imagined. The flush on her cheek deepened, and he smiled. Baby steps.

“Clem, he’s here now,” Leo announced as he walked back in, Derek trailing behind him with a stormy expression.

Emma instantly pulled back from Clem, suddenly aware of how close he had been and how intimate his touch had felt. She blushed again, though this time she didn’t know if it was from Clem’s nearness or Derek’s eyes on her.

Derek had seen it all. The way Clem leaned in, the way Emma blushed. 

He snorted. Clem was a puppy at best. But when his gaze lingered on Emma’s flushed face, something twisted inside him. He pushed it down as resentment. Nothing more.

Clem shouldn’t be fraternizing with that little witch anyway. He mused. Yet a question burned in the back of his mind: Where did a human girl get the strength to throw him off his feet?

“So how are we going to do this?” Shane broke the tension, hefting a vacuum cleaner.

Derek tore his gaze away and surveyed the house for the first time.

“Was this a drug house?” He shrieked, staring at the stained walls and rotting furniture.

“Exactly my thoughts,” Emma replied dryly, as if she hadn’t just embarrassed him minutes ago.

He scoffed. “Leo, call Mike. Tell him to bring the rest. We need more hands at No. 13 Moonway.”

“Got it,” Leo said, heading to the porch with the phone.

Emma frowned. Derek’s tone carried authority, and Leo had obeyed without question. She didn’t know what kind of hierarchical friendship these guys had, and she wouldn't poke her nose into it.

“You two start moving the furniture,” Derek ordered Shane and Clem. “I’ll check the kitchen.”

Emma followed him without thinking. She didn’t even know why her feet trailed after him, but they did.

The kitchen was a disaster zone. Derek cursed under his breath.

“Dirty, right?” Emma quipped, her voice tinged with amusement.

He glanced at her sharply. Was she taunting him? Or just pointing out the obvious? Either way, her presence grated on him. If not for his father’s punishment, he’d be anywhere but here.

Then she screamed. 

“Cockroaches!!”

Before he knew it, she had leapt into his arms. His reflexes had caught her, but the sensation that hit him next froze him in place. Her scent flooded him—coffee, chocolate, and something sweet and floral. It was intoxicating.

Mate, Maru, his wolf, whispered with certainty.

No. Derek’s chest tightened. Not this. Not her.

But even as he denied it, his arms tightened around her, his body moving instinctively to shield her from the shattered plates and skittering bugs on the floor.

When he looked down, and noted the scattering cockroaches, he laughed. The little witch was terrified of them.

Emma, for her part, felt his arms far too comfortable, her cheek pressed against his chest. She cursed herself silently, embarrassed, and tapped his shoulder. “Put me down.”

He did—none too gently. She hit the floor with a thud, glaring up at him. 

He smirked. “We’re even now.”

She cursed again, trying to get to her feet, but her legs felt numb. 

Guilt pinched Derek as he noticed this, as he realized that he had hurt her, as he heard Maru’s growl of disapproval.

So he extended his hand. 

She hesitated, pride battling with pain, then finally took it. Their eyes locked as he pulled her up, and for a moment the world stilled.

They were still holding hands when Shane walked in.

“The boys are here,” he announced, breaking the spell.