Fault Lines

by K. C. Stewart

  A long howl came from behind the house and Mira’s step faltered. Logically she knew that it was probably Tyson or Sadie but instinct told her to get the hell out of there. Her feet stayed planted when the wolf in question came prancing around the side of the house. It stopped when it saw her and wagged its tail. Mira didn’t know what Tyson or Sadie looked like so she had no idea who she was looking at. The wolf was gray with a dark gray back and tipped ears. A quick and awkward glance told her it was male and probably Tyson.

  Aaaand you just looked at your brother in law’s furry penis. Lovely.

  “Mira?” Sadie asked coming down the steps. “What are you doing here?” This time when her sister asked, it was with delight. And when she pulled her into a hug Mira relaxed.

  “Playing hooky.”

  Sadie frowned. “That’s not like you. Oh for god’s sake, really?” Her tone changed as she caught sight of Tyson in the yard.

  Mira snorted out a laugh. He had lain down and was now licking his balls. It was nice to know that men, no matter the species, were all the same.

  “You couldn’t have waited till after my sister was out of view to do that? I seriously wonder about you sometimes. Ugh,” she groaned when he gave her a wolfy grin and went back to it, with vigor. “Let’s go inside.”

  All the questions of “should I be here” were gone when she sat down. Sadie was genuinely happy to see her and that just gave her all the confidence in the world. Being the dutiful hostess that she was, Sadie brought out cookies and ice tea for them.

  “So what brings you here?”

  There was no point in lying. The woman was grinning like she already knew. “Owen.”

  Sadie laughed. “I knew it.” Her sister hugged her tightly and then asked, “does he know you are here?”

  Mira shook her head which caused another round of laughing and hugging. “This is so great. He’s going to be thrilled to see you. I mean it. The man has been a grump these past few weeks. The only time he is happy is when he is on the phone with you, texting you, or just got done with either of those things. Tyson was about to stage an intervention and send him out to visit you if he didn’t get moving on his own.”

  That was just what she needed to hear. Not that she wanted him to suffer but if it was over her, then she was fine with that.

  “When are you going up there?”

  She shrugged. “Whenever. Is he there?”

  Sadie nodded. “Yeah I was just up there with Lee. He was going to work in his office the rest of the afternoon after he had lunch. He’s hermited himself in his room. He rarely comes out anymore. When I say he’s been a grump, I mean it. He doesn’t smile and laugh like he had when you were around.”

  The front door open and Tyson walked in. He had changed back to human and—to Mira’s amusement—had put some pants on. He came around the couch to give Sadie a kiss but the quick peck turned into something serious. Halfway through it, Sadie’s brain must have turned on because she started pushing him away. Tyson laughed as he held her squirming body closer.

  “Ewww god! Why?” Sadie yelled as she struggled to get out of his hold. Mira thought this was hilarious and only wished she had some popcorn to accompany the show.

  “Babe,” he said proudly when he was done.

  “I can’t believe you just kissed me after you licked you balls and god knows what else. And you!” she pointed to Mira. “Stop laughing.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

  “I knew I was going to like you,” Mira said between snorts and Tyson gave her a high five.

  “Well, you girls have fun,” he said and left before Sadie could whap him over the head.

  “Way to back me up there Sister of mine,” Sadie said slumping back into the couch.

  “You mated him,” she pointed out.

  “True.” Like the trooper she was, Sadie shook off the ordeal she just went through and got back to the important stuff, Mira and Owen. “So I think you should go now and then call me and tell me his reaction.”

  She had been getting jittery the more they talked about it. Mira was just as excited to see him as Sadie was.

  “Yeah, ok. I’ll go now.”

  *****

  Sadie insisted on driving her. Mira knew it was because she wanted the chance to see Owen’s face when he saw her. Sadie was a romantic at heart. It was sweet but really freaking annoying at times. Like now. Sadie kept looking at her like she was picturing her in a wedding dress and with a kid on her hip. That was something her mother was supposed to do, not her big sister.

  It was hard not to get excited though. Sadie’s enthusiasm was infectious. Mira found that her feet couldn’t stop bouncing and she couldn’t stop fidgeting. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. When they pulled up to the pack house, she looked up to the third floor and her heart thumped wildly against her chest. There was no one there but that didn’t matter. She was here. What else was there to care about?

  “You can come as far as the staircase,” Mira told Sadie.

  “Fine, I’ll go find Lee while you…reconnect.” Her eyebrows wiggled around.

  Mira snorted.

  They went inside, no knocking required this time around. There were a few people milling about but nothing like the breakfast she had attended. She recognized a few people but no one that needed more of an acknowledgment than a nod or a smile.

  At the staircase, she parted ways with her sister. The climb was steeper and longer than she remembered. It seemed like hours by the time she made it to the top floor. The double doors that separated Owen’s space from the rest of the house were like two soldiers standing guard. They were large and intimidating, solid barriers keeping her from where she needed to be. All she had to do was hit the little white button and Owen would open the door and his face would go through surprise and then delirious joy. She could see the smile he would bare already, so open and honest. He’d probably pick her up; Owen liked to show off how big he was in comparison to herself. Then he’d call her his Rabbit, which admittedly she missed and then he would kiss her like...like he was drowning and she was his air.

  Mira reached forward and pressed her finger tip to the white button. She wanted that. She wanted all of it and more.

  Like every woman on the planet would do in her shoes, she fluffed her hair and resettled her stance a few hundred times. At the sound of a lock clicking, she jumped, completely ruining everything she just adjusted.

  “Hey Ow—Oh, um…hey Lee,” Mira said awkwardly when the last person she cared to see stood before her.

  The woman who was beginning to be the bane of her existence was blocking the doorway with a finger to her lips cleaning up the smear at the corner. Her skin was flush and the color only rose as she looked at Mira. There was guilt and there was surprise and there was a swelling to her lips that only occurred during one action.

  Mira couldn’t exactly breathe. Air was moving in and out of her lungs, but she wasn’t sure how precisely that was happening.

  “Who’s at the door…Rabbit!” Owen’s big frame came up behind her and that surprise and happiness she had wanted only seconds earlier was there, but also with a heaping pile of shame. He had a guilty face that matched Lee’s. No more evidence was required. But of course that didn’t stop Owen from making it worse.

  “It’s not what it looks like.”

  Sure it wasn’t.

  “You’re such a dumbass,” Lee told him looking horrified. “Really though Mira, whatever you are thinking is wrong.”

  She doubted that too. Two ex-lovers in a locked room with swollen lips and a guilty conscious, the conclusion wasn’t hard to figure out.

  Mira kept her mouth closed because if she tried to open it for any reason, angry word vomit would come out possibly along with tears of biblical proportion, so she kept it shut and left. She just left. Mira turned and jogged down the stairs. Her only thoughts were on not falling on her ass and getting to the car before anyone followed.

  She heard multiple
sets of feet behind her but she was on the first floor by then. Sadie’s excited face was waiting for her. Mira shook her head in hopes that would express just how much she didn’t want to talk about it and ran passed her. Her expression fell as she looked from Mira to the two lovebirds behind her.

  “Mira, what’s wrong?”

  Owen and Lee were right behind her. Sadie’s, “Oh fudge. Really? Are you two kidding me right now?” was heard by most of the people who had come to see what the commotion was about. But Mira had already left. She was out the front door and making a B-line straight to the car.

  She grabbed at the handle, the plastic slipped from her sweaty hands. “Shit,” she cursed as the door didn’t open. Sadie had the keys.

  “Mira, wait!” Owen yelled. She looked behind her to see him coming out of the front door. For a second neither of them did anything. Predator and prey--at a standstill--waiting to see who would make the first move. Any other time the thought of Owen chasing her would make her stomach flutter, but this wasn’t play time, this was self-preservation.

  She turned and darted down the driveway. The growl behind her chilled her spine and blew a fire under her feet. Mira knew that she wouldn’t make it far but she pushed herself as hard as she could given the fact that she was in sandals that kept slapping at her heels. Strong hands grabbed her hips and plucked her out of the air. She wasn’t surprised at the anti-gravity nor did she fight it. Owen cuddled her against him for a brief second before setting her down.

  “Why are you running?”

  “Needed the air,” she said blandly.

  He rubbed a hand down his tanned face. “Look what you saw…”

  “We really don’t have to do this,” she explained. “I really don’t want to do this. I came to see you. I saw you. Goodbye.” Mira tried to turn but he caught her arm.

  “Stop. Just stop already. Lee and I kissed. It was unexpected and just a test of sorts to see if there was anything still there.” His hands were heavy on her shoulders but what she really noticed was the desperation in his words. “It’s over between us, for good. It felt like I was kissing my sister and she said the same thing.”

  “Congratulations. Now let me go.”

  “No.” His fingers tightened. “No. Did you even listen to what I said?”

  She had. They kissed, they found out they were no longer attracted to each other and that was that. But Mira was still done. She hadn’t even seen the kiss but she felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart. The intensity scared the ever living crap out of her. It was too soon to be feeling like this. Too soon to be even considering something more. Hell, they were two different species for god sake! Lee had been right; they could never work because of what she was. Or, in this case, what she wasn’t. This was a ridiculous quest and Mira felt embarrassed for even coming.

  “I did hear you but I need to go home now. This was a mistake.”

  One of his hands moved up to her neck. “No, don’t think that. I’m so happy you are here. Don’t leave, not over something stupid.”

  Mira grabbed his wrists and lifted them from her body. When she was a safe distance away she said, “It’s not stupid. I’m not like you. That may not be a problem now but it will be eventually. I don’t do long distance relationships and neither of us can move. I mean, we barely know each other. I spent a week here. That was it. You have a solid life here. You have a huge family and people who depend on you. We should stop this before it gets to be too much. We had a fling,” she shook her head, “Not even that. We kissed a few times, that was it. Go back to your people, Owen, and I’ll go back to mine.”

  Half way through her little speech he had closed himself off. She’d seen him do it with others but now that she was on the other end of that blank stare, she wanted to cringe and hide away. “That’s what you want?”

  No. “It’s what’s best.”

  His eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I asked.”

  She found it hard to look at him. So she didn’t. Mira took the coward’s way out and looked down. “Yes, it’s what I want.”

  His feet went out of view as he walked away. As Mira looked up to see his back receding around the cars and into the tree line, she noticed the small crowd had gathered. Sadie broke from the people and went to the car. She saved Mira a trip towards the angry glaring mob and picked her up from where she stood on the driveway.

  “Let’s get you home.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Sadie insisted on driving her. Mira knew it was because she wanted the chance to see Owen’s face when he saw her. Sadie was a romantic at heart. It was sweet but really freaking annoying at times. Like now. Sadie kept looking at her like she was picturing her in a wedding dress and with a kid on her hip. That was something her mother was supposed to do, not her big sister.

  It was hard not to get excited though. Sadie’s enthusiasm was infectious. Mira found that her feet couldn’t stop bouncing and she couldn’t stop fidgetting. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous. When they pulled up to the pack house, she looked up to the third floor and her heart thumped wildly against her chest. There was no one there but that didn’t matter. She was here. What else was there to care about?

  “You can come as far as the staircase,” Mira told Sadie.

  “Fine, I’ll go find Lee while you…reconnect.” Her eyebrows wiggled around.

  Mira snorted.

  They went inside, no knocking required this time around. There were a few people milling about but nothing like the breakfast she had attended. She recognized a few people but no one that needed more of an acknowledgment than a nod or a smile.

  At the staircase she parted ways with her sister. The climb was steeper and longer than she remembered. It seemed like hours by the time she made it to the top floor. The double doors that separated Owen’s space from the rest of the house were like two soldiers standing guard. They were large and intimidating, solid barriers keeping her from where she needed to be. All she had to do was hit the little white button and Owen would open the door and his face would go through surprise and then delirious joy. She could see the smile he would bare already, so open and honest. He’d probably pick her up, Owen liked to show off how big he was in comparison to herself. Then he’d call her his Rabbit, which admittedly she missed, and then he would kiss her like...like he was drowning and she was his air.

  Mira reached forward and pressed her finger tip to the white button. She wanted that. She wanted all of it and more.

  Like every woman on the planet would do in her shoes, she fluffed her hair and resettled her stance a few hundred times. At the sound of a lock clicking, she jumped, completely ruining everything she just adjusted.

  “Hey Ow—Oh, um…hey Lee,” Mira said awkwardly when the last person she cared to see stood before her.

  The woman who was beginning to be the bane of her existence was blocking the doorway with a finger to her lips cleaning up the smear at the corner. Her skin was flush and the color only rose as she looked at Mira. There was guilt and there was surprise and there was a swelling to her lips that only occurred during one action.

  Mira couldn’t exactly breathe. Air was moving in and out of her lungs but she wasn’t sure how precisely that was happening.

  “Who’s at the door…Rabbit!” Owen’s big frame came up behind her and that surprise and happiness she had wanted only seconds earlier was there, but also with a heaping pile of shame. He had a guilty face that matched Lee’s. No more evidence was required. But of course that didn’t stop Owen from making it worse.

  “It’s not what it looks like.”

  Sure it wasn’t.

  “You’re such a dumbass,” Lee told him looking horrified. “Really though Mira, whatever you are thinking is wrong.”

  She doubted that too. Two ex-lovers in a locked room with swollen lips and guilty consciouses, the conclusion wasn’t hard to figure out.

  Mira kept her mouth closed because if she tried to open it for any reason, angry word vomit would com
e out possibly along with tears of biblical proportion, so she kept it shut and left. She just left. Mira turned and jogged down the stairs. Her only thoughts were on not falling on her ass and getting to the car before anyone followed.

  She heard multiple sets of feet behind her but she was on the first floor by then. Sadie’s excited face was waiting for her. Mira shook her head in hopes that would express just how much she didn’t want to talk about it and ran passed her. Her expression fell as she looked from Mira to the two lovebirds behind her.

  “Mira, what’s wrong?”

  Owen and Lee were right behind her. Sadie’s, “Oh fudge. Really? Are you two kidding me right now?” was heard by most of the people who had come to see what the commotion was about. But Mira had already left. She was out the front door and making a B-line straight to the car. She grabbed at the handle, the plastic slipping from her sweaty hands. “Shit,” she cursed as the door didn’t open. Sadie had the keys.

  “Mira, wait!” Owen yelled. She looked behind her to see him coming out of the front door. For a second neither of them did anything. Predator and prey at a standstill waiting to see who would make the first move. Any other time the thought of Owen chasing her would make her stomach flutter, but this wasn’t play time, this was self-preservation.

  She turned and darted down the driveway. The growl behind her chilled her spine and blew a fire under her feet. Mira knew that she wouldn’t make it far but she pushed herself as hard as she could given the fact that she was in sandals that kept slapping at her heels. Strong hands grabbed her hips and plucked her out of the air. She wasn’t surprised at the anti-gravity nor did she fight it. Owen cuddled her against him for a brief second before setting her down.

  “Why are you running?”