Chapter 45

Piper

Henry looked irate when I walked out of Zander's room.

Which was strange since I felt like I was walking on Cloud 9. My entire body felt warm and relaxed. Being with Zander did that to me.

Henry reached out and wrapped his hand around my upper arm. "You've seriously been screwing this man, Piper? I was with you for years, and you wanted to wait until we got married."

Thank God for that.

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. I hadn't slept with Henry because it didn't feel right. I had wanted to on occasion, but something stopped me.

Now I knew it was my gut. My gut told me not to sleep with him until he was completely committed to me. And it turned out Henry didn't have a faithful bone in his body.

"Why are you so surprised, Henry?" I asked, snatching my arm away from him, and watching his eyes widen. "You were screwing some random blonde in our shower."

He scoffed. "So that means you find some man in the bayou to pledge your love to? You've completely lost it, Piper. I never knew I hurt you this bad—,"

"Stop," I said, shaking my head, and waving him off. "I don't want to hear your apologies or your attempts to rationalize my behavior. I don't answer to you, Henry. I don't even know why you're here. Perhaps the blonde tramp from the shower is done with you? Either way, so am I."

I turned from Henry, feeling myself let go of all the built-up heartache, and walked toward my room.

Henry gripped my wrist tightly and swung me around to face him. His eyes were angry, his face twisted into a sneer. How I wished Zander would come outside and pummel him to death.

Instead, I heard a slight vibration in my body, and a low growl come from Zander's room.

Henry turned to look at the closed door. "What in the Hell was that?" he asked.

"Let. Go," I said, pulling away from him. "You're insane. Don't touch me."

Henry continued to stare at the door, his silence showcasing his fear. Before he had a chance to stop me again, I raced toward my room and locked the door behind me.

I let out a sigh.

Amanda cleared her throat. "I'm so proud of you. Yes, I was eavesdropping," she said.

She stared at me from the front of my bed, her arms folded over her chest, and a smile wide across her pretty face. "I'm so proud. Henry has been riding my last nerve since you went missing, which I want to know all about, by the way. This devoting boyfriend act really tested me a few times. Even your parents don't buy it. So," she said. "Spill it. Tell me what happened. Why are you here at the Blackwood Estate?"

I lifted a brow. "Where did you hear that?"

"I made it up," she said, sliding onto the bed. "Sit down. Tell me. I'm dying."

I sat down in front of her Indian style and interlaced my fingers on my lap. I knew I couldn't tell her everything. The fact he turned into a beast was a secret, which I wasn"t sure I"d want them to know anyway.

"My GPS took me down some crazy dirt road. I was super lost, and it was nighttime. Zander found me. And I stayed."

Amanda narrowed her eyes. "Seriously, Piper? I'm supposed to believe that you just up and decided to stay. How did he convince you?" she asked, moving her brows up and down.

I chuckled. "He didn't have to. Look at his face."

"That's true," she said with a nod. "Very true. The guy"s a demi-God."

"I was grieving Henry. And being here made me ... feel. Something I hadn't had in so long."

Amanda pressed her forehead against mine. "I'm happy you're happy, but I have to know. Is the sex good? And what the hell is on your neck?"

I touched the mark. "The sex is amazing. I've only slept with one other person, you know that, but it's so, so good. Everything about him. His kiss. His touch. His temperament. His understanding. It's plucked right out of a storybook."

Literally, down to the beastly friend inside of him.

"The tattoo?" she asked, pointing toward my neck.

I'd spent many times staring at it in the bathroom mirror. The smooth crescent moon with a blue sky and stars twinkling in them.

"It's just something I wanted to do. On a whim. I've come to love the evening sky while here. Everything about this place is magical.

"I like it. It's completely unlike you in every way, but I love that this man has made you step out of your comfort zone."

That he had.

A knock come on my door, and I cringed to think it was Henry again. Amanda hopped up and went to open it. My parents stood on the other side with Henry behind them.

The dude can"t take a hint. "Henry, I'd appreciate it if you found your way to your room."

"They put me on the first floor—,"

"I don't want you in here."

My dad sensed my panic and jabbed his finger over his shoulder. "Go to your room, Henry. We need to speak with Piper."

Henry clenched his jaw but did as my parents ask, which I was thankful for. I didn't need to get William involved. Even though a giant ass whopping on Henry's part sounded fantastic.

My mother swept in first, like a dramatic damsel from a Disney movie, and hugged me. I understood that she thought I was dead. "Piper, what have they done to you?" she whispered.

I stopped my loving, reassuring stare back at her, and gawked. "What has who done to me?"

She frowned and stood up beside my father. He wore a saddened expression as if I was crazy for being here, and he pitied me. "Sweetie. We need you to pack your things. We have to get you home."

"Get me home?" I asked, looking around for the problem. "Why?"

"The fact that you don't see the problem is the problem," he said. "These men, they have you brainwashed. You don't know them, Baby Girl. They have you trapped here."

There were so many things I wanted to say to them. I wanted to tell them the truth. About the beast. About being mates. But they wouldn't believe me even if I could.

I promised Zander I wasn't leaving, and I would keep my word. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay with him ... forever.

"No one is brainwashed, Dad. I'm happy here. I like Zander. If my GPS wouldn't have led me down the wrong road, I would have never met him. Never knew that a relationship could feel this way. Henry hurt me, but even before he did, I never felt so alive. You have to believe me."

My mother squeezed my father's hand. I knew it was a warning not to drive me away. They didn't believe me. They thought I'd gone looney. "This isn't normal," Dad hissed. "Finding a man in the bayou, and deciding to stay with him? Weren't you going to tell us that you were alive?"

"I did," I said in a whisper. "I texted Mom—,"

"And then disappeared again. Is this man trying to keep you away from us for good? You've fallen out of a bad relationship, and stumbled into another one."

"No," I said, standing up, hoping they would believe me. "This isn't a bad relationship. Please, you have to believe me. I'm thirty years old, I'm not going back home with you. I'm staying here. I can come to visit, and you can come to visit, just like before. But I'm not going back."

"Maybe we should talk about this in the morning—," Mom started.

"Let me in, you bastard!"

Standing up, I shoved in between my parents and ran toward the hallway. Henry stood at Zander's door, slamming his fist against the wood. "Stop it," I said, my voice a whisper.

My body grew warm from fear, and my throat closed.

"Open the door!" Henry shouted.

"Stop it," I said louder while walking down the hallway to get to him. "Stop it!" I screamed.

Henry turned to face me, while a deep roar filled the castle. It rattled the stained-glass windows and vibrated my bones. William's door flew open, he barreled out and pressed Henry against Zander's door.

Silence weighed around me. The look on my father's face was of utter fear. "That's what I heard the night I was looking for you," he said. "What is that, Piper?"

William looked at me over his shoulder.

What could I say? It'd sounded so close. They had to know it was in the castle. "It's the beast," I admitted. "You did hear something that night. And it's why we can't go outside. He haunts the bayou."

My mother gawked at me. "And you want to stay here with that thing, Piper? Sweetie, we need to leave—,"

"I'm not leaving," I said again, tears brimming my eyes. "I want you all to leave. Now."

William let go of Henry, who pulled away and grabbed his neck. "I've never wanted to leave any more than I do now. Something is seriously wrong with you," he said, making his way toward the first floor.

My mother walked over with tears in her hazel eyes and cupped my face with her palms. "I'm not leaving you here. I can't leave you here."

My father put his palm on her shoulder. "Come on. We all need to rest. It's been a very emotional day. We're all tired. Let's go to bed, and we can all talk in the morning."

Dad was trying to be the voice of reason, though I could see both of them still planned for me to leave with them. I would stand my ground on this until they decided to leave, or were forcefully removed.

I was so pissed that my parents being removed didn't sound too bad at the moment.

Amanda shut my door at the end of the hallway where she stood shocked, and my parents hurried toward their room. I stared after them, wondering if I was a crazy person when William touched my forearm.

I looked up at his icy blue eyes. "They have to leave," he said softly.

"I know," I said. "That was close. Henry isn't going to stop until he gets kicked out or has an answer."

"I'll gladly kick him out. I'm worried about your parents, Piper."

My stomach twisted itself into knots. "They have to leave. At least until the curse is broken."

He nodded. "You need to rest. We'll deal with it in the morning. Be prepared. They are going to do whatever they can to get you to leave."

William watched me walk toward my room. I felt shame hovering over me. Kicking my parents out wasn't me. Neither was staying with a man I just met.

But the feeling growing inside of me outweighed the shame by far.

Henry was going home tomorrow.

And my parents could accept my decision to stay, or not. Either way, I was determining my future in the morning, regardless of anyone else's opinion.

Walking toward my room, and away from Zander, pulled at my heart. The distance made my soul ache. I knew for a fact my parents wouldn't understand this connection.

Because it didn't exist in the human world.