Claimed by the Pack

The girl was in the other room now, changing. If I looked through the doorway I might even watch her. A part of me wanted to, very badly. To see her body. Her nakedness…

“You do know what this means, right?”

“Broderick stop,” my roommate replied with a dismissive wave. “You don’t know that.”

“Oh no? You don’t think so?” I was even angrier now. He wasn’t just exhibiting carelessness, now it was disrespect. “Don’t forget which one of us has seen this before. I’ve been through this, Damien. All of it. Remember, I was made years before you were.”

We stopped immediately as the girl — Serena, her name was — returned. She stomped right through the kitchen and toward the door, as I knew she might.

I couldn’t let her leave though. I called out her name.

“Don’t go,” I pleaded. “We have something to tell you.”

She didn’t care. Couldn’t care, really. Not that I could blame her. I’d been an asshole, and an obnoxious asshole at that. My quick temper was one of the worst of my many faults.

“You need to know who we are…”

Her hand stopped turning the door knob, and I took a breath. I had to be careful here, but I also had to be thorough. No matter how carefully we approached it, the concept was always hard to accept. I thought it might be different for her though. For one of her Order.

“To be honest,” said Damien, “it’s more about what we are.”

I shot him a staying glance. The word ‘what’ threw her again.

“Look, I need to get going. I’ve really got to—”

“—call Xiomara Magoro?” I finished for her.

Her hand dropped from the knob. It was obvious we now had her full attention.

“And… you know Xiomara?” she asked carefully.

“Not personally,” I replied. “But he does.”

She looked at Damien, who nodded. Even then she wasn’t sure.

“Describe her.”

Damien leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. I hated that he was actually enjoying this.

“Four foot nothing, African woman?” he said offhandedly. “Colorful robes? Real bad attitude?”

I watched as Serena tried keeping her face expressionless. It wasn’t working.

“Curses like an angry sailor?” Damien continued. “Scary as all hell? Wouldn’t want to mess with her… that Xiomara Magoro?”

“Alright, alright. I get it.”

Serena crossed her own arms and bit her lip. It only made her look sexier. I felt the swell of heat again, more powerful this time, rising up inside me. A distinct tingle I hadn’t felt since…

“So you’re my contacts,” she stated.

Damien nodded and bowed theatrically. She swatted him in the arm.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because it wasn’t our decision,” I told her. “We weren’t ready. And besides…” I stared accusingly at Damien here. “Your boss hadn’t given us the green light yet.”

“I don’t have a boss.” Serena said quickly. Her body language spoke volumes.