16. CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 16
Graham
"Are you sure you're up for it?" I ask when Cassie insists on getting out of bed.
"I need to be the one to talk to Tim," Cassie replies. "I want him to look me in the eye and tell me what he did."
"I don't like the idea of this," I say, and run my hand through my hair.
"You don't need to like it," she replies. "I'm doing it either way."
I sigh and nod.
"How do you feel? Are you in pain?" I ask, glancing at her body. She's wearing one of my old shirts that falls to her knees.
"It's still a bit sore," she admits. "I'll be better after a shower."
"Do you need help getting to the bathroom?" I ask, already jumping up to carry her.
"I need you to stop hovering," she says firmly. "You're suffocating me."
"I'm sorry," I say. "I don't mean to overwhelm you. I just...I feel guilty and responsible. For all of it."
"If we are to move on from that, you'll need to face it too," she tells me.
She's right , my wolf says weakly. We both feel bad about what happened.
"I'll work on it," I promise. "How about I grab the clothes Helia dropped off?"
"What clothes?"
"Your clothes," I explain and then give her an apologetic smile. "I sort of told her where you live and asked if she could pack a bag for you."
She gasps. "She broke into my place?"
"Not at all," I reply with a casual wave. "I found a key in your purse."
"You went through my purse?" Cassie asks through gritted teeth.
Stop talking , my wolf mutters, but it's too late. I've already dug my hole.
"I wanted you to have your own stuff when you woke up," I reply as calmly as I can. It's getting harder and harder to keep my cool around her. "Would you prefer to waste time and stop by your place before going to talk to Tim?"
"No," Cassie says, an edge to her tone. "I'll take that shower now."
"I'll grab the clothes for you," I offer. "Do you want something to eat?"
"I couldn't," she says. "Not before talking to Tim."
"I'm making you a healthy snack anyway," I inform her.
Her eyes narrow as she scrutinizes me, trying to figure out if I'm mocking her. When I keep a straight face, she sighs and relents.
"Sure," she replies. "Maybe something with protein."
"I can do that," I say.
A weight has been lifted off my shoulders with her agreement.
Cassie is strong-willed, that much is clear, but I can see that it tires her.
She’s had to deal with so much in such a short amount of time. How much mental and emotional space has she taken up to fit me and the wolves and the notion of the fated-mate bond? My guilt will swallow me if she rejects me.
When I want to show her how caring and loving I can be, I end up smothering her. If I try to give her space, I seem distant and cold. What the fuck should I do?
You could lick her face. Or maybe nibble it if you want to take things slower, my wolf suggests. Oh, oh, how about grooming? You could clean her skin with your tongue and teeth.
While I appreciate your attempt to help, you seem to forget that we're humans, I remind him.
Right, he mutters. All you humans do is whine, whine, whine. It's my least favorite sign of affection because it's easy to mistake it for annoyance.
Why don't you smell her scent? I suggest.
It doesn't work unless she's aroused, my wolf replies. It's not like I'm a mood reader or anything like that, you know?
Keep your senses focused, I tell him. I could use all the help I can get.
You got it, he replies and goes into focus mode. He won't bother me again until something happens.
My chest expands as I take a big breath.
I take Cassie's bag to the room and set it on the bed. She'll be out soon and if I don't prepare anything for her to eat, she'll refuse to wait. That could pose a problem because she's still weak from the blood loss. Besides, the hunger could impede her ability to focus.
I head to the kitchen and decide to make a quick chicken sandwich. I always keep it fresh in the fridge so it only takes a few minutes.
As I'm cleaning up, Cassie walks into the kitchen. She's wearing dark jeans and a faded blue T-shirt. Her makeup is done but she's not wearing any lipstick.
"Do you have coffee?" she asks.
"Do you want juice instead?" I suggest. "I can squeeze fresh oranges."
She frowns. "If I don't get my coffee, I'm not going to be able to concentrate. Do you have it or not?"
"I'll put on a pot," I reply, choosing to ignore her rude tone. She hasn't fully recovered yet, so I'll cut her some slack. At least for now. It's not like I don't deserve it anyway.
I expect her to turn away and leave the kitchen, but she doesn't move.
"Do you need something?" I ask, trying to keep calm.
"No," she replies. "I just want to be here with you if that's okay."
"That's more than okay," I assure her, suppressing a smile that's threatening to appear on my face. I don't want to scare her away by seeming too eager to be in her company. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll bring you your sandwich and a cup of coffee in a minute?"
"Thank you," she says and moves to the table only six feet away.
Her hair is still wet. I wonder if I should go upstairs to get her a towel.
Don't , my wolf warns.
I set Cassie's coffee mug in front of her, and she takes a big whiff.
"Your coffee smells amazing," she admits. "What brand do you use?"
"It's no brand," I reply. "I grind my own beans from whole beans that come directly from the best plantation in Hawaii."
"Sounds expensive," she mutters and brings the hot liquid to her lips.
"It is, but I can afford it," I reply with a nonchalant shrug. There's no point in denying just how wealthy I am. With time, she'll come to learn just how many things I can provide for her.
She eats in silence. Not a word passes from my lips as I watch her slowly getting her strength back.
"I'm ready to go," she announces after she's finished.
"We have to go through the office building," I explain slowly. "People are at work now. They'll see us together."
"It's fine," she replies, brushing it off. "I don't care. We have bigger problems than starting a new wave of office gossip."
A corner of my lips lifts. "I just wanted you to be aware of the situation."
"I'm perfectly aware," she shoots back, and I feel the sting of it. "Can we just get this over with?"
She's just nervous, my wolf offers. It has nothing to do with us. It's this Tim guy that's bringing the worst out of her.
In that case, we better get this over with as soon as possible, I mutter, struggling to keep a grip on my patience.
"After you, sweetheart," I reply with a smirk.
Cassie grabs her purse and goes down the flight of stairs. I'm right on her heels, ready to use the shadows in case she trips.
The door opens and suddenly, we're facing Harper. Her mouth falls open when she sees us getting out of what looks like a storage room.
I'm the first to break the silence as I clear my throat. "Good morning, Harper. Miss Strayed and I will be leaving for the rest of the day. Cancel all my meetings, please."
"Yes, sir," Harper mutters.
Taking Cassie's hand, I lead her toward the elevators as quickly as I can. That's the only downfall of living at work. I should really consider either getting my own exit or an entirely different apartment. It's not something I’ve had to consider before, but right now, it's in the front of my mind.
We wait until the doors open, then get in. The doors close behind us, I use my special key, and we start sinking down the shaft.
My fingers are itching to pull Cassie closer and press her against my body, but I resist the urge. She's standing in the opposite corner of the elevator, eyes firmly fixed on the door. She's here with me, but her mind is in a different place. She's obviously trying to figure out what she's going to say to her ex-boyfriend.
I promise myself that I won't say a word about their relationship, so I stay quiet until the doors open again, dropping us off in the underground garage. I pull a key from my pocket and frown when I see that I didn't grab the SUV's one. With a sigh, I press the remote and unlock the sports car closest to the elevator.
Cassie stops on the spot, her mouth open as she gapes at the car. Suddenly, I'm not regretting the mistake anymore.
"Do you like it?" I ask, gesturing at the shiny black Nissan 370z.
"It's gorgeous," she says and walks closer. I observe her inspecting the exterior.
"Do you want to drive?" I offer and throw the car keys her way.
She catches them in mid-air.
"I'm not a monster, you know," I say. "I wouldn't deprive a beautiful woman like you the right to make a 3.7-liter V6 engine roar."
"Nice try," she chuckles, "but I'm not going to help you seduce me."
"Worth a shot," I say with a wink, secretly happy that her mood's improving.
She smiles and gets into the passenger seat. I take my place behind the wheel and set the GPS destination for The Grey Manor. Even though I know how to get there, I like to be informed about the traffic along the way.
"Are you sure you don't want to drive?" I ask, glancing at her. "Last chance."
She reaches out and gently brushes my leg with her fingers. "Another time. I'm too distracted right now."
"Maybe on the way back," I reply and turn on the engine.
With a roar, the horse inside comes to life. I maneuver it in the right direction and out of the garage. With Cassie in the car, I'm being extra careful. We've already established that she doesn't have healing powers.
"Did you talk to Helia?" she asks. "Is she coming?"
"She's heading for the Grey Manor now," I explain. "You two seemed to have hit it off."
"Yeah," she says. "There's something about her that's larger than life."
"It's her witchy aura," I explain with a laugh. "It keeps wolves in check."
"Whatever it is, I like it," she confirms.
"I'm glad," I say, suppressing yet another smile.
She doesn't seem entirely opposed to our world, my wolf comments.
Hopefully, we didn't scare her off, I agree.
"What exactly will happen to you if I reject the bond?" Cassie asks out of the blue.
My heartbeat increases. "Well, for starters, I'd have to move away for a while. It'd be too painful to be in the same city, much less in the same building. Imagine the pain as something like holding your hand over the fire, but instead of a hand, it's your heart. The fire never burns out, and the pain never stops. It's there. Though you learn to live with it, it doesn't make it any less antagonizing."
"So basically, what you're saying is that you'd have to get used to extreme torture," she sums it up, her expression tense.
"It's something like that, yes," I reply.
"That sounds horrible," she whispers.
"The opposite of being rejected is, well, to accept the bond," I say. "That brings an entirely different kind of torture."
"What do you mean?" she asks with her brow lifted. "It sounds better, doesn't it?"
"For a certain period of time, after you accept it, something like a physical bond is happening. An invisible tie binds us together, which makes us helpless, in a sense. We're dependent on each other. Our emotions are connected. We're one," I explain, doing my best to keep it straight forward.
"And after that, we have a lot more baggage than usual couples," I continue. "Strong physical reaction, of course. Wolves are extremely territorial and prone to jealousy, so we need to reassure and complement each other constantly. It sounds toxic, but it's not. It's actually beautiful, pure, and precious."
"Like Helia and Grayden, huh?"
I chuckle. "That's a whole different level. I mean, sure, I’ve heard him whimper whenever she's not with him, but that's only after they've been apart for longer periods of time. Garren and Alyssa are quite self-sufficient, especially when she goes to the camp for a couple of days to check in on her pack. Gavin and Leia, on the other hand, are a mystery."
"Why?" Cassie asks, glancing at me.
"Out of all of us, Gavin was always the most private one," I explain. "He kept himself and his emotions in check. Considering that he's the most powerful wolf of our generation, we should be grateful for his impeccable control. Leia is a lot like him in that regard. I guess it has something to do with her powers. Do you know that they call her the Ice Queen?"
"I didn't, but it makes sense," Cassie replies. "What powers do their kids have? How does a power system work anyway?"
"Leon and Logan are too young to display their powers just yet," I tell her. "Once they do, they'll be sent to the Academy to learn how to use them."
"The Academy," she repeats, taking it all in.
"As for the power system," I continue, "we're not exactly sure. I mean, it is believed that we inherit our powers from our parents, but there have also been some exceptions where kids didn't get any of their parents' powers. The only way to explain it is that they got a spark from their ancestors down the line. No one knows for sure."
"It's a lot like the lottery," Cassie muses. "Some numbers are lucky, but some not so much."
"It doesn't work like that," I argue softly. "The stronger the parents and the ancestors, the stronger the pup will be."
"What about Georgina?" Cassie asks, referring to Grayden and Helia's daughter.
"Time will tell," I reply. "This is all new to us."
"This is a lot to take in," she says. I can almost see the wheels in her head turning. "What about us? Would our child be a wolf or a human? A half-breed of sorts? Weak? Bullied in school for not belonging to any side?"
"Whoa, slow down," I say before she can get herself worked up into a panicked frenzy. "One thing at a time. Let's first figure out what we'll do with the fated-mate bond, okay? It's too soon to talk about kids yet."
"Is it?" she challenges, tilting her head to the side. "How old are you anyway?"
I roll my eyes. "I'm barely thirty. There's plenty of time."
She doesn't say anything. I glance at her.
"Though I'm not in the mood to talk about having kids, I'm not against practicing how to make them," I tease.
Cassie tries to hide her smile behind her hand.
"Thanks for talking to me," she says after a moment of silence. "Thanks for making me feel normal again. Or as close to normal as possible, given our circumstances."
"Are you feeling normal?" I ask. "Because you look anything but normal. Like you're ready to conquer the world. I'm half expecting you to pull out a bat and start swinging it around. It's hot. You're hot."
"That was a nice compliment," she says with a sweet smile. "Thank you. The conversation has actually helped a great deal. I feel a lot calmer now. About everything that's to come and that we have yet to face."
My shoulders loosen up with relief.
Don't drop your guard, my wolf warns. Tim's waiting.
Right , I agree. Thanks.
It's going to be rough seeing her with him , he says. We have to keep it together. For her.
I know, I agree with a sigh. We're not losing control ever again.
"I'll do anything to prove to you that I care," I tell her, then take a turn to the right. "We're almost there."
"I know you care, Graham," she tells me quietly. "I see it. I feel it. But I don't know what to do with it all."
"How about you try seeing me the way you used to?" I suggest.
"And how's that?" she asks with a small smile.
"Like a hot piece of ass that you don't mind riding every so often," I reply with a shameless grin. "Or all the time, whichever you prefer."
"If only it was that simple," she sighs, but there's a slight blush on her cheeks.
"It can be," I reply.
She doesn't say anything else, so I figure it's best to quit while I'm ahead. If she agrees to the bond, then everything will be the way it should be.
I slow down to nod at the guards at the gate. They wave us through, recognizing us instantly. A minute later, we are parking in the driveway. The car in front of me belongs to Helia and Grayden. Gavin and Leia should arrive any minute now.
"I won't be far," I tell her. "All you need to do is call for me."
She gives me a nervous nod. "I'm ready."
The sound of her voice tugs at my heart. She doesn't sound very confident. I turn off the engine and get out, walking around it and opening her door. My fingers linger at her waist, in case her knees give out. She moves past me, and I let my hand slide over her body.
Cassie doesn't react to my touch, but her emotions flare in my senses. Before I can pull her close, she starts heading for the house. I've hurt her once, and I don't want to do it again. No matter how gentle my words will be, I'll sound like I'm smothering her again. I don't want that either.
She stops abruptly.
"I'm in this, you know?" she says. "I'm curious and excited and annoyed at the same time, but I'm going to fight for you as long as you don't give me a reason not to."
I'm left speechless. Did she indicate her willingness to accept the bond?
Cassie smiles at my expression and walks toward the house.
This is our chance, my wolf tells me. We’d better not let her down.