The Experimental Mate (Work in progress/unedited)

The Scratching Noise

Tori's POV:

He looks so peaceful with his even breaths and facial features relaxed. His eyelashes curl against his cheek and his hair stuck up everywhere which made me smile. He isn't exactly heavy but his broad shoulders and his firm arms, which I may or may not have squeezed and felt, wrapped me up enough to cover my body from my ribs down.

I guess I should fall asleep too but something was keeping me awake. I'm not pregnant so nothings gonna happen and I told him then instead of later so we're safe for now. My room at the facility had a lock security thing for the door, maybe this one is the same? I went to sit up but his body weight kept me down.

"My love, I need to get up..." I whispered, trying to crawl out from under him. He grumbled and moved off, falling back to sleep as soon as his head hit his pillow. Standing on the floor, I winced from the cold and began to try creeping as silently as possible to the bedroom door. The door is so loud! It moves less than an inch and it makes this horrible screeching witch laugh! As soon as I got the door closed and was safely out of the bedroom without waking him, I took a deep breath and turned but shortly stopped.

Why is it so dark!? Anything could be lurking in the shadows... Corina was laughing at me for being scared but I think my fear of the dark is validated. They always had a light on outside my room at the facility. This hallway is just a looming dark tunnel with doors on both sides. What if something snatches me into a room and Jay doesn't hear? One step at a time, Tori. There is a jittery feeling in my chest and my heart skips a beat at any little sound I hear. I finally made it downstairs, safely might I add, and flicked the lights on in the living room and the kitchen. No things creeping in the darkness here!

I walked to the front door first, simply because I knew where it was, and began studying the handle and thing above the handle. Surely that can't be the lock... No electric lock systems could fit in that tiny switch. I grabbed it and started messing with it, turning it in any direction I could until I found it only went one way to begin with. That would be sideways. I looked down to the door knob and saw a small little lump on the handle. It only took a second of thinking before I was messing with that one two and twisted it so it was facing up. Then I tried to open the door and a little bump was heard before I tried for a second time. Just to be safe.

So for the next 10 minutes, I walked through the 1st floor and locked all the windows and the front door. This should be the last window. I had gone through a room with tiny beds on the ground and a table with screens and weird shaped humming things on it. There were also two other guest rooms and a downstairs bathroom. As I was flipping the little plastic piece over the window to block it from opening, I heard a weird faint scratching coming from the kitchen. I didn't hear Jay come down the stairs... Grabbing the closest thing to me, I looked down to see I held a vase with flowers and water in it. Please don't be a person. I don't want to beat someone with flowers.

I held my breath, slowly and very silently tiptoeing over to the kitchen. I peeked around the corner and studied the room for several seconds before I finally allowed myself to breathe. Only for a second though because the scratching noise sounded again, this time coming from a door in the kitchen. My hands were shaking and I had tears ready to be set free if it were something scary. I laid my free hand on the door and took a deep breath, gripping the vase incase of an attack.

Open the door. I'll protect us. Give control to me.

Corina... why do you sound so calm? Your voice is different too. It's softer but stern.

Just trust me.

I took another breath, feeling a little more calm feeling Corina under my skin and pushing her warmth against my flesh. I don't know how to give her control but I know last time, I accepted my fate. Is that what I need to do now? Screw it. If it's someone wanting to kill me, they're gonna have to fight. Swinging the door open, I gasped as two flashes of color ran by my feet. Then a hand landed on my shoulder. I jumped and screamed, bringing the vase down on whoever was behind me. A hiss made me open my eyes and in shock, I stared at a wide awake Jay who stared at me with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"What're you doing?" He asked and I could see him trying to hide a smile. He probably thought my screams were funny! I scowled and gently shoved him, relieved that it wasn't anything serious. Well kinda serious.

"Two things ran in." I stated, letting my head lay against his chest. His hands were on my shoulders though and gently pushed me back enough to see my face. He turned and looked down so I followed his lead and what I saw made my heart melt. Sitting in front of us were two pups! They must have some type of sickness though because usual pups have longer hair.

"Awww! You didn't tell me you had pups! How old are they?" I asked, smiling and looking up at him. He shook his head and shut the back door before leaning against the island.

"They're not pups... Gracie is 6 years old and Archie is 7 years old." Gracie was a girl with beautiful white hair and bright blue eyes. She has a little black markings beneath her eyes and around her nose while also having brown spots on her ears. She's adorable. Then there is Archie and he has a mixture of brown, black, gray, and red hair. His eyes were auburn and looked like there was a mixture of fire and fall leaves in them. Gracie had a stouter body build while Archie was slimmer and taller. They seem unusually small compared to other pups their age. It's also strange they already know how to shift.

"Why are they so small? I thought pups don't shift until about 13-14..." I hummed, looking at two things around their necks. What the hell? I heard Jaiden still and when I turned, I saw him staring with amusement but he had a look as though I were stupid. "Baby... those aren't children. They're dogs and that's the normal size for a Pitbull and a cattle dog." I got wide eyed and turned to look at the dogs. That makes a lot more sense and all the sudden I understood the look on Jay's face and why Corina was laughing. I would laugh too but my mind was still swarming with the new information. I felt his arms wrap around me and lift me which made me laugh while wrapping my own arms around him with a death grip. He better not drop me. He carried us up the stairs and back into the bedroom, me laughing and screeching along the way before he laid me down. I realized I wouldn't change a single thing since I've met him. He makes me happy.