Four Mates & A Tribrid

Chapter 27

We sit in silence as Caspian drives down the empty street, one hand on the steering wheel while the other rests on the console. I wish it was on me, I thought longingly. I wouldn't dare say it though, especially not when Caspian has barely even said a word to me since he left me in my door room. The most that I got out of him was a grunt and a, "let's go".

I couldn't take the silence any longer. I mean, he didn't even have the radio on. That's a crime in and of itself. "So..."

He glances at me with an eyebrow raised. "36."

"Huh?" I said, my eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"36 minutes. That's how long it took for you to talk," he said, looking back at the road. "I honestly thought you would have cracked around the 4-minute mark."

I gaped at him. "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence. And I thought you were supposed to be the nice one," I grumbled, slumping lower into my seat.

"The nice one?" He looked at me as if that statement deeply offended him.

I straightened in my seat. "What? Being nice is a good quality."

If anything, he looked even more offended. "Being nice is what you say to someone if they're boring or ugly."

I scoffed, looking out the window. "As if you're lacking in the looks department. You're too hot for your own good."

I could see that smug smirk from the corner of my eyes. "I can't wait to tell Daxon that one," he said grinning before it slipped. "Sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine, really. Daxon is..." I sighed, leaning my head back against the seat. "I honestly don't know what to think anymore."

"He misses you. I know it's not my place to tell you what to do, but hear him out. He's going absolutely crazy without you," Caspian spoke softly.

I gazed out the window at the passing trees and pondered. Am I being too harsh on Daxon? Not harsh enough? He lied to me. And I hate that I miss him so much. Hate that I'm already ready to forgive him. But he's not like the others. He wanted me from the first time we spoke, and even after finding out that he will be tethered to me for the rest of his life, he still wanted to stay.

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Caspian leads the way up the cabin steps, taking his shoes off by the door as he hurries to light the fireplace while turning on the lights for us to see. I stand awkwardly in the doorway, feeling a lot more like an intruder than a guest.

I know that I was just here, but that was with the guys. Now I'm alone, with Caspian, my mate.

Caspian glances over at me as he puts a few logs into the fire. "You can come in, you know."

I release a breath, closing the door behind me as I set my bag down by the recliner in the living room. "So why are we here, Caspian? Not that I don't want to be here, it's just..." I trailed off as his eyes met mine, once again serious.

Standing up, Caspian replies, "I don't want to see you hurt, Maeve." He cups my cheek as his gaze pierces mine. "You don't realize what you're doing to yourself."

I jerk out of his hold. I didn't like the pitying look in his eyes, as if I wasn't capable of understanding right from wrong. Of course, I knew what I was doing wasn't healthy. But was I going to drown my feelings in anything I can? Maybe.

"I know perfectly well, Cas. It's not that I don't realize the dangers. It's that I don't care."

Silence settled between us as his eyes mirrored one of a hurt kitten. "You don't care? You have one mate who wants to be with you, but you're too scared to admit you want him back. Another mate who doesn't want to share but clearly adores you. And another who is a psychotic snake who doesn't want a mate. But it doesn't matter about the ones who do want you, right?"