“Honestly, I didn’t expect Matthew to be seeing anybody…” she continues.
“I thought you’re the one who said you wanted to see other people,” I say.
“I know what I said, but I didn’t really mean it. I didn’t want to see other people…and I didn’t think he would start seeing other people either. ”
Okay, this woman is starting to give me a headache.
“Then why the hell did you tell him you wanted to start seeing other people for?” I almost yell at her.
Her face crumpled once more. Thankfully her sobs aren’t as loud this time.
“I just wanted him to pay more attention to me…to us. I wanted him to feel jealous. I wanted him to do something. I didn’t want him to run off every time we have a problem. I didn’t expect him to go and start seeing a Victoria Secret model either.”
What? Wait a minute. Did she meant me??? I am no underwear model and I’m about to tell her that when she says, “Do you know when was the last time we went on a date? On a proper date?”
“Two years ago!” she answers her own question before I can open my mouth. “He could take you to a cafe, yet he couldn’t even bother to take me out to a nice dinner.”
I’m about to let her know that meeting at a cafe could hardly compare to a nice dinner, but I figure now is not a good time for that when she starts sobbing again.
Now, what do I do? I pat her arm awkwardly. “There, there…” I say. Her sobs subside… somewhat.
“Every time we go out, we always go out with his friends. It’s always about what the group would like to do. I suggested we go on a vacation. Just the two of us. We ended up having a huge fight over it and he just left.
“You could’ve had any other men. Why him? Matthew and I, we’ve been through a lot together and I love him,” she declares.
“Do you? Do you love him?”
Her question throws me off.
I’m sitting on the bench that was occupied by Cece a while ago.
That was the weirdest meeting I’ve ever had with anyone. I just need to sit down for a while after an encounter like that.
It was so weird. I’m feeling kinda sorry for her while wanting to bitchslap her till tomorrow at the same time. He’s supposed to be my mate, yet now I feel like the other woman.
A gentle breeze blows a few loose whispy tendrils of my hair against my cheek. A few guys jog past and one of them flashes me a smile. He’s cute, but I can’t bring myself to return his smile.
The old Penny would’ve returned his smile…and maybe check out his butt too.
If I was honest with myself, I haven’t looked at any other men as soon as I met Darius. At the beginning, it was just the pull, which on its own was powerful enough. Now that I’ve gotten to know him, the bond is even stronger.
Yes, he did hurt me…a lot. I wanted to forget him. That’s why I partied like there’s no tomorrow. I wanted to get back at him, that’s why I’d been making out with numerous random men.
Countless of men. I’m making up for all the women he brought to the castle and Polina.
He threw me for a loop when he confessed that he didn’t do anything with any them. I believed him because I didn’t want any of the men either. I know what it feels like. I had to drink myself into a stupor to start doing what I did. All I really wanted was him. I knew all along deep inside that our bond is too strong to have any room for other people in it. Still, he hurt me and I wanted revenge.
So where does that leave me now?
Missing him. I’m missing him, yet I have no way of seeing him.
My hand reaches up for his medallion. Holding it tight.
What about Matthew? I know he’s attracted to me because of the mate bond that he doesn’t even understand. He and Cece have their problem, but he loves Cece. I saw the way he was looking at her.
The strange thing is, it doesn’t hurt me all the much anymore when I think of Matthew with Cece. The thought of Darius with someone else though is enough to make me want to rip
someone’s heart out. After his promises and confession of love to me, I swear I’ll rip his balls out if I ever see him with any other female.
I should talk to Matthew. It’s not fair to be stringing him along when I’m missing someone else. So I do. I call him up and ask him if he’s free to see me today. He agrees to see me at the park since he’s not too far away and I’m already here.
He arrives fifteen minutes later. Dark hair and dark eyes. Easy smile. Total opposite of Darius. In different circumstances, I think we could’ve been happy together.
“Hey,” he says. “It didn’t take too long for me to get here, did it?”
“Nope, you told me you’d be here in 20. You made it in 15, so you’re early.”
He smiles and sits next to me on the bench. He takes my hand in his and tingles run up my arm at his touch.
“That’s interesting,” he says, leaning in closer.
“What is?”
“The medallion,” he answers, looking at the medallion closely.
“It looks very old. Is that real or a reproduction? It looks like a crest of one of those European aristocratic families or something.”
He reaches up to touch the medallion and I lean back in my seat and wrap my hand tightly around it. We’re not here to discuss Darius’s aristocratic family.
“Sorry,” he says. “It’s the history teacher in me talking.” He smiles sheepishly.
“I talked to Cece today,” I tell him. I feel his body stiffened next to me.
“Okay,” he says cautiously, straightening up.
“You told her that you want to try something new.”
“Yeah…I did.”
“But you love her.” He seems taken aback by my statement.
“Well…maybe it’s just not working for me and Cece,” he says slowly, looking away and letting go of my hand. I notice that he’s not denying that he still loves her.
“Or maybe you just want to teach her a lesson…before you go back to her?” I say and he draws in a sharp breath. I know I’m right.
“It’s not like that, exactly. I mean, I do like you Penny. I do.
You’re exciting and beautiful and I can’t believe you like me
too. When I’m with you I feel happy. I know we just met, but we clicked and I think about you a lot when we’re not
together.”
I know what he’s talking about. Mate attraction. I also know that it’s significantly less intense than what regular werewolves feel.
“But you do love her,” I insist. “You know you can’t have us both, right?”
“Yeah, I know that. The way I feel about you though…is different from the way I feel for Cece.”
Yeah, but he still can’t have us both.
“Matthew, if you still love her, you should sort things out with her.”
‘ I know, but I what about us?”
Suddenly I sense some changes in the air and the hair at the back fo my neck rises. I tilt my head back and sniff the air. It’s part of the lesson Caspian, Lazarus, Constantine, and Darius taught me. I need to depend on my senses especially during sparring. I know I’m slow, but sometimes the lesson sticks.
Right now, I get the sense of being watched as well as the scent of something that doesn’t belong.
“Penny, what are you doing?” asks Matthew.
“Shhhhh…” I shush him as I keep sniffing the air and my eyes keep scanning the area. It’s getting dark and the park is quite deserted now. I can’t see or hear anything out of the ordinary, but I smell something off.
“I think we should go now,” I tell him quietly.
“Why?” he asks. “Penny, what’s going on?”
I think I smell other werewolves. That, in itself, isn’t something to be alarmed about. I don’t know what it is, but something isn’t quite right. I couldn’t put a finger on it.
“Let’s go, Matthew. Let’s leave. Now.”
It must be the urgency in my voice. Matthew jumps up from the bench. I move towards where Matthew parked his car, pulling him with me.
I pull out my cell phone, trying to find Lazarus’s number while trying to keep myself aware of the surrounding. The smell is getting stronger.
“Penny, who are you calling? What’s going on?” asks Matthew, looking alarmed.
“Hello there, Ms. Penny Ruiz.” I gasp and whirl around when I hear an unfamiliar voice behind us.
“Where are you going, doll? Leaving so soon?” says another voice.
Two big men are approaching us. Both of them look like they could be in a biker gang or something. The first guy looks younger and has wild hair and lots of tattoos. The second man is taller and looks more intimidating with his bald head and a full beard. They carry that werewolf scent, but not the regular werewolf scent that I’m used to.
These men know my name and that’s just creepy.
I step in front of Matthew, trying to keep him behind me but he keeps pulling me back and trying to keep me behind him.
“What are you doing, fraternizing with humans…and lycans?
Aren’t we good enough for you?” sneers the first one. He’s so stupid.
“What did he mean? Do you know them, Penny?” asks
Matthew, still trying to push me back behind him.
“Who are you? What do you want from me?” I ask them.
“We don’t want anything from you, you lycan’s pet!” barks the second man. “Cheap whoring bitch!” He spits on the ground.
He looks like he’s really disgusted with me.
“I’m nobody’s pet, you moron!” I snap back. That’s probably not the best thing to say right now, but he’s pissing me off. I’m gonna call these two morons Thing 1 and Thing 2 even though I actually like Thing 1 and Thing 2.
“A spitfire! I like! Too bad we have to kill you before the lycans get here,” says Thing 1.
I press call on my cell phone and Thing 2 seems to notice my small movement.
“The bitch has got a phone on her, idiot! Get her!”
Thing 1 springs forward, but I kick him squarely in the middle of his chest and yell, “Stay away from me, you a*shole!”
The man falls backward and crashes into a tree. He clutches his chest, swearing profusely.
I hear a whooshing sound close to my ear and my phone is knocked out of my hand.
The bastard, Thing 2 threw a knife at my phone! My hand is now bleeding and my phone is lying on the ground with a knife sticking right through it. Blood is dripping from my hand.
“Assh*le!!! You killed my phone!” I wail. I can’t believe that he just destroyed my phone!
“She bloody made a call! They’re gonna be here soon. Kill her quick! We’ve gotta go!” says Thing 2.
“Jonah, finish her off!” Thing 2 barks out and a figure steps out of from the line of the trees.
Yummy Lip Ring? I stare at him in shock. He knows these guys?
He’s staring intensely at me but makes no move to get closer.
“For Fvck sake, Jonah! Have you gone deaf? Kill her!” says Thing 2 again.
“The lycans are going to be here any seconds,” says Yummy Lip Ring casually.
“He’s right. We’gotta finish the bitch off somewhere else,”
Thing 1 announces, getting to his feet.
No way! I get to my stance and get ready to attack.
“No, no, no bitch, we don’t have time for this. If you’re going to be difficult, we’re going to snap your little human’s head off,”
says Thing 2. One arm is around Matthew’s neck while his other hand is wrapped around Matthew’s forehead, ready to twist his head off.
“Okay, okay…let him go.” I raise my hands up in a surrender gesture.
Thing 1 pulls the knife out of my poor phone and tosses it to Thing 2. Thing 2 easily catches the knife.
“We can’t let him go now, but if you want him to live, get moving,” says Thing 2, pressing the knife to Matthew’s neck.
I shuffle my feet, reluctant to leave the spot, but the Thing 1
pushes me ahead. An old beat up blue Pontiac Grand Am is waiting not far away.
“Get in!” snaps Thing 1, forcing me in the backseat. Thing 2
shoves Matthew in beside me before he crawls in and sits with a knife at Matthew’s throat. It’s very crowded in here.
Thing 1 gets in the driver’s seat while Yummy Lip Ring, or should I call him Jonah now gets in the passenger seat. Thing 1
guns the engine and we’re flying through the neighborhood.
Matthew is quiet now. I notice him shaking. Poor guy. He has a knife pressed to his throat. This must be all new to him. Who am I kidding? This is new to me too and I’m freaking out on the inside!
I hope Lazarus answered the phone and heard enough to know that I’m in trouble. If Darius was with me right now, I know he’ll rip these guys to pieces.
The car is going very fast. The buildings we passed seem like a blur. Very soon, I see more trees than buildings. Wherever they’re taking us, it’s to somewhere remote. We’re getting away from the civilization.
“My friends are coming, you know,” I tell them, breaking the silence.
None of them say anything and that pisses me off, so I continue, “You know what they are and they’re coming for you.
When they get their hands on you, you’re all going to die the most painful death.”
“You’re going to die first, doll,” says Thing 1 from the front.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to rip you into tiny little pieces and scatter your remains all over the place for the lycans to find you,” adds Thing 2.
I can’t believe Yummy Lip Ring…or rather Jonah is one of them. I’m so pissed that he managed to make me trust him so easily. I’ve seen his peepee for goodness sake, and it’s not during sex either! If that’s not a bonding moment, I don’t know what is.
Maybe I’m not that good at reading people like I thought I was.
He turns around to look at me and I scowl at him. I’m going to kick his nuts to the moon when I get the chance.
Yummy Lip Ring, or rather Jonah scowls back at me, but his eyes slide to Thing 1 who is driving beside him then over to Thing 2 before he faces the front again. What? What was that about? Is he trying to tell me something?
His message becomes clear a few seconds later when I see his hand braces the roof of the car, while the other grabs the steering wheel and his foot comes in contact with Thing 1 who’s driving. I push Matthew down and dive to tackle Thing 2
against the car window while the car swerves sharply and violently. The tires screeched. I think Thing 2 punches my stomach before we are tossed around like ragged dolls before the car comes to a complete stop with a loud bang.
The car is eerily silent for a second. The smell of burning rubber hits my nose. I can smell that metallic smell of blood too, and it is getting stronger.
My head and my neck hurt, otherwise I’m okay…I think.
I look around and realize that I’m lying half across Matthew. I think he’s okay. I threw myself over him to shield him from the impact of any collision.
The door on the other side is opened and Thing 2 is nowhere to be seen. Thing 1 is slumped over the steering wheel. I don’t see any airbags. Yummy Lip Ring, or rather Jonah is looking around. He glances at me once before he pushes the car door open.
I open the car door and pull Matthew out with me. He seems dazed and very shaken.
The front side of the car hit a tree.
It looks like we’re in the middle of nowhere. We are
surrounded by trees. The little road we’re traveling on is a quiet one without a single street light anywhere in sight. No cars so far either. The moon is bright and one of the car headlights is still on.
“Jonah, you’re a fucking traitor!” yells Thing 2 from the front of the car.
“I might have saved your fucking ass!” Jonah yells back. “Have you any idea what the lycans would do to us if you killed her?”
“Bossman would take care of that!” answers Thing 2. “Besides, she’s just their pet. Their plaything. They won’t go crazy searching for her.”
“You bloody fool! She’s not their pet. She’s their fucking mate.
They would hunt us down and won’t stop until we’re dead. All of us dead,” says Jonah. His eyes landed on me and he has that look on his face that makes me look down at myself.
Sticking out from my stomach is a handle of a knife. Deep crimson is seeping out from it. Half my top and my shorts are soaking wet with blood. Rivulets of blood run down my legs and a few dripping from the hem of my top.
So that strong smell of blood actually comes from me because nobody else seems to be bleeding. I thought I was a punched in my stomach by Thing 2, but I wasn’t. That fucking asshole stabbed me!
I got distracted when Thing 1 stumbles out of the car and landed on his all fours, growling. He’s changing shape. He’s changing into his wolf.
A small sound beside me makes me glance over at Matthew who is now staring from my stomach to Thing 1 who is still crouching and changing on the ground. His eyes are big with terror and his skin is pale and clammy looking. Poor Matthew.
He’s shaking so much. He looks like he’s going to be sick.
I glance back down at the knife still sticking out of my stomach.
How come I didn’t feel it before? I grip the knife and pull. It’s weird how I feel nothing at first. Halfway through, I’m assaulted by hot piercing pain. The pain is so intense that I growl out. My vision is tinged with red.
