Love Bites

Chapter 14

Spraying a liberal amount of dry shampoo onto the head before me, I work a brush through the matted brown hair. It’s tough work, as some of the knots have been there for a long time, but I keep up with it, knowing the results will be worth it. Pulling the hair back, I braid it into a simple plait, tying the end off with one of my spare hairbands.

“See, Tracey, if you brush your hair and put on a little bit of blush, you look gorgeous!” I comment brightly, smiling at the female I’m standing behind through the mirror.

Tilting her large head to one side, she leans forward to study her reflection, blinking her small, brown eyes. Many people are afraid of Tracey, so when we first began talking, it took some convincing to let me do her hair. She didn’t understand why I would want to be friends with her when no one else did, thinking I was out for something. Really, I just spotted someone just as lonely in here as I was.

“You think?” she asks, reaching up to touch her new hairstyle, twisting her head from side to side to examine my work.

I snort and wave my hand. “Oh, I know. When you get out, you’re going to have all the male ogres at your door.”

She pulls me off the chair I’m using as a ladder and moves me so I’m sitting on her lap. Sometimes I feel like a doll around her, and she forgets her own strength, but I don’t really mind it. Besides, the ogre has been a huge support in the last week. She’s quiet, protective, and surprisingly funny, which is exactly what I need, and it turns out, I’m just what she needs too.

Standing at just over double my height, she catches the eye. Her thick skin is a greyish colour and is covered in battle scars, which she is very proud of. I’ve discovered that if you want to offend an ogre, all you need to do is make a bad comment about their scars, since their pride is directly attached to the marks. I had seen her around the facility, but I didn’t share any classes with her. Apparently there is a separate part of the building that houses the larger individuals or those who need more space, which is why I hadn’t seen her in the units upstairs.

Sitting with her now in quiet companionship, I lean my head against her arm, a gentle sigh escaping. Turning her large head towards me, she frowns. It’s a scary look, and I’m glad we’re friends.

“Why sad?” she asks. Her grip on our language is good, but the tusks that extend from either side of her mouth make pronouncing some words difficult.

I don’t know how to even begin explaining the mess of feelings I’m experiencing right now. The conversation we had when I told her about Gabriel and how he betrayed me was bad enough. She wanted to storm through the facility and tear his wings off, so I had to talk her down from that. I’m sure that’s one of the reasons why Gabriel hasn’t tried to speak to me in the last week, because I have an ogre bodyguard.

“I guess I just miss my mate and my friends,” I tell her, not bothering to try to convince her there’s nothing wrong.

My new friend snorts. “You have Tracey now, no need for other friends.”

I laugh and lean back against her, not a hundred present sure if she’s joking or not. It’s true though, I don’t need those men when I have Tracey and Tina. I’m sure the two of them would get on like a house on fire once Tina has gotten over the shock of me having an ogre as a friend.

One of the things that has been going through my mind since the assessment is that I never had the chance to properly say goodbye to her. We were so sure I was going to be released that it felt like we would jinx it if we had a long goodbye. I’m so glad I was able to see her then, but if anything, it’s made me miss her all the more. Has someone explained to her what happened?

It’s been a week since my assessment and my release was cancelled, and I decided to make the most of my time here—being on time to all my classes, taking notes, attending counselling, and signing up for extracurricular activities. Currently, I’m trying to learn how to speak ogre, but my mouth just doesn’t move in the way it needs to for their harsh words. I’ve only been able to see Zane once during that time, and it was only a short meeting to allow our bonds to be together. No other visitors have been allowed, not even with Jack as my sponsor to help me get through this. To be honest, it’s been eating away at me, the tightness in me getting worse and worse. I’m waiting for it to snap, and when it does, I don’t know what’s going to happen.

Packing up our bits and pieces, we leave the room we commandeered for a little beauty session and walk back through the hallways to the common room.

“Why are you in here anyway?” I finally pluck up the courage to ask. Ever since I first saw her, I’ve wondered this, but until now, I’ve not wanted to ask in case she felt offended. I think I know her well enough now, though, to know she wouldn’t lash out at me for asking.

Most would assume that a huge ogre with overprotective instincts would be locked away for a violent crime, but that’s simply discriminating based on her race. Thanks to my class in introduction to the supernatural, I know you shouldn’t assume anything about someone because of what they are.

Tracey shrugs and rolls her eyes. “Tax fraud.”

I can’t help it. I burst out laughing. That is certainly not what I thought it would be. It just goes to show, don’t judge an ogre by her size.

We’re just about to pass through the reception to get to the common room on the other side of the building, and I can’t help but tense up, just like I have every time I have to go through here. I can almost hear Gabriel calling out my name, his voice full of hurt and concern.

“Emmy.”

Jack’s voice rings through the room, a smile already on my face as I turn to look at him. He’s just going through security and is still wearing his police uniform, looking just as handsome today as the last time I saw him. It’s so good to see him and with such a bright smile on his face too. Jack is like sunshine, brightening up the room with his presence.

This past week has been really tough, and my emotions are a rollercoaster. Things feel so uncertain at the moment, and it’s making me crazy. Being away from my mate won’t help with that, and avoiding Gabriel instead of airing my grievances is just running from the problem. I won’t admit it aloud, but I feel so fragile. Not physically, no, since I am stronger than ever thanks to my new vampire abilities, but it’s left me feeling vulnerable on the inside. I don’t know who I am anymore. Seeing Gabriel might be the final thing that pushes me over the edge, so I hid and befriended the largest creature in the facility.

Jack is a balm to my soul, calming the raging uncertainty and making everything feel possible while he’s around. I hadn’t realised just how much I missed him until now. His eyes are locked on me, smile fixed in place, not bothered by the routine search as he’s patted down.

“Who is he?” Tracey asks beside me. She attempted to lower her voice, clearly wanting all the gossip, but it carries through the room. There’s not a chance he didn’t hear her.

Still, I lean over and whisper, “He’s the cute officer I was telling you about.”

“Oh.” With her attention now fully on Jack, she turns to face him and looks him over with a critical eye. “Too skinny. Nice eyes. The animals are always good in bed.”

I have no idea what she means by that last comment, but I give her arm an affectionate pat and walk over to where Jack is now waiting for me.

“I’ll see you later and fill you in,” I say over my shoulder, chuckling as she attempts to wink at me but actually just blinks with both eyes.

Returning my attention to Jack, I throw my arms around him, clearly taking him by surprise. Burying my face against his neck, I inhale his clean scent and hold on tight. He doesn’t take long to get over his shock and quickly returns my embrace. It goes on for just a second too long for a hug between friends, and as we release each other and our eyes meet, my cheeks flame red at the want I see staring back at me.

Stepping away, I take a deep breath and press my tongue against my gums, trying to stop them from giving away just how much I enjoyed holding him so close. He seems to be having his own control issues, rubbing a hand over his short hair and smiling ruefully. Gesturing towards the visitors room just to the side of the reception, he opens the door for me, and I enter without any further comment.

“Trust you to make friends with an ogre,” he comments as he shuts the door behind him, his brow raised as he smiles. “Did you know that they are incredibly difficult to impress?”

“Oh, Tracey?” Surprise raises my voice before I snort and wave the comment away. “Nah, she’s a sweetie. She looked down one day, so I picked her some flowers and gave them to her.”

Jack stares at me like I’ve grown two heads. “You gave an ogre flowers?”

“Yes, although she did eat the flowers, which took me aback.” I shrug at the memory and brush a curl behind my ear, smiling slightly. “She claimed me then, and we’ve been friends ever since.” Wandering over to one of the padded benches, I take a seat and pull my legs up under me, watching him walk across the room to join me. “What did she mean about you being an animal?”

I don’t even bother to pretend that he didn’t hear our conversation, and to his credit, he doesn’t try to hide that he heard us. Instead, he just laughs and sits back on the bench, his expression amused.

“Have you not figured it out yet?” He smiles, seeming surprised.

I frown slightly and tilt my head to one side, clearly missing something here. Tracey just knew, simply by looking at him, so perhaps I’m just looking at the wrong details.

At my questioning look, he chuckles, his eyes warm with humour. “I’m a shifter. I change forms.”

My jaw drops open. A fucking shifter. Tracey’s comment makes sense now. The question is, though, was she right about shifters being good in bed?

No, that is not an appropriate line of thinking right now, and if I’m not careful, my fangs will make an appearance. I certainly don’t want to give away that I’ve been having dirty thoughts, so I quickly close my mouth and try to pull myself together. Jake seems to find this whole thing hilarious, so I force myself into producing a normal reply and not one that makes me sound like more of a moron than I already do.

“Whoa, that’s amazing! Can I guess what you are?” I crow, my voice too high and enthusiastic, but I’ve started something now, and I don’t seem to be able to stop. “Some sort of big cat for sure. A panther?”

Thankfully he doesn’t find any of my blathering insulting and grins as he leans back into the bench. “Close. My other form is a tiger.”

A tiger. He’s a fucking tiger. This whole situation is insane, and I would worry that it’s all in my head, but it’s far too elaborate for me to have made it up. My eyes search him for any hints of the tiger that shares his skin. He just seems to be a regular handsome guy, a muscled one, but human all the same. As I think back to the times I’ve been threatened, though, I recall the hiss he produced, not to mention the flashing amber eyes that make the occasional appearance.

He watches me process everything, giving me a few minutes to think over what I’ve learned, something I’m grateful for. I’m not sure what to say to him. What do you say to someone who has just told you they can turn into a tiger? I’m quickly coming to realise that all creatures from folklore, myths, and fairy tales are true, which makes some sort of sense as the stories would have been inspired by something. There are so many things I could ask, sensible questions like how he manages to hide his other form from the humans, and then there’s the not so sensible ones. Mostly, I want to know if I can ride on him in his other form, but I’m thinking that’s not appropriate to ask.

He watches me as I process, his expression gentle and his eyes warm. There are no signs of impatience, he’s simply enjoying my company, even when we’re not in conversation. After several minutes, he leans back against the bench with a curious smile.

“How did you know I was a cat?”

Returning his smile, I wave him off as though it was an easy conclusion to come to. Really, I don’t know how I figured it out. Perhaps it was a lucky guess, but I just had a feeling in my gut, and I went with it.

“You have cat energy,” I reply after pausing to ponder. “It had to be an alpha type animal. You’re no house cat.” I snort with amusement at the thought of him turning into a cute cat, rubbing around my ankles for a saucer of milk. “Not a werewolf though, you didn’t give off that energy.”

Werewolves are pack animals, and although he works with the SNPD and will have to work as a team, I’ve only ever seen him working solo. He carries a confidence about him that tells me he’s protective and defends his territory, but he also has a softer side for those he loves and needs his protection. Not to mention, he’s got muscles on top of muscles, yet he still manages to move around with the grace of a cat.

He laughs and shakes his head with a wry expression. “Never call a wolf shifter a werewolf until you’re trying to offend them. They are two completely different creatures.”

Groaning, I let my head fall into my hands. “I’m never going to learn all of this.”

“You have time, don’t worry. Most of us grew up in this world, so we have a head start.” He waves it off as though it’s no big deal. “How are you getting on in here? I’m sorry I couldn’t come before now, they cancelled all of your visits. The only reason I was allowed in today is because I’m a cop and they know I would start asking questions otherwise.” His whole demeanour changes, and he leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, brows lowered with concern. “Are they letting you have access to Zane? What about feeding? Has Gabriel caused you any problems?”

I take a deep breath and think over his questions. While I knew that they cancelled my visits, I thought this was just procedure and that I was being punished for my midnight flight. However, the fact that they only let Jack see me because he would ask questions makes me think this isn’t normal after all. I bet bloody Dorine had something to do with that. My parole officer clearly has issues with me.

“Thanks to my new ogre friend, Tracey, Gabriel hasn’t dared to get close to me. I’ve seen him around and caught him watching me, but no contact.” My heart aches at that fact, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the betrayal or since he’s not tried to reach out to me. I push those thoughts away and focus on the rest of his questions. “I’ve seen Zane once since the assessment, and I fed the same day. I’m doing okay, trying to keep busy. I’m so glad to see you though. I’ve missed you.”

What I don’t tell him is that I’m struggling with being away from my mate and only feeding once. I know the other blood drinkers in the unit are being allowed to feed several times a week, so I don’t understand why I’m not. I won’t make a fuss, though, as that will probably cause backlash. I’m still waiting to hear how long they plan to keep me here, and I’m hoping that showing I can restrain myself, even when lacking blood, that it will play out in my favour. They will feed me again soon—I hope.

Jake’s eyes soften for a moment at my sweet words, and he reaches out to take my hand in his. “I’ve missed you too, Emmy. I’ve been thinking of you every day.”

My heart does a little flutter in my chest, a blush colouring my cheeks. I’m acting like a teenager with her first crush, but I can’t seem to help it, he just brings out that side of me. Our cute little moment doesn’t last long, though, his smile shifting into concerned frustration.

“They should be feeding you more than once a week! You’re a new vampire, they are practically starving you. The same goes for access to your mate. They should know better than this.” His eyes flash amber, and he starts to get to his feet. “I’ll sort it out, don’t worry.”

Anxiety flickers through me, and I reach out to grab his hand, stopping him in his tracks. “Please don’t leave. Not yet.” My voice is quiet and pathetic, but it seems to have an effect on him, because he sighs and drops back down onto the bench.

“What’s been going on in the outside world?” I ask, wanting to know everything and extend my time with him for as long as possible. “Have you been in touch with Tina?”

Jack fills me in on everything that’s happened since my assessment, including his conversation with Tina when my release was denied. Apparently she was livid and ready to track Dorine down and show her exactly what she thought of the troll. Thankfully, Jack managed to talk her down and has been in touch with her daily. His interaction with Zane has been minimal, but he’s been working behind the scenes to get me released.

Far too quickly, he glances up at the clock, and I see disappointment flicker over his face. “I should probably get going. I have a meeting with a judge, and I don’t want to be late.”

My heart sinks. It feels like he’s only been here for a couple of minutes, but glancing at the clock, I see it’s been over an hour. Holding back my sigh, I climb up from the bench and gesture for him to stay put. “I just need to run back to my room. I have something I was hoping you could give to Tina for me.”

“Of course.” Standing, he brushes down his uniform. “Don’t worry, I’ll come with you. It saves you from having to come back later.”

Nodding, I lead him from the room and try to keep a smile on my face despite the ache deep in my chest.