Page 18

Chapter 18

MADELINE

This is not how I expected Nate to see my apartment for the first time. Still, it's what I get. I open the door and enter, with Nate right beside me.

He pauses at the door, letting me take off my shoes before I enter the apartment. In the living room I collapse onto the couch. He takes the cushion next to me, which surprises me a bit but still makes me feel safe.

“Welcome to my home,” I announce, spreading my arms wide. I almost hit him in the face, but the man's reflexes are too sharp for that. He ducks out of the way before returning to his normal sitting position like nothing happened.

“This is a nice place,” he remarks. “It's really cozy.”

“Next, we'll see what your place looks like.”

Nate gives me an unreadable look that tells me I've given him a lot to think about. I lean back on the couch and stare up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. I'm physically and mentally exhausted at this point, and hope to drift off to sleep.

Unfortunately, my luck won't permit it. Memories of our night start to replay in my mind. My heart nearly bursts from my chest, and now there's a dull throbbing pain.

Nate notices it. “I'll be right back.”

I watch as he walks away for a minute, and returns with a glass of water. He hands it to me, and I down it. After the drink, I feel less anxious.

“You said you don't know that guy,” Nate says.

“I really don't, I swear.”

“I believe you. I'm not asking about him. You were scared tonight though, like you were expecting something bad to happen. You were edgier than normal. What aren’t you telling me?”

I close my eyes and face the ceiling once more. I feel drowsiness tugging at my mind, urging me to give in.

“Things weren't easy for me after you left,” I start. “I was lost, I was hurt and worst of all, I was lonely. After forming my bond with you, no one in the pack could even come close to comparing. So I went outside of it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I made human friends,” I explain. “There was one that I was far closer to than the other. We were in high school together and we graduated together. He ended up having to leave for some sort of tech school.”

“Tech school?”

“That's what he said. It never added up to me. He always wanted to be a mechanic and then graduation came and that dream flew out the window in a flash.”

“Is he related to the guy we saw today?”

I shake my head. “No, not at all. At least, I don't think so. My friend and I lost touch quickly. I could never get hold of him and it just felt like I had been left again.”

Nate gives me all his focus, which makes me feel better. It's nice to know I have his full attention.

“That night the pack was attacked,” I continue, “the hunters wore masks. We couldn't see them, but there was this lingering smell—gasoline and—”

“Gunpowder,” Nate finishes the sentence.

“Yes. How'd you know?”

“That's what I've been told the hunters smell like. I haven't encountered them yet so I wouldn't know.”

“That's exactly right. Of course, I fought back, but I was no match for their protective gear. I managed to bite one of their hands, but that was it.”

“You've always had a fighter’s spirit,” Nate compliments me. I nod and thank him with a smile.

“About a week later, I bumped into my friend. I was thrilled to see him until I got close and was taken aback by the smell of gasoline and gunpowder.”

“What?” Nate’s genuine surprise encourages me to continue.

“I even saw the injury on his hand right where I bit the hunter that came after us. That's when I decided that leaving and not returning would be the best thing.”

“Does your friend know that you're here?”

I shake my head. “We haven't talked since then. We didn't even talk properly that day. But there's something …” I fish out the charm that Hannah gave me.

Nate's eyes widen. “Is that—”

“Yes, it smells like hunters.”

“Where did you get this?” he asks.

“I got it from the friend I went out with. She said she just found it in the shop so someone must've left it there. Do you think the hunters have found us?”

“There's no way of knowing for sure.” He places a hand on mine. “Do you have a picture of him?”

I look at our joined hands before returning to his face. “Yes, I should be able to dig up something.”

“Do you know what you're about to do?” Nate asks. “Hunters have eluded us for years, but you're about to provide pictures of a dangerous one. Thank you for this.”

“Of course,” I respond. “Anything I can do to help.”

He pulls me close to him, letting me rest against his body. My heartbeat slows down when I reach for Nate's chest and then it quickens again when I realize how close we are.

My mate doesn't kiss me though. He holds me against his chest, making sure I don't move away–which I don't plan on doing.

We lie next to each other, and I feel sleep reaching out for me, but the stress from earlier still weighs heavily on my mind. I focus on my mate's scent, inhaling as deeply as possible, as if he's about to escape from me.

“I have an idea,” Nate suddenly says, pulling me back to reality.

“What is it?” I ask softly.

“Would you like to have dinner with me next weekend?” The question hovers in the room for a moment before slapping me across the face. I lean back slightly.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, it would be a nice way to obliterate all this craziness. Would you like to?”

“Of course, yeah.”

Part of me wishes he was asking because he wanted to spend time with me, but I was going to take the offer either way.

“Awesome, I'm already looking forward to it.”

“Me too,” I say.

You have no idea how much I want this.

Nate's phone rings and he struggles to pick it up while still holding me. I shift my weight, giving him room.

He frowns at the screen before answering. “Hello?”

I look up at Nate as he takes the phone call, observing the movements of his jaw and the way his face tightens with concentration. After a full minute, he ends the call and looks down at me.

“That was the police.”

“Why are the cops calling you? I thought we already sorted everything out with them?”

The police instantly recognized the guy who attacked us; he didn't really give us any trouble, even though the man kept screaming about how Nate was a monster.

I might have handled things differently if I hadn’t been in so much shock, but it was satisfying to let Nate take control in that situation. Whoever that guy was, he was scared half to death.

“The guy's name is Tony; he's a serial stalker. Apparently, he's gotten numerous complaints from women in the city, but he's always been able to evade arrest.”

“I've never had a stalker before,” I admit. “I guess maybe I should confess something to you.

He looks at me with concern. “What?”

I extract myself from his embrace, quickly noticing his warmth. I walk to my room and return with an envelope. Nate sits up, taking it as I hand it to him.

He handles the envelope delicately and sniffs. “This smells like the guy.”

“I kept getting notes like this under my door, and I just assumed it was someone pranking me—like maybe a neighbor had a weird crush or something. This is the only one I kept because I wanted to show you, but I tossed the rest out.”

“What the hell is this, Madeline?” Nate asks, rising to his feet. I notice anger flash in his eyes. “You've been receiving threats?”

“They're not exactly threats,” I sigh, knowing that my defense is weak. “I just wrote them off as ridiculous.”

Nate's shock is on full display. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? This person knows where you live, Madeline. How could you keep this from me?”

I open my mouth, but no words come out. Every explanation feels too foolish to actually say aloud. “I'm sorry,” I finally say. “I should've told you.”

“Yes,” Nate emphasizes, “you should have.” I watch him take a deep breath. “I thought this was a smaller deal than it actually is, just some crazy guy, but he could have been worse—seriously dangerous. You should have come to me.”

“I will from now on,” I promise. “I'm sorry.”

My words soften his expression, and he returns to sit with me on the chair. “Do you want me to read this?” he asks.

I shake my head. “There's no need. It's not like we’ll hear from him again. He’s in custody now. I just want to move past it.”

Nate nods in agreement, respecting my decision. He hands me the envelope, and I quickly tear it up and toss it in the trash.

“I don't want to remember any part of this,” I confess, returning to his embrace and resting in his arms.

“I know,” he says reassuringly. “You're not the only one who hid something. I've noticed that car around a few times since it followed us to the hotel. I didn't want to say anything and scare you unnecessarily, especially with hunters around.”

“I understand,” I sigh. “I can't lie, I probably would've been worried. I don't even know if I should tell my aunt about all of this. She's going to panic and I don't want her to worry while she's in the hospital.”

“She doesn’t need to hear about this now,” Nate says. “It's best to make sure she feels better first.”

I nod. His hands weave through my hair, stroking it gently as I start to drift off to sleep in his embrace.

My eyes fly open the next morning. The sounds of birds chirping outside fill the living room.

I move a bit before feeling strong arms still holding me securely. Nate is fast asleep, holding me like he's still trying to protect me. I feel so warm watching him beside me.

“Nate?”

He doesn't respond, merely tightening his grip a little. I can’t help the smile spreading across my face as I nestle into his arms comfortably and try to drift off to sleep once more.

I just wish we could always be like this.