Chapter 13 - Hector

On Sunday morning, I found Faye curled up on the futon in the FROG. I stood in the doorway for a while, just looking at her with a sense of affection growing in my chest. The way she made my heart beat—the way she made my heart skip a beat—was something that I didn't think anybody could accomplish. The fact that I had ever rejected her was the wrong move. My apology in front of her parents had mostly been for show. But I felt in my heart that it was time to start making genuine amends.

I walked to the futon, feeling regret and guilt consume me all at once. No , if I apologize now, then it wouldn't hold the same weight. Besides, it was a thing of the past. I'd already made amends for her in front of everyone. I didn't need to do it every single day.

But what if I choose to do that?

She started to stir as the sunlight draped across her face. She wasn't awake yet, and I almost didn't want her to be awake yet. I wanted to keep observing her and seeing how she adjusted to her new surroundings. Everything she did from this moment on would determine her reputation in the pack. I wasn't sure if she quite understood that. But at the same time, I was concerned about the way the pack would act with her if she made the wrong move.

What would happen when her powers started to act up again? I wasn't sure exactly what the move would be for that. Adrian hadn't exactly given me any type of advice about the situation, and it wasn't like we had anybody in the pack who had this kind of experience. No roadmaps were available. No instructions. Even Megara had ditched without a word.

We were really winging it here.

Her eyelids fluttered, indicating that she was about to wake up. I wanted to do something with her today, something that would give us a little bit of a break from everything that we had just done over the weekend. The celebration from Friday had spilled into Saturday, exciting everyone in the pack to such an extent that we had gifts piling up on the front porch. I had already brought in about twenty different baskets. Baked goods, homemade jelly, or pickled vegetables were among the most popular. Rhiannon kept bringing us bouquets. Daria made a beaded wall hanger for the doorway. Even Mortimer had gotten excited and made a set of throwing daggers for Faye.

Faye rolled to her back, her hair spilling over and reminding me of how I'd caught her in the woods. I knelt next to the futon and pushed a lock of hair from her face. Light trickled over the white scar tissue on her throat, her sternum, and then to her breasts, barely held in by her white tank top.

I smiled. "Good morning."

She took a deep breath, sighed, and rolled to her left side, turning her back to me. "I want five more minutes."

I chortled while playing with her hair. "I see we're already off to a bratty start."

She shrugged her right shoulder. "Somebody has to be defiant around here. I think it's got to be me, right? Because I'm getting the princess treatment."

I laughed a little louder, feeling that wonderful sense of elation again.

She reached for my hand and threaded her fingers with mine. "Do we have any leftover bacon?"

I nodded, satisfied with how she reached for me. That was one good way to reassure me of her commitment. "We have plenty of leftover food. Do you want me to make something?"

She sighed in agreement and then sleepily drifted into a nap.

Something like this might have made me upset with anybody else. But with Faye, I felt like she could do almost anything she wanted, and it wouldn't hurt me. Anything short of running away, obviously. I might also be opposed to her whacking my arm while laughing. Nothing was more annoying than violence born from amusement.

I kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek before leaving the room. I went downstairs and whipped up some bacon and eggs. After that, I made some coffee. Anyone else might have been disturbed by their mate sleeping in a separate room, but we needed the rest. Hell had no fury like a woman with an unlimited sex drive. I was embarrassed to admit that she was wearing me out.

While chuckling at my thoughts, I put everything on a tray to take back up to her along with some toast. When I sat next to her, she stirred again, this time sitting up abruptly and jumping at her plate like she hadn't eaten in weeks. "I guess I should be thankful you didn't keep me in some creepy basement."

I snorted. "Come on. Do I really look like a creep to you?"

She took a bite of her toast and used the bitten edge of the bread to wave at me. "Not really."

I raised my eyebrows at her as I took a sip of my coffee, giving her a non-verbal indication that I was interested in hearing more about this creepy definition of hers.

But instead of diving into any kind of over-explanation, she pointed to the window with her thumb. "Can we go anywhere? Or are we just going to be stuck inside, sleeping with each other forever?"

I laughed as I tried to chew my eggs. After swallowing them, I gave her a smirk. "You want to leave the house?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, why not? Should we be worried about demon attacks?"

I rested my hand on her knee. "We should stay cautious, yes, but I was thinking of taking you into Point Pleasant to see the sights. What do you think?"

She perked up. "We can go see the Mothman thing?"

I laughed. "Yes, of course we can! You just need to finish your breakfast so we can, uh…"

Like a ravenous wolf, she devoured the rest of her plate and then held out the empty plate to me with beaming pride. "Done!"

I cackled while grabbing the plate. This was too sweet. It was different from the way she had been raised. It was different from the way that we had acted with each other before. Something about the way her parents spoke to her on Friday night had changed a great part of her. And in fact, it changed a great part of me, too. I thought it would take much longer for her parents to accept her. It seemed the ritual had done something to the entire pack, had imbued them with a feeling of hope for the future.

Already, there were less demons tapping at our gates. It was working just as intended.

I nodded to the door. "Want to help me clean up?"

"Sure thing, Cowboy."

I eyed her carefully. "Did you just…?"

She waved me off. "Don't overthink it. Just roll with it before I change my mind."

Laughter followed us down the stairs and into the kitchen. Once we got the plates and food cleaned up, we got dressed and went out to the car. After ensuring the place was locked like the Bastille, we hopped into the car where I kept my eyes on the dash. Even clad in leggings, Faye's thighs were distracting.

When I tried to start my car, the engine clicked. I tried again to find the same repeated clicking sound. A third attempt made me agitated.

I sighed with defeat as I slumped in my seat. " Great . Now, we have to take this to Mortimer."

"Are you sure about that?" She jumped out of the car, clapped shut the door, and popped open the hood.

When I stepped out to join her, I studied the way she bent over the engine, noticing how her leggings outlined her curves. The loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt she wore revealed her cleavage from her push-up bra. She hadn't been particularly shy about changing in front of me or stealing my clothes in the process. I appreciated that, considering we had seen each other naked several times by now. It was nice to see her being so confident and comfortable with me.

It meant she trusted me.

She hummed as she looked over the engine.

"Call me old-fashioned, but are you supposed to know how cars work?" I teased.

She smirked without looking at me and then reached out to tap one of the pipes. The engine jumped to life from the tiny spark of her fingers. Once she closed the hood, she clapped her hands together proudly and said, "Let's go, Cowboy. We're losing daylight. You wouldn't want your Cherry Pie to rot, would you?"

I stared at her with a half-smile, thinking, Wow, I guess I really underestimated her abilities.

She nipped her lower lip, popping her right hip out while avoiding my gaze and twirling a lock of hair around her delicate finger. "What?"

I hummed with approval, cleared my throat, gestured to the car. "Your chariot awaits."

***

It was a twenty-minute ride into Point Pleasant. We had plenty to talk about, enough excited chatter that I got lost in the ebb and flow of it. I barely noticed the drive or the fact that her hand had been resting on my knuckles while I held the gear shift.

Once we pulled up to a café, I noticed the tourists. I saw the line of cars, and the line of people, and the way everything was smashed together. Faye hopped out of the car like she was a tourist herself, even though she was raised here—or close to here, anyway.

Suddenly, the graceful doe-dressed woman who I had chased in the woods was hopping around and peeking into windows, pointing at things that were new and enticing. She grabbed the sleeve of my sweater and pulled me toward the café.

"Oh, my sweet fields of corn, they have Mothman cookies."

I didn't have a chance to react as she yanked me inside and pulled me to the counter. She ordered us both hot chocolates and Mothman cookies, along with a bag of chocolate spheres that were reportedly Mothman droppings. As soon as we sat in the front window nook that looked over the street, she tapped the window, pointing at the famous Mothman statue. "That's next."

"You bet."

She held up her cookie. "I've never been able to do something like this."

I gave her a funny look, sipped my hot chocolate, and set it down pensively. "Didn't your parents take you into town or anything?"

She chewed thoughtfully, her eyes downcast with a sunken expression. When she was done chewing, she whispered. "No. They took Cliff a lot, but they always left me behind. They didn't want me to ruin anything."

"I don't see how you could ruin anything."

She shrugged. "I didn't really have very much control over my powers when I was younger. I kind of—" Her eyes searched the horizon outside the window. "No, I don't want to tell you that." She bit her cookie harder this time.

I leaned forward. "You can't say something like that and then not tell me."

"No, it's embarrassing. You'll make fun of me for it."

"I think we're past the point of making fun of each other, aren't we?"

She stared at me over her cup of hot chocolate, the steam wisping into her face and enhancing the magical attributes of her eyes. "Are we?"

I felt a bead of anger. And then, after that, a pang of guilt, and then shortly after that, I felt like I was exhausted. I felt like I had been spinning around in my head about this whole topic ever since I grabbed her.

The morality of the situation mixed with my feelings of knowing what was right, and then when I added a dash of admiration and affection to that, it was just one giant stew of confusion. I could feel myself boiling up, but I wasn't sure how to control it or what to do.

I tapped my fingers on the side of my cup. "If you're not over me bullying you, then I don't see how this is going to work."

Both of her eyebrows rose. "That came out of nowhere."

I scratched the back of my head. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just mixed up here."

She nodded slowly and then set her cup down. "What are you mixed up about?"

"The car engine died. You brought it to life, but you didn't need to do that. We must be past the bully stuff, right? I mean, a half-witch does come in handy for car troubles—from what I saw."

She laughed bitterly. "I'm glad to see I have some use for you other than being in your bed."

I leaned forward another inch. "You know as well as I that it's been more than just the bed."

Her entire face flushed with a crimson tide. I had won for the moment, but we still had to be serious about our relationship. And if she had any hang-ups about me making fun of her as a kid, then we needed to hash them out right now. I held my hand out for her, resting it on the table between us with my palm up. She reached for it and rested her hand gently on my fingers.

A television in the background played the news. A couple of people wandered in from the chilly street. Some of them tourists, some of them shifter locals that I knew, but not once did I break away my gaze from Faye. I needed her to know that she was in my full view.

I held her hand up between us. "I know it's not going to be easy to get over the things that happened between us when we were kids."

She snorted. "You mean the thing that you did to me?"

"If you're going to hold it against me the whole time, then we're not going to have a very honest relationship."

"I think it's honest to acknowledge my feelings."

I considered her statement with a quiet ferocity that made her flinch. Unblinking, no smile, no expression at all—that meant she was considering it as well. Perhaps she was trying to determine whether she was right to hold a grudge at all after my public apology.

However, she did have a point. Acknowledging true feelings was honest.

I nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right about that. Can we still just say that it's water under the bridge, though?"

She hummed and then turned to the window, staring out at the ever-changing sky, the threat of rain coming along in the form of thick gray clouds. "I don't know."

I didn't like the sound of that, her uncertainty. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. Everything was fine on Friday. Everything was fine yesterday, too. Why couldn't things be fine today? Just as I was about to give her a piece of my mind, the television in the background caught my ear, boasting about sandy beaches and beautiful townhouses.

I noticed Faye staring at the screen over my shoulder. The way her features turned white made me think she was looking at something ghastly. She was so pale and so horrified at the same time, and it was almost like she was completely drained of blood.

"Beaufort Creek, gorgeous Beaufort Creek. You'll never want to leave! " The speakers crackled as the sound slowed down, changing to creepy carousel music. "Especially after we kill them all …"

Her wide eyes were glossy like wet marbles. "Hector?"

I squeezed her hand. "Look away."

The weird carnival music proceeded into a slowly timed march. Her lower lip ballooned as her pupils turned to points. "I…can't…"

"It's demon magic." I yanked on her hand and put myself between her and the television. "Your alpha commands you to look away , Faye Lynne."

Her gaze snapped to me, but I could tell she was already halfway lost to the home she once knew in her mind.

I felt infuriated by the reminder of Beaufort Creek. That place was dead and gone to her. She would never go back. Hell, those alphas of her probably wouldn't dare to take her back. Breaking a mate bond was risky for everyone involved—even the people surrounding the situation.

My heart lurched. That's what they are doing , I thought. The demons are trying to break the mate bond .

I shook Faye's hand. "Don't pay attention to them, okay?"

"My home—"

"—is with me now." I stood up and pulled her to her feet with me. "You belong to me now, understand? You're not leaving."

Her eyes hardened. "I miss my home, Hector."

I shook my head. "Then you can miss them from the privacy of our home. Do you understand?"

She peeked over my shoulder. I firmly grasped her chin and forced her to look into my eyes. "Do you understand , Faye Lynne?"

Ferocious heat burned right through me, turning what were once glossy marbles into deadly lasers. "I understand," she said through clenched teeth. "Now, let me go."

She belonged to me. Now, I was her alpha. Now, I was her mate.

Couldn't she see that?