Chapter One Hundred and Eight
It was like the world was at a standstill.
My hands trembled in my lap, limbs stiff and legs together as we stared each other down. The lines of age in his face had never been more apparent and I swore I saw streaks of grey and white in his dark hair. He didn't say anything for minutes, all he did was look at me with a cold, calculating, speculative expression.
A bead of sweat ran down the side of my neck beneath my hair as his dark eyes stared right into my own, as if daring me to blink.
"Aerin," Steven finally greeted, weathered finger tracing the table. "It's nice to see you decided to show up. I didn't expect you to have the guts to follow through."
I shivered at the layer of venom hiding behind his polite tone. In the stillness his angular features reminded me of a cobra waiting to strike, even moreso when he ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper goatee.
"I had no choice," I said simply, not moving a muscle. "This became a serious issue the moment you insinuated that you might tell people about me. You don't even realize what you're getting yourself into, Steven... you don't know what'll happen to you if you try to expose me."
The graceful arc of his digit turned into a claw as the veins in his wrinkled hands tensed. "Is that another threat, Aerin? Is that how you've made it all these years? Threatening others?"
I scowled but decided not to feed into his bullshit.
"What do you want from me?" I demanded, spreading my arms and letting them drop. "I'm here, aren't I? Why did you want me here? To set me up and expose me using the security cameras? By having a meeting right down the road from a large police station? What do you want?"
Steve leaned against the table; besides his hand, he seemed relaxed... or maybe it was condescending, I couldn't really tell. The man before me was a stranger, no longer the happy little kid I'd babysat for or even the optimistic young man who'd moved away years ago.
"What I want is for you to come clean," he said, slowly looking me up and down. "Tell me what happened with you and Uncle Will. I want the truth, the full truth, got it?"
I narrowed my eyes when his arm shifted beneath my vision range.
I nodded, acting like I was going to give in, but then I darted beneath the table and lunged at his legs, gripping his hand and jerking it out of his pocket to reveal that his phone was taking an audio recording. I snatched it out of his grasp even though he kneed me in the face over it and lunged backwards, scrambling out of the seat and holding it away from him.
"Hey! Give that back!" he snarled, lunging upright. "NOW!"
I stopped the recording and dropped his phone in my pocket with narrowed eyes.
"Not until we're done talking," I said, aggressively stepping forward rather than away like I instinctively wanted to, "and not until you empty your pockets so I'm sure you're not recording with anything else."
"You can't force me to do anything," he sneered, jabbing a finger in my face. "There's security cameras in here, remember? I could call the cops and tell them that you're a psycho who's trying to steal my phone and the surveillance footage will back it--"
"The cameras are off," I said simply, and his face changed, sinking into confusion, "and outside, there are three police officers who actually know what I am and also why I'm here."
"Bullshit," he said slowly, but I could see a shred of doubt in his eyes, a twinge of worry. "You're lying, the cameras--"
"My boyfriend has enough money to buy your whole fucking life a hundred times over," I said flatly, and his eyes popped open wide. "He bought out this restaurant just for this meeting. Didn't you notice the lack of staff? The lack of people aside from you? Denny's is a fast food chain restaurant, Steve... you should have realized things were off by how dead it is."
Fear flitted across his features for the first time and he swallowed.
"So," he said lowly, struggling to keep the attitude. "So, what? Are you gonna kill me?"
"Sebastian wanted to," I said honestly, and his face went white so I quickly added, "but I talked him out of it. Really, what happens from here depends on you. That's why I said this is a serious issue. I don't want you getting hurt... I'm actually doing everything in my power to prevent that as best as I can, but I can't help you if you don't listen to me and take this seriously."
"There are cops outside!" he floundered, looking at the windows. "You wouldn't get away--"
"They're not human, either, idiot!" I snapped, and his face sank into a look of sheer horror. "We're literally everywhere, Steven! People like me are hiding in plain sight! That's why I'm telling you right here and now, getting yourself mixed up in this world is an extremely dangerous thing to do!"
His vibe was so strong when he glared that my skin crawled.
Again, it suddenly felt like there was a snake in the room, coiled and ready to strike out of fear.
He played with a leg of his aviator glasses. "So... you planned this."
"Not really, it was mostly Sebastian," I said honestly. "He did most of the work."
"Sebastian, hm?" he said lowly. "And how long are you going to fuck with him?"
I flinched. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but refused to give him the upper hand. "I didn't fuck with William... I genuinely loved him. He obviously didn't feel the same."
"Huh, so I guess he didn't kill himself because of you, then? I guess his suicide was a lie?"
I flinched again, clenching my fists as I hissed, "that's low."
"Low? You have no idea what that word even means," he hissed, peered down at me snidely. "If you did, you'd know that abandoning my uncle was the lowest thing anyone--"
I lost my temper and stomped forward, drawing my arm back to slap him in the face. He caught my wrist and jerked me closer, holding me still as he twisted my arm painfully. I flinched, staring up at him with widening eyes as he used his much-stronger grip to force me downwards, the pain making my legs buckle and bend as I fought to avoid letting him break my arm.
I tried not to scream, tried not to make a sound, because I knew if I did Sebastian would come out and hurt him... possibly, more than possibly, even kill him. I didn't want that, so I simply let it happen, let him twist until I was on my knees and he was roughly stepping around behind me.
Another hand gripped my hair and violently jerked my head back, making my eyes sting.
I saw fluorescent lights and his shadow as he leaned down.
"You think you're hot shit, huh?" he hissed, roughly jerking my head around. "You think you can do whatever you want just because you're a freak with long teeth? Bitch, think again."
"I just want this over with," I somehow managed to say, fighting to ignore the pain in my wrist and my scalp. "Let go... just let go of me and let go of all this hate. You're not getting any younger, okay? Doing this won't bring him back and it won't make things right."
"What the fuck do you know about being right?" he angrily demanded. "Your choices killed him!"
"Would you have rather he gone to prison for murder?" I quietly asked, and the aggression stopped immediately; his hands all but froze on me, lightening up intensely. I didn't care, I was staring straight ahead with my jaw clenched. "That's what would have happened if I hadn't run from him. He stabbed me, cut me, and tried to kill me. He went for my throat with a butcher knife like a serial killer in a horror movie would... his eyes... he was going to kill me."
"Liar," he hissed. "William wouldn't have ever done that."
"Look at yourself right now and then say that again, I fucking dare you!" I angrily snapped, flailing my captive arm. "You and he are obviously related by blood! This whole fucking situation is like reliving a damn nightmare for me! The only difference is that you don't have a knife!"
"I wish I did, believe me."
That one simple statement made me see red.
With a spurt of rage, I leaned forward and kicked out with my foot as hard as I could. He immediately let go of my arm and hair with a yelp and I heaved myself off the floor, rising to my full height as he hopped around, rubbing his aching shin. Despite my usual odds, despite my pathetic size, despite my sad little noodle arms that couldn't bench a thing, I was down for squaring up against this asshole.
I clenched my fists and fought back a wince as a spurt of pain traveled up my broken wrist.
"Fucking... bitch," he hissed through his teeth, red-faced and furious. "How dare you?"
My blood boiled. I'd already dealt with enough stress these last few months. I was still dealing with a lot now. I already knew everything he was saying was wrong. I did not need lip from Steven Kennedy.
More than that, I was so enraged that I wanted to hurt him, to say something that would get to him.
Searching the recesses of my mind, I looked for something to throw back at him.
"You know what?" I crooned, smiling nastily. "At least I have the balls to dare. I even had the balls to step up and do something with my life, no matter how fucked it was, but you? Look at you! You're over sixty years old and still working on fixing people's houses for a low budget income, and if I'm not mistaken you're single, too! You haven't been with anyone in years, have you?"
Steve's lips moved, but no sound came out. His pupils glinted, the condescension in them slowly morphing between surprise and anguish until it exploded into fury.
"How, how," he could barely form words, "how dare you?"
"How dare I what? Say it how it is?" I sneered, raising my eyebrows at him. "Easy, I have the balls to do so, which is totally ironic since I'm probably hotter than any girl you've ever had."
His jaw dropped, eyes widening. "Who are you to--"
"Shut up, brat," I seethed, and his jaw snapped closed. "I clearly remember why you left and moved away... it was because you couldn't find a stable girlfriend, right? Your parents were pressuring you to get married but you had a low-paying job and were on welfare--"
"Shut up," he whispered dangerously, "I swear to god if you don't shut up..."
"--and you were afraid of commitment," I continued, glaring daggers into his face. "You told the only girl who ever really loved you that you just wanted to fuck because relationships were too mainstream. You could have been married with grandkids by now if you'd just settled down."
Steven fumed. His fists clenched and his face turned red, veins bulging in his forehead. I knew that he was physically stronger than me in just about every possible way, but I didn't care. He was shaking and it was so satisfying because I had never made anyone this angry on purpose. It felt good to lash out.
It made me feel good that he looked like he wanted to kill me.
What can I say?
I'm a bitch when I actually get mad and boy, I was madder than a hellcat in that specific moment.
"What do you know?" he spit at me. "For your information, I did get married. I do have kids. Six of them. Four daughters and two sons. I also have grand babies."
"Surprising," I drawled, looking his bland clothes and scruffy, unkempt appearance up and down, even the trucker cap. "She must not have high standards if she lets you dress like that."
"Fuck you!" he barked. "My wife died during the last birth and I raised all of my children alone, on my low income, so what the fuck do you know?"
"That's my line, asshat!" I hissed, stalking forward and snatching the front of his shirt; when he looked like he wanted to punch me, I bared my teeth at him and he jerked, eyes widening. "For your information, William was an average lover at best and had abusive tendencies."
"Abusive?! How dare yo--"
"ABUSIVE!" I screamed, kneeing him right in the balls; he wheezed and abruptly fell to his knees, clutching himself with a red face, but I snatched his chin and forced his head up, glaring down at him viciously. "You don't know shit about what happened with us, either! You're doing what I just did and assuming you know what you're talking about!"
"Bitch!" he spit, but I squeezed his jaw and fear lit his eyes up. "Let go of me!"
"Not until I get my point across," I snarled, breathing hard; a red haze covered my vision, pulsing in my temples and my ears and making it hard to see. "William and I had many good memories, but the times that were bad stand out more because of how bad they were. He always made me feel like I wasn't good enough the way I am, he destroyed some of my most precious childhood belongings during unwarranted temper tantrums befitting a fucking toddler, and he was always trying to get me to change myself to suit his ideals. That's not love, Steven."
"He wasn't like--"
"And how the fuck would you know when we intentionally left you out of ninety percent of our relationship?" I snapped, watching as his eyes jolted open wide. "You only saw what we showed you! At first, you didn't even know that we were dating, you only thought we were good friends! You don't know what being with him intimately was like for me, so don't fucking assume you know shit!"
His mouth opened, and then closed, and then opened before sinking shut again.
I let him go, turning my eyes away with a scowl.
"Vampire or not," I said lowly, taking a deep breath to calm myself down, "my relationship with him ended because he intentionally tried to do me harm. If I had still been human, the end result would have been the same, only... he'd probably have been in prison for murder."
"He wouldn't have--"
"Do you remember the scars I showed you?" I interrupted, meeting his eyes again; his mouth sank shut and he swallowed. "Because if you want, I'm sure Sebastian could find us someone skilled with forensic science to prove to you that he tried to kill me. The proof of it is forever engraved into my body."
"How?"
"What do you mean, how?" I cried, throwing my hands up. "He tried to cut my throat and got my hands instead! He chased me out of the house as I was trying to run, followed me outside into the rain and pinned me in the mud. He stabbed me not just once, but twice, and it took everything in my power to get him off me. I'm lucky I survived long enough to bolt!"
Steve looked stricken.
"He... he wouldn't have..."
"But he did," I said quietly, leaning down close to his face. "He tried to kill me, Steven... I can prove it with forensics, as I said. Either way, I had every right to end things with him and completely cut ties. If anything, you should be glad I wasn't able to press charges due to me being what I am... which brings me to my last point."
"Which is?"
I fixed a stony glare on him.
"The fact that all you're going to do by trying to expose me is get yourself in serious trouble," I said quietly, "and I'm pretty sure neither of us wants that, so for the last fucking time... let it go and move on. Forget it all."
"Then, prove to me that you're actually a vampire!" he bellowed, face turning red. "Prove that there are others! If you can prove that its not just you, but a whole bunch of people that I'll be putting in danger, I'll drop this and you'll never hear from me again! Do it! Prove it isn't just you! Because if it is, fuck you!"
I sagged, then looked at the kitchen door.
"Fine," I said simply, ignoring the confusion that lit up his eyes. "I'll be right back."
"What? Where are you--"
"Shut up and wait here!" I snapped, and he fell silent. "I'll be right back."
So saying, I trotted over to the door Sebastian had gone through and opened it. I was expecting to have to look for him but he was actually waiting against the wall with a pissed face, yellow eyes, and bulging arms folded tightly across his chest. He looked at me sourly, glowing eyes narrowing.
The kitchen was actually empty save for a single worker who was puttering around. I noticed that she had amber eyes and blinked, but she smiled uneasily when she saw me looking.
"Let me guess," Sebastian said lowly, drawing my attention. "You want me to shift?"
"Please?" I asked in an apologetic tone.
"Fine. If that's what you want, so be it," he muttered. "Will you be all right, though?"
"What do you mean, will I be all right?" I asked, clutching his shirt. "You're the one about to go all furry faced for a normal person."
"If he reacts badly I'll have to silence him," Sebastian muttered. "How I'll do it isn't decided, but I feel like there's a legitimate reason to worry since I don't want to do anything that may or may not upset you. I am worried about... handling it."
Warmth suffused me. It was obvious that he was trying to figure out what to do because of me. I had someone on this planet who cared about my thoughts and he was clearly taking my feelings very seriously. I reached behind me for the door.
"We'll get through this," I reassured him. "Lets just pray he can keep his mouth shut."
Sebastian gave me a nod and followed me back over to the table. Steven was sitting again, still holding his aching groin, sullenly looking at us. His eyes took in my boyfriend's hulking physique and a twinge of fear slid across his face but he did a damn good job of hiding it behind the angry front he was putting up. I sat down first, with Sebastian following.
Honestly, though?
What came after that was like something out of a cowboy movie. Seeing the two men who basically had my heart tied in very different knots staring one another down with narrowed eyes and squared shoulders was a bit much. They were, in that moment, two rogue gunslingers facing off, hands ready to grab at the revolvers on their hips so they could try and outclass their rival, looking like they both wanted to rip the other to shreds...
Well, correction: Sebastian obviously wanted to rip Steven to shreds, hands fisted at his sides and teeth grit as if he wanted to lash out and bite the man with the incisors gleaming on full display, but Steve just looked like he was going to puke, pale-faced and grim lipped as he stared into the hellish eyes of an angry wolf.
My throat felt thick all of a sudden.
Cowboys don't cry, I told myself as I stared between the opposed rogues. This might be my worst nightmare come to pass, but... cowboys don't cry.
My breathing couldn't help but hitch.
Not... not unless Sebastian kills him, I thought, panic beginning to set in as my palms went slick with sweat. I don't think I'd be able to keep from crying, then. I don't want anyone to die and I don't want him becoming a killer because of my stupidity.
"Well?" Steven demanded, looking between us. "I'm waiting. Prove it."
Sebastian instantly glanced at me with his eyes aflame... but the flames weren't meant for me, and I could take them without flinching. I nodded and he made a small noise of recognition in his throat, gave my body one more once-over, and turned his face to Steven again.
Any and all softness evaporated from the planes of his face.
"Before I do," he said lowly, "you have to understand that--"
"I don't care! Just get to it!" Steven snapped, and Sebastian stiffened in fury; I clutched his arm when his eyes turned blindingly white, encircling his small black pupils with glowing hatred. "One of you needs to start talking and proving and if I don't like what I get, I'll tell the whole world what you are!"
I could feel him gearing up to explode so I quickly blurted out the first thing I could think of.
"Sebastian is a werewolf!" I squealed, frantically trying to keep things calm. "He has a pack full of other werewolves and there are tons of them literally everywhere! Vampires, wolves, banshees, satyrs, centaurs, and many other things in mythology books exist! Everything is real!"
Sebastian looked stunned and horrified all in one and instantly dropped his head onto the table with a hollow thunk. He growled and shook his head on the wood in extreme exasperation. Steven, on the other hand, simply glared at me–the sort that promised an imminent death of the slow and painful variety.
"I'm not in the mood for games."
"That's good. I'm not playing. Bash, show him."
Sebastian turned his head and gave me a very sour expression.
"I love you, but you're an idiot," he growled at me, lifting his head from the table. "Mr. Kennedy, prepare yourself. This is going to be jarring for you."
Before Steven had time to ask what he meant, my boyfriend stood up and kicked off his boots before unzipping his jeans and casually kicking them off, too. Steve choked on his spit and started coughing as he stripped completely naked, throwing his clothes onto the restaurant floor.
"W-what are you doing?!" he cried, looking away. "Put your fucking clothes back on, psycho!"
"Shut up and watch," Sebastian snarled. "Damn fool, making me do this shit..."
Steven's eyes went blank and he watched warily as my grumpy werewolf turned to look right at me, staring straight into my eyes with a brilliant yellow sheen. I swallowed hard, clenching my jaw with another nod, to which he growled.
I flinched as his face crunched inward and abruptly broke itself.
It will never not be weird, I mentally decided, watching as bone and cartilage shattered and warped to become something else. As his teeth lengthened, as his face extended, as his ears shifted on his head and grew to long points, as his body began to elongate, I watched intently.
Claws stretched out of his hands, chocolate-colored fur exploded from his caramel skin in a rippling wave, and his legs broke before realigning themselves in a manner more suited for a beast.
When he snarled, wolfish lips drawing back over razor sharp teeth, Steven looked ready to have a heart attack, clutching his chest and breathing fast, face bone white.
He curled into the seat, scrambling across the leather into the wall when Sebastian approached and set his be-clawed hands down on the table. Two burning yellow eyes glared.
"W-w-what the fuck?!" Steve squeaked, mouth trembling in doe-eyed terror. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! He's a--"
"Steven," I said calmly, and his wild eyes landed on me, staring at my teeth. "Calm down."
"You too!" he whispered, cringing away. "You're a--"
"Steve, you need to take some deep breaths."
A deafening crunch filled the air as my boyfriend began to shift back. I listened to the sound of popping tendons and snapping bones, as his flesh and muscle did things they shouldn't have been able to do, and shuddered until he was back to normal. He wordlessly dragged on his jeans once he was in his human form again, face set into a grim expression.
"Deep breaths probably aren't going to do it," he muttered. "What this little pussy needs is a sharp kick in the ass."
"Bash," I chided warningly.
"Jesus. Jesus Christ. This isn't happening," Steven whispered, getting to his feet. "I-I'm getting a drink... and when I come back with it, this little hallucination will have ended."
I exchanged a look with Sebastian, the yellow fading from his eyes some.
Needless to say, when he came back and saw that my man's eyes were still glowing, he looked like he was going to bolt for the door like a spooked rabbit. I was actually a little surprised when he came forward and sat down in front of us again, holding a soft drink in shaking hands.
"Jesus Christ," he whispered again. "How is this even--" He broke off to take a long drink, swallowed and said again, "Jesus fucking Christ."
"Some creatures were supposedly around long enough to have met the guy, Steve," I said seriously, and he balked, looking at me with buggy eyes. "Jesus isn't really involved in this. Religious iconography doesn't have that much impact on werewolves, or even vampires, does it?"
"Not really," Sebastian deadpanned, smirking faintly at my words.
"Right, see?" I said, spreading my arms. "Vampires and werewolves and other creatures that people make horror movies about are real, but that doesn't mean we're all monsters, and to be honest... it doesn't matter right now because that vein in your head is really throbbing."
I could actually see the thing pulsing right above his right eye. It was gross and upsetting.
"So, there is a werewolf and a vampire sitting at this table," he uttered, speaking each syllable as if they cut his mouth on the way out.
"Yeah, don't be rude," I deadpanned. "We're both people just like you, okay?"
Sebastian rubbed his forehead.
"It's fine," he muttered, resignation clear in his voice. "I doubt we'll be able to resolve this with him staying silent, which only leaves the alternatives."
"No, we'll come to an agreement," I assured him, and Steven looked oddly green. "I'm sure he knows now that he's getting in over his head. I think he'll keep his mouth shut."
"And what if I don't?" he choked out. "What if I try talking?"
To say that Sebastian's face darkened would be an understatement of epic proportions—he looked like darkness incarnate, eyes going white instead of yellow when he slowly turned.
"Then I'll rip you limb from screaming limb, set your dismembered body on fire, and bury the pieces of you in the middle of nowhere, securely locked in a chained up trunk," he said in a tone laced with so much honeyed poison that I got chills down my spine. "After that, I will kill anyone you may or may not have told and bury them with you, including every immediate member of your family. Even the children."
Steven looked like he'd just been hit in the face with a cold, wet fish. I felt sick deep in the core of my being because I was sure that he meant every single word, too.
"He's serious," I said slowly, uncertainly, and the man looked at me with wide, dilated eyes. He rubbed the vein in his head with the rim of his straw. "Really, though, do you want to put everyone like us in danger? Innocent people who just want to live normal lives?"
"This goes beyond what I want," he jerkily squeaked out, hands trembling violently. "You're hard to follow on a good day but right now? I can't even begin to understand this. I mean, there are werewolves, and vampires, and... and... and is any of this real? Is it truly so widespread?"
"Yes," Sebastian confirmed, leaning back like a lion waiting to pounce. "I, for example, have been around for five hundred years. There are creatures like Aerin and I hiding in plain sight all over the planet, and many more who do so in remote areas such as the Sahara Desert and Himalayan mountains."
"Holy shit," Steve whispered, shaking his head. "You're a werewolf. There is a werewolf sitting in a Denny's restaurant at my damn table."
"Yeah," I agreed; I wanted to get past the shock and on to the end. "There are werewolves, and vampires, but we're all just people who act a little different, okay?"
"Pretty sure he can see that," Sebastian muttered, and I valiantly resisted the urge to kick him under the table because this whole experience was painful enough without him adding to it. As an afterthought, I pulled Steve's phone out of my pocket and slid it across the table. He stared at it as if he didn't know what to do with it before he slowly reached out and took it back.
"As you can see, my new boyfriend is a werewolf," I said slowly, "and I, as you already know, am a vampire... but the fact is, Steven, that you can't tell people. Its not up for debate."
I closed my eyes as I said it.
Some part of me still ascribed to the little kid belief that if you couldn't see someone, they couldn't see you. Only, nothing happened. I opened one eye, just a bit, to find that he hadn't moved, he was still sitting with his hand gripping the drink, his eyes wide and blank.
"Steve?"
"Quiet," he ordered without moving his mouth. "Just be quiet for a minute."
I leaned back, clasping Sebastian's hand as the sixty-year-old drank his soft drink in silence.
I fidgeted. Awkward, hate this, why the fuck is this my liiiiiifeee---
When he was done, he waved the empty cup at us. "You're a werewolf."
"Yes."
"And you're currently involved with Aerin, who is a vampire."
"Yes."
"And what will happen if the world discovers you?"
"War," Sebastian said lowly, and I felt a chill run through me. "The biggest world war humanity has ever seen will begin, and in the end your kind will eventually lose the battle regardless of what they do or what course of action they take."
"The military--"
"Has some of the oldest beings on this planet working in high-ranking places," Sebastian interrupted. "Inhuman beings are quite literally everywhere... nurses, doctors, government officials, international diplomats, even one of the presidents of the United Fucking States. If you expose our existence, countries will be taken over and overthrown by beings like us within weeks, normal people will be overpowered and enslaved within months, and the entire world as you know it will turn on its head. Forever."
Steven immediately looked stricken, like he'd just been shown footage of one of those horrible atrocities that ended in mass graves or people on fire.
"I-I see..." he whispered; the response sounded as if it had been torn from his throat with sharp claws. "Then I won't say anything. Please... just let me go home."
"I'm afraid I can't do that without collateral," Sebastian grimly sighed, and I turned to look at him in confusion. "You have only two options if you ever want to go back to your normal life."
"Wait, what?" he whispered fearfully, leaning back. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you have only two options."
"W-what options?"
"One, you sign your own death warrant," Sebastian said lowly. "It's a binding contract that will mark you as a target for a hitman if you ever break it and tell someone about our existence."
I felt a sick twist in my stomach but kept my mouth shut.
"And... and the second option?" Steven whispered. "What's the second option?"
"You let someone turn you and assimilate into the werewolf lifestyle far away from here," he growled, narrowing his eyes when the man paled. "You'll be an immortal entity just like us and you'll live among a pack of werewolves somewhere far from North Carolina for the rest of your days."
"But, but my family--"
"You'll cut ties with them," Sebastian said quietly. "You'll have to. Once a normal person is turned they are required by our laws to give up all ties to their old lives. It is one of the many sacrifices that people like us make to preserve the safety of everyone around them."
"But my kids! My grandkids!" he cried. "I'm an old man! I barely know them! What good am I if I become a freak like you?! I'd rather live the rest of my days like a normal person!"
"Then I'll print out your death warrant and have you sign it," Sebastian told him quietly. "If you ever break it... someone will know immediately. We have eyes and ears everywhere, so if you truly want to go back to your normal life and live in peace, you'll keep your mouth shut."
I lowered my gaze and refused to make eye contact when Steven looked at me for help. I wasn't going to step in, especially since this seemed fair.
"I... I need time to decide," he whispered, getting to his feet. "Am I allowed to leave?"
"Of course," Sebastian said simply, gesturing at the door. "One of the officers stationed outside will escort you home and provide extra security for you. She'll answer any questions you may or may not have once you're home."
"Wait, what?" he squawked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, a police officer with Lycanthropy is going with you and she will follow you into your home tonight," Bash snorted. "In a nutshell, your every move is going to be watched like a fucking hawk until you either allow yourself to be turned or you sign the death warrant."
He was bone-white by the time everything had been laid out.
"Fine," he said, absently turning around. "Fine, if I don't have a choice, its fine."
He stumbled away, heading for the front door, and he left the restaurant. I slid my hand into Sebastian's. He glanced at me, ridiculously bushy eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline as I gave his palm a shaken squeeze.
When he squeezed back, halfhearted relief washed over me. I didn't like this situation, or the end result, but realistically it couldn't be helped. I knew that. I also knew, considering the alternatives, that Sebastian had really gone above and beyond for me this time.
Either way, we were in this together and we'd gotten through worse.
Compared to almost being beaten to death, nearly raped by a rabid vampire, almost drowning in the sea, surviving Richard's enraged attack on my body and then my belongings, getting a concussion and being left for dead by Cassidy during the vampire siege, and then Jak's attack for being near Horst – getting through this should and would be a piece of cake, that much I knew.
Granted, it would be a really large and difficult-to-cut cake with tiers and a center that could explode at any time if not approached properly.
Still. Cake.
"We're going to deal with this," I said softly, swallowing my doubts. "No matter what he chooses, I want him to be able to continue living his life without any problems."
"That's fair," Sebastian conceded, sliding out of the booth and putting his shoes on. "From this point on, though, his fate is not your problem anymore. We can head back now if you'd like."
I nodded and rose to my feet.
As I was turning, however, I saw a flicker to my right and absently twisted to look at it but I saw absolutely nothing. I blinked, furrowing my brows as I scanned the restaurant, wondering what I'd seen even as an odd prickle ran down the back of my neck. I felt, for a moment, a trace of the presence that had spooked me several times already and stiffened, eyes widening involuntarily.
I could feel it, could sense eyes that I couldn't see on me, could tell I was being watched.
I swallowed hard.
"We know you're there," I murmured, and the prickles running down my neck increased, "and I have a message for you from Sebastian himself. If you keep fucking with me and you show your face at any point in the future he's going to hurt you... so please, stop. I don't know why you're watching me or even who you are but I don't like it, and neither does he."
"What?" Bash hissed. "Beloved, is it happening again? Now?"
"Yes," I confirmed, squeezing my eyes shut; I felt a wash of prickles on my left side and fingers ghosted up across my arm, making me shudder. "It's... happening... right now..."
I felt icy breath on my neck, felt lips near my ear, heard them parting--
"Spero te mori," a voice I couldn't quite make out whispered into my ear, or rather directly into my head, engulfing my senses with electrical static. "Spero autem dolet. Proditor. Callidum aspidem superavit. Ego conteram collo tuo. Rape te. Amo ego did annos."
"Spero... te mori?" I tried to emulate, wrinkling my nose; beside me, Sebastian went rigid and jerked his head to look down at me in alarm. "Spero autem... what language is this?"
"Latin," he hissed, eyes wide. "It's Latin!"
"I don't speak it," I said blankly, mouth snapping shut when I felt two insubstantial hands tighten around my throat, squeezing; his eyes darted to my skin and went blank just as a voiceless laugh filled my head, ringing behind my eyes like a deafening bell.
"Proditor," it whispered nastily. "Ego ad te occidere."
With another laugh, the feeling of the hands faded and I let out a breath as the static vanished. My hair settled down, and I realized with a jolt that it had been sticking out as if I'd touched a static plasma ball.
A hot hand touched my back, making me jump, and I turned to look up at my grumpy wolf, who was ready to go from the looks of things.
His eyes were narrowed and his face was tense.
"Whoever is watching you," he said lowly, licking his elongated teeth, "will pay if I catch them."
"Are you serious?" I asked, startled. "What if it's Jasper?"
"It won't matter," he muttered, caressing my cheek. "Forget tonight. Let us go home."
I sighed, deciding not to think about all the problems happening all around me.
"All that's left is to call Louise after the sun rises and sets again," I said, and he nodded. "We have couples Therapy."
"True," he agreed, "and after that, its smooth sailing until the party in Italy. Even though we'll need to be on our guard considering the circumstances, I am actually quite eager to introduce you to Mephostes. He is the closest thing to a son I've ever truly had."
I smiled at the thought and wrapped my arms around his waist.
"Maybe someday we'll have kids of our own, for real," I said, and when he blinked at me my wholesome smile turned mischievous. "You'd have to let me top you a few times, though."
He rolled his eyes and swatted my ass, then lifted me into his arms. "Don't be coy."
"But I like coy."
"Shut up," he grunted, nipping my ear with sharp teeth. "I'm the dominant one."
"We'll see," I hummed, jerking my head free and latching onto his own ear; he snorted in surprise and squeezed me as I nommed on his earlobe.
"We'll discuss things like possibly having children once we're officially married and you've moved back in," he grumbled, trying to tug his ear away from my mouth and failing. "Both of those things are a very long way down the road, so let's just focus on the now, okay?"
"Mmhm!" I hummed, nibbling on his skin in a way I knew would arouse him. "Mmmmm..."
"Do you want me to plow you in a Denny's bathroom?" he purred, and I froze. "Because if you don't stop nibbling my ear, I'm gonna rip your clothes off and take you in there for a ride, right now."
I obediently unlatched from his ear. "Okay... I'll behave."
"That's what I thought," he said smugly, swatting my ass again. "Now, to my house? Or Woodrow's cabin?"
I paused, thinking about it for a second.
"Let's spend one more night at your house," I eventually said. "We can head back after the sun rises and sets, right after therapy."
"As you wish, Beloved."
With that, he carried me outside. I caught the barest sight of Dick and Diana talking with Steven and a few of the werewolves in police uniforms before we took off into the darkness.
I swallowed my anxiety.
Things would turn out okay.
They had to