Chapter 38 #2
I nodded. "It's a thriller about people on vacation getting taken by monsters. This one is the Loch Ness monster. I left it behind last time I was here, and have been thinking about it ever since."
"Interesting," he said. "Mind if I read it when you're done?"
"Sure," I said. He started walking towards the comics, and I followed along with him towards the VHS tapes. Apparently, I was being just as clingy. "I didn't know you were interested in comics."
He shrugged. "I'm not that interested. But they're important to you, so I should give them a try."
My entire face got hot. Why was he just… saying these things like they were no big deal?
Marcus stopped at the wall and started looking it over.
"You don't have to do this, you know."
"Do what?" he asked, keeping his eyes there.
"Be all… sweet. Just because we're mated, doesn't mean you need to act like this."
"I'm not acting like this because we're mated." He pulled one of the tapes off the wall before carefully placing it back.
"Then why are you acting like this?" My tone took on a sharp edge.
"Because I want to," he said simply.
I stood there silently, feeling myself start to spiral. Why did he want to? Why all of a sudden, if not for the bond? Did he feel some sense of responsibility? Was he looking for a kind way to tell me he wanted to break it off? My stomach was suddenly in knots, and I felt lightheaded.
Marcus wrapped his arm around my shoulders, the sudden weight feeling comforting, even though it shouldn't have.
"I found what I needed. Should we get going?"
I nodded, leaning into his warm touch. He bought the comic and the tape before we started back to the car. I probably should have made some effort to pay, but I didn't have the brain space.
It wasn't long until we were back in the car. When a few moments passed and Marcus didn't make any effort to start driving, I looked at him. Which is when I noticed he was staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Why did you get so wound up back there?"
"I didn't," I insisted.
He lifted his brow. "You did, I was there. I can feel it."
I almost asked how before the memory became very clear. That was going to be annoying.
"None of your business." That wasn't what I really wanted to say, but talking about these things was… hard, to say the least. Eva seemed to have no issues talking about her feelings and being honest, but for some reason, my first reaction was to always snap back.
"You're my business now, whether you like it or not," he said.
"I don't have to be. Bonds can be broken."
He snatched my wrist off the center console, making all of my attention shift to him. "Don't even joke about that," he said, deadly serious.
I turned away, shrugging. "It's not like it's that bad."
I froze, and I felt Marcus tense up next to me. "Why do you say that?"
"No reason," I said, trying to pull myself from him.
But Marcus held firm. "Don't lie to me. I'll tolerate a lot, but not lying."
Fuck. I hadn't meant to bring it up to him. "I don't want to talk about it."
His jaw ticked. "I would like you to talk to me about it."
"Why?"
I could see him making an attempt to be patient. "You asked in the store why I was acting like this, correct?"
I nodded.
"It's also because you're my mate. Whether it happened the way we envisioned or not, I take it seriously. I'm not dense. I know things between us were… tense before this, but it didn't have anything to do with you, not really."
"It didn't?" This was the first I was hearing about it.
"Did Indi ever tell you about Mindy?"
"No."
I could see him think before he began to speak. "A few years ago we were seeing this girl, Mindy. She was also an omega, one I had brought into the group.
"At the time, it seemed like she was the perfect fit. She didn't mind our… eccentric quirks, and got along with everyone."
I felt a spike of jealousy, but Marcus was quick to rub the back of my hand, soothing some of that feeling.
"But she had no intention of any of that. She had just wanted me to herself. Every day she tried to drive a wedge further and further between us, to the point that she lied to me about being pregnant."
I sucked in a harsh breath. That was… intense. "So, what happened?"
"For a while, I believed her and took her side when I shouldn't have. Our relationship became strained to the point where Indigo considered moving out for a while. But then all of the lies came out, all of the bullshit. It was… painful. For everyone."
I could imagine.
"Cameo had a work thing, and I'm not sure if he really had to leave, but he did for a year. Indigo and I barely spoke, even though we were living together."
I couldn't envision that. Sure, they had their moments, but the three of them were extremely close. Thinking about them not talking seemed wrong. "How did you come back together?"
"Time," he said. "And lots of talks. It wasn't perfect, and sometimes still isn't, but at least we're all together."
"And that's why you've been… wary of me?"
He scoffed. "Why I've been a dick about it? Yeah."
I nodded. That context was… helpful. "So you feel… secure? Now that we're mated?"
"To an extent," he said. "A big part of it is I'm able to feel your feelings."
"So?"
"I can tell exactly how you feel about me. How you feel about Cameo, and Indi. Even Eva. You're not playing a game. But there's something else going on that I'd like you to tell me about."
I sighed. He did just tell me a lot, so it only felt fair for me to return the favor.
"I've been bonded before."
The growl that came from Marcus made me jump. His pheromones flooded the car. "And you're… not anymore?"
"Well, I am… but not to who I was the first time."
I told him about what happened before I met them. About Mason getting me out and breaking the bond, and about my tattoo.
He listened in a tense silence as I told the story, not interrupting me once.
When I was done, we each sat in that silence. Did he think differently of me now? Did he have the same concerns about pain I did?
"And what happened to him?"
That wasn't the question I was expecting. "Uh, I don't know. Mason just relocated me after, and I never asked any questions."
"I see."
The silence had me bouncing my foot.
"Are you upset?" I asked.
"Very," Marcus said.
I deflated. "I understand. Being bonded to someone tainted by someone else probably isn't…"
I wasn't able to finish my thought. Marcus grabbed my face, a bit too hard, and pulled me to look at him. Anger was etched across his features.
"To be clear, I'm not upset with you, or about your previous bond, or anything stupid like that. I'm upset because I want to rip the fucker limb by limb for thinking he could ever touch what was always mine."
"Oh."
I knew it might be a bit toxic, but his words were comforting.
"Again, I know this bond didn't happen the way he should have, but it happened because it was supposed to. You were always meant to be ours."
I could feel the pressure of tears behind my eyes, but refused to let them fall.
"Okay," I breathed.
Except… "Indi is really pissed with me."
"Yeah, he is," Marcus said unhelpfully. "But he'll get over it."
"I don't know," I said. "He's really upset."
"And I've known him forever. He's obsessed with you; he'll let it go."
I licked my lips. "I thought maybe I could do something to bring us together."
Marcus rubbed his chin. "That might be a good idea. You know, the theater across from me is doing an actor's cut of Screech day after tomorrow. I’ll let the staff know I need a night off—I haven’t taken one in a while. Surely they’ll be able to manage without me."
"Oh, that's a great idea."
I pulled it up on my phone. Marcus was right, but what he didn't seem to know was that one of the nights, Nora Bell was going to be there, and she was the final girl. Taking photos with her would be so fun! And the resale tickets weren't crazy expensive.
"Booked," I told him with a smile.
It felt good to have a plan. To know what my next step was.
Plus, Indigo never could resist a movie.