I sat back in my chair and Mia sat down across from me.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.
I shook my head. Talking wouldn't change anything and I was emotionally done for the day.
"Kane! Get back in here," I yelled.
He came back and leaned in the door way, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Alright wolf boy, give me a sniff."
I spread my arms expectantly. I was tired of this damn tea and it was only my second cup. Kane fought an amused grin as he walked toward me. He place one hand on the back of my chair and the other he placed on the table, effectively trapping me.
I swallowed as he looked down at me intently. This had been a bad idea. I held my breath as he slowly bent toward me. He moved his hand from the back of my chair to grasp my chin and tilted my head to the side. I was frozen, too drained to protest. His nose skimmed the side of my neck and my lungs released the breath I had been holding in a sigh. He inhaled deeply, his fingers gently keeping my chin trapped. I fought goosebumps as he exhaled, his breath ghosting across the sensitive skin of my neck.
"Drink another cup," he said gruffly as he pulled back.
"Wow, what was that?" Mia asked after Kane had left.
"That was your brother and his weird wolf hormones being in overdrive."
"I know he's my brother, and I already regret saying this, but that was hot."
"Mia, no. Just, no. Everything about this is a hell no. I have a boyfriend, he is a psychopath."
Mia laughed at the look on my face and dropped the subject thankfully.
"Okay, well how about the grand tour?"
Why not? I stood with Mia and we started back toward the living room. Again I wondered at the homey feel of this house. Everything felt well loved and lived in. We went through the many upstairs halls passing numerous bedrooms. We were walking by one open door when I caught Sierra's scent. I paused and peeked inside.
It looked like a tornado had come through. There were frilly underwear and sequined clothing everywhere. Makeup was scattered across every available surface. Hair products and nail polish littered the floor.
"Could she be any more cliche?"
Mia chuckled and glanced at the mess.
"Sierra has always been a bit of a princess. Probably one of the reasons Kane isn't interested. Could you imagine that mess in his room?"
I imagined Sierra's closet throwing up in Kane's neat bedroom. His bookshelves cluttered with her makeup. His bathroom filled with her lacy underthings. Let's not.
Mia led me down another set of stairs to a separate wing of the house. She pushed open a set of wooden double doors and I gasped. Floor to ceiling bookshelves filled the room, and every inch of space on the bookshelves was filled with volume after volume. I walked into my personal paradise and turned to Mia.
"Holy shit!"
"I'm glad you like this room, maybe someone besides Kane will come in here now," Mia said with a chuckle.
While Kane didn't seem intelligent enough in my personal opinion to be a reader I was too distracted by all the books to reply. There was a fireplace and a sofa in one corner I noticed belatedly, and a side table stacked with books filled with bookmarks.
"Please do not tell me he reads more than one book at a time," I said glancing over at Mia.
She shrugged in reply. Figured. I didn't know how someone could properly love a book if they were reading four or five others at the same time. Just like a man to cheat. I ran my fingers over some spines of the books closest to me. They didn't seem to be in any sort of order. I was looking at a copy of Pride and Prejudice right beside Eragon.
"Come on," Mia finally said. "I'll show you the rest of this wing."
There were a few more rooms. Kane's office. His mom's bedroom tucked out of the way where she could have some privacy. There was also another living room. This one equip with a giant flat screen. There were a ton of seating options, couches and chairs all over the room.
"This is where everyone normally hangs out when a big group is over."
"You mean when you guys are doing werewolf ritual stuff?"
"Well, I was meaning more along the lines of the Superbowl, but yeah I guess."
Mia laughed at my startled look.
"Cassie, we are not so different from humans you know."
I resisted the urge to tell her that no, I didn't know, I had been a werewolf for all of a few weeks. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, but bit my tongue and followed Mia out of the room.
Eventually we made the whole tour and came back to the bedroom I would be staying in. I sat down on the bed with a sigh. Mia came in and plopped down cross-legged beside me. I leaned back against the mountain of pillows in frustration. I had run away from one disaster, Jason, straight into an even bigger one, Kane and his band of wolves.
"Mia, honestly what am I supposed to do? My life has been absolutely turned upside down and I am hanging by a thread here."
"I can't pretend to know what you're going through. I've never had to deal with being anything other than what I am. I will tell you that from what I know of you so far you seem like you are a strong person. I think you can handle this, Cassie. I think the biggest problem will be keeping you and Kane from killing each other."
Mia smiled at me and pushed her dark hair behind her ear. I grinned back, if I had to be stuck in this place at least Mia was tolerable to be around. She was right about Kane, though. If we were in the same room together we were either trying to kill each other, or couldn't keep our hands, or mouths, to ourselves.
"So I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm stuck here until this whole thing with the Rogues is cleared up but what am I supposed to do? Just hang around this house all day and try not to get in anyone's way? What do you do?"
"I'm a kindergarten teacher," Mia answered.
"You mean werewolves can have like normal jobs?"
"Yes," Mia said with a laugh. "I keep trying to tell you Cassie, werewolves are just like normal humans. Yes we may be able to change our shape, and have sharper senses, but we are still people!"
I guess I was still thinking of werewolves as this group of creatures separate from myself. I still didn't really feel like I was any different. Not really, I could hear and see and smell things a little better than I could before. And I was stronger, but other than that I was still Cassie.
"So I can go back to work?"
"Well, no. Kane has already said you'll have to stay here because of the Rogues. I'm sorry Cassie, but he was right for whatever reason they have their sights set on you and they're not going to just let you go."
"So again I ask, what am I supposed to do?"
Mia was silent for a moment then she grinned at me.
"Do you like scary movies?"
We ended up in the giant living room near the library. Lights off, a full bowl of buttery popcorn, and The Conjuring playing on the flat screen. The movie was building up to what I was sure would have been a particularly scary part when a voice spoke up.
"Ladies!?"
I jumped, squealed, and knocked the popcorn bowl over. Covered in popcorn I turned over my shoulder to glare at Kane.
"What the hell!? I think I just lost seven years. Damn you scared me."
I looked over a Mia who was bent over laughing, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"How did he not scare you!?"
"Kane makes a habit of sneaking up on me when I watch scary movies. I've been conditioned. Cassie, you jumped so high out of your seat..." Mia laughed gasping for air.
"Yes, ha ha you got me Kane."
I turned back toward the TV screen, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms in annoyance. Kane hopped over the back of the couch and settled in beside me.
"So what are we watching?" He asking reaching for some popcorn that was caught in my shirt. I slapped his hand in annoyance.
"Get your own."
"The Conjuring," Mia answered.
"Don't you have a job to do or a pack to run or something?" I asked in annoyance.
Kane just ignored me, popping some popcorn that had fallen to the couch between us into his mouth. I frowned and turned back to the movie, telling myself to ignore him. By the end of the movie Mia and I had the blanket pulled up to our chins, and my nerves were shot from all the times Kane had grabbed me right as something scary was happening.
Mia got up to use the bathroom, leaving Kane and I alone as the credits scrolled on the screen. I set down my third empty cup of tea with a grimace. Kane glanced over at me, raising a brow at the empty tea glass.
"That's my third, am I done?"
Before the question had left my mouth I found myself pinned back against the couch. Kane's weight holding me down. He ran his hand up my neck, over my jaw, and knotted his fingers in my hair. He gently pulled my head back exposing my throat. I kept still, trying to breathe shallowly so I didn't pull in the amazing smell of dark liquors and pine that he gave off.
He again lowered his head to my exposed throat, his nose touched my collar bone and skimmed up. He inhaled as he went, coming to a stop under my ear. My mouth dried up as he let out the breath. His lips tickled my neck as he spoke.
"I think three cups will be adequate."
I squeezed my thighs together, suddenly hyper aware of the pressure in my belly. I finally managed to swallow. Neither of us moved.
"Kane, Sierra is back from tracking the Rogues. She is waiting for you in your office."
Mia walked back in the room just as Kane pulled back and released my hair. I settled back into the couch trying to look calm, but my pulse was thundering in my veins and I knew they could hear it. Kane pulled himself to his feet and left without a backwards glance at me.
"Seriously, I know you hate each other, but you two have chemistry."
I ignored Mia as she sat back down beside me. I might admit to myself that this attraction to Kane was more than just wolfy stuff, but I didn't know what to do about it.