Fault Lines
Page 21
Her fingers curled tighter around his waistband when he kissed her again. “But what about-”
Owen cut her off with another kiss. “Remember, we talked about this. I’m right and you need to just accept it. We can figure it all out later, right now all that is important is that you know how much I love you and what your answer is going to be.”
“You love me?” she said, her voice a squeak in her throat. “We haven’t seen each other in weeks. How can you love me after all that?”
“Silly Rabbit,” he said kissing her forehead. “I have loved you a lot longer than three weeks. Now, what’s your answer?”
Mira didn’t need to think about it. Her body and heart had already decided. Mira missed him and her drunken phone call hadn’t been lying. She did love him. There was nothing holding her to Buffalo and it would be nice to be near Sadie again. In all honesty, she had already been thinking of moving, Mira just hadn’t known where to.
“Yeah. Yeah, ok.” This was right. This felt right. “There are things that kisses won’t solve, things that we will need to sit down and figure out.” A triumphant smile broke out across his face. “But I love you too, even if you are a Brute who thinks he can just come in here and whisk me away after weeks of torture.”
“Ah, but Rabbit, that’s exactly what I’m doing.” She laughed as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. He found her bag under her desk and grabbed it. Mira wiggled and squirmed but she was laughing so hard that it wasn’t doing anything in the way of getting her free. “Ready Rabbit?”
“Neanderthal! Let me down!”
“No,” he said thoughtfully, “I don’t think I will. I am never going to let you go again.”
Epilogue
Valek Firemourn has signed on.
Glilee Lunamaul: Hey V.
Valek Firemourn: Glilee Weed!
Valek Firemourn: You out of your mood yet or will Rhylith get to witness yet another night of the undead?
Glilee Lunamaul: HA HA HA
Glilee Lunamaul: You’re just jealous that my necromancer can beat the shit out of your elementalist.
Valek Firemourn: Not this again. I thought we settled this last week when I BEAT YOU?!?!
Glilee Lunamaul: That wasn’t a fair match.
Valek Firemourn: Wasn’t it? Just because you were moping over something you won’t tell me about doesn’t mean it was unfair.
Glilee Lunamaul: I can’t.
Glilee Lunamaul: I’ve told you this before.
Valek Firemourn: You mean your bullshit about not wanting to know who we are outside of this game? Yeah, you mentioned it a time or two hundred. I don’t see why we can’t exchange names. I know you Glilee Weed! We live in the same town so you know we know each other. Why can’t we meet up outside of Rhylith?
Glilee Lunamaul: I’m not a nice person.
Valek Firemourn: Bullshit.
Glilee Lunamaul: I’m not! I just screwed my best friend out of something possibly beautiful because I was a jealous bitch. How is that being a nice person?
Valek Firemourn: If you are trying to convince me that you are a shitty, heartless person, you will have to do better than that.
Glilee Lunamaul: Don’t you have a mission to complete?
Valek Firemourn: Yeah but I’m waiting for a clan to assemble. Missing two people. You in?
Glilee Lunamaul: No, I’m going farming for awhile.
Valek Firemourn: So back to you being a horrible person…
Glilee Lunamaul: Can’t you just accept that I am right and leave it be?
Valek Firemourn: Nope.
Valek Firemourn: Because I have been playing with you for two years now and I know you. I may not know your real face but I know your heart. Mascaraing a horde of Giants together after 22 hours of binge play will do that.
Valek Firemourn: Has your friend forgiven you?
Glilee Lunamaul: Yes. He told me he did but that I lost his trust.
Valek Firemourn: Ouch.
Glilee Lunamaul: Pretty much.
Valek Firemourn: I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.
Glilee Lunamaul: Oh?
Glilee Lunamaul: And why not?
Valek Firemourn: Because even if you lose all of your friends in your real life, you still have me.
Valek Firemourn: And since I’m the only one who matters and can get you out of a bind in the Wilds of Greylea, you should totally give me that blue broad sword you got off that boss last week.
Glilee Lunamaul: No way in hell! I won that off that bastard and I plan on keeping it.
Valek Firemourn: But you don’t even use a sword! I would give you my blue or green bow if I ever got one.
Glilee Lunamaul: Nope. I died 4 times trying to fry his ass.
Valek Firemourn: Gah!
Valek Firemourn: Clans all here. I got to go. Have fun farming.
Glilee Lunamaul: Good luck, V.
Valek Firemourn has left the town
Glilee Lunamaul has left the town
Lee powered down for the night. She wasn’t in the mood to play anymore. Without the computers running, the house had an eerie silence to it. Just one more reminder of how alone she was. Owen had come back to Andora with Mira and a U-haul. Sadie and Tyson were planning their wedding, which she might not be a part of anymore. Lee had fucked up and lost the few people who treated her as if she wasn’t contagious. She had Chuck yet, that man didn’t give up on anybody, and she had Valek.
Kind of.
Lee had the online Valek. She didn’t have the raven haired outcast who was quickly becoming a favorite among all the single females in the pack. Vince had been her secret. No one really paid him any mind until he had to step out of his shadow and became a big hero within the pack. Lee groaned. There was no way she could compete with all those women, all those fertile and whole women who could give him pups.
So yeah, she had the virtual Vince, but that was nothing compared to the real thing.
She turned out the light in her office and went across the hall to her bedroom. Her bed was cold, lumpy and uncomfortable. But that could be because of all the clothes she had never put away and had just ended up sleeping on. The heaviness in her chest let her think about something other than the laundry. For the past few days since her life went to shit, she could be dead on her feet but once her head hit the pillow sleep would never find her. Only her guilt would seek her out. She was going on four days now with less than five hours of sleep.
Maybe tonight would be the night she would come up with her plan of redemption. Maybe, just maybe, she could figure out a way to get her friends to speak to her again and not like she was some second cousin twice removed. Polite hostility wasn’t something she could live with. Lee could live with a lot of shit. Gaia, know she did all ready. But she was not meant to be alone. Solitude played with her head. It made her believe things that were only true inside her own mind. She thrived with other people. The problem was, other people seemed to suffer around her. She was like some disease that would grow and fester until their life was just as miserable as hers.
Lee rolled over in her bed and sighed into her pillow. She was so tired she thought she might cry. The double shifts at Owen’s veterinary office to cover his leave were getting to her. The late night gaming didn’t help either but if she didn’t sign on at her usual time, Valek would worry and might just start figuring out who she was.
It was better this way. He didn’t need her in his life when he was just starting to go up in the pack. Any association with her would just halt that incline. Maybe once she fixed things with Owen and Sadie, there would be a chance at honesty with him.
Seemed like there were a lot of maybes in her life right now. Lots of different roads but no one path. Lee closed her eyes and tried her hardest to turn off her tumbling mind. Her body, heavy with exhaustion, sunk deep into the bed. It was the most comfortable she had felt in days. A small, tired smile crossed her lips.
Maybe tonight, for once, she would get some sleep.<
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Author's Note
I’m sorry to say it’s over but it is. However Owen and Mira will be back in the next Adirondack Pack book. And when you have a few minutes, I would greatly appreciate if you would leave a review for other readers like yourself.
I am also going to encourage you to join my mailing list. Not only will you find out the latest news on releases and giveaways but you will also get an Adirondack Pack exclusive story only available to my mailing list subscribers. Sign up HERE and don’t miss out on anything from K.C. Stewart.
About the Author
K.C. Stewart is the self published author of the Hailey Holloway series and most recently, the Adirondack Pack series. All her life she had fantasized and day dreamed on a regular basis but it wasn’t until she began writing flash fiction and that she made those fantasies a reality. Now she has graduated to novels but still dabbles in the occasional flash fiction and short story. Because of her love for reading and the written word, K.C. is currently continuing her education at Clarion University for Library Science. When she isn’t taking photographs, studying or writing, she is supporting a very real gummy bear habit. Currently, she lives with her boyfriend, german shepherd and cats in central Pennsylvania.
Other Books by K.C. Stewart
The Hailey Holloway Series
Spark
Singe
Scorch
Smolder
The Adirondack Pack Series
Over the Line
Too Far Gone
Fault Lines