Chapter XV #2
Mariam quirks a brow up in curiosity. “Go onnn…”
* * *
Sable spends the rest of the morning into the mid-afternoon listening to Mariam and Leandra discuss the latest gossip around town and recent happenings about Leandra’s own life.
She finds this Leandra to be a funny sort; she exaggerates some, but for the most part, Sable can smell the truth in her words.
The one thing she can’t decide how to feel about is how busy she seems to be.
Sable, on the whole, has had a dull life up until now, if marred by fits of violence.
Leandra makes this town sound like a place where something is always happening, and she doesn’t know if that sounds like a good thing or a bad thing.
Her ears perk up towards the end of the conversation, though, when Leandra says, “Oh, Sable, I can’t believe I forgot to mention. Mariam—do you know that pub down the road from here, The Wolf’s Howl?”
“I’ve driven by it a million times but I’ve never gone in,” says Mariam. “What about it?”
“Well, it’s owned and operated by refugees from the Fae realm.
” Leandra shoots Sable another apologetic glance, then back to Mariam.
“Actually, most of the horror stories I’ve heard about Faerals, I heard from them, which is why I warned you to be careful.
They went through some fucked up shit on the Plains and they got outta Dodge real quick after that.
But I thought they’d like Sable. They’re Faerals themselves.
Wolves, as the name of the pub suggests. ”
Sable leans forward in her chair. She feels her inner wolf’s tail wagging. Could these be her own clanmates somehow? She hasn’t heard of anyone of clan Revestra coming to the human realm before her, but… Anything’s possible. “I’m a wolf Faeral.”
“Well, butter my ass and call me a biscuit,” Leandra says, “what a coincidence! I’ll have to introduce y’all sometime. Big Wolf would love to have another member of the pack.”
Sable’s enthusiasm surprises even her. “Hell yeah!”
* * *
As Sable and Leandra continue talking about Big Wolf’s pack, the charcuterie board dwindles away, in large part thanks to Sable.
She’s learned she quite enjoys it, especially the string cheese, which she was delighted to find pulls apart like meat.
Once the food is gone, Leandra takes her leave.
Sable and Mariam see her out, and once her car’s headlights have disappeared down the road, she watches Mariam close and lock the door, then rest her back against it and say, “I think that was a stunning success.”
Sable laughs, putting her hands on Mariam’s waist. “For sure.” She kisses her woman sweetly. “You have… an interesting friend there.”
“I sure do.” Mariam kisses her this time. “And an amazing girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend… that’s the word for courting partners, right?
” Mariam nods, and Sable grins and locks their lips together yet again.
Mariam presses her body to hers and Sable draws back, bringing Mariam with her, delighting in the smile across her lips.
“By the way, is there any more of that charcuterie stuff?”
Mariam laughs, lightly smacking Sable’s chest. “I call you my girlfriend for the first time, and your first thought is food?”
She laughs too.“It was rather delicious, the little pieces of meat and cheese. Can we make it again sometime soon?”
“Absolutely, my love. We’ll make a board just for the two of us.”
“I like the sound of that.”
* * *
Mariam spends the rest of the afternoon and evening curled up against Sable’s side, showing her one of her favorite shows on TV.
She had to first lower the brightness of the TV to spare Sable’s more sensitive eyes, but she takes in what is happening on the screen eagerly.
Her neck locks and her gaze tracks the actors as they run or jump, like a predator watching prey.
It takes her a few episodes before she stops looking disoriented every time the camera angle changes.
Mariam does her best to keep from giggling.
Eventually, the night comes, and they sit down for dinner. Steaks and mashed potatoes with gravy. “A feast fit for kings,” she jokes when she sets down the plates.
“This looks delicious, baby,” Sable comments, eagerly picking up her knife and fork and digging in.
Mariam has kept a stockpile of plastic utensils, ever since she first learned that stainless steel contains enough iron to make Fae nervous.
She closes her eyes, savoring, as she chews a bite of steak.
“I haven’t eaten this well in forever. They must have some talented hunters in this town. ”
“Maybe so, maybe so,” Mariam says as she takes her own seat, not about to explain factory farming to Sable tonight.
They dig into their meal together, leaving conversation behind…
but Mariam’s thoughts continue to ramble in her head.
This peaceful little life. Could it really be forever? She hopes so.
She finds herself wrestling less and less with the thought of accepting Sable as her mate the more she thinks about it.
It still feels like she doesn’t have much of a choice, but…
would she have ever chosen any differently anyway?
Maybe that’s what Sable meant when she said their lives are what they make it.
She still has time to decide. For now, though? Mariam’s just enjoying her time with her girlfriend, enjoying steadily involving Sable in her world.