Page 11

Chapter Eleven

Xochil

I watched my completely naked mate walk away from me, trying not to whimper. The woman was magnificent. Every inch, every curve moved as if it were made to call to me like a siren’s song.

It had taken an inhuman effort for me to stop after pushing her over the crest just once. I wanted her to cum, over and over; to make her as addicted to my touch as I was to her taste.

I huffed and plopped back on her bed when I heard the shower start. If I didn’t need Dad to remove the sigils, I would text them and tell them to fuck off for the day. I needed some alone time with my mate so we could talk and I could convince her to accept me. But I needed to prioritize her safety above all else, so here I was, with whatever the female equivalent of blue balls was.

‘Alpha, we’re outside. Is it safe to come in?’ Miguel mind-linked.

‘Yeah, come right in. Aline is in the shower right now.’

‘Oh. Can you let us know when she’s out?’ he asked

‘Why?’

‘Uncle wants to come in and ‘notice’ the sigils on his way in so he can ask her about them.’

‘That’s a good idea. I’ll mind-link you when she’s out.’

‘Great. I’ll go around the corner and park a few houses away.’

I stood up, walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water, taking it to the table to wait for Aline. I wanted to take her out dancing tonight, but I still needed to figure out if it was the best time to do so. Without knowing where the stalker was and what he wanted with her, I could be exposing her.

We’ll be with her the entire time. No way someone’s going to get close enough to hurt her, Erinda growled in my head.

I hummed in agreement and continued my thoughts. I needed to find some time to speak with Dad. He hadn’t told me anything other than his ominous warning that Aline wasn’t a normal human. I felt like there were too many fucking balls in the air and if I didn’t figure out how to juggle them, I was going to fuck up the most important event in my life.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t hear the shower stop. I didn’t see Aline stepping out of the shower until she was standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Just thinking,” I answered with a smile.

“You always frown when you think,” she teased.

‘You guys can come in now,’ I sent the mind-link to Miguel.

“Only when it’s important,” I told her.

“And what you’ve been thinking today is important?” she asked.

“Of the utmost importance to me.” I nodded seriously.

She hesitated for a moment, as if wondering if she had a right to ask, but it seemed curiosity won out.

“What were you thinking about?”

“You,” I answered, standing up and stalking toward her. Her eyes widened, but then there was a knock on the door, and I sighed. “I think that’s Miguel. Can you let them in while I use the bathroom?” I asked her.

“O-of course,” she answered, disappointment flashing on her face, so I smiled and winked at her.

I went into the bathroom and washed my face. Werewolf noses were too damn sensitive, and I wasn’t about to let anyone else smell my mate’s arousal on my face. That was for me and me alone. I walked out a few moments later, as I heard Aline speaking with Dad from the front door.

“What’s going on?” I asked, walking outside to the corner of her garage where one of the sigils was drawn.

“I was just telling Aline that it looks like she’s been cursed,” Dad answered.

“Cursed?” I asked, pretending to be alarmed.

“Yes. I recognize the sigil. It’s meant to bring bad luck.”

“You’ve seen these before, sir?” Aline asked.

“I have. As I mentioned, I spent quite a few years in Brazil before I moved back here. I recognize the macumba sigils.”

“What does it do, exactly?” Aline asked.

“It’s bad luck, mostly. It’s designed to make things around it a disaster. Causes things to break down, people to have nightmares and unstable tempers. It’s usually used to drive people to their breaking point.”

“Is that why I haven’t been able to open my fuc… my garage door in two months?” Aline asked.

“Very possible.” Dad nodded.

Exasperation crossed her pretty features, then she turned and grabbed her hose.

“What are you doing?” Dad asked, stepping in front of the sigil when she turned on the hose.

“Washing it away,” she answered.

“That won’t stop it. It will only make it permanent,” Dad informed her, causing Aline to deflate.

“I can’t deal with more bad luck,” she complained.

“I know how to get rid of it properly. If you want, I can remove it,” Dad offered.

“And the other ones around the house?” I suggested.

“There are more?” Dad asked, and I nodded. “I’ll need a few ingredients,” he said, rolling the sleeves of his shirt again.

“You don—” Aline began to protest.

“If it helps, I’m happy to do it,” Dad interrupted her. “I need some ash, purified water, a bowl and spoon, and some Chimarr?o, if you have any.”

“What’s the Chimarr?o going to do?” she asked curiously.

“Quench my thirst?” Dad answered sheepishly, making Miguel and me start laughing.

“One thirst quencher coming right up,” Aline chuckled. “I think I still have some ash from the last time I used the backyard pit.”

“I’ll help,” Miguel said, following her inside.

Once the door closed behind him, I turned to Dad. “Can we talk about what you said at the restaurant now?”

Dad looked over at the closed door and nodded.

‘There’s a deity attached to her. An orixa,’ he said, switching to mind-link.

‘What’s an orixa?’

‘Orixas are deified ancestors or spirits in some Yoruban and Caribbean religions. They serve as a connection between their god and practitioners. They generally help guide their subjects through life.’

‘So then, why is it a surprise that she has one?’ I asked. It sounded to me like some sort of guardian angel, which wasn’t a bad thing, right?

‘Usually, the human and the orixa are two separate entities. He should be guiding her from afar, but his soul is attached to hers. There’s no separation,’ he sighed .

'He? You can tell the gender?'

'No. I'm assuming. In Candomble, orixas tend to be the same gender as the humans they guide. But they believe that when a human is attracted to the same sex, it's because their orixa is of opposite gender to the human.'

'Do they view that as a bad thing?' I asked, tensing.

'No, it simply is. They view it as a normal thing that happens sometimes. No one questions it or calls it anything other than what it is. A human loving another human. I always admired the progressiveness of it, as far as religions go.'

I processed his words and relaxed. At least I didn't have to worry about her grandmother potentially having an issue with me. But then, Dad reminded me of everything else going on at the moment, and I hunched over with stress.

‘I don’t know what it means for you, Xochil. Or her. I don’t even know how much of any of this she is aware of, but I’d wager that she is at least aware that something about her is different than most people.’

‘How do I even bring any of this up with her?’ I asked, feeling like my problems were becoming more and more impossible to overcome as the hours ticked by.

‘Keep spending time with her, mija. Trust that my sister knows what she’s doing. The bond is a powerful thing. Orixas are powerful beings, often knowing when a person, event or situation will be important to their charge so they can guide them. The fact that we’re all here in her home only days after meeting her, means that her orixa knows we mean her no harm. That will go a long way to getting her to trust you and opening up.’

‘Cory did say she was not one easy to trust,’ I mumbled back.

‘Cory knows her?’ Dad asked, surprised.

‘Yeah. They went to university together and he helped her study for some classes.’

“It’s funny how some of these things work out,” he muttered out loud, making me nod in agreement.

“I’ve got everything you need, Uncle.” Miguel chose that moment to come back outside with a bowl filled with items and a water bottle.

Behind him, Aline came walking out, a cup in hand.

“I’ve got your tea,” Aline smiled at Dad.

“You’re a godsend,” Dad said, and Miguel and I couldn’t help but snort.

It was one of his favorite dad jokes, considering he really was a god.

“What’s so funny?” Aline asked.

“Nothing. Just dad things,” I told her, unable to stop myself from taking her hand and pulling her closer to me.

We stood there and watched Dad do whatever he needed to. It was short and didn’t require him much more than to write over the rune with the ash paste he made, while mumbling something under his breath. He did the same for the rest of the curse sigils and then let me know via mind-link that he’d be going back to the restaurant in the morning to remove the ones from there.

We went inside the house once he was done and sat around the living room. Dad was doing me a solid, asking Aline questions about herself and how she grew up. I did notice, however, that she seemed to hesitate anytime the subject of her life in Brazil came up, and the reason for moving to the States. I could hear the way her heart spiked whenever she was considering her words.

I could also tell she didn’t want to lie to us, but she didn’t want to tell us the truth. Dad could too, so he kept moving on from those questions and onto safer subjects. It was the same for us whenever she asked questions about where we lived and how the company worked, so I’d be a fucking hypocrite if I got my feelings hurt.

“Alright, I’m hungry. What do we say, we go to my favorite Indian restaurant for dinner, and then you young kids can go have some fun?” Dad said a couple of hours later.

“You don’t even look forty,” Aline teased Dad.

“Just because you can’t see the years, doesn’t mean I’m not an old man,” Dad answered back, trying to pose like a respectable old man.

He was right, he definitely didn’t look close to his eighteen hundred and nineteen years, but I knew for a fact that he enjoyed taking naps, and he liked reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee and pan dulce every morning. He was an old man of comfortable habits.

“I could co—”

“Nope. You’ve cooked for us for days now. This is your vacation. No cooking for you,” I chastised my mate before she could volunteer to cook for us. I loved her food, but she needed a fucking break.

“It’s decided, then. I’ll call ahead so they have a table ready for us, and I’ll meet you guys there,” Dad answered.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ I mind-linked.

‘Don’t thank me. She’s a lovely woman, Xochil.’

“Wait for me!” Miguel called out, standing up and running after Dad.

“Wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind,” Dad chuckled.

I watched them get into Dad’s SUV and head out, then I turned back to my mate, who was still sitting on the couch with a weird smile on her face.

“What?” I asked, needing to know what the smile meant.

“You’re very bossy, you know that?” she mentioned, making me blush.

I was bossy. It was in my blood. I was born to be an alpha, which meant I was boss to an entire pack. If I weren’t bossy, I might not be able to care, provide and make the best decisions for my pack. That was a lot of lives depending on me.

“I—w—it—” I stopped trying to explain when Aline burst out laughing.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing. It’s been a long time since someone bullied me into taking care of myself,” she told me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Dad was right. You’re going to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?” I accused her.

“Would you be happier with a submissive woman?” she asked more seriously.

I shook my head with a smile. Clearly, the goddess knew what she was doing when she mated me with this ebony beauty.

“Where’s the challenge in that? I prefer you as you are. Teasing, hard-working, ambitious and sassy. When I finally make you mine, it’ll be all the sweeter.”

“If you keep talking like that, you’re going to make me want to keep you,” she replied.

“That’s the point, babe, because I’m already planning to keep you,” I assured her.

She shook her head and stood.

“You’re going to be a handful,” she told me.

“But a very adorable handful,” I corrected her as I watched her walk to me.

She bent a little and kissed my nose, making my chest fill with warmth.

“Adorable handful, for sure. You ready to go?”

“To eat? Always,” I laughed. “I’m parked behind you, so let’s take my car.”

I drove us to the restaurant Dad wanted to eat at. It was a little hole in the wall with a very comfortable atmosphere. The food was delicious, and I could see Aline enjoying herself around my family. I couldn’t wait for her to meet everyone. Her wit, humor and sarcasm would make her fit right in with my giant, loud family.

“Alright. It’s time for me to excuse myself for the evening. I need to get a little bit of work done and call your mother before I rest. Aline, it’s been a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Pleasure is all mine, sir.”

“Just Helios, please,” he insisted, and then turned to my cousin. “Miguel, you’ll find your way back to the hotel?”

“Yep. I’ll drop Xochil off and steal her car.”

“Excellent. Good night,” he told us, turning away.

‘Have fun. Text me if you need anything,’ he mind-linked as he walked away.

‘Love you, Dad.’

‘Yo mas, mija.’ (Love you more)

“Dancing?” I asked the table once Dad was gone.

“Dancing!” Miguel said, clapping his hands together.