Paranormals

Chapter 6: The Dinner Part II

I don't know how to describe the way I felt when our eyes locked. It was like looking at the sun. It's blinding and so bright it hurts, but you can't look away. And when you finally tear your gaze away from it, it's imprinted on your eyes, seared into your mind so you can't forget it.

Wait. Slow up. He's my mate?

He can't be my mate. No way in hell can I, Casey Aguire, be mated to the vampire representative. Paranormals aren't even supposed to have mates! Only supernaturals have mates, and even they stay within their own species. Occasionally, someone will have a human mate, but it's extremely rare. The last known incident was over 200 years ago.

But I can't deny this. If he isn't my mate, I don't know what he is.

Holy shit.

Wait, why am I still staring at him? Why is he still staring at me?

I quickly break his gaze, looking away, and come face to face with the astounded faces of my dinner companions. My parents, Lombardi, and Camille appear to be in shock. Ben is shaking his head, incredulous. Joey looks very confused.

Joey glances from me to my mate, and around the table. Then, he repeats the cycle.

"What's going on? Why is everybody staring at Casey and the guy in the tux?"

Joey's question breaks the trance, and the room bursts into chaos.

"How is this possible," snarls Lombardi. He's clearly pissed. His fangs are out, a sure sign he's close to losing it.

"You tell me," shouts Dad, "you bought him here!"

"Seriously, what's going on? And why is it taking so long for the waiter to come?"

Joey looks up at me, hoping I'll answer his questions, but I'm currently incapable of speech. I'm still in shock.

"Enough," says a calm voice. I automatically turn towards it, and realize that it's my mate.

"I don't know why this happened, but the paranormal is clearly my mate," he says. Surprise colors his tone, and he hesitates before he says paranormal. "I think it's best we postpone the issues with Lombardi until we get this sorted out. I'll take her, and we'll be in touch once I get an idea as to how this happened."

Yeah, I'm definitely not in the mood to tackle Lombardi's recent misbehavior after this. But he'll "take her?" What does he mean? I trade confused glances with Ben.

A cool hand closes around my wrist, and I quickly realize what he means. Not happening, buddy.

"What are you doing," I snap. I get no reply.

"I hope you don't think I'm going with you. You would be sadly mistaken."

He stops dragging me, and turns to face me. Those grey eyes suck me in, and I have to remind myself to keep glaring.

"You," he says, pointing at me, "are coming with me."

"Like hell I am," I reply. I move to break free of his grasp, but discover that he, like most vampires, is incredibly strong. Before I can struggle, my fathers voice rings out behind me.

"She isn't going with you," he says firmly. "She can come back with us until we have some answers."

His grip on me tightens, if it's even possible, and I wince in pain.

"She is coming with me, and I suggest you don't argue. You may see firsthand how persuasive I am."

I look up at him. His jaw is clenched, and his eyes are dark. I can see the tip of a pointy, white tooth peeking out between his lips. The sight is sobering. Vampires like him are very old and very powerful, and if he loses his temper, we're all in trouble. Three vampires on five paranormals are horrible odds in any circumstance, and with him being one of them, we won't stand a chance.

Because he's so old, it's unlikely that he hasn't learned to control himself. New vampires are always impulsive and unpredictable, but by the time they hit 100 years old or so, only the stupid ones like Lombardi haven't learned to keep their temper. Something tells me the man in front of me isn't unintelligent. If anything, he looks too smart for his own good.

So why isn't he behaving? The only conclusion I can come to is that his mate instincts are kicking in, and my presence is causing him to lose any patience or control he might have.

Basically, I need to leave. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like walking out the door is an option. But if I can get him to let go of me, I can link.

The issue is releasing myself from his death grip. If I move, and he instinctually reacts by holding me tighter, he could break my wrist. It would heal itself within a few hours, but it would still be damn painful, and linking while in pain is easier said than done.

He won't willingly let go of me, and I can't pull myself out of his grasp. He's running completely on mate instincts now. I could try to use that to my advantage. If I act like I'm hurt, he would have to release me, even if it was only momentarily. Then I could link out of here.

It's a risky plan; a million things could go wrong. He could grab me as I'm linking, which would result in me facing him alone wherever we ended up, and I would be displaying my gift right in front of Lombardi, Camille, and the vampire representative. But I don't want to go with him, and if I stay and Mom and Dad are stubborn, he may get violent. It's my only option.

I wait until his grip tightens a little, and put my plan into action.

"Ow!"

As he turns to face me, surprised, his grip loosens, and I pull myself away from him, cradling my wrist. It didn't take much acting to cry out in pain, my wrist throbs. His fingers are clearly tattooed on my skin in black and blue from his tight grip.

Where do I want to go? Does it matter? I decide going to my house may not be the best idea. I choose to link to a room in a resort in the Bahamas. As I feel myself linking, I see him coming closer. Shutting my eyes, I pray he won't reach me in time.

I land on the bed in the resort room, my head hitting the pillows. Thankfully, there is no vampire in tow, and the room is not occupied. Mission successful.

Looking at my watch, I realize I only left home 45 minutes ago. It seems like an eternity. In less than an hour, my life got a lot more complicated. I reach for my phone, and discover I left it in my clutch, on the table of the restaurant. I can't get a break today, can I?

Then again, maybe I should enjoy today. Tomorrow I'll have to face my family, and my mate.

So...I disappeared off the face of the planet for a year, but I'm back! I wanted to try to update this, and I'm continuing the story from where I left off. What do you guys think of Nate? What is he doing now that Casey linked away from him? Let me know in the comments!

-t_pearson