Chapter 16 In Unison

— Darren —

Our date night ended at the hospital. Kate got in a fender bender and broke her wrist, and wasn’t able to reach Kevin.

He eventually rushed to the hospital once the cast was set—once everything got settle, and we moved homeward. By then, it was already two in the morning.

In the subsequent days, I tried to plan a date every other day, because I knew after that week I had to return to work, as I couldn’t delay any further. Which would give us far less time to spend together.

I also began to dodge my father more and more.

It was at first just some comments. “It’d be nice to know about such and such.” “Have you thought about asking about this and that?”

But after five days he ups the ante. And at that point I had to actively evade him.

I was getting really worried that when I’ll not be around as much, he’ll corner Eva to ask whatever of her.

It got me worried enough to decide to take preventive measures. So I sat her down and told her.

“If my father corners you and tries to ask anything of you, don’t. And know that I’m against it.”

“He wants something out of me?” she asked. “Or my brother?” she guessed.

“I don’t know, maybe one, maybe both. I haven’t questioned him much.”

“My brother figured it out you know.”

“Well, he’s not being very subtle at this point.”

“No. Your Dad called Kaden the day after we met and tried to get something out of him, or so my brother figured.”

“Fuck!” I got up pumped. I knew he’d try something, but from the get go? Without me even knowing? Is he trying to mess everything up?

“I have nothing to do with this,” I told her waving my finger around angrily at nothing in particular.

“Clearly,” she said incredulously.

“Sorry,” I said. “I need to take care of this now. Stay here.” And I rushed out.

I found my father lounging, reading a book.

“In your office, now,” I ordered him with the same tone he’d ordered me and my brothers a million times.

Fred walked in and froze looking at my face, as I walked straight to my fathers office.

When he walked in he had a strange expression on his face. I had my arms crossed and was fuming, tapping repeatedly my foot down angrily.

“I don’t know what your plan is but drop it,” I ordered him.

“I don’t know wha—.”

“Drop the bullshit!” That shut him up. I’ve barely ever cursed in front of him. “You’re after something with the Hellhound, or Eva, or both. I don’t care. Drop it.” I pointed my index at him. “You went behind my back and tried to get something out of him from day one. Well, guess what, he figured it out. Do you really think you’re the first one ever trying that one? Do you really think I’m gonna be a good prospect for Eva—her family—if my own family is trying to manipulate them? Do you think they’re gonna let me join Blakemore if you play that game?”

“This is completely stupid. Why would you go there in the first place?” he scoffed.

“Why do you think?” I scream. “You made a place here for only one of us. But if you haven’t noticed there are five more.” I got closer and he took a step back. He fucking took a step back. This little sign of weakness alone enraged me further. “What do you want me to be here, huh? Wall decoration? I’m not gonna have anything here. I’d prefer leave.”

“What has she—,” he began to say.

“She hasn’t gotten anything in my head. It was there all along. She’s just giving me a direction to take. And for that matter, I prefer to be title-less in a more open-minded pack, that being given anything here. I’m suffocating. We’re all suffocating. You’re strangling Michael by being on his ass constantly, or exploiting Fred and Kev like vulgar back-up appliances, and the rest is not worth shit other than bragging rights to say how great you are to have six sons. Why do you think Max is going nowhere and doing shit all the time?” My breath was getting heavy. “Now try to use Eva. Just once. Try it and I’m leaving. I’ll take her out of here and you won’t see us again. Whatever plan you have, it’s not working. You think the Hellhound can’t see through you. He has at least thirty-fucking-six other Alphas he deals with on a daily basis. Try it and he’s gonna eat you for breakfast.”

I walked to the door. “Now if you excuse me, I have better things to do than babysit you,” I said and slammed the door in his fucking face.

When I walked down, nearly everyone was there and their eyes were huge. No one was moving. They had clearly heard everything. I should have been worried. Worried about the ramifications of this. Of whatever is going to happen after. But I didn’t. All I wanted at the moment was ripping my father’s head off, with my own teeth.

I was still fuming and I needed to calm down.

Eva was there, at the back of the room. Her eyes, wide like everyone else, fixed on me.

I marched to her, grabbed her hand, and headed outside.

I walked for a little while, dragging her behind me.

I tried to slow my pace some, for her to keep up, and not rip her arm out of its socket. That’s not how you make a good impression. Especially after what just happened.

We were in the woods. I found a big rock, and sat down. She sat beside me. I just held her in my arms, placed my chin on her shoulder and mumbled, “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have seen this.”

“I’m sorry to have caused a rift between you and your father,” she apologized.

“You caused nothing that wasn’t already there. Don’t apologize.”

“Still—.”

I held her shoulders, pushed her a little further so I could see her eyes.

“Don’t. Maybe there were things that should have been said a long time ago.”

“I doubt this was the best way to say them.”

I grimaced.

“You’re probably right.” I sighed. “But right now, I’m not going to apologize. Maybe when the time is right.”

“I don’t think the time is ever right to apologize.”

“Maybe. But I’m not the only one who should apologize. And you deserve some here.”

“Don’t involve me in this feud any further, please,” she begged.

Well, now I felt like crap.

“Right, sorry. I won’t. Let’s talk about something else,” I said.

We both turned and watched a couple of birds fly around in silence.

“Maybe I should apologize to your brother,” I said.

She shrugged.

I ran my hands across my face in desperation.

“Did I fuck everything up?” I asked defeated.

She looked at my face, then put back a strand of my hair that I must have messed up at some point, and smiled a small smile at me.

I took her in my arms, her back against my chest, and we stayed like that for a while.

Later that evening I sent a quick text to her brother explaining the situation, and that it shouldn’t happen again, and to call me if he had any questions.

I didn’t feel like bothering him more than that. Eva said he wasn’t home and was helping a few packs in difficulty.

I accompanied Eva to her room like every evening. She looked at me strangely.

“Are you okay?” she asked me.

I shrugged.

“Come in,” she told me.

She opened the door and I followed her. Unsure of what came next. I wasn’t in the mood to have her tell me I should apologize again. Truthfully, I needed a few father-free days, at least.

Eva surprised me by pressing her lips against mines. For a few seconds there, my brain froze, then slowly the reboot process began. When functions returned, I decided that kissing was the best course of events this evening could go for.

— Eveline —

I was worried about Darren.

I never saw him this shaken or angry. And judging by the reaction of the rest of his family, neither did they. And I’m at the core of the whole problem. He spoke fondly of his family, especially his mother and brothers. If I break them apart, I will feel like crap about it, forever.

I wanted to do something for him. Cheer him up. Help him relax a little, until we could see what is broken, and what can and can’t be repaired.

I wanted to have encouraging words for him. Beautiful words about understanding, and tolerance, and forgiveness. But I’ve never been gifted with words.

I invited him in my room because I was afraid to watch him leave this upset. But when I turned to him I found myself at a loss for words, again.

He was not talking anymore, just shrugging and grunting.

So I kissed him.

At first he stopped moving, and I thought I might have gone too far. Maybe this wasn’t the right thing to do at the moment, the wrong timing. Maybe it was a misjudgement. I was probably making an awkward moment even more awkward.

After a few seconds, I decided to break it off and try to find a plan B. But before I could let our lips part, Darren wrapped his arms around me, and pressed me against him.

There was something in the intensity of it that stunned me.

Before I could get my baring, he swung me around, and dropped me on the bed.

Sooner than I’d finish bouncing, he was on top of me, kissing me.

It didn’t take long for him to move his lips away from mine, roaming everywhere I had exposed skin.

Okay. That was not what I’d planned for, but I couldn’t find a single excuse for stopping him. Actually, this tingling feeling that took over me whenever he touched me was now so powerful I could barely notice where I was. My breath was ragged, his, warm against my skin.

I needed to touch him, but when I placed my hands on his shoulders, he promptly grabbed my wrists and pinned them on either side of my head. And the look he gave me, made me twist in anticipation. I bit my lower lip, and the grin he gave me was, dare I say, wolfish.

He teased me, letting his lips barely graze my hide, giving me shivers all over. And he kept at it until I whimpered.

He looked back at me, proud of himself. And so to wipe that grin off, I began moving my hips against his. And I saw his eyes darken.

He moved up my body until our eyes were level once more. Then he joined my hands above my head, holding them both with a single hand, and lowered the other against the side of my body.

I moaned uncontrollably, and extended my head to kiss him.

Our lips met and parted immediately. Our tongues dancing together in slow motion. The movements delicious, slow, and electric. The heat of his body pressed on mine, moving in slow waves that I answered in kind.

I got lost in that kiss.

It’s only when it broke it that I realized my hands were restrained no more, and he was undressing me. Pulling my top above my head. And the only response to this that came to mind was that neither of us were naked fast enough. And I decided to correct the situation by tugging at his shirt, pulling it above his head with unrestrained abandon. Which elicited a few laughters from him. By the moon and stars, I loved that laugh. I could dance to it. It was intoxicating.

We made quick order of our clothes.

I’ve never been the type to sleep with a guy I haven’t known for a whole two weeks, but I couldn’t even register this information at the moment. All I knew was that I wanted him badly, and every time he took his hands away from me to disrobe, made me ache for the loss as if I hadn’t been touched in decades, if ever.

He was at this moment the most beautiful man in the world, and I wanted him more than I wanted to breathe.

— Darren —

“Do you want to slow down?” I asked her. I thought it was the right thing to ask, but I was afraid of what little willpower I had left if she said yes.

The moon was bright tonight, and though the room was dark, I could see a sliver of silvery light move on her skin. I wanted nothing more than to run my tongue along it.

“I want to feel you inside me,” she answered me, and I lost it.

I don’t remember ever hearing anything sexier.

So I decided to indulge in painting her silhouette with my tongue, moving slowly downwards until I found what I wanted.

She mewled and it was beautiful.

I gave in to my impulses, kissing her sex until her body began to twist and contort. Then I kissed her mouth, sliding my fingers inside of her. She was warm, and wet, and inviting, and I was so hard it hurt.

I tried not to go too fast, as I pressed myself against her core—sliding in excruciatingly slow. She warped her arms around me, urging me, but I took my time, wanting to savour this—committing this instant to memory. Her figure began undulating like the waves caress the sand, and I began to move in tandem. My rhythm gradually gaining in speed—her moans ringing in my ears in a crescendo, more beautiful than a thousand love songs.

I savoured her mouth, swallowing her screams as our activities gained in intensity. And soon enough I was moaning with her as we found our pleasure—her legs vices around me, her head tilted back, our bodies shuddering in unison. And peace swept over me as pleasure receded unhurriedly. And like an addict looking for another fix, I started to kiss the sweat off her skin, eager for more.