Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Caleb’s hand is warm in mine, and I instinctively lean against his side as the cool, wintry air hits my cheeks and whips my hair around my head. A strand finds its way into my mouth, and I curse before spitting it out.
Did Caleb see that? He’s not looking in my direction, but he’s fighting back a smile. He saw.
My nerves ratchet as we approach Sash’s house. It’s a brick cottage with white trim and vines growing up the sides. Caleb gives my fingers a gentle squeeze before pushing open the iron gate that leads up a cobblestone walkway.
It’s a beautiful, quaint house. I’m sure the human who once lived here loved it. They were probably devastated as the wolves drove them away.
The lights are on inside, and several silhouettes are visible beyond the thin curtains. This isn’t a small get together. This is a full-on party.
Caleb spins toward me as we reach the front door. I have a millisecond to respond before his lips are on mine and his hands are sliding underneath my traffic-cone inspired winter jacket. Despite the temperature, Caleb’s hands are warm.
“There are more people here than I expected,” he whispers against my lips. “Would you like to go home?”
“We’re already here…”
“I don’t care.” Caleb brushes his thumbs across my cheeks, the touch settling my racing emotions. This damned bond. “I only care about you, Ev. If you’re not comfortable, we’ll leave. No questions asked.”
I want to scream. Instead, I smile.
“I’m okay,” I say. “Let’s go inside.”
Caleb doesn’t look like he entirely believes me, but he doesn’t embarrass me by questioning my lie. I’m sure the shifters can hear us through the door, and they’re nosy people.
“I’ll be by your side all night,” he says. “I promise.”
Caleb pushes open Sash’s front door, welcoming himself inside. She’s on us the moment my coat and hat are removed, her beaming smile the first thing I notice before a drink is placed in my hand and my forearm is grabbed.
I shoot Caleb a panicked look as his sister drags me away, but he only shrugs.
What happened to being by my side all night? Dirty, fucking liar.
Sash takes it upon herself to introduce me to everybody here, even the few people I’ve already met. I try not to flush too deeply as she loudly announces over and over again that I’m Caleb’s mate. I spot the occasional glance at my marked hand, but nobody outright stares.
Still, the glances are almost always followed by a scrunched nose and pursed lips. They don’t approve of the color. I’m sure they all have their own suspicions about how it came to be so dark. They’re probably right.
I stick my hand in the front pocket of the giant sweatshirt Caleb forced over my head earlier. I hated that he was putting me in what is essentially a sack, but now I’m glad to have a place to hide my hand.
I’m embarrassed by my marking. I always have been, but now it’s for an entirely different reason. It’s so fucking dark. I used to detest the fact that I had a mark, but now I hate that I’ve ruined it.
Deep down, I wish mine were light like everybody else’s. Mine is a beacon, signaling to everybody all the horrible things I’ve done to my bond with Caleb. I shouldn’t care as much as I do, but I can’t help it.
I occasionally catch sight of Caleb as Sash drags me around. He’s the tallest man in the room, making it easy to spot him. Every time, without fail, he’s already looking at me.
He’s ready to come over at the first sign of my discomfort.
The realization makes my cheeks warm, and I clear my throat before turning back to the shifters surrounding me. Well, I’m trying to. I’m only half-listening to their conversation, my gaze continually darting toward Caleb. He’s standing with a group of three men, and he’s laughing.
He looks so at ease. This must be second nature to him. He wasn’t lying when he said shifters were social creatures.
I catch sight of Grace. She approaches Caleb’s group, easily slipping into their conversation. I find my legs carrying me in that direction before I permit them to do so.
I hate looking like a jealous woman, but the mate bond doesn’t seem to have the same reservations as it urges me to approach Caleb and tuck myself against his side.
It actually encourages me to do more than that, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before I bend over and ask him to fuck me in front of these people.
“There you are!” Caleb smiles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He turns toward the group. “This is my mate, Evelyn.”
The way he says mate makes me flush. His tone is so full of pride, so full of excitement. It physically hurts. I’m no mate to him.
Now that I’m here, I realize Grace isn’t exactly in the same small group as Caleb. He turned his body away from hers before my approach, subtly dividing the group into two. He further divides us as he steps back, removing us entirely.
“Are you having fun?” he whispers, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “My pack loves you. I’ve heard nothing but praise this evening.”
His gaze drops to my lips. I know where this is going, and I tilt my face upward as he brings his mouth to mine. I’m expecting a quick kiss like when we were outside, but instead, he tilts his head to the side and slips his tongue between my lips.
Oh. Heat pools in my abdomen as he wraps an arm around my waist and presses me entirely against him. It feels good, and I set my empty cup down before curling my fingers into the fabric of his shirt.
Caleb moans into my mouth, the noise louder than it should be, considering we’re in a room full of shifters with impeccable hearing.
He shifts, pressing himself further against me. I wouldn’t say I’m shy, but Caleb’s comfort in showing physical affection is hard to match. Our bond pulsates as he slips his fingers underneath the hem of my shirt, letting his bare skin graze against the small of my waist.
Then he brings his cheek to mine, gently rubbing me with his prickly skin.
The room around us quiets. It’s hard not to notice the sudden hush.
Caleb doesn’t seem to care as he continues rubbing his cheek against mine. He once told me this was an apology between mates, but I’m starting to fear he left some details out. He underplayed what this means.
When Sash and Grace did this with me, Caleb said it was a symbolic way to place me above them. Is that what he’s doing now? Fucking Caleb. This isn’t at all a casual gesture, and it sure isn’t an apology. Hierarchy is important to shifters.
Caleb looks awfully pleased with himself when he finally pulls away. The chatter in the room returns.
“Are you having fun?” Caleb asks.
“Yes.”
In all honesty, I am. The shifters are friendly, and if it weren’t for the fact that I’m about to murder their alpha and spill their secrets to HPAW, there are a few I’d consider wanting to be friends with.
I’ve never had friends—at least, not real ones. HPAW promised I can live a normal life once my work with the shifters is finished. I’m looking forward to it.
I doubt the education HPAW insisted I receive will translate to much in the real world, but I’m resourceful. Besides, I’m not looking for much. I want an easy, low-stress life. I want to hunker down in a small town, the kind where everybody knows everybody.
I want to feel safe and secure.
I used to dream of finding a handsome human man to have a handful of children with, but that particular facet of my dream no longer sounds exciting. Caleb, despite his secrets and shifter status, has ruined all other men for me.
I’ll be a spinster instead.
“Do you promise?” Caleb asks. “If you aren’t enjoying yourself, we can leave.”
I blow out a breath. “I’m having a great time, Caleb. I promise.”
He nods happily to himself, then takes my hand, grabs my empty cup, and pulls me into Sash’s kitchen. I lean against the counter as he makes me another drink. He doesn’t make one for himself.
“You don’t drink much,” I observe.
Caleb nods, handing over my cup. “I’ll have a drink or two on special occasions, but I like to remain in control of myself. If there’s ever an emergency, I want to tackle it with a clear head.”
He’s a good leader.
I take a sip. He’s also a bad influence. He may not drink, but he made mine strong enough to make my eyes water.
I splutter. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
Caleb only winks. It’s playful, and I find myself at a momentary loss for words as I come to the realization that he’s actually fun.
Caleb is attractive. He’s large and muscular, and he has a jawline sharp enough to cut glass.
He’s intelligent, hardworking, and a damned alpha.
We’ve spent almost every minute together these past few weeks, but they’ve been either at his work or in his home.
I haven’t really seen Caleb interact with others.
I suppose we went to the bonfire together, but we didn’t stay for long.
I sip my drink, wincing at the burn, before letting him guide me back into the living room. He doesn’t let Sash steal me away this time, and when she eventually convinces me to play a drinking game, Caleb follows me like a lost puppy.
Grace wanders over to watch, but she keeps her distance. I know I have no reason to dislike her. She’s been nothing but polite to me, and Caleb only chose her because they’re family friends and her mate is dead.
It makes sense. I know that.
Still, I find myself possessively leaning against Caleb every chance I get. He seems happy with my dramatic display, the man practically preening whenever we touch.
We play a game I’ve never heard of before. It involves a small ping-pong ball and a deck of cards, and I lose comically fast. Within minutes, Logan and a man I don’t know very well are the last ones playing.
I take this opportunity to size up Logan. Caleb hasn’t outright confirmed it, but I highly suspect Logan is his second-in-command. He’s not as large as Caleb, nor does he exude the same level of dominance, but the shifters clearly respect him.
HPAW will be pissed when they realize the two shifters they spent months watching at that cabin were Caleb’s sister and second-in-command. If they’d known, they would’ve killed the pair when they had the opportunity.
I’m glad HPAW didn’t realize. I like Sash, and I’m happy she wasn’t killed. She’ll become a target once Caleb is dead and Logan steps into his role, but maybe I can convince HPAW to spare her.
They don’t want to kill all the shifters. They just want to dismantle and remove them from power.
Caleb stands behind me, absentmindedly rubbing my hips. Well, I think it’s absentminded until he presses himself against my back. His fingers tighten around my waist, and his warm breath tickles my ear a second later.
“Are you ready to go?” he asks.
I glance around the room. “We haven’t been here for long.”
Caleb takes my empty cup and hands it to a random passerby.
The shifter shoots Caleb a dirty look, but it lacks any real malice.
I watch the interaction, again reminded that the shifters love Caleb.
He’s their alpha, but he’s also found a way to be their friend.
I imagine that’s a hard line to draw, but he’s managed it.
I suspect Caleb can manage anything he puts his mind to. He’s too smart not to.
“Would you like to go home with me?” Caleb asks.
I snort. “We haven’t been here for very long.”
He kisses the sensitive skin beneath my ear.
“You’ve been rubbing against me all night, mate.
I smell like you. You smell like me.” His voice grows quiet.
“We haven’t had sex, and I’m getting possessive.
I’m having trouble controlling my urges, probably because this is such a casual setting, and if we don’t leave, I fear I’m going to start a fight. ”
A fight? The idea of Caleb fighting over me is more intriguing than I’d care to admit. Would he fight in his skin or wolf form? Both are appealing in their own ways. His wolf form is deadly, but I’d love to see his skin slick with sweat as he—
Caleb groans, the noise too loud for the impeccable hearing within this room. “I can smell you, Ev.” His following words are practically growled. “Everybody can smell you. If you’re not willing to bend over the couch, then we need to leave immediately.”
Bend over the couch? Is he serious? We’re in his sister’s home.
I’m scooped up into Caleb’s arms. He doesn’t bother putting me in my coat and hat as he rips them out of the entryway closet and carries me out of the house. Whistles, hollers, and teasing follow us outside.
“Caleb!” I try to sound angry, maybe even affronted, but my laughter ruins it.
“I warned you.” He shoots me a beaming smile, then tosses me into the passenger seat of the car. “I need to take a cold shower and change into something that doesn’t smell like your arousal before I lose my fucking mind.”
The car door slams shut, and I use my hands to try to physically stop myself from smiling like a giddy child. It doesn’t work.