Kelsey hasn’t touched me or confronted me again. I think the boys had something to do with that. They made it clear the one day that they weren’t going, and half of the female population, and maybe some of the male population at school, didn’t take that well. Kelsey has been giving me the evil eye every chance she gets. Like right now, from across the cafeteria. If looks could kill, I’d be dead on sight.
“Earth to Callie.”
Max is waving his hand in front of my face. I have no idea what the boys are talking about, and apparently, they have been trying to get my attention. I’ve been so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t know they were talking to me.
“Sorry. What did you ask?”
“Oh, my little space cadet,” Max teases. I narrow my eyes at him. He just laughs at me. I sigh.
“We were just asking if there was anything else you wanted to do on Saturday.”
“No. I’m okay with our plans. Am I still meeting everyone at your house Max?”
“We’re going to meet at Lucians instead.” I meet Lucians eyes and smile.
I love his grandmother. Old people goals. His grandfather is quite intimidating. He’s like some kind of judge or something. He sits on this Council. He’s nice and friendly, but he just has this presence about him. It’s weird but I feel like there’s more to him than meets the eye. I feel that way about the boys too.
“Will your grandmother be there? I just adore her.” All the boys chuckle.
“No, she has her book club that morning. But I can tell you, she loves you too.”
I smile at him. Good. I like all their parents. Zeke’s mom is seriously the best cook hands down. My mouth waters when I think about her bacon wrapped, feta burgers. When I first met Max’s parents, I thought they would have been stuck up because they look like they have money. But that was the furthest thing from the truth. They are seriously chill. Graydon’s dad, he’s the type of dad I wish I had. Supportive and loving.
The bell rings, interrupting my thoughts, startling me. I hear Max laugh.
“Yup, space cadet.” I playfully smack his chest. He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I wouldn’t have you any other way,” he says before he walks away, heading to his class. Lucian shakes his head, with a smile on his face. He gives me a quick hug, before he leaves going to his class. Graydon moves to my right and Zeke moves to my left, as we wall down the hall heading to our class.
“So, what has you so spacey today?” Zeke asks. I shrug my shoulders.
“You know, just thinking about this weekend. I missed seeing you guys last weekend. I’ve gotten use to hanging out, it was weird.”
“We felt the same. But we understood the reason behind it. We want you to be as safe as you can be. We know it’s not always easy. I wish there was more we can do.”
“You do more than you know,” I whisper.
Chapter 26
The Boys-Maximus
Finally, Saturday is here. This week took forever. But now, we get Callie all to ourselves all day. First stop is the mall, once Callie gets here. Which should be any minute. This day is going to awesome. I’m so glad we don’t have to go to that horrid dance. I would have, if Callie had been going, but only for her. There could be no other. I know that, my wolf does too. Hell, he knew from the first scent of her. Vanilla and strawberries smell good, but on her…on her it’s other worldly. It’s like thinking of her scent magically conjures it, because I just got a strong whiff. Me and my wolf want to roll around in that scent all day. It takes a moment, but then I hear her laugh.
Ah. My angel is here. We are still trying to navigate, this relationship with Callyn. All of us guys want to shout from the roof tops, but we can’t because the Elders forbid it. For now, at least. It’s killing me not telling her. And it kills me that we have to leave her in that house with her father. My protective instincts are riding me hard, when it comes to that.
Callyn walks into the living room. I have to resist the urge to growl. She looks good enough to eat. Black skinny jeans, her black boots, long-sleeved, red hooded shirt. She can be little red riding hood, and I’ll be the big bad wolf. I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, but it won’t be grandma I’ll be eating. Good god man, slow your roll. She looks amazing, combined with her scent. I just want to howl at the moon.
She looks over at me and smiles. “Hey, Max.”
I’m up and out of my seat before I know what I’m doing, heading her way. I need to feel her against me. I have to, with her looking like that. I’m standing in front her, I smile quickly before I scoop her up into a hug. Her arms go around my neck, with her legs dangling. But it’s not close enough. Keeping one arm around her back, I move my other down to her leg. Gripping the back of her thigh, I move it slightly letting her know I want. She understands, because in the next second, she wraps her legs around my waist.
My arm wrapping back around her, pressing her so close not an inch of space is between us. I bury my face in her neck, taking a deep breath. I want to lick and nibble at her pulse point. Instead, I gently kiss that soft spot right behind her ear. I feel her body shudder.
“Maximus,” she says in a breathy whisper. Her hand tugging at the hair at the nape of my neck. The way she says my name sounds like a prayer. The sound of my name coming off her lips…like that…almost brings me to my knees. Callie pulls back enough to look me in my eyes. She bites her bottom lip, eyes sparkling. She’s just as affected as I am.
My mate is absolutely beautiful. I want to kiss the shit out of her. Someone clears their throat, bringing us out of our daze. Out of the little bubble we are in. I would bet any money that Callie would let me kiss her, and I want to so much. I don’t think I’ve wanted anything more in my life. I can’t wait to feel her lips against mine. It’s only a matter of time. I bet when it happens, it’ll be electric.
Callie unwraps herself from my body, slowly sliding down the front of mine. Her eyes widen. Yea, angel, that’s from you. I don’t try hide it, I want her to know just how much she affects me. I make sure she is steady on her feet before I let go and back up. I look over Callies shoulder, seeing mixed emotions on the guys faces. None are anger. Thank god, because she belongs to all of us, and we can’t be jealous.
Callie takes a deep breath, before turning and facing the others.
“You ready to go Callie,” Lucian asks.
“You could say that,” she murmurs.
I don’t think she meant for us to hear that, but since we are shifters and have exceptional hearing, we did. We all laugh. Her cheeks turn a rosy shade. I move closer and throw my arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to my side. I kiss the side of her forehead.
“Let’s go angel.”
Before I do kiss you. I want to see the sparks fly.
Lucian
I can’t be mad at Max. We all know that she belongs to all of us, but decided not to push her. To let her come to us on her own. He did what all of us has wanted to do. It shouldn’t be much longer now. The Council is bound to find something. I don’t care what they say, they will not take my mate away from me. I don’t care if they find out she is completely human. Fate made her our mate for a reason. I’m damn sure glad they did.
Callie doesn’t realize it, but she always makes sure we get equal attention. We’re walking around the mall and every so often, she’ll switch holding hands with someone. She makes sure she engages all of us in the conversation. She is getting slightly attuned to our feelings. Always making sure we are okay. I’m pretty sure she can even tell when we are not being quite truthful. Her eyes seem to stare right through you.
Callyn’s giggle brings me out of my thoughts. I focus on her. She looks so beautiful. I love the spark of life in her eyes. Just once I would like to see her pull her hair up and not hide behind it.
“So, when are we getting lunch. I’m getting hungry,” Max asks. The next second a rumble could be heard. We all look to Callyn, who burst out laughing, which causes the rest of us to as well. “We should feed her before her stomach star
ts to eat her.”
∞∞∞
The mall is packed today. Max and Callie are in the middle of yet another round of giggles and laughter, when a group of guys walk by. One looking our way, running his eyes over us, then over Callie. He passes by, but then quickly does a double take. This time lingering on her longer than I like. I let out a little growl, narrowing my eyes.
Mine.
The guys hear me and look to see what is going on. They follow my line of sight, seeing the guy ogle, Callyn. Three more low growls can be heard.
“You might want to think twice about that, if you know what’s good for you.” You can hear the venom in Graydons voice. The guy puts his hands up.
“Sorry, man. Didn’t know. I just looking.”
“Well, look somewhere else.”
The guy nods and walks away. We all glare holes in his retreating back.
“What was that?” Callyn’s question has us whipping our heads back in her direction.
“Um, he was checking you out,” Zeke answers.
“So.”
“So, we didn’t like it.” Ever so tactful Graydon. Callyn narrows her eyes at him. Uh oh.
“And what exactly did you think he was going to do with the four of you standing right here? Hm? What gives you the right to dictate who I can and cannot date? If I was interested in someone you wouldn’t stop me.”
Graydon takes a menacing step towards Callie. I tense, ready to spring in action if I need. My eyes flicker between the two of them. I’m expecting Callie to back down, but she shocks me, by meeting him step for step. The toes of their shoes touching. Graydon leans down, getting in her face.
“Like hell I wouldn’t. He isn’t good enough for you.”
“Oh, and you are? What are you going to do, chase away every guy that shows an interest in me?”
“Yes. We all are. And you’re damn right, I’ll make sure no one comes sniffing around what’s mine.”
Shit, I need to stop this, before he tells her something we aren’t ready to tell her. Let alone something she’s not ready to hear and deal with.
Graydon
Fuck, I might have just blown this. She just gets me so worked up. I just said she was mine. I’m so stupid. She’s going to call me out on that, and what the hell am I going to say? She’s not supposed to know. I just want to pull her in my arms and kiss the shit out of her. Make her forget about any other males, but me. I’m all…we’re all she needs. My chest is heaving, trying to control myself.
“We?” she inquirers.
I gesture around to the rest of the guys. “Yes. We.”
She looks around to the other guys. A slow blush creeps along her cheeks, and damn if I don’t want her more. I clinch my fist at my sides to keep myself from reaching out to her. She takes one step back and then another. Putting some space between us. She lets out a deep breath. My Callie bear is just as affected as I am.
“Come on guys. Let’s go get something to eat. The movie starts in two hours and we promised to take Callie to that diner in town,” Lucian says.
Callie clears her throat. “You know what, that sounds like a great idea.”
She moves forward and grabs Lucians hand. As she walks by me, she gives my arm a quick squeeze, letting me know we’re okay.
∞∞∞
We’re sitting at a booth in the diner, watching Callie wolf down a chocolate, strawberry cheesecake. There are two reasons why none of us have asked her for a bite: one, I’m afraid she might stab my hand with a fork. Two, the sounds…god the sounds, she is making while eating the cheesecake, would tempt anyone. They should be illegal. Callyn finally notices us all staring at her.
“What?” She looks at each of us.
We all shift uncomfortably in our seats. Zeke is running his hand over the back of his neck. Lucian is trying to avoid eye contact. Max keeps running his hands through his hair. I’m over here bouncing my knee, like a kid hyped up on sugar.
“Must be some damn good cheesecake,” states Max. Callyn blushes.
“Sorry, I should have asked if you guys wanted some, but when I had that first bite, I couldn’t help myself. It’s sooo good. I’ve never had anything that tasted like that before.”
“It’s alright Callyn. We’re glad you like it. Next time we’ll get more that one. One piece wouldn’t have been enough for all of us anyways.” Always with the diplomatic answers. This is why Lucian will make a good Elder on the Council. Assuming there will still be a Council, if the prophecy comes true, and Callyn and us are who we think we are. He places his hand over Callyn’s, which has been fidgeting since she noticed us staring at her. She nods her head.
“Guys, the movie starts in half hour. I want to get good seats and snacks,” Max says rubbing his hands together.
We pay and head out to Lucians car. I hang back watching Callie joke around with guys. I feel like an ass about what happened earlier, and Callie really hasn’t spoken to me since. I hate it. The same thing happens when we get in line to buy our tickets. I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I was walking behind everyone, not paying attention to where I was going, my eyes cast to the floor. The next thing I know, I’m bumping into someone. I look to see it’s Callie. I reach out to make sure she is steady on her feet.
“Sorry, Callie. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” I drop my hands.
“You okay?” she asks. I shrug my shoulders. “If it’s about earlier, it’s okay. I’m not mad.”
“It seems like it. You haven’t talked to me since. I know I was ass and I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m sorry.”
A smile spreads across her face. She holds out her hand. I take it. “How about you sit next to me inside. If you’re nice I’ll even share my snacks.”
I laugh, as she starts to drag me toward the others. I don’t let go of her hand the whole time we were in the theater. I hold on like it’s my life line, because that’s exactly what it is. What she is.
Zeke
This day couldn’t have been more prefect. My only complaint, is that we were getting ready to watch Callie leave and go home.
“I had a blast today guys. Seriously, this has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. It was nice getting away, forgetting,” Callie says.
This time it’s me that gets up and hugs her. It’s not the same as the hug she shared with Max earlier, but hell if it doesn’t feel good to have her in my arms. To have her scent on me. She’s so warm and soft. Cuddly. Yeah, cuddly. It’s getting harder every day to keep secrets from her. I hope that when we get to finally tell her everything, once we know everything, that she doesn’t hate us.
“We’ll do it again soon sweetheart. I promise.”
I kiss the top of her head and take one big deep breath. Vanilla and strawberries never smelled so enticing before. I back up and feeling bereft without her in my arms. Callie sighs. I know she doesn’t want to go home, but we don’t have a choice. She grabs her bookbag that is by the door. We all walk her to the door. She gives each of us a quick hug and hurries out the door. We wait until we can no longer see her.
I hate that she’s walking home, but just in case her father is home, we don’t want to cause any problems for Callie. Lucian closes the door and we all shuffle back into the living room.
“Does anyone know if there have been any updates on Callyn, with the Council. Have they been able to find anything more on her lineage?” I ask.
“No, grandfather says that beside that one scroll that had her mother’s maiden last name, that was it. It wasn’t even her mother’s name, just the last name. They are connecting that with her, just because the last name is the same. I hope that it is her lineage. That way the Council can’t keep her from us. The only problem is that record was nothing from this century.”
“So, she might have some shifter in her DNA?”
Lucian nods his head. “Yes, she might.”
“Doesn’t explain why she hasn’t shifted then. As long as she is a shifter, no matter how much
, she should still be able shift.” Graydon is in a better mood. All because Callyn noticed he was quieter than usual. I swear those two are going to be the death of everyone.
The tension between those two is off the charts. I know once we are given the okay, Graydon’s going to be the first one to act on his instincts. I can’t wait to see Callyn reaction.
“I know. I’m confused by the whole thing. It’s this big puzzle that we can’t solve.” Lucian loves puzzles but not being able to help solve it, is killing him. I can see it in his eyes. I bet if the Council would have allowed it, he would have helped and probably found what we needed by now.
Not saying there is anything wrong with the Council, but they’re all old. They move slow and we’re all too impatient to wait on them.
“I hate keeping secrets from her. I mean I know why we are doing it, but it sucks,” Max interjects.
We all nod. I know what happened earlier at the mall, wouldn’t have if she knew that we are hers. We are made for her, and her us. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t like how long that guy was staring at Callyn, but I know she’s mine. I’ve known since the first day of chemistry. I felt this pull toward her. I wonder if she feels the same, or if its only us because we are shifters?
“I wonder what kind of shifter she will be or would be?” I question.
“I’m betting on some kind of cat. Kittens got claws when she wants. Plus, it would explain why Graydon and her fight like cats and dogs, even though he is a bear shifter.” Max says laughing.
I try not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. All of us but Graydon is laughing. I can see the smirk on his face.
He shrugs his shoulders. “You’re probably right.”
Chapter 27
Callyn
I knew as soon as I walked in the door what was going to happen. My father was sitting in his chair with beer cans on the floor and coffee table. He started early today. The belt he uses to beat me with was also on the coffee table. I put my bookbag down. He knows. Oh god, he knows. How? I could have sworn I was careful.
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