He told me that when we passed by the cabin the night he caught me, she smelled like three of the men had fucked her, not just two. I wondered if she’d been through all five of them by now. I wondered if she was gone home and whether or not she gave two shits about the fact that she’d fucked me over. I wondered if she knew about the fire at the boutique.
“Then again, if she hadn’t screwed me over, I wouldn’t know werewolves exist.”
“Yes you would’ve. I would’ve taken you from that cabin. I was hunting for you, little one.”
I smile.
“Do you think of me as a sexual predator?” he asks.
“No,” I say without hesitation.
He looks relieved about that and that says something. I mean, the way things happened didn’t feel like that. I know they were far from conventional, but based on who he is, based on how he’s been since then, it’s just not the same.
“What happened with us, I now know it was instinct, Tyson. I don’t blame you for being what you are.”
He stares thoughtfully at me. “Anyone else who I was with was with me willingly, Ivy. I never took someone with me against their will before.”
“I believe you.”
He looks concerned, like the fact that I might think of him as my kidnapper is upsetting. It kind of is that way, but it’s also not. He believes I’m his perfect mate for some reason and I can’t say I understand it, but I do believe that’s what he thinks and I also have some pretty gripping emotions developing for him, too, though I don’t know what it means so far. I decide to change the subject. I don’t like the look of concern in his eyes. “Too bad about my car, then. If I’d just stayed put, you would’ve found me and taken me to your lair without my car gettin’ trashed.”
“Your car was pulled out of the valley and is being fixed at a repair shop in the closest town. They did that while we were at the clinic.”
“Your pack did?”
He makes a face.
“What?”
“My pack.”
I smile. “That’s the right term, isn’t it?”
He nods. “It would be if I were part of that pack, yes.”
“They could be, you know. Your pack. Your family.”
He shrugs. “We’ll see.”
He looks like the weight of the world is on his big shoulders suddenly as he stares into the fire.
My hand finds his. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be,” I tell him.
“Like us. We’re meant to be,” he says, eyes bouncing from my face to our fingers. He stares at our joined hands a moment.
“Are we?” I ask with a smile.
His hand tightens.
I really wanna keep things light tonight. I’m enjoying my time with him and I don’t want to do what I tend to do --- overthink things.
He nods and then his lips find mine. “I’m happy, Ivy. For the first time in my life, I’m happy. And it’s only the beginning with you. I feel like it might be too much to ask that I also have a family, a pack. And you.”
“You don’t wanna be alone anymore,” I tell him.
“I don’t know how to not be alone.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
He squeezes my hand and then reclines on the bed, pulling me to his chest.
“I also know in my gut that I’m supposed to be with you.”
I say nothing.
“How’s your ankle feeling?” he asks.
“It’s not bad. But it’s time for my medicine. Maybe I’ll take it. It’ll make me sleepy again, but sleep is good for healing.”
“I’ll get it.”
“Can you get me my phone, too?” I ask. “And bring your eyedrops, I’ll put them in for you.”
I watch him, appreciating every inch of his sexy body as he walks out.
I hadn’t checked my phone at all. Hadn’t thought about reconnecting with civilization even though it’s been charging for seven or eight hours. Surely by now my family got my message about the snake bite. There are probably texts and phone calls to return.
Tyson brings it to me and it’s off, but I see the screen show the notification of 100% charged before the screen goes dark. I put it on the table beside the bed and decide that civilization can wait another day.
He comes back with all four tubs of ice cream and two spoons.
I laugh as he sets them up between us.
“What about your eyedrops?” I ask.
He wrinkles his nose.
I laugh. “Don’t be such a baby. Go get them or no ice cream for you!”
30
Tyson
I hate having eyedrops put in, but I like ice cream. Especially the brown one with the darker brown bits and soft and spongy white things in it. I liked the food we ate today, most of it, except the dry brown sticks with all the salt. They didn’t do much for me until she showed me that I could dip them into the cheese container with all the herbs in it. I loved when she fed green grapes to me from her fingers while half her body was sprawled across my torso and she told me funny stories about her family. I’m full and happy with her here in the bed, sleeping on my shoulder.