A Broken Soul

Chapter Eleven

                We left the hotel and he directed to a very nice looking car. I couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Lucas, how are you affording all of this?” I asked once we were both seated in the car. I mean the hotel, the clothes, make up, car, us going out… it had to be expensive.

                “Well, I’ve been saving up since I was young so I could leave the Clair Lac Pack. I never… I never felt like I belonged. That sounds so cliché and melodramatic, but I always felt like I would be better off somewhere else. I wanted to travel.” He said, glancing at me.

                I nodded, understanding. I never really questioned my belonging before Aiden died and my whole life fell apart. Even then, I mostly just questioned my life and why I was hated by the Gods.

                “Oh… How much have you saved up?” I questioned again, just curious. “Well through my own personal savings about $25,000 US dollars, but I also have my parent’s life savings that I inherited. That is uhh… quite a sum larger than just $25,000 dollars.” He said with a chuckle.  I nodded, thinking this all over. Wow. Saving all your money you ever made from jobs, Christmas, birthdays… just so you could leave.

                That’s commitment.

                I sat back in my seat and watched as thick trees passed by through the windows. The scenery was quite different from my home.

                I thought back to my home, before the incident. I remembered the bright green forest and all the wild fruits that grew around our village. I remembered running through the forest as a child, not a care in the world. My stomach dropped and I yearned for that. I yearned for the fresh air and the way my life was. I let myself dwell in my homesick feeling before making myself shut down. I couldn’t feel that sort of feeling anymore. Clair Lac, France… Aiden… It was all behind me. I couldn’t afford to let myself dwell any longer. I was a new person.

                With Lucas.

                I smiled at the thought and turned to look at him. I studied his face, wanting to just sit there and stare at him. He was truly worthy of being on billboards. He was so hot. His hair was shaggy, and it flipped into his eyes occasionally. He would casually brush it away or simply flip his head to the right slightly and it would all just fall into place somehow. It was messy yet still tame, a total oxymoron. I could tell it wasn’t all the way dry from his shower. My eyes traveled down his face and I noticed his jaw. It was very defined and masculine. It was covered in hair. He hadn’t shaven in a few days’ time I would suppose. His nose was straight and fit his face well. Wow. Could he please stop being so attractive?

                I really wasn’t worthy of him. I was hideous, completely contorted now with scars. I had no right to want him. I did though.

 I wanted to reach over and take his hand in mine. I wanted to show him that I had feelings for him.

                I couldn’t risk it though. If we kissed… And we weren’t mates… I couldn’t handle it. What if he threw me out? I wasn’t his mate; he would have no use of me.

                I sighed and looked away from his beautiful face. Why did I torture myself this way?

                We didn’t speak much until we got to a small Italian restaurant about thirty minutes away. We were seated and I ordered a sprite while he stuck to water. When the waiter left, Lucas folded his arms and leaned towards me, propping them on the table.

                “So, I suppose you’re curious as to what we are going to do here, in America.” He said, meeting my gaze. I nodded, while keeping myself busy unfolding my napkin. I felt so… naked underneath his heavy stare. I was unsettling, but no really in a bad way.

                “Well, you will have to get you a private tutor, to catch you up on your schooling. I have already got myself a job here. With my credentials from France, and the basic courses from the university I took, it wasn’t hard. You’re looking at a new paralegal.” He proclaimed proudly. I wasn’t sure what that was. It must be a specialist of some sort. An American term I was not familiar with.

                He caught on to my confusion and clarified with French. “An Auxiliaire juridique.”

                I nodded, understanding. I was impressed. He was very prepared.

                Our waiter came by at that time.

                “Hi, are you ready to order?” he asked, pulling out a pad and smiling at me. He was quite handsome. He couldn’t compare to Lucas though. I decided on the pasta. I was starving. Plus, I hadn’t had pasta in… well two years.

                He nodded and wrote down the specifics then took Lucas’s order. He chose the ravioli.

                As he left, I noticed Lucas’s tense shoulders. “What wrong Lucas?” I asked, worried. He glared down at his water and mumbled something. I couldn’t understand him. He then looked up at me and I found myself getting quite upset myself. Whatever had put this worry on his face had to be stopped. I did not want to see him upset.

                “He was staring at you. I didn’t like it…” he said, lowly. I paused and happiness erupted in my stomach, causing it to do somersaults. He was jealous, of a waiter. I smiled warmly at him and reached over the table to grasp ahold of his hands which were furiously ripping apart a poor straw wrapper. “No Lucas, you know I have no interest on boys at the moment. There is only room for one man in my life and you have taken that role. I don’t need another boy to come and complicate things. I just escaped a mad man. I don’t need any other problems.” I said, hoping that that helped clarify and comfort things.

                He rewarded me with a five star smile that warmed my heart. I couldn’t help but smile back. He was so darn cute.

                We ate and talked over the tutor that I was to get and his new job. He briefed me over his schedule and what I could do in the meantime. We were going to rent a small town home, not too far from the hotel we were staying in. I rather enjoyed the prospect of living with Lucas.

                Lunch passed quickly and we paid and left.

                As we were driving, we saw a park was nearby and decided a walk would be lovely and pulled in. The lane to the parking was canopied with thick trees and beams of sunlight scarcely made it through. I stared up in awe at the beauty of it. It was very different from France, but I loved it!

                We parked and got out and headed for a trail that was marked “BEGINNERS”.

                I smiled, enjoying the peacefulness of the trail when Lucas spoke up. “Amethyst… You’re eighteen now.”

                I wasn’t sure exactly where this was headed, so I just nodded and looked over at him. He was looking down, deep in thought.

                “Yes…” I said after a moment.

                “Have you felt anything from your wolf?” he asked, stopping and turning to face me. I stopped too, frozen in my tracks.

                “My wolf? I haven’t felt her in… over a year.” I said, embarrassed. I looked and saw Lucas looking at me with a pained face.

“That explains a lot. Come on, we need to go see someone…”