“Sure thing, Sweetheart.” He walked over and uncinched the cuffs like they were just plain old leather constraints from the adult toy store. When I was free of my confinement I looked them over, searching for sigils or magic symbols. There was nothing on them.
Fuck it. I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt, dressing as I followed York to his favorite room in the house. I dreaded the conversation that would come with this, but my anger was focused elsewhere at the moment. He opened the door and closed it soundlessly behind me. The dim nighttime lights flickered on as we proceeded deeper into the druid’s personal wonderland. He stopped in the center of the room and turned to face me, his apology clear on his face before the words rolled off his tongue. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you. I don’t want to talk about it anymore until you’re ready.” He held his hand out to me and gave a half smile. “Would you like to dance? It’s been ages since we-”
“Yes,” I cut in, taking his hand. “What are we dancing to?”
“Frank?” he questioned. I didn’t know if he was addressing Franklin or answering my question with another, but soon the music started up. Frank Sinatra’s Something Stupid played just loud enough to hear the words. The near perfect words. He stepped to the beat, and I followed his graceful lead. His right hand gripped my left tightly. His left hand rested on the dip in my waist, and my right hand wrapped around the back of his neck. He closed his eyes as we swayed around the small, empty space in the center of the greenhouse.
We used to dance for hours between the path and open space of the greenhouse. This song and this moment brought back a rush of memories. My chest tightened painfully as a tear rolled down my cheek. Despite everything that had gone on, and gone wrong, it was things like this that showed me how simple everything could be. This. This was my York. Sweet, romantic, understanding.
We spent hours dancing, just the two of us, reliving our past together. The songs changed tempo and we switched our steps, moving in sync like we always did. The bond between us was unmistakable now that I knew what to look for. I could feel his emotions as strongly as my own. His regret, pain, happiness, contentment, and exhaustion all took root in my soul. When the playlist ended he gazed down at me. The corners of his lips tilted slightly as his thumbs wiped at the tears trailing down my cheeks.
This was what we needed. It was where we should’ve started. It was where we always started when we argued. He leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Goodnight, Sweetheart.” His hushed breath was tired and filled with sadness.
“I’m sorry too,” I confessed quietly to his retreating back.
“I know,” I heard him admit. His contentment sprouted, growing stronger and overshadowing his sadness and pain. I heard him descend the stairs, and when I was finally alone, I peeked around the humid room. The plants looked healthier than they had when we entered. I swayed to the music still repeating in my head, circling the brick path and singing quietly to myself...
28
Sloane
Tuesday Early Morning
Singing to myself grew lonesome in the still greenhouse, so I decided to enjoy the leftover night outside. I putzed down the stairs one by one, watching the motion lights flicker on every eighth step, all the way to the basement floor. I stripped out of my clothes and soundlessly dove into the deep end of the pool. I didn’t come up for breath until I was beyond the glass wall separating the indoor section from the outside. When I spotted Novak sitting on the edge with his feet dangling in the water, I felt the instant relief of having company after everything the night had thrown at me.
The water was warm and welcoming as I floated on my back, gaining me the perfect view of the night sky above. Helios was stretched out beside Novak, to my surprise. He’d always been a sucker for an ear scratch, though. The Vampire ran the fingers of his left hand through the dense reddish fur of Helios’ English Mastiff form in slow, even strokes as he looked out into the woods. “You make up with York yet, Trouble?” His whispered question had me flipping over to stand and look at him.
“Sort of,” I admitted. Was I still mad? A little. Was I getting over it? Yeah. I started wading through the water, feeling a strong urge to be closer to him. Helios huffed smoke at me, becoming irate when I interrupted Novak’s attention.
“I can hear some of your thoughts now, since he opened your bond back up.” Novak continued with his gently spoken words, never stopping his rhythmic motions as he petted the hellhound’s head. “Your chest is glowing,” he added, looking down at me where I stood in front of him and pointing with his right index finger.
He was right. In between my breasts was a symbol I’d never noticed before. It was similar to a V, the usual straight lines bowed with the tops pointed out. A small, solid dot sat at the bottom and top left, almost touching the main symbol. It was my mate mark. The mark of a druid. As I stared down in awe at it, the glowing white light faded until it left a shimmering residue behind. The longer I looked on, the more that glittering effect paled. The color stayed with it after the glow left, making it look like an inch-long, white tattoo.
“I wonder where the rest of our marks will go when you get them,” Novak mused aloud.
“I wonder how we’ll even find a mark on you, or Briggs, with all those tattoos covering your skin.” I countered his musings with my own, and he grinned at me.
“I guess you’ll have to search my body like an “ISpy” book,” he chuckled.
“I certainly wouldn’t mind that,” I confessed while eyeing his shirtless torso. “I haven’t really been able to get a good look at what’s going to be on your body for centuries.” I grimaced, faking disgust when I spoke. We both cackled, causing Helios to growl as he stood and walked away. He left scorch marks on the concrete around the pool with each step, and I shouted at him, “Don’t you dare burn my grass!” As soon as his paws touched the earth, little circles of fire appeared under them. All the way around the side of the house. That asshole!
I pushed myself up to sit on the edge of the pool beside Novak, and he laid his shirt down with such speed I nearly missed the movement. Instead of my bare ass hitting the rough surface, I ended up sitting on his worn, cotton t-shirt. It was thoughtful shit like this that kept a bitch on her toes, you know?
I rested my head on his shoulder while he leaned his cheek against my wet hair. We sat, unmoving, and watched the sunrise begin to streak across the night sky. The navy backdrop, speckled with glistening stars, gave way to my favorite sight in the world. Twilight merged into purple, followed by fiery oranges, neon pinks, and brilliant reds. The sun peeked over the mountain landscape, slowly bringing light to the darkened woods around us.
“You never opened this.” Novak’s hypnotizing voice rang out loudly after all the chirping of the crickets had quieted. He casually handed me a crisp, white envelope with “Ms. King” handwritten on the front.
“What is it?” I examined the parcel as I inquired about its contents.
“It’s the letter that was left in the busted safe in David Preston’s office.” He glanced at me before returning his attention to the morphing sky.