"Morning, hunter." He says in a calm voice while I reach for my bow and aim an arrow at him. "Wow, don't need to be so violent."
"I'm pretty brutal with threatening strangers."
"Don't tell me you've forgotten about me. It breaks my heart." He says with a smirk on his face and that made me remember why he looked familiar. He was at my mom's art opening in Paris, the last event I've accompanied my family to before becoming a pariah.
"I remember you," I search my memory for his name because I know he and all the other Lycans that were present introduced themselves to me. "Chase, right?"
"Nice seeing you again, Adeline. I've heard your mission didn't go so well." He was talking about the hunt that forced me to move to Boulder. My mother was explaining to me the details of my mission when Chase and his friends approached us. But how does he know about my failure?
"Mind your business, Lycan. I only want to get out of here." I tell him and motion with my arrow to the left. "Step aside, now! I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"Me neither, so you should put that down, Adeline." His eyes turn red as he speaks and his commanding tone seems to be trying to reach my soul and bend my will to his pleasure. I remember that Asher used that trick on me last night, the only difference being that Chance's efforts don't pay off. I remain steady in my position, with my arrow aiming his heart.
"Nice try, but I'm in a hurry and I have to get going now," I tell him and he looks at me surprised, before bursting in laughing. "Oh, so you think I'm bluffing?" I ask him and I release the arrow. But he dodges it, landing on the floor. My arrow sticks in the wooden door and I approach it. I flung the door open and I almost feel the sweet taste of freedom when the wind breezes through my hair and the sun touch shyly my skin.
"Missed me, love?" I hear before being pushed back into the house. The doors are being closed before me and I find myself staring at Asher's angry face.
Chase was back on his feet, standing next to the other Lycan and watching me with his characteristic smirk. I know it seems like I'm trapped, but I'm also aware of the fact that this living room is connected to an open kitchen. While investigating my surrounding I was able to see a back door there, which will serve as my Plan B now. The only problem is that I won't be able to get to the door before the Lycans before me, which means that I have to distract them somehow.
"I'm sorry for the arrow," I say, taking a few steps back.
"Oh, look! She can be polite." Mocks me, Chase, rolling his eyes. Asher remains unfazed.
"And I'm sorry for locking you on the balcony, too," I tell the green-eyed Lycan but he doesn't even blink. I still take a step back with every phrase said.
"You're officially forgiven if you have video proof of Asher being locked there." Jocks Chase but no one here is in the mood for that. I use his minor intervention to put more space between them and me.
"I just want to get home," I say and I sprint to the back door. I open it and use a dagger to lock it behind me. I don't see anyone following me, but when I turn around, ready to run to the forest, I find Asher standing before me. I stumble and nearly fall, but I manage to keep myself together, despite the circumstances.
This is it, I have no escape now.
"Are you done running?" He asks when I lower my head, finally defeated. I nod and mentally prepare for whatever will come next. I've disrespected these Lycans in ways a sane human should never do, but I guess we already decided that I'm a bit off.
At last, my mother's words are becoming true: I've sought danger and now found death in its place. Maybe I should have listened to my parents more often, or at least to my mother. She seems to know me pretty well if she was able to prophesy my end. But I'm still more prone to believe that she just hates my guts and what is happening to me now, are all her bloody curses finally coming true. If that's the case, I'll make sure to haunt her for the rest of her damned life.
She who laughs last laughs better Mummy.
I hear Asher sighing and I don't know how to react when he hugs me tightly. I'm petrified by how my body reacts to the warmth of his and I try to keep myself together. Is he trying to suffocate me like a constrictor snake or something? I know I've heard of an animal who has among their preferred methods of killing hugging. It must have been a bear documentary... or the news?
"Let's have some breakfast and... talk." He says, letting me go and I back down in shock.
Breakfast and talk? Seriously?
He unblocks the back door, tossing my dagger into a beautiful daffodil garden. If I wasn't scared for my life, I would've slapped him for mistreating flowers like this. Instead, I let him to catch my hand and to drag me back into the mansion's kitchen. Chase was already seated, enjoying a cup of coffee as nothing happened. Asher and I sit across from him and I watch him in disbelief how he quietly enjoys puts some food on his plate, from the platter in front of us. He motions me to choose whatever I want but I'm frozen in my seat, my eyes locked on the two Lycans. If I couldn't see the ripped shirt and dried blood, I would have believed that I've dreamed our little interaction in the living room.
"I don't think you should look at other males like that in the presence of your mate, Adeline." Says Chase in a mocking voice and I instantly looked at him puzzled. What the hell is he implying?
"Chase, can you let us alone to talk?" Asks him Asher, his anger diverted at his friend and not me.
"And where should I drink my coffee?" Continues Chase to joke, but is given a death stare from Asher. He burst in laughing, mumbling something about his friend's anger issues and leaves the room with his cup.
"Aline," starts Asher and I move my eyes from a leaving Chase to him, "would you like some breakfast?"
"No, thank you," I answer with a smile, although my stomach was empty and would have pretty much liked some omelette, croissant or any breakfast food. I adore this meal and I'm one of the few people who never skip the first meal of the day. Why would I, when the best food is served in the morning?
"Coffee?" Comes another question from Asher but I politely refuse again.
"Fine." He sighs and pours himself a hot cup of coffee. He rings a little call bell on the table and immediately two women enter the kitchen through a side door. Their black and white uniforms reminded me of the maids that used to come into my room every morning, back when I was living in London.
The petite and brunette girl reminded me of Bet, the new, South-American maid who I didn't really suffer. And it was not the fact that she was the one tasked with making sure I'm meeting every point in my ageanda for the day, but because I'm sure she was one of my mother's minions. Everytime I tried to skip a training or I was arriving late home, she was the one to rant me to my mother. And it did happen often, as I was basically on house arrest when she got hired and I was constantly bored of being locked up indoors. I may have given her hell, which is why she probably hated me, but I wouldn't have acted like that if she was on my side.
Like my other maid, Zoey, who doesn't resemble at all the shy, blonde girl in front of me, and who was my secret ally. She was the one to have breakfast with me every morning on my balcony, who would inform me which servants have converted to the dark side and are spying on me for mother, and the only one to accompany me outside the mansion. I do miss her at times, although I couldn't consider her a friend.
I'm aware of the fact that I don't know what friends truly are, but I'm also considering that is more my fault that I'm willing to admit. People like Will, Zoey and even Bee are worth taking a chance with, but I was never willing to. Maybe I've grown so used to the idea of being on my own that I unknowingly reject every person that tries to enter my life. But it can't be true, because it'd be too sad for me to bear.
"Anything else, sir?" Asks the brunette maid, gazing like a fool at Asher. I find myself mocking her stupid flirting like I do whenever Bet tells me to obey to some new rule my mother made-up. But this maid is not as good as Bet at ignoring my rudeness, and she turns to face me with clenched fists. I smirk at her, analyzing her petite figure and unathletic built. She may be a werewolf, but I can easily beat her in hand-to-hand. I raise my chin with a daring smirk on my lips. I was just waiting for her to make the first step and she didn't disappoint.
But before I can punch the maid in the gut, Asher catches her neck with his right hand and slightly lifts her off-ground. He growls angrily at the girl and his reaction takes me completely by surprise. It takes me a moment to get over the shock, long enough for him to calm down and let go of the girl. She falls on the floor and quickly tries to catch her breath before her friend helps her get up. Both her watching Asher with fear in their eyes and I can't say that I wasn't a little bit uneasy. Hell, I was beyond terrified and the only thing that kept me from trembling like the maids before me was my dad's advice: do not show fear. He told me this on my first hunt before we entered a small den of newborn vampires and slaughtered them all. Oh, joyful family memories.
"Don't you dare to disrespect my mate like that ever again!" He shouts from the bottom of his lungs and the feisty brunette maid nearly fainted. The blonde one seemed stronger and only bowed before Asher, acknowledging his orders. "Now get out of here!"
The blonde maid carries her nearly-unconscious friend through the same side door they entered and the kitchen was left in unsettling silence. I wasn't daring to even breath too loud around him right now and hardly kept my feet from following the two girls out of here. Asher only exhaled, tired, and sit back on his chair. After a few good minutes, he noticed me, standing like a statue on the same spot since the maids left.
"What? Is something wrong?" He asks, and his voice is no longer bitter nor full of anger. He is back to the same Asher who offered to pour me a cup of coffee just moments ago.
"No, nothing's wrong," I answer, trying not to appear scared, but my voice cracked during the last syllabus pronounced and I tried to avoid his questioning gaze.
"Aline, I'm sorry I reacted like that it's just that—" he paused, sighing loudly and getting up beside me—"I couldn't help it. When I saw that goddamned maid trying to attack you, I just lost it."
"It's fine," I assure him with a fake smile playing on my lips, "I understand why you reacted like that. Don't worry, I was just... lost in the moment."
I raise my eyes to meet his and I'm relieved that he believed me. I wouldn't have believed myself. It's so obvious that I didn't understand why would he react like that and my shock would be obvious even to a blind person! So he either pretend to believe me or wants to think that I'm not a little dirty liar. Which I am.
"I wanted to talk to you about last night." He tells me, sitting back on his chair and I mimic his movement.
"Sure," I say, trying to hide the unwillingness in my tone, "about what specifically?"
"What were you doing in the woods?"
"Trying to catch the idiot that stole my motorcycle. I was guarding the campus, where someone decided to enliven my dull Halloween."
"And where did you lose the thief?"
"Right when you found me and Will. She runs into a tree and disappeared into thin air." I finish the sentence with a pounce, angry that the little thief slipped through my fingers.
"You seem pretty angry about your escapee." He conclusions and I nod my head lazily. "I get that it's your first failed mission?"
"It's the first in America, sure," I answer and refrain myself from mentioning my infamous reputation back home. If I did, he may believe that I'm a shitty hunter and will surely start acting as my superior. I have to keep the impression that I'm in control of this messed-up situation I'm in, although I have not a single idea of what is going on since I've wakened up.
"Do you wanna go on a walk? Maybe talk about matters that won't piss you off?"
"How about a walk back to the city?" I propose with a childish smile and I see him on the point of agreeing before his eyes start questioning me.
"I know it must be hard for you to accept this situation as you are not a shifter, but..."
"What? You shifters are more chill when you're being kidnapped?"
"You're not kidnapped, Aline. And stop acting like you are." He tells me and I frown, searching for the trick behind his words.
"So you imply that I'm free to go wherever I want?" I question him and he just nods, like it's obvious. "What's the catch?"
"There's no catch. We can go back to Boulder if you want. Or you can throw a dart on the map and go to the other side of the world. I can do that, for you." He offers, watching me with awe in his eyes. I find myself imagining a getaway like he mentioned, away from every single thing that feeds on my well-being. Landing on an unknown place, where no one knows me nor what I am. Somewhere where I can be free, where I can be me.
"Wait," I say as I wake up from my day-dream, "you said 'we'? Like you're coming with me?"
"Of course, you're my mate. I go wherever you go."
And this is the catch!
"Stop saying that. We're not mates or whatever."
"Of course we are, and you can't tell me that you're not feeling it. Although you're human, the mate's bond is strong enough to help your soul be able to recognise mine." He had hope in his eyes and I was feeling guilty for having to break the truth to him.
"Ahm, actually I don't feel anything," I say and he doesn't seem to understand my words at first. But something flickered in his eyes then he dragged me into his lap and kissed me.
I was surprised, of course, and didn't act on the spot. My lack of response flagged him immediately and when I started pushing him away from me, he unwillingly let me go. I shied away from him and returned to my seat, keeping my eyes on the neat table. I heard him calling my name but I couldn't respond in any way. I had mixed-up feelings and I wasn't able to react. I wanted to leave, but also to stay. I want to slap him, but I was afraid of touching him in any way. He turned me into a mess in a split of a second and it was unsettling me the most: the power he had over my emotions was making my head spin.
"Aline, I'm sorry." he apologises for the millionth time but I don't react. "I shouldn't have done that. Please, forgive me." I see in the corner of my eye how his hand extends to catch mine under the table, but he stops before touching my skin. He rises, angrily, from the seat and exits through the back door of the kitchen. I watch his figure blurring through the thickness of the woods and as I lost the last glimpse of him, I came back to reality. If I ever had a doubt before, I know exactly what I have to do:
I need to leave. Now.