Binding Before War

Chapter Eleven

Samuel Vera

"Hi, can I get a beer?" I asked, sitting down at Dragon Wings. I had started frequenting the bar, stopping there before going home to grade papers and finish lesson plans at last minute. It was two fold, I couldn't focus at home because of Ben and Bale's constant wedding planning, and if I was at the bar I had a chance of running into Naomi. By the look on Isac's face, the look that his brothers had every time I'd come in, he knew I was here to run into his sister and absolutely did not believe anything about me needing to grade papers. However, there was something else on his face that his brother's hadn't had.

He handed me a beer and I frowned, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everyone's busy, why? Upset to see me?" He grinned in an effort to land his joke, but I could tell something was up.

"No, just curious," I replied, accepting the beer from him. Though I hadn't been going to Dragon Tails for very long, because there were so few employees, they'd stopped asking me which beer I wanted when I asked for a beer, because I always asked for the same one. I took a sip, ah. I could remember my first drink, all of those years ago. "So how is Naomi?"

Isac grinned, this one more real than before. "She's busy, but yes, she did have a good time on your date."

"That obvious?" I asked, wondering when I had become so transparent, and why her family seemed one step ahead of us in the relationship. I'd come to the realization that she was my soul mate that night, and since I didn't have any of her contact information, and she'd suddenly stopped picking up Claire, I'd been going to Dragon Tails in hope of running into her. I no longer felt any uncertainty, and I had to share it with her. The longer it took to find her, though, the more a sick and worried feeling was festering under my stomach. Had I read things wrong? She wasn't a harrold, so it was possible that she didn't... The reality that it could be all me, something that only I felt, was too easily supported by the unconcerned way she dealt with me.

I tried not to think about it and instead responded to his nod, "What's she been up to? It's odd to see Claire go home with her mom every day."

Isac laughed, "I bet you don't say that about most of your students."

"That's true," I agreed, but I could tell he was avoiding the topic. He walked off to serve other customers and I finished my drink. I wasn't going to nag her family any further, but I also couldn't let the matter sit any longer. I sat my empty glass down on the table, leaving cash to pay. I lazily waved my goodbye to Isac on my way out, I wasn't going far, but I was leaving.

I walked down the sidewalk, I was much more acquainted with the green door than I'd initially intended and recognised it quickly. I almost didn't knock, but cowardice would not define me that night, and I hit the door with three raps and waited for her to answer.

What was I going to tell her when she answered the door? I didn't know, but I also had a habit of working those things out last minute so I wasn't worried.

"What?!" The irate voice of a very tall and very muscular man surprised me, does Naomi ever open her own door? I stood in a dumb silence for a moment, who was this guy? He stood above me, brown hair that was darker than mine but not quite black was messy on his head. His hispanic skin tight around muscles I could only dream of having- the impeccable pecs, the six pack, that v at the hips that I had personally seen cause women to drool. His brown eyes questioned me angrily, as if my daring to knock on the door had been an offense equal to spitting on his grandmother. He quickly grew sick of my silence and muttered something under his breath in spanish. "Estúpido jodido humano, Naomi! Someone is at your door!"

Naomi Jones

I could feel my frustration wave through me, burning with my anger that it was even possible to be in this situation. Antonio had already been in town for the meeting, visiting on the way to Alaska to tell me that he'd decided to excommunicate his sister, Maria. It had been a hard decision to come to, but it was the right one. Of course, he'd skipped his flight to Alaska when Salma had successfully pushed for a vote. The Council was officially deciding whether or not to come out to humans, and the odds were not in our favor.