Chapter 11 #2
“You need me, Anna. And I want to be there for you. It’s important for you to get the book back, so I’ll be there with you,” he said and shrugged.
“You’re risking too much. If I get caught, my punishment would be less than yours. The Alphas, especially Mark, can’t wait for an opportunity to get you kicked out of the kingdom.”
Torin walked up to me and reached for my face. One rough finger brushed my cheek, and then he put a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Let me worry about the consequences. You need to focus on the book right now. And we need to be in and out of your father’s safe room as fast as possible. The kingdom is already on high alert, preparing for the dark witch.”
I wasn’t going to waste time arguing with Torin. I nodded and was about to sidestep him when his hands grasped my bare shoulders. The usual jolts of electricity ran down my arms and spread into my chest. A pleasurable shiver traveled through my entire body.
His crimson eyes watched me carefully. Then he released me and pulled a paper out of the back pocket of his jeans.
“Happy birthday, Anna,” he said and handed me the folded paper.
I couldn’t help but smile at him. He remembered my birthday.
Usually, the entire kingdom knew of my birthday since my parents liked to have a big feast in the backyard of the manor.
It started late in the morning with brunch cooked outside and finished late at night after many pack members were too drunk to walk.
The werewolves needed a ton of booze to get intoxicated.
Mom and Dad were more excited for my birthday than I was.
I’d walk around the long tables and greet people with a smile.
But I’d wonder if Dad wanted a big celebration as a way for me to connect with the kingdom since I couldn’t go on runs with the wolves in the forest—the usual way the werewolves connected.
“Thank you,” I said and shook my head.
I unfolded the paper.
“Torin.” I frowned at him. “It’s a lot of money.”
I held airplane vouchers for a two-way flight from London to Los Angeles. He knew what I needed the most on my birthday.
“Tammy will be thrilled when I send her the vouchers,” I said, embracing him tightly.
Torin’s arm wrapped around me, and he leaned in and inhaled deeply at the crook of my neck. His body tensed as if fighting with it, but then he grabbed my thighs and lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he walked to my bed and sat down with me in his lap.
A strangled noise escaped his throat, and I pulled back to look at him.
“I want to have you all to myself the entire day. Lying in bed with you in my arms is how I want to spend your birthday,” he said, then he scoffed. “But let’s not forget your neighbor next door would storm into your room as soon as he heard you screaming my name.”
I kissed his cheek. “Then let’s go before it’s too late.”
I stood. I needed his idea of celebrating my birthday, but I couldn’t be distracted now.
“I can’t believe Mom gave us the passcode.
It almost feels too easy, but at the same time, I think Mom had a good reason for doing this for me,” I said and let out a small laugh at the thought of Dad being angry with Mom.
It just never happened. “Dad loves Mom so much that he’d forgive her if she were to murder someone. ”
Torin blinked, and his body stilled. His face was serious, his eyes thoughtful.
I tilted my head to the side, studying him. “If you love someone, wouldn’t you forgive them if they have killed another person, like in self-defense?”
It felt as if I had hit a nerve.
“Would you, Princess?”
I took a step back. At first, I only meant it as a joke, but why would Torin take my words so seriously?
“I guess, if you love someone, I would be able to forgive them…but what is this all about?”
Torin stood abruptly. “Nothing. I just thought about it. That’s all.”
Strange. I filed the thought away for later when we had a chance to talk again.
We left my room and crept upstairs to my parents’ bedchambers. When we stopped in front of their door, I turned to him.
“What am I supposed to do now? Knock?” I whispered.
Torin chuckled. “I’ll listen and tell you if someone is inside.”
These were the moments when I longed to have a wolf spirit.
He leaned the side of his head against the door. “No one is there.”
I reached for the door handle and slowly pressed it down. The door clicked and opened.
“Let me guess. Mom’s doing,” I said in a low voice.
Their room was always locked. She had thought of everything and made it easy for me to retrieve my book. I understood she wanted me to be happy, but why did she think the book would do that for me? It was as if Mom knew something but wanted me to learn about it on my own.
We closed the door behind us. Torin ambled inside and headed straight to Mom’s nightstand, where many of my childhood pictures were displayed.
“Don’t you dare laugh,” I said, but I couldn’t keep my voice serious, so I laughed.
“Oh, but I love the naked baby picture. You were a cute baby,” he said in the softest voice while his back was to me.
“Do you like kids?” I asked and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
“I like kids as long as they’re not mine, but I like you as a baby.”
I drew in a deep breath. Torin hated the vampire part of himself, and I’d guess he didn’t want kids since they would inherit it.
How could the Fates make us so incompatible? I wanted to have a big family with many kids since I’d grown up alone. If I chose Torin for my mate, would I be okay with compromising on another issue besides the marking?
Now wasn’t the time to ponder.
I sighed, ignored my thoughts, and walked to the bookshelf. I reached for the middle shelf, where I’d seen Dad’s hand touching. I tapped the books until a click echoed, and the heavy shelf popped out.
Torin was immediately beside me.
Behind it stood the massive metal vault door. I mouthed the numbers Mom had told me to memorize while I pressed on the number keypad. The metal door made a loud cling. Torin pulled it open, and we entered Dad’s safe room.
“We’ll have to be quick about it,” I said, strolling inside.
Torin grinned like a child in a toy store. He touched every relic and piece of antique my dad had collected and inherited from his parents.
Suddenly, he halted in front of a shelf.
“Torin, stay focused.”
His gaze was firmly set on something that rested on the metal surface, and it wasn’t my book.
I hurried over to him to check what had distracted him.
“Why would your dad have this?” Torin asked.