The Poisoned Bond

Awakened Bonds

I stopped to look up at the car; I started to panic and took a few steps back – this is how those stupid women on that documentary Simon and I are watching go missing. Before I could bolt around the car and into the woods the driver got out and I recognized him.

"Chase? Is that you?" I asked with a slight hysterical giggle in my voice.

"Yeah. Ha-ha. I guess it has been a while." Without another word, Chase took my arm and guided me to the car. The warmth was a shock to my system, and I shivered as he closed the door. He handed me a microfiber towel from the back seat, and I began to dry my face and hair. "Thank you," I murmured, barely above a whisper.

He started the engine, and the wipers swished back and forth, clearing the rain from the windshield. I turned back to Chase and watched him touching buttons and twisting knobs like he was setting a space craft for takeoff. My seat started to get warm, so I think one of those was a bum warmer. He had also turned the vents towards me and cranked the heat up a little.

His eyes searched mine, a question in them.

"Thanks. Maybe getting home on foot was a bad idea." I chuckled – mostly to myself.

"Yeah. Why are you walking?" he asked me as he pulled his seatbelt back on.

"Running." I corrected. "And I was sort of...forgotten."

"What?" He looked a little angry and confused.

"I stepped away to visit my father’s grave and when I turned around everyone had left. I don't think it was intentional – today is just hard and everyone is distracted." I lied. I know Joyce did it on purpose.

"Well, I guess being late was actually a good thing for me this time." He pulled back onto the road, and we continued towards the house.

I did not really know what to say to that so instead of answering I watched the droplets dance across the glass, reflecting the light from the dashboard. "I didn't know you were coming back," I said, breaking the silence.

Chase's eyes remained on the road ahead. "I had to. For the season."

I nodded. The season was a sacred time for the pack, a time of unity and celebration. But it also brought back painful memories of the past, of my father's disappearance, and the tension between me and Joyce that had never truly abated.

Chase turned right down the main road that leads to the pack house. "I changed my flight to get here earlier so I could attend the funeral. Henry was a friend of my father’s, and he was always there for me as a kid, so I wanted to pay my respects. But the storm delayed my flight for takeoff and then held off our landing."

The silence stretched out between us again, filled only by the rhythmic pulse of the wipers. I felt the weight of the day begin to lift as the car pulled away from the cemetery, leaving the sadness and the cold behind. For the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of hope, a warmth that had nothing to do with the car's heating system.

"Mind if we take the long way back, I am really not looking forward to all the pomp and circumstance." Chase asked.

“No problem." I leaned back in the seat a little.

Chase was flexing his hands on the steering wheel. "When I arrived, the caretaker said everyone had gone and I missed them by a little over 10 minutes. So, you must not have been there very long if I only missed them by 10 minutes and you were gone by the time I arrived."

Was he challenging my lie? "Yeah. That is strange." I started tracing the little pattern in the stitching on my purse.

"So. How have you been?" Chase asked.

"Oh...you know. Terrible" I chuckled even though it was not all that funny.

"How is Simon?" He asked me.

"About the same; he didn't come today. We said our goodbyes out on the mountain a few days ago." I made a mental note to call him when I got back home. I had left my cell in the barn because I did not want it to get wet.

"I figured not – HE never would have forgotten you." He glanced at me sideways when he said forgotten – like he was putting mental air bunnies around the word.

"Joyce left me behind because she is a major colossal b***h nozzle who needs to get bent on some rusty scissors!! Are you happy?" I laughed at the end because this conversation was so ridiculous.

Chase laughed too and reached over to squeeze my hand. His arm locked for a second like I had electrocuted him. He was silent for a moment, and I wondered if he was still breathing. He pulled his hand away and placed it back on the wheel.

"Was that so difficult? You never have to cover for her shitty behavior with me. You know that – right?" He said.

"Yeah. I know. But today I just wanted to pretend that things aren't s**t and that maybe it was a mistake that they left me behind." I looked down at my hands and started picking my nail polish again.

Chase reached over and took my hand in his – lacing our fingers together. I felt a little better with the contact. He was always such a sweet friend.

I found myself telling Chase about my life, my studies, my friends, and the quiet moments I remembered sharing with Uncle Henry. He listened intently, his eyes never leaving the road.

I laid my head back on the seat and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I heard was the familiar crunch of gravel and I looked up to see that we had entered the circle drive in front of the pack house. I looked over at Chase with a guilty smile. "Sorry. Did I doze off?" I started to pull my hand free so I could get out when he parked the car, and he gripped it tighter. He pulled his car into a space between some other parked cars and turned the engine off. "I haven't really been sleeping." I admitted.

Chase did not let go or move to exit the vehicle; he just held on to my hand while we listened to the rain beating down on the roof and hood. The windows were starting to fog up now that the heater and defrost were turned off.

Chase started to trace little swirly patterns on my hand and arm with the hand that was not still holding mine. I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes: this felt nice. It reminded me of how my mother used to rub my forehead and back to put me to sleep when I was little.

Chase startled me by brushing a tear off my cheek. My eyes flew open, and I looked into his eyes. He looked genuinely concerned. I didn't even realize I was crying again. "Sorry." I mumbled and raised my free hand to wipe the rest of my tears away, but Chase beat me to it. He brushed the hair back from my face and we just stared at each other for a few minutes; for what felt like an eternity. He was so close I could feel his breath on my face and smell his toothpaste.

The engine was off, the radio silent, and the air had a tension that I couldn’t quite ignore. My heart pounded in my chest, the rhythm echoing in my ears like a bass drum. With a sudden jolt of courage, I pressed my lips to his. The world around us seemed to hold its breath, and for a moment, I feared I had made a mistake. But then, his eyes widened, and I felt his hand, which had been resting on the gearshift, tighten around my waist. He kissed me back, the surprise on his face melting into something else - something darker, something more primal.

The leather of his seats was cold against my thighs as he pulled me closer, his other hand weaving into my hair. His mouth was insistent, his tongue exploring mine in a way that sent shivers down my spine. The taste of him was intoxicating, a heady mix of mint and the hint of coffee. I had never felt anything like this before, and I never wanted it to end.

The car seat creaked as I straddled him, the fabric of my dress rustled against the leather as I shifted. Chase was still holding my hand when he pulled me into his lap, so I was straddling him in the driver’s seat. He had pushed his seat back to make room - but I have no idea when. His free hand was stroking down my body from my neck to my hips where he gripped my dress in his hand on my thigh before snaking his arm back around to pull me against his body while he deepened the kiss.

His erection grew more insistent, pushing against me, and I couldn't help but rock my hips slightly, feeling the power of my own desire grow. He groaned, his hands roaming down my back, and for a moment, I was lost in the sensation of his touch.

I felt a growl rumble inside his chest, and I let out a small moan. I do not know what has gotten into me, but this felt amazing. I started to grind against him while he pulled both his hands behind my back to hold me against his body. He still had not let go of my hand so now my left arm was pinned behind my back. I rocked my hips in a small circular pattern against his growing erection and let out another small moan.

Chase pulled me back down and kissed me, which pushed my position down into the car horn. We jumped, breaking the spell. We both laughed. His laughter was deep and rich, and I felt the last of my nerves dissipate.

Our eyes met, and I saw something new in his gaze. It was a look I had never seen before, a mix of desire and... something else. He leaned back, still holding me close, his breath coming in short, uneven bursts. "What are we doing?" he murmured, his voice gruff with passion.

My heart raced faster. I didn't have an answer, not really.

"Sorry." I mumbled. I was mortified. I looked down at his chest in embarrassment. He brought my hand back around to rest under his own on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat. Strong and steady.

Chase lifted my chin gently with his thumb. "Never apologize to me," he said, his voice a low rumble. His eyes searched mine, looking for something. I leaned in and kissed him again, softer this time, my body calming from the initial rush of passion.

As we broke apart, I was about to shift back to my seat when a sharp knock on the window made me jump. Chase rolled his eyes and opened the door, revealing a fuming Natalie standing outside, an umbrella in one hand and accusation in her gaze. "I'm telling Mother, “She spat before spinning on her heel and storming away.

Panic surged through me as I tried to climb out of the car to stop her. But I stumbled in my haste, landing awkwardly on the gravel. I bit back a cry and saw blood welling from a cut on my hand.

"It's not what it looks like," I called after Natalie, wincing as I tried to stand. But she was already gone, and the tension between us had thickened like a storm cloud.