Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Eric
Collecting an extra mate, even if it was only a technicality, changed the dynamics of the life Hailey and I were building, but not in a negative way, like you’d expect with Syke being a demon.
He hadn’t made any further moves on Hailey, nor had he tried to wedge himself into the life we were creating. He was just there.
If anyone was taking it hard, it was Louis.
We hadn’t spoken about what he’d said to Syke in the kitchen last week.
Hailey and I agreed to wait until he said those words to us himself, but we’d also discussed that if he did want to be part of the clan, we’d welcome him in with open arms. He was sexy as fuck, and I’d have to be nose blind to miss how much Hailey desired him.
I was willing to give her anything and anyone she wanted to keep her happy and make amends for the way we’d started.
And let’s face it, looking at Louis every morning wouldn’t be a hardship. We were still staying at his house, but this weekend marked the end of the settlement, so we could officially move into our new place.
Hailey was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
Over the last few days, while lying in my arms before we fell asleep, I’d learned more about her life—enough that I wanted to dig up her parents’ graves and piss on their corpses—and I knew the idea of having her own home was a dream she didn’t think she’d ever achieve.
I wanted to make every dream she’d ever had come true. All of them.
She didn’t know I’d put the deed in her name. The house was hers, regardless of whatever else happened in our life together. She’d always have something to fall back on, a roof over her head.
Louis was watching her bounce around with a small smile on his face, and while Hailey would be oblivious to it, I could scent his sadness. “She’s going to miss you, you know,” I told him softly, and he looked over at me, trying to transform his face into something less melancholic.
“Just her?”
I nudged his arm with my own. “Both of us. I’ve gotten used to you being around all the time, and it’s really eased my clan sickness. I can’t thank you enough for everything, Louis.”
He waved a hand. “No thanks necessary.”
I chewed my lip. “You should tell her.”
Louis looked at me, his shaggy hair falling over his pretty bronze skin. “She has enough on her plate.”
Rolling my eyes, I brushed my hand over his. “She can decide how much she wants on her plate. She might be a fragile human, but she’s strong where it matters—in here.” I tapped my chest softly.
Louis looked over at me, grinning goofily, the expression finally reaching his eyes. “You really are a romantic, aren’t you?”
I winked at him as Hailey came barreling in the room, a small rolling suitcase in her hand.
“I’m ready!” she exclaimed, almost giddy.
She wore jean shorts and a long-sleeved ribbed shirt, and she looked beautiful but also young.
She was playing with ancient beings, and I sometimes forgot how young she really was in human years.
Even I was nearly forty, though that was considered young for an orc.
Human lives were so fleeting. I had signed myself up for heartache in so few years, but she was worth it.
Louis walked over and picked her up, spinning her around. “Then let’s move you into your new home.”
She pulled back a little, looking up into Louis’s smiling face.
A small crease marred her brow, and maybe I’d underestimated her.
Maybe she could taste his sadness on the air too.
“You’re coming to visit, right? Maybe stay for the weekend?
We’re close to the pack after all. You could have one of the rooms, and you wouldn’t have to travel all the way back to the city every weekend. ”
He nuzzled the top of her head—an affectionate gesture to a human, but I knew he was scent marking her. “You’re stuck with me now, Sunshine.” He’d picked up Syke’s nickname for her, and even I had to admit that it fit.
Within minutes, we were smooshed into Louis’s truck, our worldly possessions piled into the back. Hailey sat between us, and it felt right.
My phone buzzed, and Syke’s smirking face appeared on the screen beside a text.
Syke: Can I bring you dinner tonight, as a housewarming gift?
I appreciated that it was a question, and he didn’t just shadow walk right into the room.
I showed the phone to Hailey, and she nodded, her cheeks flushing.
“That would be nice.” When Louis cocked his head, she leaned against him, her thigh pressed to mine.
I wondered if she knew she was scent marking him back. “Syke wants to bring dinner.”
He rested his cheek on her hair. “You should let him. He can get you authentic food from anywhere in the world in a blink of an eye.”
“Seriously?” she squeaked.
I twined my fingers with hers. “Yep. Demons are very powerful. Want Turkish food from the streets of Istanbul? Syke could probably shadow walk it to you hot from the ovens. It takes a fair amount of energy though, I imagine.”
Louis hummed his agreement. “He has to feed after he walks a long distance.” He cleared his throat. “Have you guys decided what you’ll do about Syke and the arches?”
Hailey shook her head, and I sighed. It was a problem, like a shadow that you kept catching out of the corner of your eye so you could never relax. “Not really. I think we’re playing it by ear. It’s not like there’s a standard of togetherness that we have to meet, right?”
I grunted my agreement. “No, but there’s no one to really argue with Michael if he decides that you didn’t meet that arbitrary standard either.”
Louis flexed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Maybe you should give him a room at the new house as well. It isn’t like Michael is going to zap into your bedroom to check if you’re fucking and cohabitating. That’s pretty much mate bonded behavior.”
It was a good solution, but I wouldn’t push Hailey. She’d decide what was enough and what was too much, and I’d go toe to toe with Archangel Michael myself if he wanted to push the issue.
She stared out the windshield, chewing her lip.
Placing a finger under her chin, I turned her face toward mine.
I kissed her gently, breathing in her little sigh of contentment.
I didn’t need anything else to nourish me but those small sounds of happiness.
“Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together. ”
Louis squeezed her hand where it sat on her thigh.
“We all have your back—me, Otis, and Ilyas too.” He looked like he wanted to say more, and I mentally urged him to take the leap, but he just fell silent again.
We spent the rest of the drive lost in our own thoughts, but as soon as we pulled up in front of our new place, excitement hummed through Hailey once more.
I climbed out of the truck, and she clambered out after me.
Louis went to the back and got her suitcases out, while I pulled a key from my pocket.
The keyring was a single dandelion seed—the type you blew on while making a wish—trapped in a small sphere of resin.
It seemed right. Both of our wishes had come true.
“The key to your home, Hailey,” I murmured to her.
“Our house, right?” she said, taking it from my hand and studying the dandelion seed.
I nodded. “Our house, but only your name is on the deed. No matter what happens, this place is yours, sweetheart, for as long as you want it.” I was hers for as long as she wanted me.
“Eric,” she whispered, and I could hear all the things she was scared to say. I didn’t need her to say them now. I already knew, and she’d tell me when she was ready. I leaned forward and kissed her.
“Welcome home, Hailey.”