Chapter 6 #2
I took a deep breath and let it out before looking up at Dante. I’d let him answer that one because he was the one making things difficult at this point. I’d apologized for what I’d said and acknowledged that he was avoiding me because he didn’t want anything to do with me.
“I’m an idiot and have a lot to make up for,” Dante said.
“So you are a thing?” Lukan asked. “Just checking because a thing is different than mates.”
I shook my head. Dante growled. “We’re mates. Banner is allowed to have friends though. As long as they understand what mates are and what it means.”
Felix’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, wow. You didn’t say anything.”
I shrugged. “We’re working things out, I guess. I didn’t know…” I sighed again. “It’s complicated.”
“It’s not complicated,” Dante said. “I was an asshole, according to my packmates. They’re not wrong.
I hurt Banner, and now we need to work on how to go forward.
” Dante started walking, taking me with him.
I was stunned speechless and could only follow along because what else did one do when their hellhound mate said those words?
I thought about it as we continued to walk, and it took way too long for me to realize that Dante was leading me to his house. The last place I wanted to go was his house. I started to push back against his hold on me, which got Dante’s attention.
“I don’t want to go to your place,” I said. I glared up at Dante and pulled from his grasp. “Just because you said nice words doesn’t mean I’m going to give in, and now all of a sudden, I’ll let you claim me.”
Dante looked as if I’d slapped him. “That’s not…
” He shook his head. “No, I don’t think that at all.
I honestly just want to talk. I know I hurt you more than just those few words will fix.
It’s going to take time and effort. But I also wanted you out of the cold.
There’s a snowstorm coming later this evening, and the temperature is about to drop significantly. ”
“Oh.” It had already started to get dark, and when I looked up at the sky, I could see the clouds out to the west. “All right. We can go talk. I don’t know what exactly there is to discuss, but I know I should at least hear you out.
” Was I behaving any better than him if I chose not to discuss things with him?
No. This was what I had wanted. Dante willing to talk to me.
By the time we were walking up to Dante’s front door, the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped considerably.
The first flakes of snow were swirling in the air, and I wondered how I’d missed the fact that a snowstorm was coming through.
Probably because I’d been having my own little pity party and had been focused on anything but the here and now, really. I’d been on autopilot for weeks now.
Dante opened the door and gestured for me to hurry inside. “It’s warm, and there is no wind,” he said.
I grinned up at him as I walked past. I entered Dante’s space for the first time and found it surprisingly cozy and colorful from what I could see.
The farther I moved into the house, the more pops of color I found.
I was surprised, but maybe I shouldn’t have been.
I didn’t really know Dante, and the fact that I’d expected him to have nothing but dark, heavy furniture showed just how little I actually knew about the hellhound.
“Wow,” I said as I entered the back room. The walls were distressed brick with faded wood trim and beams across the ceiling. The couch was oversized in a soft blue color and was seriously the largest sectional I’d ever seen. There were several pillows, a colorful area rug, and so many books.
“Good wow or bad?”
I looked up at Dante. “Surprising. I honestly thought your house would either be all dark colors or you would still have the basic stuff they all come with.”
Dante sighed. “Want to see the bedroom, then?” He held up his hands. “I’ll stay right here. You can run up and tell me if that’s more what you were expecting from me.”
That really caught my interest, and I couldn’t resist. I had seen the stairs, so I quickly went back to them and then up.
It wasn’t difficult to locate the bedroom: it scented of Dante.
That, and it was the only room that actually had furniture in it.
What I found there was actually what I’d expected for the entire house.
The accent wall here was stone, and it was dark gray to black.
It surrounded an identical stone fireplace that had a black wood mantel over it.
On the mantel was a single large bowl, but I didn’t know what it had in it, if anything.
The ceiling was dark wood, and there was a dark gray, shaggy rug that covered most of the hardwood floor.
The bed though, it was massive and took up a good deal of the room.
It was low to the floor and had a thick black covering on it.
There were about twenty pillows, and they, too, were black.
Yep, definitely more what I had pictured when it came to Dante and what his place would look like.
I went back downstairs, finding Dante exactly where he said he’d be.
He was sitting on the plush couch with his arm across the back.
I chose to sit right in the center of the “v” and turned myself toward my mate.
“Yes,” I said. “That was actually how I envisioned your house to be,” I said.
“I apologize for that though. I shouldn’t have assumed you would be all gloomy like that.
Dante snorted. “It’s expected. I’m a bit of a grump. And if I’m being completely transparent, it was all like that,” he said, pointing around the room. “A month or so ago, I actually decided to do a bit of redecorating. This is the third change. I’m not sure I like it yet.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. I was startled into silence when there was a sudden bang against the back wall of windows. The noise was quickly followed by howling.
“Sounds like the weather person was wrong about when the storm would hit.”
I looked at Dante, suddenly worried. “Is it big? Do you know how long it will last?” I could without a doubt make it home. Probably. I was a bear shifter, and I was good in the snow. And I knew the general direction toward my house. But this storm sounded like it had quite a bit of punch to it.
“They said around twelve hours or so. But they also said it wouldn’t be here until around seven.”
It was just before five. So the storm hit a couple of hours early. It was understandable that they would be off with the time. They were all estimates anyway. But what if the storm ended up lasting all night? I internally rolled my eyes at myself. Twelve hours is all night, Banner. Duh.
I sighed. “I don’t suppose you would be able to help me get home later, after we talk?”
Dante nodded slowly. “I’ll certainly see that you are home safely.
I would also offer for you to stay here, but I know that you don’t exactly trust me, and I don’t blame you.
I have a lot to make up for. I’ve been a complete ass, and that is no way to treat your mate.
Are you willing to stay for a bit and talk about things?
I’d like to discuss what I’ve been doing. ”
I nodded. I definitely was up for that. And he was a hellhound. Maybe I could get him to use some of that magic of his to get us some Chinese food for supper. Especially since there was no way either of us was going down off the mountain anytime soon.