Taken by my mate

Covyn

Evadiene was looking at me with more pain and fear than I could comprehend. Spencer started moving toward her from the side, unsure if she was afraid for me, or of me, anymore I’m sure. I felt my brows push further together as she stood, clutching the book to her chest and waiting for my answer.

“Yea, said he’s known you all your life…. Varro he said his name was.”

I thought she could pass out with my words. Her eyes grew so wide and her breathing basically stopped as she stared at me.

“Luna, what is it.” Spencer asked when my words failed to come out.

She shook her head. “You should be dead.”

“What?” I gasped, moving to her now and gripping her shoulders. “Who is he? One of Sal’s men?”

She shook her head again. “He’s my brother.”

Evadiene clutched the book tighter and walked away from me. I moved to follow but she wasn’t leaving, she was pacing.

“This doesn’t make sense. This doesn’t make sense. Why would he... Varro what are you planning?" She was chewing on the side of her thumb as she paced, not looking at anyone, and her muttering got lower and lower but I was sure she was no longer speaking English. I strained my ears to try and hear her, sure that I could at least decipher the language if I could get a couple of words but I wasn't getting anything.

Spencer guided her by her elbow to my car and I was so distracted by her weird behaviour I didn't even have the fore thought to growl at him. When she sat down and he closed the door she took a deep breath that I wasn't even sure she was aware of. Her grip on the book didn't loosen an inch and I started to wonder if I had done something wrong in getting it.

I pulled into the garage, Spencer parking the jeep at the other end, and sat for a moment in silence before I started to feel angry.

"Are you not happy to have your book?" I demanded. "Yesterday you were in tears because you forgot it, and now you're freaking out because I retrieved it for you? All because what? Because your brother was there?"

She flinched away from me, holding her book tighter. "That's not it, you don't understand..."

"So did you not want it? Because I can put it right back where I found it in the hollow space between your cupboards and the wall. You can go get it yourself if you change your mind, Goddess knows no one else will find it there!" She winced, and while I knew I was being cruel I also felt like I couldn't stop until she showed the gratitude I had been hoping for.

"I'm sorry," she cried, just a few silent tears rolling down her face. "Thank you. This book is very important to me, and I'm glad to have it back." She looked down and then continued, "I'm also glad Varro didn't kill you."

I chuckled a loud laugh and she turned to me with her own confusion. "He was tall, I'll give him that, but I have over a hundred pounds on him. Even if he wanted to do the brotherly thing and fight for you, he couldn't have killed me."

She got out of the car without another word and I opened my own door to continue the conversation. When I got around my truck I noticed Spencer standing there looking at her, the lines of tears running down her face, and her face slowly returned to her usual fiery self.

She wiped her cheek on her shoulder and rolled her eyes before she brushed passed him. I could feel her anger and it made me realized that I had made her truly upset before.

You fucking idiot

I followed more slowly behind her, Spencer lagging to walk with me.

“Alpha, it’s none of my business, but she was very genuinely worried when she woke up. The Luna was in a lot of pain and sure that someone would hurt you.” He didn’t look at me as he spoke, averting his eyes as a sign of respect. “She had a pretty bad dream, take it easy on her?”

She went into my office, throwing the door behind her but I caught it and followed in. She sat in her chair, opening her book to the inside cover but closing it again when I spoke.

“Do you want to talk about what’s going on?”

She huffed. “Don’t leave like that without telling me.”

I hugged her but she didn’t bring her arms into it. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

She didn’t say anything in return so I picked her up and brought her to sit in my lap in my own chair. Suddenly the book was on my desk and she turned to straddle my lap and look me straight on.

“We’re going to play a game,” she said.

I smirked, noting how she sat on me and liking where this was leaning. “Really love, and what kind of game?”

She smirked a cruel smile in response. “I’m going to bite you, and when I feel your emotions match the pain I felt, I will let go.”

I frowned. “You weren’t supposed to feel any pain, not since Navi marked you. I’m sor…”

She brushed her hand over one cheek and when I leant into it she sunk her narrow, blunt human teeth into my neck. At first I was filled with pleasure, feeling like I was getting something I never thought I would. As seconds passed she only bit harder and leaned into my neck. I could smell my own blood before she let go and her teeth pulled from my skin unevenly.

Her eyes bore into mine and I could see the blood in her teeth as well as on her lips. “You don’t get it. You don’t know why going without telling me was wrong, you don’t understand why I’m worried, and you don’t trust me.”

She stood up, leaping from my arms and walked to the door. “Evadiene…”

I hadn’t even noticed her grabbing her book along the way but it was again clutched to her chest. “I do appreciate the book. It’s all I have left from my childhood, and is one hundred percent irreplaceable.”

I got up slowly and then moved to her quickly before she could go. I ran my hands over her shoulders and down her arms. I didn’t understand, and she wasn’t trying to explain it herself. Her emotions didn’t make sense, her half facts, her need for this old book in a language I had never even seen before. I didn’t understand anything she was feeling, except the fear of losing something from a life so long ago.

“Evadiene, would you like me to put your book in my safe?”

She hesitated and shook her head. “If anyone finds out… it is very valuable.”

“No one will know,” I assured, “and I will keep the office locked as an added security measure.”

After a minute she nodded, not breaking eye contact and passed me the book but it took another minute for her to fully let go. I was glad she was so unwilling to part with it. Unfortunate as it was that this had started another rift between us, if it was this precious to her I was glad to have gotten it.

“Are you going back to sleep?” I asked her after locking my safe.

She shook her head. “No, I can’t sleep after that.”

“Coffee?” I offered instead.

She nodded. “Is it too early to add Bailey’s?”

I moved up beside her, trying to wrap my arm around her but she stooped to pick up Sequoia. I hadn’t even noticed the cat was still following her around and the hair that came off her with Evadiene’s pets tickled my nose.

We didn’t talk much while I made us coffee. She had mentioned having a nightmare but nothing else, so I figured it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about. Instead I made her some garlic toast, remembering when she was tired and she had mentioned it being a comfort food. The longer we sat in silence the more stressed she had become, but once she had her coffee and snack her shoulders relaxed slightly.

The sun rose and others were getting up, the cooks moving into the kitchen and Spencer joined us after I sent him a quick message.

“Evadiene, I have a lot of calls and virtual meetings today. Spencer can show you around, I’m sorry I haven’t given you a full tour yet, and tonight we are going to go on my laptop so you can order anything you need. Clothes, hair products, pillows, anything you need, anything you want, anything that will make you more comfortable here.”

She smiled a little more and nodded. “You are staying on the grounds though right?”

I chuckled lightly and pulled her head towards me to kiss the top of her hair. “Yes, I am staying here. I have no plans to go anywhere any time soon.”

She calmed a little more. “Okay.”

I cupped her cheek and pulled her in to me, pressing my lips to her before resting our foreheads together. Nothing has been simple, not a day had felt restful, but it was going to get better. She hummed a content sound against me and it was an effort to pull away.

As I left I heard Spencer asking her what she wanted to do first, and I found myself wishing I had that kind of time to spend with her.