Falling to Pieces (15 page)

“Wow. Well that sounds complicated.” Neither one of us could make eye contact. I was finding the news hard to take in.

“So do you have to mate in wolf form?”

He took another large mouthful of wine before answering, “No. Either form will do.”

“So, have you—”

“No,” he snapped.

“Ok, ok.” I held my free palm up. “I was only asking. But, why are you delaying the inevitable? If your relationship with her is so inevitable?” My voice trailed off tinged with sadness that he hadn’t entrusted me with this information before now. Before things had gone too far.

“Look, Teagan. Gabby is like a sister to me. We grew up together. I want you to know, I do love her, but I love her like a sister.”

“I hate to break this to you Marc, but she looks and acts as though she can’t wait for the mating to begin.” I stared at him, cocking my head to one side as he placed his elbows on his knees, holding the stem of the glass in two hands, his head hung over it.

“I know,” he finally muttered.

I shimmied over to him and ran a soothing hand over his shoulder blades. “I can’t imagine how hard to must be for you. I know you love your family, and you don’t want to let them down.”

“No, I don’t.”

My mind raced. I bit my lip for a moment, thinking out my options carefully.

“Let's go away for a few days,” I said, picturing Thomas and Alex standing in front of The Assembly awaiting sentencing for letting me go. They could look after themselves. “Maybe to the woods, or wherever you want to go. Get away and think about what you want to do.”

“I don’t have much choice in the matter. But, it would be nice to go away with you.” He raised his head and smiled. The same toothy grin that I loved, the seriousness wiped off his face.

“Lets go now,” I said, reaching for his hand, hoping he’d agree. Otherwise we wouldn’t be going anywhere. It wouldn’t be long before someone caught up with me, Thomas and Alex or worst case scenario, The Assembly.

“Yeah, come on, lets go,” he said as he leaned over, resting a hand over the back of my head and planting a kiss on my forehead.

We climbed into the glossy black BMW—a nice car but not the Harley I loved. I’d never owned a car at all. I’d never needed one.

“I forgot to ask what happened to the Harley?”

“My family recovered the bike. It’s in the shop. I’m seeing if it can be repaired. If not, the insurance will replace it.” He shot me a reassuring smile.

I dropped my head. “Good,” I muttered. I still couldn’t stop thinking everything was my fault. I stayed silent mulling things over in my head. I’d stayed with Marc, putting my friend’s and my father’s life in danger. I’d almost caused Marc’s death already. What if The Assembly had been more aggressive and wiped out Marc’s family as well? In fact, what I’d seen proved vampires were faster and stronger which made me wonder why they hadn’t wiped them all out when they’d had the chance.

We’d just left the city when Marc moved his hand off the shifter and rubbed my thigh.

“Are you ok? You’re being overly quiet.” His sculpted lips were pursed in concentration, his eyes levelled on the blacktop.

I wanted to ask him to turn back. Tell him I shouldn’t be with him. I shouldn’t cause any more problems. Explain how selfish I was being. But, the words failed to leave my mouth. I failed to get them out. The intense desire to be with Marc at any cost was too strong. I couldn’t fight any longer.

“I’m just thinking,” I said, when another thought sprang into my head and abruptly out of my mouth. “If your parents hate vampires so much, why did they team up with Thomas and Alex?”

“Thomas apparently called Alex while you were being held at your house by what’s her face. What’s her name again?”

I couldn’t help the smile that stretched over my lips. “Victoria.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. He knew you were spending time with a werewolf. I think he panicked and informed The Assembly without realising how far they’d take things. So, Alex came over to help him locate me.”

“What for?”

“Apparently, just to warn me off, to tell me to stay away from you. I think his intentions were more sinister, but, hey, we’ll never know.”

“Would you have stayed away?” I held my breath as I waited for the answer.

“I don’t honestly know.” He flinched as he spoke, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily. At least he’d answered truthfully, though it was painful to hear when I’d risked everything to be with him for another day or so. They were bound to track us down eventually. Perhaps it was my turn for some honesty?

I let out a sigh. “I’m scared, Marc. This is something I’ve never experienced before. It’s so intense. I’m terrified about what I’d do for us to be together.”

He smoothed his hand over my thigh, grasping my hand in his. “Teagan, I have lived my life knowing Gabriella and I would ultimately be forced together. I have fucked so many beautiful women, used them to get my kicks. I thought when the time came for me to be with and stay with Gabriella that all the sex with other women would make me think I’d lived. You—” he took a deep breath, “were meant to be one of those women, but something happened. Something magical. I fell in love with you. It was instantaneous. Even saying those words, explaining how what you mean to me makes me realise that I wouldn’t have listened. I wouldn’t have been able to stay away from you.”

I gasped. “So I was meant to be a one night stand?” Then I laughed, unable to stop, my stomach muscles clenched with hysterics.

“What?” he asked, smiling at my laughter, keeping his twinkling eyes on the dark lanes ahead of us.

“It’s just—” I tried to control my breathing so that I could speak. “Well, I’ve never loved anyone before you.” My laughter stopped as I realised the weight of how we felt about each other. We had been less than honest with each other. Maybe it was time for the both of us to start.

“Oh,” he said. Squeezing my thigh. “At least you weren’t laughing at me.”

“No, of course not.”

“If you love me, then where have you been the last couple of weeks?”

“Oh, yes. I was stupid,” I said, grimacing and hanging my head again.

Marc rubbed the palm of his hand up and down my leg. “We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, Teagan. You can tell me.” His voice quiet and soft.

“I tried to kill myself,” I mumbled.

He sucked in a breath. I glanced up and saw his knuckles whitened by his fingers holding on to the steering wheel with a death grip.

“How the fuck can vampires kill themselves?” His voice raised a notch.

“Absinthe,” I said cautiously, wondering if it was wise to pass on that information but continuing anyway. “Other than the sun it’s the only thing that can kill a vampire.”

“Not a stake through the heart, then.” His lips curled slightly at the edges.

“Myth,” I stated coolly.

“Ok, why did you want to do that then?”

“You need to keep the absinthe thing a secret. I don’t think it would be wise to have a pack of werewolves that hate me knowing how to kill me.”

“They’d be able to kill you if they wanted to anyway.” His words tumbled out in a rush.

I frowned and gazed up at him waiting for him to elaborate on what he’d said. The car lurched forward as he accelerated.

“My father told me after they rescued me.” He removed the hand from my leg and rubbed it over his face, before resting it on the shifter. “When I’m in wolf form, I could kill you with a single bite,”

“Shit…well, be sure not to do that.” I laughed. I knew something seemed strange about The Assembly’s reaction to Marc’s father. There had to be something dangerous about a werewolf other than being able to tear you limb from limb.

“You’re not upset or surprised?” He eased off the accelerator slightly to take a corner, planting his foot back down as we passed through the deep bend.

“No, there had to be something. I got that from their reactions when your father shifted.”

Marc nodded as we sat in silence. I knew we must’ve been getting closer as the roads had gotten narrower and windier.

We pulled in to the circular gravel drive five minutes later. Marc let us into the house. I looked around in awe. The place had been bare the last time I’d been here.

Thick drapes in white with a black velour pattern hung at the floor length windows. Beautiful pencil drawings in thick black wooden frames decorated the freshly painted white walls. I walked from the living from to the dining room and saw the same effort had been made all throughout the downstairs. Everything was black and white, tastefully selected and displayed.

“You’ve been busy,” I said through my grin. His shoulders slumped, his mouth turned downwards. “Hey, what’s the matter? I tell you you’re house looks great, and you look, well, depressed.” I rushed over to him, placing my head on his chest.

“I thought you were dead.” A sob ripped from his body as fat tears dribbled over his chiselled cheekbones.

“Well, I’m not.” My voice came out curled with uncertainty as I placed kisses along his jawline, catching his teardrops on my face. How might I admit my fate was still undecided?

“Depression hit me hard. I came out here and decorated the place to take my mind off things. I walked away and left everything to my sister to deal with, my businesses, everything. I haven’t slept in two weeks. I haven’t functioned.” He pressed me closer to his body, the suppleness beneath his clothes ignited a flame within me.

It seemed wrong to be so turned on when Marc was so clearly upset. It wasn’t something I could turn off. I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to forget that these might be my last days. Perhaps Marc’s grief wouldn’t be so bad the second time around?

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” I said, placing my palm over his chest, his heart pounding beneath my touch.

“I’m here now,” I said brightly, raising my face to peer into his watery eyes. “Let’s have some fun.”

I whooshed to the front door knowing he would soon be complaining that he’d never get used to my rapid movements.

“Catch me if you can,” I called to him as he appeared by the living room door, shaking his head with a grin on his face and his hands on his hips.

I giggled as I opened the door and raced to the entrance of the woods. As I reached the earthen pathway, I caught the sound of the bounding paws thrumming on the compacted mud. A huge blob of rain landed on my nose. I looked skywards just as another plopped down.

The sound of paws slamming into the ground grew closer. I unzipped the hooded top and dropped it to the ground and charged further into the treeline.

The rain began to fall in earnest then, the scent of the grass filling my nostrils from the patches around me as if they were enjoying the drink. I removed my t-shirt, allowing it to fall to the ground before I pressed through the dense set of trees.

The rain dampened my skin and the whistle of the wind on my naked top half made my nipples become erect, aching to be caressed.

I pressed my back against a tree, running my fingers over the velvety moss snaking through the bark before I slipped out of my jeans kicking my sneakers off with them.

A swirl of naughtiness swished around my stomach, my arousal evident by the liquid flowing from between my legs.

I ran on, the earthy scents of the wood consuming me, opening me up like a blooming flower. The rain dripped through the branches and the leaves coating my skin with their untainted aroma.

I had never felt so free.

I wanted to jump up and down and scream. Open up my lungs and pelt out a noise while dancing naked in the rain, but I didn’t want him to find me too easily.

I knew he’d be busy tracking my scent through the woods, knowing from the trail of clothes in my wake, that my body was his prize.

I’d reached a clearing where the grass had been able to grow freely, tall and thick, undamaged and beautiful, proud. I tiptoed through it, trying not to make a trail and laid down in the centre, closing my eyes.

The clearing had turned me on even more. I wondered what made a clearing in dense woodland appear to be so sexy. The surrounding trees shone an eerie blue-grey in a circle around me. I realised it was because I was free from the dark canopy of the trees and yet they were still there, just a moment away to provide a loving shelter from the elements.

Droplets fell from the starry sky dampening my cheeks. They felt like tears.

I missed crying sometimes. I’d done a lot of crying in my human life. It had taken me at least a hundred years to come to terms with the fact I couldn’t anymore. Lying down with my face pointed to the watery sky made me think I was able to cry. I imagined the raindrops to be long awaited tears cleansing my soul.

The rain pummelled my naked body, dripping off me, caressing me, soaking my hair and weighting me to the grassy carpet.

I kept my eyes closed but a smile flickered over my rain kissed face as I sensed the wolf’s paws stalking the edge of the clearing, his breath a pant. I pictured his inky nose trailing through the wet earth, catching whatever scent remained. I giggled at the thought and heard his strong furry body rustling through the blades.

A rough tongue lapped up the rainwater from my soaking face, tickling me. I scrunched up my eyes. “That’s gross, get off,” I squealed as I rolled over onto my hip. I sensed the air around me change before the sizzling heat of his body connected with my back. One hand ran down the length of my arm before entangling his bronzed fingers around my pale ones.

“It’s beautiful here,” he breathed in my ear.

“Yes, I thought so, too,” I said lazily, shutting my lids again, taking in the heat of his body in contrast to the cool rain.

“I meant you. You’re beautiful.”

He slid his free arm under my neck and pulled me against him. I felt his length straining against my bottom. Wriggling out of his arms and flipping him over, I had him flat on his back, straddling him in a heartbeat. His eyes widened with shock. Stifling a laugh, I leaned forward and whispered, “You’re all mine, baby.”

I slid down his torso, gasping from the touch of his body against my sensitive clit. I knelt up hovering over his hardness. His full lips were parted as his eyes admired my body, causing another lurch in my belly. As much as I wanted to be sensual, I needed him.

I cradled his erection, squeezing his girth while I dipped the head into my soaking wet opening, slowly sinking down until I was filled up with him, moaning gently the deeper he sank within me.

I lifted my ass up and down, pumping his manhood with my slick passage. His hands clutched the grass before he let go and began running his thumbs over my hard nipples. I arched my back encouraging him to be firmer with his caress.

His eyes were a melting pot full of golden light. I sped up, raising my ass and slamming back down furiously. He suddenly sat up, lifting his body from the sodden grass in one fluid movement, the pooled rainwater cascaded between us. I adjusted my movements to fit with him, thrusting my hips back and forth, my arms encircling his neck, my hands lost within his hair, his hot palms lay flat against my back.

He was licking, kissing and nipping my ear lobe when I lost it. The pressure had built to an unmanageable high. I cried out as I exploded around him, tightening around his thick rod, the rain helping me relieve the dizziness I experienced as I tilted my head back so the drops spattered my face.