#Chapter106The leaves were floating from the trees and onto the penny brown grass below. We were far into the fall and planning to head into Mother Nature’s winter mixture. Hot chocolate. Apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Roasted turkey. A fire place bright and knee-high socks that would keep my legs warm. My mom would switch to a movie, Halloween classics to be exact. Hocus Pocus. Halloween. She loved the old classic horror films, which is what they would play all month long. My snack bowl in hand, I turned on the television and searched the channels for something that would keep my attention. Nothing. There was nothing that would even make me smile. Everything reminded me of my mother. There were the memories, enjoyable times we would spend together. She loved the fall just as much as the males here did. There was a light knock against the bedroom room. I gave the okay for their entry. The door opened. Her face, lifeless and plain. She pushed forth a smile I
#Chapter107I kicked out of my shoes before I shoved my bag into the closet. I knew the stench of the gym on the bag would leave a nasty taste in Jason's mouth. I quickly showered off before I put on a change of clothing. My workout clothes in hand, I shoved them into one of the hampers for later wash. As I stood up straight, I could feel today's workout making it self-known. Abs. Glutes. Arms. Legs. I did not look forward to the morning feeling. As I slipped on my slippers, the bedroom door opened up. I did not turn. My way of ignoring him. I know I owed him a lot, but I just needed one more favor from him that he did not give me. His disapproval. Yes, for the first time I actually wanted his disapproval in regard to going to the gym. The one time I wanted him to put his foot down, he actually smiles and practically says 'go ahead'. He was an asshole. His arms slipped around my waist slowly, leaving behind the rough chill bumps beneath my shirt. I turned my neck to avoi
#Chapter108Jason_I eyed the jewelry box with a quirky grin on my face.The ring was missing so I know she had taken it with her to the gym.I closed the drawer, shoving my cellular phone into my pocket before I left the room."Going somewhere?" Zeiden was leaning against the banister at the bottom of the stairway. He popped up when he saw me coming down the staircase."Is that your business?"He seemed to be questioning himself, wondering if he even had any authority to question me. He didn't. No one did. Well, except for one. Her."Where you going?" Zeiden followed me over to the front door."For a run." I opened the door, allowing fresh air to pour into the opening."Wolf form?""No.""Do you mind if I join?" Zeiden pressed. I snarled."What do you want Zeiden?" My arms folded."I just want to spend time with you." Zeiden teased. He was a damn fool and by the way he was laughing, he knew it. I wanted to be alone; however, I'm not sure if it w
#Chapter109It had only been a day, but I could see the tension building up in Zeiden. He was becoming a window. It was almost obvious to see he was hiding something in that thick skull of his.He was fidgety. When spoken to he was nothing but a scrambled mess. Eye contact with him seemed limited and that weird sense of humor was gone alongside his sarcasm. I could admit that it was quiet, but it was not right. He was attracting some concerns I could not have."Can I get you anything?" A woman approached my booth. Her smile hid the exhaustion that crept up her body. It was easy to see how tired she was. "Um can you give me a moment?"“Of course. Take your time." I could hear the relief in her voice. She turned and walked off, pacing until she made it to an empty stool to rest her feet before her work would begin again.The door opened. His eyes shifted around the diner before he saw me. He fixed his shirt; his eyes wandering before he took a seat across from me.He
#Chapter110"I'm hungry for something else." I eyed him, acknowledging the fact that our conversation went from a family friendly discussion to something much more inappropriate."I will cook then." I teased, almost too eager to toy with him as long as possible."Why do you play with me?" He asked. I know the temptation between us was growing however I pretended as if it did not exist."Play?" I yawned. "I'm too tired to play. I'm going to take a shower and lay down in bed-"Jason ignored my suggestion. Instead, he had other plans in mind. With little verbal use, he whisked me into the bathroom and into the shower stall.Water sprinkled down from the shower head, attacking me with gentle beads of water."Why?" I asked."You said you wanted a shower." He leaned in, leaving a small yet powerful kiss against the curve of my neck. "So I'm helping.""Jesus you didn't even take your clothes off." I gestured toward the clean white tee-shirt and jeans that was soaked w
#Chapter111"So what is this meeting about?" Zeiden pushed and shoved through the thick tree areas. "I'm hoping to find out." I didn’t have much of an answer to give him.I was just as lost as he was. I was uncertain as to why he wanted to meet me however I found this meeting well overdue. "I remember this place." Zeiden slowed at the bottom of the mount. He glanced up at the peak of the hill, the sight bringing back memories. "Cabin." I exhaled. "I came here to speak to you when Aniyah was taken by Kane." I nodded in agreement. The same cabin they took her from. It was a haven and also a place I found fit to meet at. Secluded and isolated from the rest. We walked up the hillside. Our voices, our moves, quiet enough to go unheard. They planned this meeting however we knew to never let our guards down. Zeiden followed behind as we made it up to the cabin porch. I opened the door, finding myself face to face with complete and utter darkness. It was the s
#Chapter112ANIYAH"I'm tired." I pressed before I rolled over in my bed."That's good." Jess rubbed my arm, massaging and pressing at my tender muscles that begged for another ice pack. "That mean your muscles are getting that good workout.""Who made you a gym coach all of a sudden?" I shoved her away."Oh shut up and get dress." I looked at her, watching as she shuffled through my closet before she pulled a t-shirt and a pair of leggings. She tossed them onto my bed before she pulled out a pair of my workout sneakers."I don't feel like going." I sobbed."You cannot stop because you feel a little burn in those arms."She gave me a light nudge against my arm. With such tender arms, a light nudge could easily feel like a ton of bricks being forced against my body. "Bitch, do not do that again." I yelped, rubbing my arms vigorously."I will be waiting patiently for you downstairs. I will give you twenty minutes. If you do not appear within twenty two minutes, I will be bac
#Chapter113Exhaustion had kicked in some time ago. With my body forced endure an intense pre workout, I was not sure how Jess assumed I had the energy or drive to step into the combat ring."How about you get in there?" I asked, fanning myself with a small company flyer I had found lying around.She stood beside me, her eyes peering into the ring where a facility trainer and another guest engaged in a simple hand to hand exercise. "Fine." Her hands resting on her waist, she approached the ring once they were finished with their session. "Hello?"The male spun around to find Jess staring up from beneath him."Yeah?" He tightened his boxing glove."Um my friend and I didn't know that we had to sign up earlier to step into the ring." I rolled my eyes, sucking my teeth when I heard how gentle her voice had become. "Is there any way we can, you know, get a few lessons in?"The guy seemed to look sorry for a pouting, helpless Jess. I could tell he had never met the re