Lucifer's Keys

Hors D'oeuvres

    Mason sat staring at the phone for a moment in thought.  Had he just been unable to respond to his mate for hours, simply issued a heartfelt apology and honest explanation, and NOT been verbally destroyed.  Was it really that easy?  Was she really that understanding?  How would he have felt if the roles had been reversed?  Would he have been raging and hurt and trusted her word anyway.  He wondered at this.  Most college girls he had the misfortune of attempting to date were not emotionally secure at all.  There was rarely a reason outside of death that they would so easily accept an explanation for hours of unresponsiveness.  Work or assignments weren't even good enough reasons to excuse virtual inattention.  

    He pulled himself out of his thoughts and decided to get ready before stopping himself.  He looked down at his phone again 11:15 am.  Dinner wasn't until 6 pm.  Cyrus whined inwardly, 7 hours until he could see her again?  Just her voice had him feeling like a completely different person.  He had always felt average, but Nyah...Nyah was strong and beautiful, had been through hardships and seen more of the real world.  She was amazing and she made him feel like he was more than average.  If the Goddess had granted him such an amazingly strong, beautiful, outspoken, and hard-working mate, that told him he was more.  That he could be more.  Nyah made him believe he could be so much more because of her and made him want to be so much more for her.  He immediately called her back.  Again she proved her maturity.  She answered on the second ring.  She hadn't made him wait and suffer because he had missed her calls.  Hadn't tried to get him to chase her.  She didn't play those games.  

"Hello?  Is something wrong?" She asked hurriedly, in a voice that sounded more concerned than happy.

"What?  No, no I just...."  He paused, he knew what he wanted but hadn't really considered the game plan.  He continued with less confidence, " Your Gran want's us there at 6 for dinner right?"

"Yes?"  Nyah answered slowly.  Mason could have sworn he heard her brows furrow.

"Well, I...." He paused again.  He sounded pathetic.  She deserved better.  He decided to just go for it.  "That's 7 hours from now and it's Sunday.  Since your Gran seems to have the answers, it doesn't seem like I need to go to the library and do research.  I just want to spend more time with you.  Do you want to come over?  Do you want me to come over?  Do you want to get coffee?  Go for a run?  Watch a movie?  Go to the gym? Go to the library and research together?  I just want to be near you and I don't want to wait for 6 pm...." 

He paused for just a moment then sighed and continued when she didn't interrupt.

"I know I said I'd do better the next time I asked you out...I did equally poorly I'm sure."  He stopped talking and held his breath as he waited for her response.

She laughed softly "Well, yes.  That was pretty bad.  I was beginning to think you wouldn't ask me to do anything at all."

He interjected quickly, "Please, let me make up for leaving you hanging.  Whatever you're up to doing before I meet your Gran.  You're steering the ship, I'm just along for the scenery."  He rubbed his hand over his face as soon as the words left his mouth.  

'That was really fu*king lame' Cyrus critiqued.

'Yes, yes, I know.  I've embarrassed us both, that was terrible.'

He was pulled out of his inner monologue by Nyah's voice.

"Wow, that was really corny," She laughed.  He could almost feel her smiling on the other end.  It was not a total disaster then.  

"I was going to go for a run.  Maybe we should let Cyrus and Sage meet.  They need to have some time to get closer."  She stated before addressing them altogether.

"But..." She said cautiously. "Cyrus, Gran told us that we are not to complete the mating bond.  We know that you and Sage feel differently about this than Mason and I.."

Mason raised his eyebrows.  He definitely would respect her wishes, but it was entirely possible that he wanted to claim her just as badly as Cyrus did.  He decided to keep this to himself and Cyrus for now though.  Feeling Cyrus cringe at being told he couldn't claim his mate upon meeting her made him realize how sympathetic he really felt.  Cyrus surfaced to protest.

"But Nyah, she is our mate, we NEED to bond.."  Cyrus emphasized the word 'NEED' as if the world may end if they couldn't.  

"No, Cyrus you don't NEED to bond through mating just yet.  I understand that the pull is strong, even more so for the two of you, but until we know what we're up against.."  Nyah paused for Sage to speak directly to Cyrus, "we will promise them that we will not complete the bond.  It is either this, or we wait to see, smell or touch each other at all."  Sage's voice was like velvet.  Dark and alluring.  The effect that it had on Cyrus was incredible, he seemed, to Mason, like an impossible mix of calm, lust-fueled and awestruck.  He huffed audibly into the phone and grunted out his reply.

"Very well then, you have my word I will not try to mate with you."  He reluctantly agreed.  "I will also," He began slyly, "refuse any advances you make toward me when you realize you can't resist me as my smell, touch, and taste consume you."

"Ok!!"  Mason said, coming forward.  The way this conversation was going, he wasn't so sure letting them meet was a great idea.  But he trusted Cyrus at his word.  

"I can be ready as soon as possible,  do you want me to come to your place?  Where would you like to meet?"

Nyah had to pull her mind out of the gutter too.  Just hearing how desperately Cyrus seemed to want them and how coy he could be, as opposed to Mason's calm demeanor and willingness to follow her lead was amplifying the pull she felt toward them.  Her mind was not ready, but if they could smell her right now, they would know that her body was betraying her.  When Mason spoke again she thought she heard a hint of urgency in his voice.  As though he needed to be near her as soon as possible...this was starting to seem like a fantastic and terrible idea all wrapped into one.  She composed herself to respond to him.  She wouldn't allow her body to override her mind.

"Crestview State Park is only 20 minutes away and it's neutral ground.  The Packs don't have a claim over public property.  It has plenty of wooded space to run.  You can pick me up in 15."

"Great!" Mason said, a little too loudly.  

"I'll see you in a few," Nyah said and disconnected the call.  

Sage seemed to be running around inside her mind like an excited puppy.  

'Seriously?' Nyah asked inwardly.

'I get to see my mate!  Actually smell him, touch him, and run with him for the first time!  Yes seriously!'

'You're acting like a teenager' Nyah said surprised.  

'You're excited too, I can feel it.  Your little inner monologue feels the same way I do.  I am YOU remember?  You don't have to pretend not to be excited to see our mate Nyah. '  Sage became more somber.

'It's ok' Sage comforted 'I think they are good.  I think the Goddess gave us exactly what we needed.  We will have to let them get close to us to have a healthy relationship, Nyah.  You have to let yourself experience the emotions and feel for him.  It isn't bad to want to love someone, especially not if that someone is your mate.'

Nyah sighed aloud.  She had her reservations, but clearly, Sage had accepted Cyrus and the bond was growing stronger by the day.  She searched through her drawers and found Capri's and a Tank top as she thought her situation over.  It had been just about 48 hours, that seemed like such a short time, but she felt like she had known Mason for years.  She thought about Sage's words as she dressed and made her way out of her room, down the small hallway, and into the living room.  Her apartment was open concept and the kitchen and eating space were all open to the living room.  She saw Gran rummaging around in the kitchen and looked at the time on her phone.  She had 10 minutes.

"Good morning."  She greeted her Grandmother.  She'd gotten home from work the night before and gone to bed early.  Getting rest as Gran had instructed before calling Mason.  She had slept from 530 pm until 9 am.  She felt refreshed, but try as she might, the heavy, weighted feeling didn't leave her.

"I spoke to Mason this morning," Nyah began, not waiting for Gran to return her morning greeting.

"He is coming for dinner and he will be here in about 10 minutes.  We're going to go to the park and let Sage and Cyrus meet each other."

 Gran turned away from her spice cabinet and eyed Nyah suspiciously.  

"Girl, I thought I told you, neither you, nor Sage can have s*x with that man or his wolf!"

"Ugh Gran please" Nyah groaned. "I know, Mason, myself, Sage and Cyrus all promise that none of us will have s*x.  Have faith in me, Gran.  You said yourself that I needed to bond with Mason in order to get through whatever we're up against.  Letting Sage and Cyrus meet is one of the fastest ways to do it."

Gran narrowed her eyes, "If any of you break that promise, there will be nothing I can do to prepare you for what comes next.  I expect you here, unmarked, and unmated before 6 pm."

"Yes Ma'am...What's dinner?"

"You let me worry about that.  He's here, you'd better go."

Nyah scrunched her face in confusion, "What?  I can't even smell him."  Her phone lit up in her hand.  A message appeared from Mason.  

: Here.

Was all it said.  Nyah looked at Gran in wonder.  

"How did you?..."

"Nevermind that," Gran said, waving her hand at Nyah dismissively.  

"Go on, get out of here, and don't give him any Hors D'oeuvres before the meal!" She called as Nyah was making her way out the door.  Nyah rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her before heading down the stairs at a run.