Orson
April is quiet as we drive back toward Yale University.
Her hands fiddle in her lap, her beautiful hair swept back from her face. Lark lent her a hair tie and some clothes, so she's not wearing my shirt anymore. I fucking hate it.
I hate all of this. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to turn around, take her back to the pack and never, ever let her out of my sight. Or out of my arms.
The memory of her moaning and writhing with pleasure last night is my constant companion, a blessing and a curse. If I pulled over on the side of the road right now and bent her over, would she let me?
I glance over at her again, unable to keep my eyes off her for more than a minute or so at a time. She looks pensive, so I'm going to go ahead and guess roadside sex is off the table. We couldn't go all the way anyway, not until the mating ceremony. But there are so many other things I could do to her with my mouth and fingers...
Fuck. Now I'm hard. I divert my thoughts to what it was like waking up with her in my arms this morning. Heavenly is the only word I can think of to describe it. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up to her face tucked against my chest, her legs draped over me. But I may never experience it again.
"April," I say. "Are you alright?"
She nods wordlessly, still staring out the window. Maybe last night was too much for her, maybe she felt like I pressured her into letting me touch her.
My knuckles go white as I grip the steering wheel hard, until I feel it start to bend beneath my strength. I force myself to ease up.
"Was it too much? Last night?" I ask quietly and she looks at me sharply.
"What?" She shakes her head. "That's not....No. I'm fine. Everything's fine."
I don't want to pry further. She deserves my respect and this is how I show it; by letting her live her life as she chooses. Even if that means she is far away from me.
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April
We're close now. Another twenty minutes and we'll be on campus.
I should be excited to get home and put this entire nightmare behind me. So why am I so completely filled with dread? The thought of leaving Reed is agonizing. I'm beginning to understand why Lark was so melodramatic regarding the mate bond. Maybe it really is as strong as she described.
Behind us, following in a separate car, is North and another werewolf that I don't know. They're to be my protection for...I don't know how long, exactly. Reed said that he didn't trust anyone with my safety except for his closest friend, North. I'm not sure North would be my number one pick, but I don't know enough to have a say.
We don't have long till Reed and I are parting ways and there's still something I want to ask him.
"Reed." I turn toward him, tucking my legs up beneath me on the car seat.
"Yeah?"
"Lark mentioned something but she said you should explain it to me."
His eyebrows pull down. "What?"
"A mating ceremony."
His jaw clenches and he is quiet for a long moment. "She shouldn't have said anything."
"I'm not trying to get her in trouble," I say quickly. "I'm just curious."
He shakes his head, shifting his hands on the steering wheel. "Don't worry about it, ok?"
"Why? You've always been honest with me, why are you–"
"What does it matter, April?" His voice is fraught with tension and frustration. I quickly go quiet, sinking back in my seat. He runs a hand through his hair. "You're leaving. And you have no intention of coming back. What does any of it matter?"
We lapse into silence until we pull up on the road outside campus. Familiar surroundings, finally. It all looks so...normal. College students moseying to class, drinking coffees, studying beneath the trees. My entire universe has been turned upside down and yet the world has continued to chug along like nothing has changed. But everything has changed. I've changed.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, April," Reed says and I look over at him. His face is pained. "I shouldn't have been an asshole and shut you down."
"No, it's ok." And it is. This is clearly difficult for him, but he's doing it anyway. Because at the end of the day, he is selfless. "I know this is hard. It's..." There is a lump in my throat. I'm not about to cry, am I? "It's hard for me too."
"It is?"
I nod. He gets out of the car and comes around to my side, pulls the door open for me. Without warning, I launch myself into his arms. He catches me easily, wrapping me in a warm embrace. And in that moment, as he holds me on the sidewalk outside of campus, people passing us and probably giving us weird stares, all the supernatural bullshit falls away.
He isn't the heir to a werewolf pack and I'm not some Kindred companion to the vampires. We're just a boy and a girl who care about each other and are struggling to let go.
I breathe him in and he smells like freedom. Like the forest after it's just rained, freshly sprung grass and crisp mountain air.
"Will you come and visit me?" I choke out.
After a long moment, he sets me down on my feet and cups my cheeks, thumbs brushing over my skin. "You would want that?"
My head is tilted back so I can meet his gaze. "Yes."
He groans and then his lips are against mine. His kiss is crushing, desperate, our mouths slotting together perfectly like we were made for one another. The world around us fades and all I feel is his warmth.
Too quickly, he pulls back but I realize why when I see his eyes are glowing amber. He blinks, looking down and trying to get rid of it.
"You ok?" I pant, gripping the front of his shirt, and he nods. The green returns to his eyes.
"April, if you want me here, I'll be here. I'm going to take care of things with the vampires, make it safe for you. And then I'll be here as much as you can stand me to be."
Using my grip on his shirt as leverage, I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek, letting my lips linger on his skin. He holds my hips firmly, keeping me steady against his firm body.
"Be careful with Nik," I warn him quietly. "He's clever and a lot older than you or me."
He nods, momentarily pulling me closer before finally stepping back with some great effort. My hands fall to my sides, itching to return to him.
"I will be. And you'll be safe. I promise," Reed assures me. I glance over at North and the other werewolf, who are waiting patiently down the street. "Call me if you need anything and I'll be here. Straight away."
I nod and he squeezes my hand before seemingly forcing himself to turn and get back in the car. For a long minute, he just sits in the driver's seat, like he can't will himself to turn on the ignition.
Why does my heart ache so badly as he finally turns on the car, casts me a devastated look and then drives away?
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My parents are waiting for me outside my dorm's building.
Here we go.
My mother's expression is frigid, like the coldest snowstorm on a winter's day. She glares at me as I approach.
"Where have you been, April?"
"Easy, Eleanor," my father warns.
"No. This is so irresponsible of her. Your father had to miss an important business trip so that we could come here to look for you. And from the sounds of it, you were off galavanting with some boy this entire time! Missing class! Classes that we pay for, might I add–"
"That's enough," my father cuts in. "You're causing a scene."
I look around us, seeing a bunch of people staring, and feel my cheeks heat. Usually, a scolding from my parents makes me feel so small and worthless. But I have to admit that after everything I've been through the past couple of days, their anger just feels...petty. It doesn't have the same hold over me that it once did.
"Look, I'm sorry that I scared you. Or inconvenienced you. It won't happen again." And it has never happened before.
"An apology isn't going to cut it, April. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. There have to be consequences," my mother says, crossing her arms over her chest. She is a severe looking woman, with sharp features and pale skin, like me. My father is slightly warmer in demeanor, brilliant at feigning a smile or small talk, but his disinterest in his family is obvious. I'm actually surprised he even came. My mother might be crueler, but at least she cares.
"You can't ground me, mom. I'm not a child."
"No, you're not. So you should know better, but clearly you need more supervision. April, you're coming home to New York."
What. The. Fuck?
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you're reading this story, I am very grateful. Thank you! I would love if you could vote if you're enjoying it or leave a comment with some thoughts. Thanks again.