Chapter 5 #2
“I get it. I do. It will take time, and I’m willing to take that time to earn your trust. It’s expected, and I’m not offended in any way.”
“I’m sorry,” Oscar said after dropping his hands to his lap.
“Don’t be. I do understand. Trust takes time, and that is to be expected.
We have really been thrown together all of a sudden, and I think that if you weren’t responsible for your two siblings and I wasn’t responsible for mine, we would be looking at everything much differently.
” Oscar seemed to agree with me on that but still looked uncertain.
“I don’t get it,” he said after a moment of silence.
“What?”
“How you’re so calm and easygoing about all of this. You came from an entirely different realm, and everything has been thrown upside down and inside out for you, and yet, you’re just chill. You have a positive outlook about everything.”
I bit my lower lip because it was immensely difficult to not laugh at the thought of me being positive about everything.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” I told him. “I used to be incredibly selfish. I’ve already admitted to that.”
Oscar shrugged. “Yeah, but we all did, and I can understand wanting out of where you were. I’ve been there before too.
But now, you’re in a completely new world, and yet, you’re happy, excited, positive, and you’re all…
it’ll be all right, and we’ll make everything work.
” Oscar sighed. “I just wish I had that positive outlook on everything. My life has been…” Oscar seemed to think for a moment.
“I would say I’ve been in reaction mode and doing damage control for a while now.
Since school started and Hailey met her new friends. ”
When Oscar said friends, he did the air quotes gesture, which told me they weren’t really friends.
“Can maybe her brother—I’m sorry, I don’t remember his name.”
“Joseph.”
“Can he maybe help watch out for her? Maybe put her on a better path?”
Oscar was shaking his head. “No. She insisted on going to the human school.” Oscar groaned.
“I apologize now. She’s going to be really pissed when she comes back because I’ve already pulled her, and she’s going to be going to the shifter school on pack lands now.
I did it last week when she threw her plate of food at me.
The plate broke against my head, and the mess hit the floor.
” Oscar rubbed his head absently. “I told her to clean it up, and she refused. It was there for two days before she finally cleaned it up.”
I was trying to keep an open mind about his sister. She was obviously going through something; I just didn’t know what, but we would definitely be getting to the bottom of whatever it was. There would be no more throwing of plates or food, and I absolutely would not tolerate her hurting my mate.
“Does the pack know?”
Oscar shook his head.
“You need to tell them.”
“I didn’t want to involve anyone. I think that Joseph might have mentioned it to someone because he goes to the shifter school.
He wanted to be around other shifters, which I thought was great.
For whatever reason, Hailey didn’t. That was my first mistake because it only took a few weeks for her to fall in with the wrong friends and start acting out.
The hate is always directed at me though, so I just take it. ”
Not anymore, he wouldn’t. I was not going to allow it to happen. “We’ll fix it. Whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out, but she’s not going to act like that anymore. All right?”
Oscar nodded and looked hopeful.
“Good. I won’t let her throw things at you any longer. We’ll figure something out, and if we have to get others involved, we will. But no, even I know that’s not how things are supposed to be.”
“I know, and I should have reached out when she first started showing signs, but I thought it would even out. If I get her the things she wants, she’s better, for a bit. But it’s never-ending.”
Nope, we weren’t going to be doing that any longer. I had Mason and Maelie to think about, and she would not be acting out in any way. They were little, and there was no way I was going to allow them to get caught in the crossfire or for Oscar’s sister to hurt him ever again.
“What about you?”
“What about me?” I asked.
“What important things about you should I know?”
Ah yes, now we’d gotten back to me. This was where I needed to tell him all about my secrets.
“Well, let’s see.” I tried to make it sound like I didn’t really know what to mention. “Oh, something that perhaps you don’t know about fae. Sound good?”
“Absolutely. What is it because I know exactly nothing about fae other than you have magical powers and live in a whole other realm.”
I chuckled with Oscar. True. We were here more than I think other paranormals realized, but we weren’t nearly as numerous as the ones who were from this realm.
“We usually meet our mates young, we tend to have some number of children—on average three to five—and we don’t date until we meet our mates.” There. Did that work? Would that explain things well enough for him?
“You don’t date? At all?”
I tilted my hand back and forth. “Some do, but it’s incredibly rare.
Most of us don’t date or have any sort of relationship until we meet our mates.
It’s very rare that we haven’t met our mate by midthirties at the very latest. Most of our mates are found in other villages unless we’re one of the few that have been chosen to come here.
“No relationships. Nothing of that sort at all. No dates, no kisses, no sex, nothing.”
“No sex? Never?”
I shook my head.
“Anything?”
Another shake of my head. Oscar’s eyes widened.
“Is that an issue for you?” I asked. It would hurt if it was. Sure, I wasn’t going to be the best he’d ever had, but I could learn. I knew how it worked, and I knew how to please him if he only gave me the chance. But in practice, I’d never done anything of the sort.”
“Not even a hand job?”
“Absolutely nothing. You will be my first, my only. Is that a problem?”
Oscar’s mouth opened and closed for a few moments before he shook his head. “Are you serious?”
“I am, but you seem as if this is a problem for you. I cannot change it at this point. I was brought here because my mate is here and there was a need for my services at the council store.”
Oscar’s mouth continued to open and close. “No, I just…I feel bad.”
I raised an eyebrow at him in question. “Why?”
“Because you’re stuck with me. I already felt bad about that, but now I feel extra bad. I had two…you know, before I was sold. I don’t really count what they did to us, but it still happened.”
I moved on the couch to where I was sitting in the middle and could reach him.
I took his hands in mine, bringing them up to my mouth and kissing the backs of both.
“I am not nor would I ever be upset about what happened to you beyond that they did despicable things to you and others. No person should ever be subjected to what you have gone through. Ever. There’s no reason or excuse for things of that nature. ”
“Thank you. I should be okay. For when we do…”
It took me a moment to realize what he was referring to.
“Oh. You mean sex. When we claim each other?”
“Yeah. I don’t have any type of fear around you, and I haven’t from the very beginning.
Not that I don’t think you couldn’t hurt me because you probably could, even without the use of magic.
You’re at least fifty pounds heavier than I am and about eight inches taller.
I’d say you could do what you want, if you were of a mind. ”
I shook my head. “I’m not. We’ll go at your pace, as I said before. When you’re ready, it’ll happen, and not a moment before.”
And I would. I would wait for my mate to be ready. He deserved no less than that.