Chapter 25 #2
Felix’s hands grab my ass and yank me up until my legs are able to wrap around his waist, and I now have no problems reaching his throat.
“Much better,” I murmur, kissing his lips. My mouth then moves to his neck where I made him mine during my heat, biting down hard in exactly the same way that I did then.
“Fuck,” he growls. “I fucking love you.”
“I love you,” I murmur, straightening with a smile.
Felix slowly lets me slide down his body so I can feel his erection, and I whimper with a pout.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promises, kissing me again as he pulls on his coat and hat. “Bye.”
“Bye,” I breathe as he walks out.
“Hey,” Mal says, coming over to pick me up. “It’s movie time, beautiful.”
I know he’s trying to distract me. It’s so silly, but I didn’t want Felix to leave. It’s a good thing my pack is good at distractions.
“To the cuddle pile,” I tease him as he walks. Glancing over, I find that’s exactly what’s waiting for me.
Mal settles me in the cloud of pillows, blankets, and the familiar smells of our pack as he sets up the movie. The only thing left to do is enjoy the moment.
Which I fully intend to do.
FELIX
Settling in the tattoo artist’s chair, I watch as Seren gets ready.
“Thanks for seeing me on Christmas,” I say with a wince.
“Of course,” she says. “Melodie is perfectly happy to nap during this.”
Seren is a single mother with a two year old. Her pack was murdered just after Melodie was born, and she supports herself now with her tattoo studio. She’s really good, and the only one I’ll let do my tattoos.
We went to high school together, and I can see the toll it’s taken on her to have lost her scent matched pack. She’s so fucking strong. Seren easily could have followed her alphas into death and left Melodie an orphan, but she didn’t.
She’s a fighter.
“Melodie is getting so big,” I murmur, watching the little girl sleep in her play area. There’s a pillow and blanket for her to snuggle with, and I smile when I see the teddy bear too.
“She looks so much like Gray,” Seren whispers. “It could be hard to look at her, but I tell myself instead that this is a little piece of Gray that I get to keep with me.”
“It’s a beautiful way to see it,” I say. “How are you doing?”
“Still taking it day by day,” she says, motioning for me to put my head back. “A bite, really?”
“That is my mate’s bite,” I reply, waiting for her to realize.
Seren’s lips pull into a wide smile, despite the lingering sadness in her gray eyes. “You have a mate? Holy shit! Congrats, man.”
“Thanks. I think you’d like her. Hollis is amazing,” I say.
Seren disinfects the area before beginning the tattoo, and I stay quiet so she can work. The needles stings, but it also feels really good. I have tattoos all over my body because I enjoy how much it hurts, and I get some of my best ideas in this chair.
I don’t know how Hollis will react to seeing this, but the guys know I’m getting this tattoo.
“All done,” Seren says. “If I see your mom, do I mention that I saw you?”
The town we all grew up in is small. It’s funny that I didn’t meet Mal or Brice before college, but we were in different grade levels, so it never happened for some reason. However, it does mean that Seren runs into my family occasionally.
“It’s probably better if you don’t,” I sigh. “We had a blowout when we went over for brunch. It was the first time they met Hollis, and they said a lot of fucked up shit about us in her presence before they insulted her.”
“They what?” she hisses. While Seren knows that I have issues with my family, she doesn’t know the extent of the side commentary.
“My mom asked Hollis if she was going to cure me of being gay,” I explain.
“But you’re not gay,” Seren says, shaking her head. “What’s wrong with her?”
“A lot,” I grumble. “None of our dads were there, and they apparently lost their shit when they found out what happened. I’ve been getting texts and calls from mine, begging me not to cut him off.”
“Shit, I’m sorry,” she says. Her lip wobbles before she bites her lip. “For the record, I’m really pissed off for you.”
“I know,” I chuckle, sitting up to let her put the protective cover on my tattoo. Seren has always cried when she gets really angry. “We’ve been struggling to figure out what to do with our families’ comments over the years, and it’s the reason we don’t come home much.”
“Now you have no reason to,” she grumbles.
“Yes, because I wouldn’t let anyone else tattoo my skin,” I snort, standing once the protective cover is secure.
Walking over to the mirror, I gaze proudly at the lines of Hollis’ teeth on my skin.
“It’s perfect,” I say, pulling out my wallet to pay her in cash. I pay double without hesitation because of the holiday.
Seren gazes at the money before glaring at me. “You’re an asshole,” she says. “Thank you.”
Yep, that’s about as sweet as she gets.
“See you next time,” I say. “Merry Christmas. What are you doing the rest of the day?”
“Playing with Melodie, making dinner, and watching some type of Christmas kiddie movie,” she says, cleaning up her station. “I want her to have good memories of Christmas.”
“Good. Make them for you too, okay?” I say, opening the door to the shop as I wait for her nod.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Merry Christmas, Felix. I am really happy for you.”
“I know you are,” I say, leaving to walk out to the car.
I know the holidays are the worst for her. The murder was a drive-by shooting, and shouldn’t have happened. It just shows that sometimes bad things happen to good people.
I rush back to the cabin to show my girl my new tattoo, loving her squeal when she sees it.
Hollis is fucking perfect for us.
NOVA
My feet feel heavy as I walk toward the main house. I see the light is on, but I don’t see any vehicles. That’s not abnormal though, since they tend to use their garage when the weather gets rough.
I had a long conversation with Caleb and Lars before I kicked them out. My mind has been spinning all week. Through the long days spent with Katee and Addy, and the sleepless ones where my mind raced.
I just got home today, three days after Christmas, and knew I needed to go talk to Hollis.
Is she really my twin? A girl that she’s apparently been looking for since her sister disappeared? I look more like my mother with my blonde hair and the contacts I was forced to wear until I left home, and I could never figure out why they wanted me to be someone that I’m not.
I’ve also always had this kind of dread and fear surrounding my father. He’d hit me when he was angry with me, I couldn’t have friends, and when I became a teen things got even worse.
The memory of his words that I’m older than the age he usually prefers now has me shuddering in a way that has nothing to do with the cold. My mother never had any other children, and I thank all the deities of the universe for that every day.
I may not have been able to escape if I had siblings.
Fuck…and here I am. On the other side of this door may be the sibling that Caleb and Lars are insistent on is mine. All because of my eyes.
My heart pounds as I squish my toes together in my boots until they cramp. My breaths are coming faster from the influx of bad memories that I harbor, and I think about the woman I saw at the hospital that was beaten so badly.
I want to get to know her, even if it becomes clear that Lars and Caleb are insane and we aren’t related.
Lifting my hand, I knock on the door loudly, knowing the wind will carry away the sound otherwise. Malcolm opens the door with a smile, and I shove my hands in my pockets.
“Hey stranger,” he teases. “Did you just get back?”
“I did,” I say with a nod, coming in as he ushers me inside. “It’s been a crazy few weeks. I didn’t think I’d miss the tiny house, but I really did.”
“There’s nothing like your own space,” he agrees. “We got back last night.”
“Nova,” Remy says, coming over. It’s like saying my name brought all of the guys out from the different parts of the house, and I bite my lip as I wait to see if Hollis will come out.
My parents have been calling me non-stop this week, even though I blocked the last number that my father called me from. I made the mistake of answering a call late at night while in the baby’s room, and I refused to do it again.
I’m tired of being scared all of the time. It feels as if they’re fucking with me so they can find me, but I know that’s not possible. My work schedule in Minneapolis allows me the freedom of movement, which means it’s supposed to be harder to find me.
I know this, I do. Logic simply isn’t as easy as panicking is.
“I have a problem and I need to speak to Hollis about it,” I say in a small voice. “Is she here by chance?”
Brice stares hard at me, his lips drawn in a thin line. “She’s not, Nova. Does this have something to do with how odd you’ve been behaving since she moved in?”
“I’m always odd,” I sigh. “It’s really hard to explain. I’m afraid that I’m going to sound crazy.”
“We deal with a lot of crazy things,” Mal says gently. “Come sit on the couch and talk to us.”
“Okay,” I say walking to the living room. “I should probably preface this by saying that I’m pretty sure Hollis’ friends Caleb and Lars are stalking me. If at any point you don’t believe what I’m saying, I’m sure the cameras will show that.”
“Good to know,” Felix says, forehead furrowing. “Why are they stalking you? Granted, I’ll admit that the fuckers are intense, but they adore Hollis. They grew up together.”
Forcing myself to keep breathing, my thoughts go wild. If they kick me out, I have Bertha to sleep in. I probably have like a good solid five minutes before that happens.
Fuck, I’m losing my shit.
“Nova,” Remy says, leaning forward. “Come on. It’s just us. Explain what’s going on.”
“They think I’m Hollis’ twin sister,” I rasp. “That’s insane, right?”
Brice sighs as he stares at me. “Fuck me,” he mutters. “It’s not as insane as you think it is.”
“What?” Malcolm asks, twisting to look at him.