34: In the darkest moments of the night

He hadn't wanted to tell Emma like this but Sid and Kal had insisted and now their female was pushing them away.

The alarm klaxon going off had been what alerted Jag that something was wrong. He has finally caught some sleep despite everything going on. At first he had assumed that it was an attack on the Ark given that its presence drew a lot of attention and not all of it was good. However that concern quickly turned to something close to panic when he found out that it was the apartment blocks used for the sub-contractor's employees. By the time Jag had dressed and made it out of the Ark in record time, the three buildings had been reduced to rubble while thick black smoke poured into the air from the fires.

Sid had alerted him that Emma wasn't accounted for which had made Jag's blood run cold and it took everything he had not to break protocol and go running into the fray blindly. He knew it wouldn't do any good. He could end up making things much worse so he had forced himself to clear his mind of any emotion and help with the search and rescue effort by coordinating with the other senior officers and finding enough medical support.

Reports had come in that it was a suspected gas leak; something that could have been avoided but equally could have been much worse. It was a relief no one was killed but the injuries were still horrific. Sid delivered another blow to Jag's sanity almost an hour after the first explosions. He had found Emma but she was in a bad way. Fear was something Jag could face easily but the bone-chilling, breath-stealing, heart-squeezing fear that had gripped him there and then had nearly brought him to his knees.

That feeling of vulnerability knocked him for six. How could the well-being of such a difficult, stubborn creature affect him in this way? How would he cope once they were bonded? He didn't think he could handle being worried for someone so delicate all the time. Not to mention Emma seemed to have the ability to get herself into situations where her health and even life could be compromised.

He needed time to process this.

But Jag didn't have time. He wasn't the only one who had a say in this situation. Sid and Kal were growing worried given Emma's latest reaction to something they did and this whole incident just cemented their resolve. Jag was outnumbered and outvoted. It didn't help that he just *knew* Emma wasn't going to take the news well. There was just something about their little female. There was a hurt in her eyes that never faded and her aura was a mixture of sadness and guilt. The fact he hadn't been able to find anything on Emma also suggested she was hiding something. In a day and age where everyone put their lives on social media or the internet, Emma was a ghost.

And Jag couldn't let that go. Even when Emma had grown angry at him, Jag couldn't shake the questions and thoughts from his mind. He cared about this beautiful being but he didn't know her. Emma was a mystery and whatever truth she was hiding, Emma wouldn't reveal.

But that didn't change the fact that Emma was his female. It didn't change the fact that he wanted her. It didn't change the fact that he was falling in love with her.

Jag knew that even without the Isis gene playing some part in all of this, he would have fallen for the blonde. From the moment he laid eyes on her Jag had fallen for Emma. He had been drawn in by her beauty and her quiet strength that she seemed completely unaware of. There was an innocence about her and yet the sadness that wrapped around her like a cloak hinted at a hard life. She was a good person, someone who personified kindness and purity but Emma's secrets hung over her like a black cloud while at the same time she had built up walls to keep everyone at a distance.

Despite it all though, Jag still craved Emma. He still wanted to protect her and love her. There was no turning back now anyway.

Looking down at his arms that were folded over his chest. Draygonian males would develop markings on their arms when they found their soulmate. It was evolution's way of telling others that the male was bound to his female and so committed to the female much in the way that humans got married. If Emma was a Draygonian then she would have had her own markings as well. Those markings now adorned Jag's arms. They dotted his rich blue skin like shooting stars in the night sky.

Kal and Sid were starting to show their mated marks but it was Jag who started showing first.

His flame coloured eyes lifted almost reluctantly to settle on the sleeping form of his female, guilt twisting in his gut like a plastic bag full of eels. Seeing the anguish in her eyes when they had confronted her about the bond had torn Jag apart. He had been able to form any words to provide remorse or comfort. Every word that came to mind felt too cheap. He knew it hadn't gone down well. Emma had been hurting but Jag had felt like he couldn't move. It was as if he hadn't been in control.

It was only now, as he watched Emma sleep that Jag felt her truly break down the thick walls he had built up. She looked so vulnerable and so fragile curled up in the hospital bed. The doctor had told him about the infection and the details of the surgery but nothing could have prepared him for seeing Emma like this. It was destroying him from the inside. Every fibre of his being wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He wanted the worlds to know Emma belonged to him and he belonged to her.

But then word came that the fire crews had found something suspicious in not one but all three apartment blocks. There had been parts consistent with detonators found in the basements. Someone had rigged the apartments to come down and Jag couldn't shake the feeling that it was all linked to their own investigation on the leaked files. If it was then their female had just been put in danger potentially because of them.

So the worry had turned to anger. The rage was red hot and threatened to consume Jag whole and everything around him. They could have lost Emma before they got to really have her.

At some point he found himself in the seat opposite Emma's hospital bed. His eyes watched as she slept. It was the first time he had ever seen her so peaceful and even then she was still fighting off an infection so her skin was pale and sickly. Her eyelashes fluttered against her skin as she dreamt and her hands clutched the cover surrounding her body. What Jag wouldn't give to be able to know what Emma was thinking or dreaming of. He didn't understand this need to know everything about Emma but he wanted to know everything he could.

Eventually Jag had found the willpower to leave Emma's side. They now had an investigation into who was behind the bombings on their hands and Jag was determined to find out who it was and bring them to justice.

He left before Emma woke up. He knew she wouldn't want to see him after what had happened and he couldn't say he blamed her but Jag would make it up to her. He would show Emma just how much he loved her but he would show her it wasn't because of some genetic compatibility but because from the very moment he saw her that night when the fire alarms had gone off, he had been drawn to her and captivated by her until he was certain he couldn't breathe without her.

He wasn't surprised to find Sid waiting for him when he returned to his apartment. Of his two best friends, Sid wasn't one to let things simmer but Jag had hoped that he'd confront Jag at another time. His mind was too jumbled for a conversation of this depth.

"I know you think I'm here to talk about Emma." Sid started, pushing away from the wall he was leaning against. "And I am in a way but not in the way you think."

"You're here about what was found in the wreckage."

Neither male spoke as they entered Jag's apartment. It was still late, or perhaps extremely early, so the lights of New York glittered around them like gems. They were too far up to hear the noise from the scene but its presence was felt even this far away.

"You know there is a strong chance that EFHA are behind the bombings." Sid finally spoke up, his golden eyes failing to hide his worry.

"I do." Jag nodded. "But we need to be careful where we step. This group seems to be ahead of us and know our movements. We floated the idea of there being a mole and that is still a real possibility."

"Okay but how do we catch them?"

"I'm not sure yet." Jag confessed. "But what has this to do with Emma?"

"Do we really want her moving into temporary quarters? We can't protect her from there." Sid asked.

"So what do you propose?" Jag raised an eyebrow.

"That she move in with one of us."