Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Tatum
When he finally agrees with my idea of where to hide, Easton stops in a nearby parking lot so he can ditch his truck, and he steals a small car. I clutch my hands in front of me nervously while I watch him pop the door with a thin piece of wire. Within seconds, he is able to hot wire it, shrugging when he sees me with my jaw dropped. “I’ll leave it where it can be found. Mostly unharmed.”
When we’re about three miles away from the address I gave him, he pulls over, and we ditch the car behind an old closed building so we can walk the rest of the way.
Thankfully because of all the dancing, I’m not in horrific shape, and I’m able to basically jog to keep up for the first mile.
I nibble my lip. At some point, it starts raining, and I get tired of taking three steps for every one of his.
I lose steam during the second.
“Come here.” He shakes his head, grinning at me, and squats low enough that I can hop on his back, carrying me piggyback style.
Now that my mind isn’t consumed with thoughts of breathing, so I don’t pass out, I start asking questions.
“Would you really hurt them?” I ask quietly.
“Maybe. If I had to. For the sake of my uncle? No.”
I wiggle for a moment when he jolts, adjusting me, making me yelp as I tighten my grip around his neck. “Choking. Me,” he grunts, and I squeal as I release him, dropping my hold to his shoulders.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I was starting to enjoy it.”
“Stop trying to distract me,” I hiss, because he knows exactly what he’s doing. My scent spikes, filling the air with blueberries, and Easton groans. I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut. “Why did you want to hurt them?”
“They hurt someone I loved. At least, that's what I’d always been told. It wasn’t until recently that I started seeing them in a new light.”
“What changed?”
“The light,” he murmurs, and for some reason, that's all I needed to hear. I’m also cold, and wet, and over this walk, though. Maybe I’ll ask more questions later tonight…
“What the fuck?” Easton whispers to me, as he leans over, his arm pressing into mine. His wet hair drips with rain and streaks down his cheek. His lashes are darker from the water, and clumped together in a way that makes the startling turquoise of his eyes stand out.
He’s so freaking handsome… I blink at him. What did he say?
“Tatum, seriously. What. The. Fuck?” His hiss is barely audible, but he’s pressed tightly to me now. I wince.
We got rained on for the last half mile, and are currently sitting on towels in my former high school teacher's house.
To say he was shocked when I knocked on his door, is an understatement.
Nothing compares to the shock on Easton’s face when he realized my teacher was a man.
And an Alpha, more specifically.
“He’s nice, hush,” I scold, shaking my head at him when his eyes bug out at me.
“He’s creepy, and keeps looking at your tits,” Easton growls right back, and I shush him as Mr. Ferris walks back in.
“I brought tea!” he announces, and I smile sweetly, taking the warm cup he offers me. It has this oddly sour flavor, but I sip it anyway.
From the corner of my eye, I watch Easton smile as he takes the cup, but as soon as Mr Ferris turns his back, Easton dumps the cup into a potted plant sitting on the side table.
“Knock it off,” I hiss once more, and East winks at me.
I squint as I stare at him. What is he plotting behind those stunning eyes of his?
“Tatum, maybe you would be more comfortable in my recliner?” Ferris offers. I snap my attention away from the attractive Omega man beside me, and look up at the old man I once found to be a comforting presence.
Did it always smell like wet socks in here?
“I’m okay here.” I smile, but don’t want to move from Easton’s side. “I wanted to thank you again, for letting us stay here for the night, after our car broke down,” I say, watching as Ferris frowns at my rejection.
I’m suddenly very grateful that East sprayed me with the scent blocker. Even though the rain did a pretty decent job of washing a bit of it off. For whatever silly reason, I don't want Ferris scenting me tonight.
East and I will have to make another excuse again tomorrow, but I don’t know if my friend will be as willing to stay now that he knows who our host is.
I didn’t hide his identity on purpose, but once I saw East’s face as he took in the sight of the older man, I realized I probably should have been clearer.
“Oh, you know I’d do anything for you, Tatum. Whatever you need, I will always be here.” He’s focused on me so intently, that I start to squirm.
When I was young, I thought maybe he saw me as the daughter he never had. I saw him as a comfort for the missing man I’d lost at just eight years old.
Now I’m thinking that maybe he sees me in a very different way…
“Why don’t you have a pack, or a mate?” Easton asks, his tone cooler than I have ever heard it before. My mouth drops open, and I whirl around to face the rude ass Omega.
“Easton,” I scold. Again. That kind of question is considered impolite, and he knows that. Older Alphas who never formed pack bonds, or mate bonds, are often very lonely. It goes against their nature to be so isolated.
Like Omegas, they’re driven to seek out comfort from others, in one form or another. I’d always wondered the same, but I had never asked him, and I’ve known him a lot longer than East.
“I never found the right people.” Ferris looks genuinely wounded by the aggressive and insensitive question, and guilt swallows me into the couch. I sink back and try to hide how embarrassed I am.
“Hmm.” Easton tilts his head, still assessing my old teacher. “Yeah, I can imagine you had a difficult time finding people that fit your lifestyle.”
“I’m so sorry, he’s just a little socially awkward.” I jump to my feet, placing myself between Easton and Ferris.
“I understand, Tatum. I have been a teacher for a long time, after all.” Ferris smirks. “I’ve encountered many young people just like your friend. I’m not upset.”
After that, the tension seems to eventually fizzle out. Ferris is doing us a favor, and Easton is acting like he’s the enemy.
Men.