25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Violet
I ’d missed him. For two weeks, I missed his touch, his voice and yes, even his silly jokes, so when he told me one unexpectedly, I couldn’t help the laughter that escaped me. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled his scent. He said we weren’t second-chance mates, but his scent still smelled so good to me. It smelled like my Chris.
Nenetl was content at the moment. I’d been afraid she was falling into depression at the thought that Chris and Titan didn’t want us. She’d fallen just as hard as I had. I didn’t think it was possible for wolves to fall for someone other than their fated mates, but I think the fact that we knew our fated mate was dead freed her of that expectation.
They helped us heal. They were there for us when we were at our lowest. They never judged me or her for how we dealt with our trauma. They were simply a force of support at our side, and a wall against anything we deemed too hard to cope with.
He had more than earned our love.
I sighed as I felt his arms tighten around me, and I wrapped my arms around his torso. I felt a sliver of flesh from where his shirt had ridden up, and I pushed the fabric up a little more so I could feel his heated flesh against my hands. There was a weird noise coming from him when I spread my hands on his back, and he tensed a little for a moment before he sighed deeply, and relaxed.
We stayed like that for a good while, just enjoying holding each other. I thought back to everything he said, and I hoped he meant it, because while I might have survived this heartbreak, I didn’t know that I could survive it a second time.
Don’t think about it. It’s out of your control, and it will only sour what we have now.
I kept Nenetl’s words in mind and pushed myself closer to the man I loved. My lips were at the v of his shirt, and I couldn’t help but place a kiss on his chest. The light sprinkling of dark hair tickled my nose, so I tried to scratch it against his shirt. His breathing became agitated, and one of his hands against my lower back moved a little lower until he was cupping my butt and pressing me against him. I could feel his erection against my leg, and I felt my core respond to the possibilities.
“Chris,” I breathed out, kissing the same spot on his chest, and moving my hands up on his back so I could feel more of him.
He pushed me onto my back, hovering above me with a look of unadulterated passion on his face. I pushed up a little to meet him in a heated kiss. A strangled groan rose from him, and he guided me back down until I was laying back on the pillow. He took over the kiss, and I gladly let him. I opened my lips to him and he didn’t hesitate to invite himself in. I moaned when he wrapped an arm under me and pulled my lower half against his hardness, his hand splayed on my butt.
He began kissing down my neck, and I moved to give him more access. I could feel a tight coil forming in my lower abdomen and started rubbing my legs together. The need to touch myself was growing, but my hands were busy digging into his heated flesh.
His lips made their way down my shirt. He put me down and removed his hand so he could push my shirt up to my neck, while the other still held him up. He stared down at my breasts, covered by a lacy purple bra.
“You’re so beautiful,” he rasped. His eyes left my chest and met mine again, a sliver of uncertainty on them. “I wan—Do you know what triggers you?”
I shook my head.
“No one’s touched me. Not sinc—” I stopped.
What could I say? I didn’t know what anything what supposed to feel like. No one touched me before and no one touched me after. All I knew was those days, and I hoped I could forget them someday. I thought for the longest time that no one would ever be able to touch me in any kind of sexual way without my mind going back to that night, but this man with the patience of a saint had already proven that to be inaccurate.
“Tell me when something doesn’t start to feel good or you need me to stop,” he instructed, his eyes never leaving mine.
My heart started thumping in my ears loudly, and I nodded. I trusted him. Once he was satisfied I would comply, he bent down and kissed me again until I felt myself relaxing. He began his descent down my neck again, slow and methodical. When he got to my chest, his eyes flickered up to mine, checking to make sure I was still okay. I gave him a small nod, and he laid one long kiss on the swell of my left breast. I closed my eyes, sighing when he started peppering both mounds with small, slow kisses. My hands went into his hair, and I pulled the rubber band holding it back so I could comb my hands through his silky strands.
I was so lost in the feelings this wonderful man was stirring in me, that I didn’t notice when he pushed the fabric of my bra down, until his lips closed around one nipple and rung a moan out of me. I could feel moisture pooling between my legs, and I was too wrapped up in the feel of his tongue on my nipple to feel embarrassed. I whimpered a little when I felt the cold air hit the bud he’d been playing with, and the tip pebbled. He groaned and pulled it into his mouth again, before he let it go and moved to the other.
He lowered his body down to one elbow as he closed around my other breast, one hand going to the boob he had just vacated.
“I could play with these all day,” he rasped, and his words were like a bucket of ice over my body.
I fought to stay in the moment, but when Nenetl whimpered at the memory, I lost the battle, and my mind transported me back to the first night. The pain, the hands, me begging him to stop.
“Violet! Fight it, Little Warrior. Come back to me. They’re not here. It’s just you and me, baby, and I would never hurt you.”
His voice penetrated and shattered the hold the memories had over me. I wasn’t lying down anymore. I was sitting on the bed, cradled in his arms. I swallowed oxygen I didn’t know my body desperately needed, and began to cough. It took a while, but my body slowly calmed down, and I felt tears stinging my eyes when I realized I had freaked out.
I didn’t want to look at him. Embarrassment, pain and frustration hit my heart like a truck. What should have been a beautiful moment was ruined because I wasn’t normal anymore. I was broken, and no matter how much I wanted to pretend I could be normal again, I didn’t know if it was possible.
“Violet. Violet look at me.”
I buried my face in his chest instead, the first of my sobs leaving my throat as I cried against the injustice that no matter how hard I fought, Nickolas would always win.
“I’m sorry.” I cried. “I’m so sorry.”
“Shhh.” He rocked me as I sobbed.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered again when I thought I couldn’t possibly cry anymore. “I understand if you want to leave.”
“Violet—”
“I won’t sic my family on you. I promise,” I added, feeling more tears falling.
“VIOLET!” Chris shouted and made me jump.
I finally looked up at him, but instead of looking angry, he looked worried.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“But, I’m brok—”
“STOP,” he growled. “There’s nothing about you that is broken. I’m not in any rush. I just want to be with you. We’ll work on this the way we work on everything else.”
“What if I’m never—”
“Then, we kiss. A lot.” He demonstrated it by dipping down and kissing me.
“I—”
“I love you.” He stopped my protest.
“But I—”
“I love you. Nothing you say is going to change that, other than you don’t want me to be with you anymore.”
“I love you,” I whispered back.
His eyes lit up, and it occurred to me I didn’t say it back when he first said it.
“Good. Now, what did I do that triggered you?” he asked.
I shuddered against the memory, and he pulled me closer to him.
“What you said. He said it, too... the first time,” I answered so quietly that I only knew he heard me by the way he tensed and buried his head in my neck.
“Thank you. I’ll watch those words for the future. The kisses were okay? What I was doing?”
“Yes,” I answered, looking up at him when he withdrew. “Your touch is so gentle. They never—It doesn’t remind me of how they treated me.” I couldn’t keep eye contact with him as I said the words, but he took my chin and moved my face until I was looking up at him again.
He bent down and kissed me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and opened my mouth to his probing tongue. He slid us down until we were lying on our sides again.
“Are you sleepy?” he asked.
I nodded, pouting a little. Aside from sleeping like poop for the last two weeks, today had been draining. The half hour I waited to see if he would show up felt like each minute was an hour long.
“Me too. Let’s go to sleep.” He pulled the covers over both of us, and I snuggled in closer. I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me.
I woke up to my alarm blaring nearby. I reached out for it, only to hit a warm chest. I opened my eyes, and everything that happened last night came rushing back, and instantly I was awake. I looked up at Chris, who was looking for the phone sleepily. He grabbed it and passed it to me so I could shut off the alarm.
Once the annoying sound was gone, I closed my eyes again.
“What has more lives than a cat?” he asked.
I smiled, refusing to open my eyes.
“What?”
“A frog. Because it croaks every day.” I started giggling. I sat up and looked down at the man smiling up at me.
“How many of these do you know?” I asked.
“A lot. I think they’re funny.”
“I thought you were googling them just to tell them to me.” I mentioned, but he shook his head.
“Mom gave Dad a book of jokes as a gag gift for Christmas once. I thought they were the funniest thing ever, so every year after that, she put a new one in my stocking until I told her I didn’t want them anymore, because kids thought they were annoying.”
“Is that why you never joke around with people?” I asked, wanting to go back in time and tell those kids off.
He shrugged and twirled a loose piece of my hair in his fingers.
“I just don’t generally have anything clever to say. These ones are funny and easy to remember. I like the play on words.”
“You’re adorable.”
“Yeah?” he asked, his eyes lighting up at the compliment.
“Yeah.”
He flipped us over until I was lying on the bed again, and he was looking down on me from the side.
“Will you choose me again, today?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
There was not a single doubt in my mind that I would choose him every day. He smiled wide and dropped a small kiss on my lips.
“Let’s get going then. Can you ask Elim to meet us in the training arena in half an hour?”
“Okay,” I answered and grabbed my phone to text.
Me
Can you meet us in the training grounds in half an hour?
Elim
Sure. Everything go okay?
Me
We cleared things up. Thank you.
Elim
Good. He better make you happy. I didn’t like seeing you sad for the last two weeks. See you in a little while.
I nodded up at Chris in confirmation, and he went back to his room to change his clothes. I stood and did the same, leaving the room once we were ready to meet up with Elim and train. To my surprise, when we reached the ground floor, he took my hand and held it as we walked together. I said nothing, but squeezed his hand to show how much I loved it. Before he broke up with me, he was always so stoic and professional whenever he was out in public spaces.
Elim was already waiting for us when we entered the training grounds. Instead of heading his way, Chris guided me to the arena seats.
“Give me a few minutes to talk to him?” he asked.
I nodded and pulled out my phone to browse while keeping my eye on them.
His back was to me, so I could only see Elim’s reactions to whatever they were talking about. There was confusion at times, surprise and shaking of heads from both. After a few minutes, they gave each other one of those half hug, half pat on the back that guys do, and Chris walked over to me.
“Do you mind if we have a spar tonight? I’ll pick up your training again tomorrow.”
“Go right ahead. I love watching you take your shirt off and getting all sweaty.”
Chris chuckled and bent down to give me a small kiss on the lips. That was new, too, and I wasn’t going to complain about it.
I watched Elim and Chris fighting. They were enjoying the spar, and laughed at some move Chris pulled that I didn’t catch very well. I didn’t see what was funny, but I was happy to see Chris relaxing around him. Both of them needed friends.
I think since Elim helped him get his head on straight, he knows he’s not a threat now, Nenetl mentioned.
He was never a threat.
We know that, but it’s different when there’s no mate bond in place.
“So it worked, then?”
I jumped almost a foot off the seat and shrieked. The boys stopped fighting, but relaxed when they saw Bells and Cade standing by me.
“Everything alright?” Chris asked from where he was.
“Everything is fine. Continue beating the crap out of each other,” Cade laughed as he sat next to Bells.
“You scared the poop out of me. What are you guys doing up so early?” I asked.
“Bells here couldn’t sleep,” Cade smirked.
“And, you came to train?” I asked, still unsure of what they were doing out here.
“No. I needed to know if it worked,” Bells explained as if that was supposed to mean something to me.
“If what worked?” I asked.
"Who worked?" Chris asked, walking back with Elim and picking up his shirt.
“Uhhh...” Bells looked at Elim nervously.
“He knows,” Elim confirmed.
“What? What does he know?”
“Elim’s plan,” Bells answered.
“The plan? What plan?”
“I told you in the note that I meddled,” Elim reminded me.
“So, what was the plan?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Bells?”
“They made me take my head out of my ass,” Chris answered for them, jumping over the border, and sitting next to me.
“Okay, but how?” Why was I the only one that didn’t know the whole story?
“Oh, right. I told you I did something but not what.” Elim finally realized why I was confused. “After our conversation the other night when I asked you to trust me and meet me for the movie, I went to Luna Bells and asked for her help. I asked her to make sure Chris knew I was trying to date you and that if he didn’t act soon, he was going to lose you,” as Elim explained, Chris wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, placing his chin on top of my head.
“So, I called him to my office, and I asked Cade to pretend to have a conversation with me with the door ajar so he could overhear. We talked about your movie night with Elim and how we thought Chris was perfect for you, but you weren’t going to wait for him forever.”
“You guys did all of that?”
“We just wanted to see you guys happy.” Cade shrugged.
“And it worked,” Bells pointed out.
“You’re not mad, are you?” Elim asked.
“I—No. But you guys shouldn’t play with people’s emotions that way.” That could have turned out so bad.
‘I’m glad they did. I had already decided to talk to you, but if I’d lost you because of it, I don’t know how I would have gotten over it.’ The kiss on my head that punctuated his mind-link was sweet, and I blinked back the tears.
“But it worked, and that’s what matters.” Bells shrugged.
“You’re lucky it did. If it didn’t, I would have made you eat liver.”
“Gross, Vi. Why are we going to extremes?” I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow, and Bells finally laughed. “Alright, I got it. No more making people feel bad so they see reason, and stop breaking my sister’s heart. I’d just like it known that I didn’t violate the gag order. Not really.”
“Good, otherwise girls’ night would get very quiet,” I chuckled.
“Well, who was winning?” Cade asked.
“Too early to tell,” Elim chuckled. “But, I couldn’t beat him last time.”
“Well, let’s see, then.”
Chris stood and removed his shirt again, while Elim bounced on the heels of his feet excitedly.
“Well, I see the appeal, Violet,” Bells whispered beside me, making me grin as we watched Chris’ muscles flex as he stretched again.
“Really, Princess?” Cade’s indignant voice was barely above a whisper.
“What? I’m just saying, I get it.” Bells giggled.
Cade grumbled something beside us, making Bells giggle more. I liked her like this. Unburdened and happy.
We watched the fight for a while, and I felt proud of how impressed Bells and Cade looked at how Chris was fighting. After the fight, we went upstairs to change and get ready for breakfast.
“ Y ou’ve been eating dinner in the dining room every night, right?” Chris asked when we made it back to our room.
“Yep.”
“How come you don’t eat breakfast or lunch there?”
“Cade and Bells are still keeping their relationship quiet. Breakfast and lunch are the only times they can be open about it outside of their bedrooms.”
“Must be rough.”
I nodded.
“That’s why I agreed to keep doing it.”
I fed Coco and cleaned her cage, then sat on the bed to give her some pets while he went to shower and change.
I was getting attached to this little thing. Over the last two weeks, when I felt really alone, she became a lot more friendly, letting me hold her and taking food from my hand. She was friendly enough to feel comfortable letting her near Adam, who was now absolutely obsessed with her. He came here after daycare to play with her; she hasn’t bitten or scratched him so far.
“Are you thinking of keeping her?” he asked from the door. His hair was still wet, and he was leaning against the doorway.
“No. She’s a wild rabbit. She deserves to have her freedom back. I just want to ensure that thing is caught before I release her.”
“Yeah. I think it’s eaten almost all the wildlife in there already. Last time I was in the woods, I couldn’t hear anything moving.”
I shuddered and put the rabbit back in her cage. I was trying to let her out every so often and roam the room so she wouldn’t feel so cooped up. I knew that feeling all too well.
“Ready to head down?” he asked.
“Yep,” I answered and turned around, finding him close behind me. “You’re very quiet when you want to be.”
“And yet, somehow, you saw me every time I was trying to protect you.” He frowned, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I didn’t. Not at first, but I saw you sleeping outside my room a few nights ago, and then I started looking for you.”
“I was trying to give you the distance I thought we both needed, but I couldn’t stop myself from needing to see you and trying to keep you safe,” he whispered.
I leaned up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. “Let’s go have breakfast, then you can walk me to the daycare.”
“Ca-can I stay with you there?”
“You want to help with the kids?” I asked.
That was not in his job description at all, though he was good with Adam.
“I—Yes. I do.”
“You know you’re on vacation right?”
“I don’t need vacation. I just want to be near you.” He winced suddenly. “That makes me sound pathetic, doesn’t it?”
“If it does, then so am I, because I hate being away from you.”
We went downstairs and met with Cade and Bells who were deep in a heated conversation in a corner, while Adam was already digging into pancakes.
“Hey,” I said as we entered to make sure they knew we were there.
“Hey, Adrien is arriving this afternoon,” Bells said, glaring at Cade one last time before coming to the table.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Someone is trying to back out of the agreement we had is all. I have to put Adrien in your old room. It’s the only one available besides the original Alpha room, and that one isn’t ready for guests. Will that work for you?”
“I—Yes, but did you check with Adrien?” I asked, looking at the tense posture Cade had as he sat down.
“Why would I need to?” Bells cocked her head in confusion, and I felt uncomfortable voicing my suspicions.
“I haven’t seen Adrien since I was kidnapped. Aunt Kassie said he doesn’t blame me, but why wouldn’t he come to see me otherwise?”
“Vi, what happened wasn’t your fault,” Bells said right off the bat.
I shifted a little more, closer to Chris so I could get some comfort and courage from him.
“If she hadn’t been trying to cheer me up, nothing would have happened,” I replied.
“Bu—”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Bells. I know it’s not technically my fault. I didn’t ask for what happened any more than Tori did. It doesn’t change the fact that he can’t even look at me anymore. Just make sure it’s okay for him to be that close to me. I can always go to a hotel for a few nights.”
“You’re not going anywhere. If he’s not comfortable, I can put him in one of the empty houses. I’m sure I can find one that’s livable.”
“Why is he coming, anyway?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“He’s coming to help Elim catch the chupacabra.”
“The what?” Chris and I asked at the same time.
“Shit. I didn’t tell you yet, did I? The demon dog thingy. Uncle Helios recognized it as a chupacabra.”
“Those things are real?” Chris asked.
“Apparently.”
“I’d like to help,” Chris stated, looking excited at the prospect of hunting down a mythological creature.
“Talk to Elim. He’s in charge of the operation.”
Chris was nodded, then John walked inside and stopped when he noticed him sitting next to me. Chris tensed, then relaxed when John walked over, and reached out his hand.
“I’m John. Nice to finally meet you, Chris.”
“Likewise, Beta John.” He shook his hand.
“Just John.” Bells giggled and Cade grinned. “What?” John asked when he noticed their reactions.
“Chris doesn’t like addressing anyone without their proper title. I’ve been begging him to call me Bells for years.”
Chris blushed beside me and shifted a little. I was about to mind-link him when he surprised me.
“I-I’ll try, Lu—Bells,” he stuttered.
“Shit. He actually said it,” Cade said, dropping the piece of bacon on the way to his mouth. I squeezed Chris’ hand encouragingly when his blush deepened. “Say mine next!”
Chris finally chuckled and stuffed his mouth with food. Cade awed, making the rest of us chuckle, too.
“Cade said you were a warrior?” John asked as we relaxed after the introductions.
“Yes. I am.”
“He could be an elite warrior, though. I saw him fighting last night. Hell, he could probably beat you, John,” Cade expanded on Chris’ answer.
John flipped him off, but looked at Chris with curiosity.
“Why aren’t you? Alpha don’t like you?”
“If he didn’t like him, Cory wouldn’t have put the safety of my sister in his hands,” Bells said, with a little bite to her tone.
The implication that our brother was anything but fair not sitting well with her. John raised his hands in surrender, but before he could apologize, Chris answered.
“I was away on assignment when Alpha Cory held trials last year. He told me he could set something up if I wanted to be promoted, but I opted to wait. I didn’t want people to think he was giving me preferential treatment. I want to earn this on my own. I’m not hurting for money so I’m willing to wait. Especially since he’s been treating me like an elite warrior for years now. I just don’t have the title.”
“Is this the first time you would have applied for it?”
“Yes. I wasn’t in a hurry. I wanted to make sure I was confident in my skills before trying out.”
“How long have you been training?”
“Since I was allowed to. Both of my parents were guards to the previous alpha and luna.”
“Never considered anything else?” John continued to ask.
“Not really. It’s been expected since I was a pup.”
I listened as they talked. Would he like to do something else if he had a chance? I let it go as they changed the subject. I wondered if he went into it because he thought his parents only wanted him to follow in their footsteps. I was sure it wouldn’t be true, but considering the amount of pressure Chris put on himself to make them proud, I wondered if the only reason he trained so hard was that he thought they would be disappointed otherwise.
Shortly before we were done eating, Chris’ phone went off. He turned it off quickly and blushed for no reason at all, his eyes flickering to me.
“What?” I asked.
Confusion was on everyone’s faces, but Cade, who was trying not to smirk.
“Nothing,” Chris answered, looking away.
Cade started chuckling, then his eyes glazed over and John chuckled too.
“What? What am I missing?”
“It’s like five minutes before we walk you to the daycare. Chris here always left first,” Cade answered, making Bells grin.
“Oh,” was all I could say in response.
Chris cleared his throat before he stood up.
“I’ll take the plates to the kitchen.” He quickly gathered all the plates and cups and took off, his face still a deep shade of red.
“You guys need to stop teasing him,” I chided, unable to turn my face into a proper chastising look. I was too happy this morning to pull it off.
“He’s fun to rile up because he’s so serious all the time,” Bells defended.
Once Chris returned, we walked as a group to daycare. I did tell them all they didn’t have to anymore. I felt safe with Chris and he was staying to help. But they insisted, and I was sure it was because Cade and John were enjoying playing with the pups. It was confirmed when they assured me they would bring lunch as usual.
My anxiety started to rise in the afternoon when I got a message from Bells, letting me know Adrien had arrived, a few hours before dinner. When Cade and Bells came to get us after work, she told me Adrien was taking a nap as he’d be up all night with Elim.
Chris and I brought dinner up to my room, and I told him I didn’t want to train that night. I didn’t want to impose my presence on Adrien. No matter what everyone said, in my heart, I knew Adrien blamed me for Tori’s death. Hell, I blamed myself for Tori’s death for so long. Some days I still do.
He was trying to distract me. Something I was very happy to go along with, because it involved a lot of kisses everywhere, but it just wasn’t working as well as I hoped. I finally fell asleep in his arms, a bundle of nerves and anxiety. I forgot to turn off my alarm before I did, so I was wide awake at four thirty when there was a sharp knock on my door.
“Who is it?” I called out when Chris sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“Adrien.”
I looked over at Chris nervously.
‘It will all be okay,’ he mind-linked as he stood and opened the door.
Adrien looked confused to find Chris opening the door in pajama pants and no shirt. “Sorry, did I get the—” He stopped when he saw me sitting up on the bed. “Hi.”
“Hi, Adrien,” I waved weakly.
‘Shit, I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry, Violet.’ Chris was instantly panicking when he realized how things looked.
‘It’s not a big deal. I’m not keeping you a secret. I’m just nervous about what he wants,’ I assured him.
“I was hoping we could talk, but if you’re busy...” Adrien eyed Chris’ broad chest and sleepy eyes.
“I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Chris told me when I nodded at him to let him know I was comfortable being alone with Adrien. He left the door open for Adrien to come in, then crossed the bathroom and went into his room.
I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands playing with the sheets while Adrien stood at the doorway.
“Can I come in?” he asked in an oddly subdued way.
I nodded, and he walked in and sat on the seat by the nightstand. We sat there looking at each other. Well, I looked at him. He was looking around at everything but me.
My heart sank when I saw his bottom lip trembling. I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping my apology would mean something to him and I could salvage some kind of relationship with him.
“Adrien, I’m sorry,” I said quietly, trying and failing to keep the tears back.
He looked at me, and then his tears started falling.
“So, Kassie was right. You are blaming yourself for this whole thing,” he whispered in a wavering voice.
“I—It was my fault.”
A sob broke out from Adrien and he dropped to his knees, grasping my hands and looking up at me with so much anguish, I thought my heart would break in two.
“No, Vi. It w-wasn’t your fault. It was m-mine. The whole t-thing was my fault,” he managed to say through his tears. His eyes were filled with so much pain and self-hatred, his lips trembling as the tears continued to fall.
“What are you ta—”
“I told Tori to make you leave the p-pack grounds. It was all m-me. You two were always c-close, and I thought if anyone could do it, she could. It was all m-my idea. My fault. I made her take you to the mall, and I l-lost you and my little girl because of it.”
I pulled my hands from Adrien’s, and the look of pain on his face almost took the breath out of my lungs; he thought I was pulling away because I was mad at him. But I wasn’t. I never realized that Adrien was struggling and blaming himself this whole time, or I would have forced Dad to drag him into my room. I dropped to the ground and hugged him as my cousin fell apart in my arms. Anger surged within me at all the damage Nickolas had caused. He destroyed more than just two lives that day.
“It’s not your fault,” I whispered in his ear, making him sob as he gripped me tightly.
We sat on the floor of my bedroom until we stopped crying. I felt a peace I hadn’t felt in a long time when I was done, and I grabbed his face in my hands and made him look me in the eyes.
“We’re done with this blame game. Both of us. There’s only one person to blame for all of this, and he’s dead and burnt to a crisp. No more. We’re just letting him and Tezcatlipoca win.”
Adrien searched my face as I spoke. What he found, I didn’t know, but eventually he smiled.
“You’re not the same Violet, are you?” he asked, pushing my hair out of my face and cleaning up my face.
“No, but I’d like to think I’ll eventually be better than who I was. That’ll be the best ’fuck you’ to Nickolas, don’t you think?” I said, trying to smile. “He won’t break us.”
“And it has nothing to do with the hunk of a man that answered the door?” He raised a knowing eyebrow.
I did manage to smile at the mention of Chris, but I shook my head.
“No. He helped me, but at the end of the day, it’s all me.”
“You are so strong.” Adrien hugged me one more time, but I knew he was still going to ask. “But, you are going to dish out about Chris, and what he was doing in your room in the middle of the night, right?”
“He’s my guard. He’s supposed to be—”
“Violet,” he whined, making me laugh.
“It’s new.” I confided in him.
“Is he your sec—” He stopped when I shook my head.
“No. He’s not, but if he’ll have me, I want to be his chosen mate,” I admitted.
“That serious?”
“Yeah. I love him.” I had never been more sure of anything.
“I’m happy for you, Violet. You deserve the world.”
“I just want him.”
“Kassie is going to go tits-up when she finds out!” He stood and did a little jig.
Those two were always trying to one up each other on who had the better gossip.
“They don’t know yet, Adrien. I haven’t talked to any of them yet. Give me some time, yeah?” I asked.
I wanted to be sure Chris was in this thing all the way before I broke the news to my parents.
“Of course. I’ll just hint at her that I know something she doesn’t. It’ll drive her nuts.” We laughed for a bit and then he asked, “So is he still the same serious, grumpy Gus he used to be? I’ve barely talked to him since you guys stopped needing a babysitter.”
I was about to answer him when Elim knocked on the door.
“Come in,” I called out, and Elim pushed open the door.
He looked around and his brows furrowed.
“Hey. Sorry. I thought Chris was here. Luna Bells said he wanted to help catch the demon dog.”
“Do you not know what it is yet?” I asked.
“I do, but it sounds silly calling it a chupacabra,” Elim chuckled.
“And demon dog is so much better?” I giggled.
Elim chuckled again and scratched the back of his head. I shook my head.
“Chris is in his room.” I pointed toward the bathroom.
When Elim disappeared, Adrien smirked at me.
“What?”
“What was that?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“What?”
“Elim doesn’t get flustered. You made Elim get flustered.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I said, whacking him with my pillow when Adrien cackled at the blush on my face.
“This place has been good for you, Vi. Have you thought about staying here for a while longer? Maybe even a year until it’s time to go back to school?” When he saw me wonder how he knew, Adrien blushed. “I ask your mom for updates all the time. She told me you deferred again.”
“I might stay another month or two if Bells still needs me, but I do miss home,” I answered as Chris and Elim walked back into the room.
Chris took in my red-rimmed eyes but didn’t comment on them, knowing whatever Adrien and I needed to talk out would have been heavy and emotional. Adrien stood and walked over to the cage, jumping back a little when Coco made a weird noise and ran into one of its napping structures.
“Was that a rabbit?” Adrien asked.
“Yep. I found it injured. I’m just keeping it until you guys get rid of the demon dog.”
“I guess it can sense I’m a vampire,” Adrien muttered as we left the room.
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked when we were downstairs.
“I thought we could come up with a game plan and get everything done tomorrow night,” Elim answered. “I haven’t seen much wildlife in the last few days, and it’s only a matter of time before it gets hungry and ventures out of the woods to find food.” His eyes flickered to Chris for a moment, before he pulled out a rolled-up blueprint. “Luna Bells gave me a copy of the pack grounds. I thought we could find the best place to trap it.”
I let them talk it out, watching them interact with each other. Chris was a little tense at first, unsure of how to act in front of Adrien, but my cousin had a way to make people feel comfortable and eventually, Chris was making his own suggestions, and shooting down ideas with reasons why he thought it wouldn’t work.
By the time breakfast arrived, they felt they had a solid plan for tomorrow, and Adrien was giving me the thumbs up anytime my man wasn’t looking.