The vampire and the wife

Chapter 24

We got back to the pack land, and Hunter pulled up, turned, and looked at me. "I should warn you, Shadow isn't here tonight, as my friend offered to take him so that he could walk him with his two tomorrow first thing."

"Sure, that's not just an excuse." I teased with a laugh.

"This was planned just before Annie mentioned the party. Besides, can you blame a guy for trying?" He grinned and took off his belt. "I just don't want you to be upset with me when you find no Shadow."

"Thank you." I laughed quietly as I took my belt off and got out, and I shivered as a cold gust of wind came across. Hunter came and jogged around to me and put his arm around me to keep me warm as we walked into the house together. Hunter led me straight into the kitchen as he put the heating on for me.

"Coffee! It always warms people up." I couldn't help but laugh, and I jumped on his kitchen top, leaned down, and took my shoes off. I went to get down when Hunter came to stand in front of me with a smile on his face. "What is it with women? They wear heels out and when they get in, the first thing they do is take them off." He took my shoes out of my hands, put them to the side in front of the back door and then came back to me.

"They make us taller so we can at least kiss you tall guys without having to tip toe. I know firsthand that tip-toeing to kiss someone is not the best thing in the world. So wearing heels means we can be your height." Hunter shook his head. I then lifted my foot up slightly to rub where my shoes had been hurting.

I heard the kettle click and then the sound of water pouring into the cups. I looked up to see Hunter stirring the coffee and then he glanced over at me. "I hope you're not expecting anything from me."

"No expectations." Hunter muttered as I sat up, took the coffee from him and wrapped my hands around the cup. "Whatever happens, happens."

"I just... I just don't know what to do with myself." I looked at Hunter again. "I don't want to screw up what we have right now." I took a sip of the coffee.

"It won't be screwed up." Hunter told me quietly.

"You can't promise me that." I looked at him seriously. "I don't want to push the only person who seems to understand me away from me."

Hunter put his coffee down, came closer, put my face in his hand and stroked it lightly. "Rosa. I'm not going to just leave you like he did. I told you, regardless of what happens..."

"I just feel like I'm being pushed into this as well." I told Hunter honestly. Hunter took a step back and frowned a little. I'd wanted to see his reaction to my thought about being a pawn in Dorian's game, but I certainly hadn't expected it to be that reaction.

"What do you mean?"

"Dorian seems to want us to get together, even though he knows there's nothing between us. My friend Sarah... When I first met Dorian, she warned me that sometimes he likes to play games and I get this feeling that this... Us... Is just a game." I looked down for a moment.

"What would he get from you and I sleeping together?"

"Satisfaction of holding something over his head." I answered, looking up at Hunter. "I'm just being honest with you because I don't want to screw this up." I shrugged a little. "You're the first person who has made me see things and who understands everything just about."

"Dorian didn't..."

"Seem the type?" I asked softly. "There's more to Dorian than you realise, and I wouldn't even know where to begin with it all."

"Then... How about we finish our coffee, I go and get your bag with your PJ's in and bring it in, you get changed, and we lay on the bed together and just talk?" I smiled lightly at him. I didn't know if it was relief that he'd been serious about not pushing things or if it had been because he'd felt a little defensive because he hadn't wanted to be a pawn in anyone's game either.

"Sounds good." I told him simply. He finished up his cup of coffee, picked up his keys from the worktop, and headed out to the car. I jumped down and finished my coffee, then went and washed the cups up and put them on the side as I looked out the window for a moment and then heard the door slam and Hunter muttering to himself.

"Your bag, my lady."

"Thank you." I took it from him and looked up at him as he was close in my space again. "Why did you kiss me earlier?" I asked.

"Because it felt right and because I wanted to. You don't mind, do you?" I couldn't answer so I just simply shook my head and then pulled my gaze away quickly. "I'll be up in ten minutes. Will that be enough time?"

"More than enough." I answered as I smiled at him again softly, then looked up at him under my eyelashes, broke my gaze away quickly and headed up to the room that I knew was his.

When I got inside, I got changed into my PJ's which were shorts and a cami top and then went and brushed my teeth as well. I then went back into his bedroom, put all my stuff together and checked my phone that I'd left in the bag. I shoved it on the bedside table and got under the covers as I felt myself shivering a little.

I sat waiting for Hunter as my mind turned over everything from the night and how close he'd been to me again. Part of me wanted to give in to him, but yet part of me argued that I hadn't wanted to because it felt like it was Dorian putting the idea there.

"Are you ready for bed, Rosa?"

"Yeah." I was pleased to be snapped out of my thoughts as Hunter came in wearing tracksuit bottoms and nothing else. I saw that his chest was well sculpted. I turned my head away a little as he walked around the bed and then got on top of the bed and laid on his arm, looking at me.

"Cold?"

"Yeah." I answered as I pulled the covers across my back a little tighter to try and keep myself warm.

"Here." He got under with me, pulled me close to him and held me as I felt the heat of his body beginning to warm me up. "It's been a long time since I've held anyone in bed." He laughed.

"How did you do it?" I asked softly. "Go so long feeling lost and lonely?"

"The lost part of me didn't last as long as it's lasting for you. I have the pack." He muttered. "They grieved with me when it first happened. They also kept watch over me. Now... I'm pretty much alone in it. Jen... She checks on me a lot as she knows how hard it's been to move on..." He laughed quietly. "How are you coping?"

"I feel like I'm not." I frowned a little. "It feels like the only time I get to breath again is when I'm with you. I know it probably sounds shallow." I let out a slow sigh and rested my forehead against his collar bone. "I love Dorian and I appricate everything he's done for me, but... I see the guilt written on his face when he looks at me and to top it off, he's still part of the nest. As much as he wants to stay away from him, he can't because he's still Dorian's master and he still has to go if he's summoned. I know Dorian tries not to make a big fuss over going and tries to not let me know, but I know he's going to see him."

"Makes it hard for you?"

"Very." I muttered as I closed my eyes. "I just want answers. I know he'll never give me them because, in the grand scheme of things... I'm just a tiny human in his world."

"I'd argue your more than a tiny human." Hunter lightly stroked my hair. "I mean, I can come with you and help you try and get answers if you really want to. I won't let him turn you away."

"I know I'll never get the real answer to things." I looked up at Hunter, as I really did feel safe opening up to him in this moment. "Zack let slip about the face that he's moved from the house."

"Yeah..." He sighed a little.

"You knew?"

"Yeah, I wanted to tell you, but Jen told me not to. She didn't want you to be more upset than you already were. Please forgive me."

"I forgive you." I muttered in defeat. Of course she'd tell him not to tell me and he'd have to do what she said, as she was the boss after all. I didn't say anything for a little while and Hunter wrapped both arms around me. "When I found out he was the new vampire king, it all made sense. The king needs a vampire queen, not a human queen."

"Have you never wanted to be like him?" Hunter asked.

"I told him I'd be happy to be like him, but he said he couldn't do it." I let out a slow sigh. "Sorry... I'm getting depressing."

"No... It's fine. I'm just trying to figure out how much of a moron that vamp is. You're his mate. Hell, if my mate ended up being human and she offered to be turned like me, I'd do it. Did he ever tell you he was rejecting you?"

"No." I told him quietly. "That's why I'm in limbo. I want to move on, but part of me can't because it's forever going to be searching for him."

Hunter kissed my forehead lightly and seemed to hold me tighter, as if he were trying to fit some of the hurting pieces of me back into place. "Get some sleep, Rosa. I'm not going to leave you tonight, I promise." He shifted so he was laid on his back, so I moved and rested my head on his chest as I lay, listening to his heart beat.

"Thank you."

"If Dorian says anything to you, tell him you and I had amazing sex." Hunter grinned. "That'll screw with his head."

"You know what? I might just take you up on that offer." I cuddled into Hunter a little more and closed my eyes and let myself relax. It had been the first night in a while where I'd actually felt safe and happy. I didn't care if things hadn't gone to Dorian's plan, I'd actually enjoyed myself more by simply laying here in his bed having cuddles and being heard and not judged, I really hoped that Hunter had no plans on kicking me out his bed any time tomorrow.