The Son of Hades and A Mermaid

Just Sleeping

Cole

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We reach the airport, and black SUVs pick us up. We arrive at a home that looks more like a Tuscan Castle. As we get out of the car, I see Louis, Alice’s mate, coming towards us.

“I’m sorry Alice couldn’t be here to greet you. She is away on pack duties.” as he said this, he shook mine and Eric’s hands. Then he gave both women a quick hug.

“Let me show you to your rooms..”

He leads us into their packhouse, which has dark wood plank ceilings and some walls made of stone with archways. At the very end, I see an elevator hidden away to the side.

We go up three floors, and the door opens to a large living room with doors scattered here and there.

Amber and Eric automatically head to their room, and Louis shows us ours. I didn’t realize that we would be sleeping in the same room together.

..” Uhm, Louis, Can we get one more room..? Asks Andrea.

Louis looks at us, confused….” Why...why wouldn’t you sleep in the same room as your mate?”

“Oh no, this is fine.” I give Andrea a small smile. I don’t want to embarrass her. I know werewolves move faster than even gods do. This might be a bit strange considering we haven’t even gone on a date yet, but we are engaged.

“Okay, great...also, if things are that bad between you two..there is a sofa in this suite,” said Louis as he headed back to the elevator.

I scratch the back of my neck...not sure how to respond to that comment. Andrea sighed and opened the door. The room has a large king-size bed with a bathroom adjoined to it. I put both mine and Andrea’s bags on the bed.

“...I’m so sorry about that. Once Alice gets back, I’ll get you another room. Werewolves are very...possessive and, well...clingy right away. I don’t think Louis understands our situation.” says Andrea as she fidgets a bit.

“...I’m okay with it if you are. I mean, it’s just sleeping,” I say with a shrug as I start to unzip my suitcase.

“...right just sleeping,” replies Andrea, sounding a bit disappointed, or maybe that’s just what I want to hear.

I shake my head and return to unpacking.

I grab something to sleep in and go shower real quick. The jet lag is real.

As I come out of the bathroom, I see that Andrea is in leggings and a t-shirt while looking out the window. I force myself not to stare too long at how curvy and toned the lower half of her body looks. It’s funny because, at one time, I thought that she would be hideous. Man, was I wrong? She’s f*cking gorgeous in every sense of that word.

“..the stars are so clear tonight! I wish that we were camping.”

I wave my hand and bend the elements of the roof to become clear. Exposing the very clear and starry night sky.

Andrea gasps..”Is their roof gone?”

I chuckle, “No...just has all of the colors removed. I’ll fix it in the morning.”. Walking over to the bed, I lay down on my back, looking up at the stars. Andrea walks all the way to the other side and lays down. With this being a king bed, it feels like she is a mile away from me.

“I bet all of this feels a bit weird to you,” says Andra, staring at the stars.

I sigh…

” Maybe a bit. With this mate bond, it’s hard to know what the bond is and what my heart and head…. yesterday we talked about having a daughter, and it felt completely normal. That shouldn’t feel that easy. Considering we’ve only known each other for a few weeks...but then we are engaged to be married......I also don’t want to make you feel like the odd one out. I want to do my best to fit into your world.”

“...is that why you agreed to share a room? You don’t have to do that,” said Andrea.

“Somewhat… it’s also not that big of a deal. Oh, poor me. I get to share a bed with a beautiful woman...my life is so tragic.” I say jokingly.

She lets out a laugh. That sounds almost sound magical. I wonder if that’s because of the mate bond or if that is just how she is.

“Can you do me a favor, though...can you scoot closer?..having you a mile away from me makes this feel even more awkward.”

She does just that and lays partially on my chest. I wrap my arms around her and enjoy her scent. It’s something that she always carries. A mix between coconut and something else fruity. She feels so warm and womanly…..I’m regretting that only sleeping comment from earlier. I shake my head a bit to bring my thoughts back to the present vs. what my body wants.

“I’d like to date you,” I say, filling the silence. She doesn’t respond right away, and that makes me feel a bit nervous for some reason.

“...this could be a date” is her simple response.

“True, I guess, more accurately, I want to get to know you… what’s your favorite color?”

“Caribbean blue”

“...favorite food?”

“Fruit of any kind. Although Mangos are my favorite.”

“Favorite childhood memory?”

“Moving to the coast. My mother and I... lived as rogues for a while after she was kicked out of her pack. My father finally found us and told us that he had set up a small house for us on the coast. I got a normal life, my father, and a safe place to grow up after that. We didn’t have much. Just the ocean and each other, but it worked. We forged some documents, and I have been able to enroll in middle school as a human.”

“How long did you two survive like that?”

“A little over four years. It was pretty intense. Rogue wolves are not the best of our kind...and rogue females are rare. We had to keep hidden and stay away from most places. We were rarely safe and had some close calls.”

Andrea shivers in my arms, and I pull her closer.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, keeping my voice soft, but on the inside, I was fuming. I wanted to go to the Alpha of her mom’s pack and rip his head off. Who in their right mind kicks out their daughter with a young child, knowing how difficult it would be for them? Why didn’t her father find them sooner? I know that he isn’t a god, but four years?

“...I’m not sure if I’m a virgin..my wolf says that I am, but it doesn’t feel like it. All the times that I had to fight men off of me has left me feeling..dirty.” her voice broke at that last word, and she took a shaky breath in.

I take a minute and think about this. This is a lot to take in, and I don’t want to respond in a way that will hurt her.

“Well, I don’t value you any less...please know that.”

“Really..?” she asks and lifts her head off of my chest to look me in the eye. I can see now that she has been crying slightly.

“Of course, really. Why would I see you differently either way..?” I say back.

She sighs…” Well..in werewolf culture...if you aren’t pure..it’s frowned upon. Although, my mom always said that my mate wouldn’t care in this case. I just worried. I guess...”

“Maybe that’s why Selene didn’t want to pair you with a wolf. Maybe she wanted to be extra careful that there wouldn’t be any additional salt in your wounds. Especially with you being her grandaughter….if you ever want to talk more about what you went through. I’m always here.”.

“Thank you, Cole, that means a lot,” she says with a smile.

She lays back down on my chest. I didn’t even realize that I had started rubbing small circles on her back to comfort her. Everything with her feels easier and something else. I can’t quite put my finger on the feeling. I notice the silence and the gentle sound of her consistent breathing. Andrea fell asleep on my chest. I pull the blanket a bit closer to her, and I soon follow suit.