Chapter One Hundred and Forty Seven
Thirty minutes later, we were all out of the artificial cave and sitting in the middle of the Comfort Zone.
Cassidy and Diana had taken some time to bring back more food and alcohol before getting set up. A table had been pulled out and bolted into four retractable spots in the squishy floor, and everyone who'd decided to take part in the game was sitting in extremely high beanbag chairs.
I never thought in my life that I would be comfortable in such a situation, but here I was: an alcoholic drink in my hand, sitting in Sebastian's lap amidst piles of soft feather pillows in a room filled with people who were drinking and watching a very intense game of Jenga between Kyle, Horst, Jun, Jak, and Leo. Cassidy and Diana were sitting on the couch, watching quietly while Richard walked around the group trying to break their concentration by trash-talking.
Woody and Tiffany were cuddling in a pile of pillows; he was rubbing her belly and she seemed to be half asleep, her back to his chest, visibly lulled. Behind me Sebastian snorted and rested his chin on my shoulder.
"This may be the dumbest thing I've ever watched in my life," he murmured before taking a long drink of his beer.
"It was your idea to let them do it," I reminded him, leaning back.
We fit together perfectly. Me, delicate and lithe, with my back against his wide chest, my rear against his groin. When he shifted we rubbed in all the right places, and when he nuzzled at my neck with his lips I practically melted into a sensitive puddle, toes curling in ecstasy. Sebastian huffed a laugh against my throat, nosing the soft flesh there before leaving a couple of kisses.
"Well, it sounded like a good idea at the--"
He stopped when the giant wooden tower fell over with a clatter of pieces.
"JENGA BITCHES!" Horst screamed, excitedly leaping upright and dancing from hoof to cloven hoof. He laughed and leapt around the room, wriggling and flexing in delight. "Fuckin' yeah!"
Cassidy arched and eyebrow and looked at Diana. "I don't think he knows how to play jenga. He didn't win."
"They're too drunk to realize he lost, Honey," Diana giggled, pointing at the unsteady werewolves who were holding cans of alcohol despite the copious amounts of discarded ones lying all around them.
Either way, Horst did a celebration dance around the room as Kyle grumpily stood up and staggered out into the hall, grumbling under his breath about something I couldn't hear.
"No need to gloat," Leo sourly slurred. "We get it, you won."
"Cause I'm the best!" the hybrid happily squeaked, faun-like tail flitting to and fro while he danced on unsteady hooves, a can of beer sloshing in his right hand. "Whoo! Fuckin' hell yeah! This wolf-goat rules at Jenga! Awoooo! Baaah baaah, bitches! Jenga! Jenga! Odd word, yeah? Jenga. Jen-gah! Jun-geh. Jennnn-geh. Jenga! Haha, fuck!"
I listened to him sound out the word, over and over again, in different ways with a frown.
"Are you sure letting him drink was a good idea?" I asked, worried by his grin, behavior, and even more by how flushed he was. "He's still very underage."
"His father approved it, illegal though it is by human standards," Sebastian hummed. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's got the blood of a satyr in him. That's his sixth can and he's still more sober than most of us here."
I guess he had a point since the kid had been chugging them back and still looked weirdly lucid. Right around that moment, Kyle walked back into the room with a different game and Richard cleared the table of scattered Jenga pieces so Kyle could drop the a box on the table.
Leo snorted and Sebastian shook his head.
"You brought that?" Jun asked, narrowing his eyes; a half-eaten chicken wing hovering over a bucket halted right in front of his lips.
"Ooh, new game?! What is it?!" Horst excitedly asked, popping back over and eyeing it curiously; I wasn't oblivious to the way he put his hand on his father's shoulder, or the way the man's eyes seemed to soften when he leaned down, long ears flicking rapidly and actually dusting his dark-skinned cheek. His grin was excited and he seemed intrigued, ready to dominate another game.
"It's called Five Second Rule," Kyle slurred with a drunk, shit-eating grin; he proudly set a timer and a pile of cards with decorative blue patterns on the table. "You have five seconds to come up with the question for the card! Cool right?"
"To answer the question on the card, Baby," Richard grunted.
"I said that," Kyle said, giving him a wide-eyed glance. "Want to play, too?"
"Sure, if you don't mind a bit of my public raunch," he snorted, rolling his eyes; mine narrowed immediately.
"What's the twist?" I asked, and they looked at me. "Why would this involve... raunch?"
The redhead's amber eyes gleamed as he whispered, "because they're dirty questions."
Behind me Sebastian snorted and downed the rest of his drink before sighing, "let's do it."
"Ooooh, Bash is in," Leo jeered, smirking. "Must have caught his attention with that one."
"Actually, aside from Woody and Tiff, we're all playing," Kyle noted as he clumsily shuffled the cards. "Everyone, park it! Jun, stop eating all the chicken wings and get over here."
When everyone settled around the table, Kyle set the cards down and hummed, "who goes first?"
I had a sinking feeling and I knew before I even turned to him that he was going to pick me.
Sure enough, he pointed at me and I sighed in defeat.
"Fine," I murmured, finishing the last of my beer and reaching for the deck. "What do I do?"
"Pick a card, any card, then the timer starts and you answer the question," Kyle said helpfully. I sighed yet again and grabbed a card before turning it over.
The blood drained right out of my face and behind me, Sebastian let out a surprised cough before bursting into an alarmingly hearty belly laugh.
NAME 3 WAYS: To Have an Orgasm.
Kyle hit the timer.
"An orgasm?!" I immediately shook my head, white hair flying everywhere. "Fuck, no, I can't!"
"Boo!" the redhead jeered.
"Do it!" Richard yelled.
"We know you've had them," Diana demurely added. "We've heard you and Bash many times."
"Come on, you can do it!" Horst encouraged, grinning widely. "Go, Aerin! Go!"
I floundered, flailing, before squealing, "um--you can--you can have sex, get a blow job, a-a-and jerk off?!"
The timer dinged long before I finished and everyone groaned.
"Boring," Leo droned, taking a swig of his beer. "Next!"
Jak simply smirked and murmured, "creative, Aerin."
"Oh, come on, get off his back," Horst snorted, shaking his head. "Come on, next person!"
Behind me Sebastian was still laughing, face pressed into my hair, trying to muffle it but I could feel his body quaking with mirth and it irritated me.
"Don't laugh too hard," I snapped. "You're next, Babe!"
He instantly looked up at Kyle who was standing there like some kind of curly-haired trickster god, a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face. My mate raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, moving me with him as he picked up a card. He turned it over and immediately snorted.
"Well damn," he drawled.
"Five seconds!" Kyle announced.
NAME 3: Erogenous Zones.
"Neck, inner thighs, and nipples," he purred, as if by clockwork, then slyly added, "especially nipples."
The group howled and laughed, waking Tiffany up who looked at us, shook her head, and plopped back down, fast asleep within seconds. The reaction was oddly familiar to me but Woody simply seemed amused.
"So are those yours or Aerin's?" Leo asked in a conspiratorial tone, leaning forward. "I'm more inclined to say they're Aerin's but I've definitely heard him drive you nuts a few times... go ahead, tell us!"
"No way!" I squeaked. "Why does he have to?"
"Because it'll be fun to tease the fuck out of you later," Dick chuckled with a wicked grin. "Why the fuck else?"
"I hate all of you," I complained.
"They're his," Sebastian proudly informed them, and I abruptly twisted to scowl up at him.
"Traitor!" I shrilly accused, but he simply smirked and hugged me tight against him. As if to solidify his admission he brought his head down and sensually licked my jugular, sending a jolt through my stomach and a wave of heat through my cheeks.
I felt horrified when I flushed, toes curling against my will. The others whistled and laughed and I felt him smirk against my skin.
"Sorry, Beloved."
The game continued for a long while after that and I watched as everyone was progressively embarrassed by extremely lewd questions, followed by hoots and hollers and ribbing from the guys all around. After a time, though, the yelling and laughter started making my head hurt.
"I need another drink," I finally said, getting up from Sebastian's lap and stretching; I shook my hair out of my face and pushed it back behind my ears before heading out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. There were bottles and cans everywhere on the counter, along with platters of food and chips and dips, all of which had been made by Cassidy and Diana.
I ignored the food and poured myself a glass of whatever Richard had mixed together in a pitcher. It was pink and blue and smelled really good, but severely alcoholic. Sebastian joined me a second later, coming in without word or warning, but he went for a glass of water. He turned to look at me as I stood there, sipping on the bizarrely colored drink.
"Aerin," he murmured, and I turned to look at him. "Are you... all right?"
I thought about it... really analyzed my mood and the way I was feeling.
"Aerin?" Sebastian murmured, bringing me clean out of my head. I blinked at him, then lowered my eyes again and continued thinking, trying to figure myself out. So many unexpected bad things had happened.. but time was passing and things were slowly going back to normal.
Only, it felt like a much safer version of our previously unsettling normal.
Every single day, people I'd never seen before or even met were busy on the property installing the home security system that Bash had paid for, and I'd heard the same held true for Woody's property and a variety of other homes that Sebastian owned around the state.
There had been no more nightmares.
There had been no more invisible visitors.
I'd felt like I was being watched a few times, and I'd felt the presence appear near me during the week, but I'd felt no hostility from it. Unlike before, where hands would rove over me and a nasty voice would whisper threats in my ear, now there was just... an oddly sad silence.
That was the vibe I got whenever I felt that presence take shape.
Silent sadness.
I'd told Bash about it, told him about the presence, and he'd told me not to worry, that if Jasper came here again he would either kill him or cripple him. He'd even offered to deafen himself with his claws for my sake, which had shocked me and I'd immediately protested against.
"Why the hell would you claw your own ears apart?!" I'd cried when he'd said it.
"Because its temporary," he'd explained, confused. "We heal from things like that completely as long as we're careful."
"Babe, no!" I'd squeaked. "Your hearing is precious and you shouldn't ever have to do something like that, not for me!"
"If it means never forgetting you again, I would gladly give up my ability to hear, forever," he'd said in a tone so serious my heart had nearly stopped. "I don't ever want you to make that face again."
"And I don't ever want you to hurt yourself because of me!" I'd shouted. "Never offer something like that again! Your ears, your eyes, everything that you are and that you have is precious and worth protecting! If something happens a second time, I will fight for you again and win just like I did before! So don't ever hurt yourself! Not like that! Am I making myself clear?!"
He'd reluctantly agreed, of course, and had apologized for upsetting me... but still...
I shook my head free of the memory and sighed, looking down at my drink.
"Not fully," I said, finally taking another swig of it before setting it down. "I'm nervous because of what happened with Jasper. I keep expecting something bad to happen, for some form of attack or retaliation to come up out of nowhere and take us by surprise, but nothing's happened since the night he left. I'm messed up over my sister and my hair... well, my roots are all still white."
"If your hair goes back to normal, it will take time to do so," he told me quietly, "but there's a chance that it might never fully go back to normal. This change might be... permanent."
His voice caught when he said it and I nodded.
"Well, I guess its not so bad," I said, fighting for optimism; I gave him a weak smile, one he saw through instantly if those pursed lips were any indication. "I... I look like some otherworldly creature now because of it, so in a weird way I kind of resemble what I really am, you know?"
He took in my colorless visage with a stoic demeanor, then pulled me close and leaned down to kiss me. I pushed up onto my toes and wrapped the arm not in a cast around his thick neck, pulling myself into him. My legs trembled when he rubbed my back, fingers sparking.
"You're beautiful," he whispered into my lips, and his eyes flamed, open and honest. "As much as I hate the fact that I'm what caused your shift in appearance, it is undeniable that you look beautiful as you are. It is... actually almost unreal how well these features... suit you."
"Better than brown hair?" I asked, and he blinked; the action was slow, languid, and somehow very wolf-like.
"I like you both ways equally," he said, then paused and carefully added, "but I also liked the way you looked when you had blonde hair... so I guess, its just you I like. As it should be."
I grinned a bit despite myself, which he noticed immediately. I watched as those handsome eyes crinkled, bushy black eyebrows wiggling before he leaned down and kissed me deeply, sliding his tongue past my lips. I quivered as he pulled me close to him, strong arms holding tight.
Steel bars of support, keeping me upright even when my legs finally gave out.
I don't know how long we stayed like that before he suddenly tensed and pulled his mouth from mine, head flying up. I stared at him, dazed, then followed his stare and realized we weren't alone. I frowned, sliding down onto my feet as we both turned to look at Jak, who was leaning against the door.
"Can we help you, Jak?" Sebastian asked, letting his hands slide down my back.
Dark eyes seemed pensive as he studied us, specifically me.
"Have you ever considered moving?" Jak quietly inquired. "Away from this old mansion?"
Sebastian straightened, looking at him with a frown. "What sort of question is that?"
"The honest kind," the Jamaican wolf retorted. "I followed you with... with my son. Last week, the two of us shadowed you out to that cabin and we heard what was said before you did the deed. This house... I don't understand. Why would you work to turn it into a fortress?"
"To keep everyone safe, obviously," he growled, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you asking me something like that when the answer is literally very clear?"
"Let me rephrase my question. Why do you stay here?" Jak asked softly, and to my surprise his face turned very gentle. "I have been thinking heavily lately, my friend. About you, about your mate, and even about my own pack and the way I run things. I fully intend to move my men closer to you and your own once our immediate presence is no longer needed."
"Really?" I asked, genuinely surprised. "You intend to move here? To North Carolina?"
"Yes," he said, glancing at me and then back at Sebastian. "Why not start afresh in a new place with Aerin? A new dream home chosen or built by both of you for both of you? Why not turn that into a defended fortress rather than linger here in a home full of unpleasant memories? After all, with everything that has happened until now... I don't think it would be bad for you two."
I blinked, and then blinked again.
"Are you suggesting that Bash and I pick a new dream house?" I asked in disbelief.
"I am," he said flatly, and my jaw dropped. "He is wealthy enough to buy whatever the hell he wants, it sometimes seems, so any home that you two may or may not want as your own could be a possibility. I am not saying it is something that should be rushed into, but I will urge you to think on it because at this point... your location, defended or not, is still compromised."
Sebastian stayed quiet. I saw his jaw wriggling, saw wheels turning behind furrowed brows.
"Perhaps what you say is correct," he pondered, then looked to me. "What do you think?"
I floundered, startled, because it was a huge life decision and, like, WTF, why ask me?!
"I... I-I mean," I stuttered, "I... well, if everyone else is okay with it, then... I guess, maybe?"
He nodded and turned back to Jak. "I will take your words to heart, as it is in fact an idea that has crossed my mind. Moving to a new environment will be lengthy, however, and it'll probably take a few years to get a fully functioning home remodeled to suit our lifestyle. Location and space are a necessity and unfortunately hard to find, but money won't exactly be an issue."
Jak smiled warmly, a burst of handsome white in skin as dark as coal. "Glad I could help, mon."
"If you want you can take permanent residency and ownership of my vacation house," Sebastian offered, which made him stiffen, dark eyes bugging. "For free, of course."
"You cannot be serious," he said, accent shooting out thick as hell. "That property is worth at least seven hundred thousand dollars, if not a million, in real estate. It's a beach house."
"I never say anything I don't mean," Sebastian snorted, raising an eyebrow. "The house is yours if you want it. I had someone check out the place you were living... I'm actually shocked that you kept so many werewolves in a building that small without having any serious issues."
"You looked into our bar," Jak said, face alighting with realization. "I should have expected as much. I assume it was before we made our way up here?"
"Correct," Sebastian reluctantly admitted. "I wanted to know who I was letting into my home. That is why, as someone who is allied with me... no, someone I can call my friend... I am giving you the rights to take permanent ownership of my vacation house."
"Why?" Jak asked simply.
"Because its bigger than this mansion with more rooms and plenty of space for your boys to relax, lounge around, and basically enjoy themselves in," Sebastian told him. "It is a home that I almost never use myself, and having you there would give me and my own a reason to get out of here from time to time, whether its for a day of fun or just because we wish to say hello."
Jak was quiet and I said nothing because I didn't know what was appropriate: they were having a moment and I wasn't about to interrupt it. After a second he turned and gestured into the hall.
"I haven't seen my son this happy, or energetic, since his seventh year on this earth," the man said in a quiet, velvety tone. "It is good that you have a mate who decided to intervene on our behalf because as impossible and unfathomable as it still sometimes feels to me, your vampire lover has caused ripples of change for the better all over the damn place. It is almost as if he sheds light wherever he goes... even if it is the darkest of spots where pain and hate hide."
Sebastian suddenly chuckled and said, "that is actually the biggest reason why I truly fell in love with him. When his light finally reaches you... it feels like a ray of sunshine in the gloom. He gives even the most damaged and unhappy people the power to hope just by being around them."
I flushed hotly when they glanced at me and shyly looked at the ground, fiddling with my thumbs as my shoulders rose to my ears.
"I accept your offer with gratitude, Sebastian," Jak said quietly. "My men and I will need some time to move our belongings and vehicles up here, but none of them will have any complaint whatsoever about moving into that house. They have all enjoyed their time there, immensely."
Sebastian nodded and opened his mouth to respond, but there was a series of thumping clomps and suddenly Horst's head poked into view from under his father's arm. He grinned, a burst of white amidst that rather dark complexion, ears fluttering excitedly.
"Oi! Stop fuckin' loitering! Get back to the plushie room for round two!" he shouted, then looked up at his wide-eyed dad and playfully headbutted him with his horns. Jak jumped, shying into the wall while Horst laughed and stuck his tongue out. "Come on, Pops, let's go! Let's go!"
Jak stared at his flushed cheeks and drunk smile when he turned to us. He sloppily waved at me and Bash before clumsily withdrawing backwards and tearing out of sight.
All three of us stared after him in shock.
"That brat of yours is a fireball," Sebastian suddenly noted.
"You have absolutely no idea," Jak muttered; he slowly rubbed his ribs and shook his bald head before heading out into the hall without another word, vanishing from sight.
I smiled and took Sebastian's hand, pulling him along with me as we headed back into the Comfort Zone for more Wolf Time. It didn't take very long for us to settle back in with everyone else, and to my surprise the game ended up being really fun as I got used to it, despite how embarrassing some of the questions were.
However, by the end of the night, everybody had gone through all the alcohol and the snacks that Diana and Cassidy had either made or bought from the store. We made our way through a fuck ton of board games that Kyle kept procuring and ended the night with something called Cards Against Humanity. By the time it was almost five in the morning, everyone was out.
Jak and Horst had long-since left to be with their own pack and everyone else had found a place to crash amidst the pillows. Cassidy and Diana had zonked out on the couch, Kyle and Richard were sleeping under a pile of cushions--which I only knew because their feet were the only things sticking out of the fluffy piles--Woody and Tiffany were sleeping together in the corner, and Leo and Jun were curled up in opposite ends of the artificial cave.
Sebastian scooped me up from the beanbag I was sitting in, drunk as a skunk, and carried me over to an untouched pile of fluffy white.
"How are you not completely smashed?" I asked sleepily, my words slurred from one too many drinks.
"I didn't drink much," he answered, just before he tripped on something; he let out a startled snort as the two of us fell forward. He twisted at the last second, cradling me against his chest as he landed onto the pile of pillows with a grunt. "Fuck."
"Maybe you did," I giggled loudly. I closed my arms around his neck and tugged myself across his body, lying on top of him, but he merely smirked and rolled us over so he could collapse on top of me, pressing me into the softness beneath us. He let out a series of silent laughs through his nose, hiding his face against my neck. He started to kiss there.
"Maybe I did," he mused against my skin.
"Roll over, Fatty, you're too heavy," I wheezed; after he rolled to the side, I maneuvered myself against his massive chest and into the crook of his arm. After a time, he started to relax and not long after that he was full-on snoring. I shook my head, leaning over him, running my hand over the fresh scars on his neck from Jasper's teeth.
I'd seen them during the week, had asked him about them, and he'd told me that the fucker had bit him just like he'd done all those years ago, only far more vicious. He'd ripped out chunks of flesh, had bit him with the intention of hurting him, and had scarred him.
Again.
Seeing it made my heart hurt, made my breath catch all over again, made me feel like a failure for not being able to protect him. I cupped his handsome face before leaning down and placing a kiss on the spot he'd been hurt in, feeling the rough flesh against my lips. A promise to both him and myself to make sure he never ended up with another scar as bad as this one, ever again.
I pulled up the hood of my pastel pink sweatshirt and curled up.
His scent engulfed me and I was out within seconds.