Alex and Angelica

The adrenaline of the crowd filled the tiny bar as the people screamed for more when ‘The Immortals’ finished their set. Alex, looked over at Todd who shrugged and gave a nod, causing the six inch long spikes of purple hair on his head to bounce as he adjusted his electric guitar.

“Let’s give them more!” Tony yelled from behind his drum set as he wiped the sweat from his bald, tattooed head and the crowd cheered. Alex grumbled under his breath but plastered a smile on his face, wiped the sweat from his brow and adjusted his own guitar. Tony counted them in and Alex stepped up to the microphone and began yet another song.

They ended up doing four extra songs and then finally Alex gave a bow and walked off the stage, giving his band mates no choice but to follow. They walked out into the musty alley behind the bar and Alex leaned against the rough, brick wall of the building.

“Not like you to be the first one to bow out.” Todd said as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and stuck it between his lips.

“I’m just tired.” Alex replied as he ran his hand through his spiky, bright green hair.

“You wanna come over to my place and have a few drinks?” Tony asked as light flared in the alley and Todd lit his cigarette.

“Nope this werewolf is going back to his apartment and crashing out on a pile of empty pizza boxes.” Alex said as he stood straight.

“Well this vampire is up for some drinks.” Todd said and the three friends said goodbye and went their separate ways. Alex stuck his hands deep in the pockets of his baggy jeans and walked down the surprisingly quiet southern California streets. The rattling of the chains hanging from his belt filling the night.

(Mom.) he called out.

(Oh Alex, I forgot to let you know about everything didn’t I?) Jordan’s sleep filled voice came back. Alex kicked at a piece of paper on the sidewalk and nodded, though she couldn’t see that all the way in Virginia.

(Yeah, but that’s okay. I know it’s hard to remember when I’m so far away.) he replied. (Is everybody okay?)

(Yes. Your dad made it back safe and so did everybody else. The bad guys are dead and everyone is fine.)

(Good. I was worried.) Alex said. That was why he hadn’t really wanted to play the gig with the band tonight. He had known that his family was going up against some kind of demon and his army.

(How are you?) Jordan asked. Alex knew she was worried about him. Her and his dad had just left a little over a month ago from their last visit and Alex knew they thought he wasn’t taking care of himself. Truth be told, he was miserable.

(I’m doing great, mom.) Alex lied. (I just finished up a gig and I’m on my way back to my apartment.)

(Okay.) Alex could tell she was tired so he decided to end the conversation.

(Mom, the guys want to go out and have some fun so I’ll let you get back to sleeping.) he said and he closed the link as he looked at the neon lights of all the shops around him and the headlights and red taillights of the cars going up and down the quiet street.

He got to his apartment building on the richer side of town and waved at the sleepy doorman, Frank.

“Good show tonight, Alex?” Frank asked as he opened the door and smiled warmly. Alex reached in his pocket and pulled out a couple dollars to tip him with.

“Pretty good, Frank. Your night going okay?”

“As good as it’s gonna get.” Frank replied taking the money and sticking it in his pocket before laying his hands on his big belly. “You got a guest waiting up in your room.” Alex raised a brow.

“I do?” he asked the much shorter man as he scratched at his green hair.

“Yeah. Pretty little thing. She said you invited her.”

“Thanks, Frank.” Alex said and he walked into the brightly lit entry room of the apartment building. He walked up to the gold plated elevator doors and wondered who in the world could be in his room. He didn’t remember inviting anybody.

Alex went up to the thirtieth floor and walked across the polished marble floors to his suite. One of the perks of having a rich family was never having to be a ‘starving artist’ and live in a rundown shit hole of a house. He had a penthouse suite.

He sniffed the air outside his door as he fished for his key and then rolled his eyes when he caught Todd and Tony’s scents. He opened the door and the two of them were lounged on his couch and three very nearly naked and very attractive women were bent over his large pool table playing a game.

“You thought we were gonna let you come back here and mope around didn’t ya? Did Frank tell you we were a pretty girl wanting to spend some time with you?” Todd asked with a grin. Tony was too busy staring at one of the women with ebony skin and a very tight pair of shorts.

“What the hell are you two doing? I am not in the mood to party.” Alex said matter of factly.

“So go to bed.” Todd replied with a shrug. “But we told these girls that we were members of a very successful band and that we live here. We want to get laid so we are staying.”

Alex was going to be a good boy and do what his mother would have wanted him to do, but then one of the girls saw him and she sashayed across the room. Sashay was the only word to describe the way her body moved as she approached him. Her very tight blue shirt, that probably could have qualified as bra, if he was being technical, was pulled taut across her very large (and probably fake) chest. Her diamond belly button ring was sparkling in the dim lighting in the room and her skirt was so small and tight, it left very little to his imagination.

“Hi.” she said as she stopped about a foot from him and leaned into her pool cue as if it was a very tiny stripper pole. Alex felt all his blood supply leaving one head and rushing down to the other.

“Hello.” he replied.

“My name’s Candy.” she said and Alex figured she was lying.

“I’m Spade.” he replied figuring it sounded more mysterious than Alex.

“They told us you were the lead singer.” she said breathlessly as she twirled some of her platinum blond hair, (probably extensions) around her finger, and smiled a heart stopping smile(which was probably also fake). Alex didn’t care that everything about her was fake. She looked damn good to him and she was just what his lonely heart needed.

Who cared that no one in his family gave a damn about him? Who cared that he hated being in the band anymore and wanted nothing more than to go back home and be a part of his family again? This girl, while probably very stupid, was also very hot and the perfect distraction.

“Yeah I’m the lead singer.” he replied. She giggled and leaned into him, brushing those silicone breasts against his chest.

“I love singers. There’s just something about a man with a microphone that makes me hot.” Todd and Tony chuckled and elbowed each other where they were sitting on the couch. Alex smiled and tipped his head toward his closed bedroom door.

“Come on with me and I’d be more than happy to show you my microphone.” he said with a wink.

888

Alex woke up the next morning, unsurprised to find himself alone in the bed. One thing he had never done was spend an entire night with a woman and wake up beside her in the morning. He had a strict rule against spooning or cuddling of any kind.

He got up out of the bed and pulled on a pair of silk shorts before walking out into the living room, scratching his bare, tattooed stomach. He saw that Todd had at least remembered to close the thick black curtains on the wide windows before he and Tony had passed out, so there were just two half naked dudes sleeping on his couches instead of one half naked dude and a pile of ash.

Alex’s bare feet shuffled across the floor as he made his way to the kitchen. The clock on the wall said it was a little after twelve and he felt his stomach growl and remembered that he hadn’t eaten since about noon the day before.

He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a box of cold pizza and a gallon of milk. He shoved some trash out of the way on the counter and opened the pizza box. He chewed on the cold cheese and pepperoni and then took a long drink of milk straight from the jug.

“Didn’t your mother teach you that that was gross?” Todd asked as he came into the kitchen. Alex couldn’t help but chuckle at Todd’s spiked hair which was full of so much hair spray and gel, it had somehow lasted through the night. He touched his own hair to find that the gel had worn out and it was lying flat against his head.

“She tried but she gave up when she realized I was part animal.” Alex replied with a grin. Todd rolled his eyes and grabbed the jug of milk from him so he could take a drink of his own.

“Haha, wolf boy. You got any blood in this joint?”

“It’s in the fridge. I gotta get a shower and get to my day job.” Alex replied, grabbing a second piece of pizza.

“Alright chief. Tony and I will clear out sometime today.”

“Hang around, we’ll go out tonight.” Alex said with a shake of his head.

“Candy, got your blood pumping again huh? I knew she’d work for you! You’ve been moodier than me lately. I’m supposed to be the dark brooding vampire, you’re supposed to be the tail wagging, happy go lucky, puppy dog.”

“Would you two shut-up! You sound like two fucking women, the way you’re running your mouths in there!” Tony yelled, grumpily from the living room.

“Sounds like the only mortal member of ‘The Immortals’ is a little bit hung over this morning.” Todd said with a wink. Alex laughed and left the kitchen, waving at Tony as he walked through the living room, who was holding his head in his hands. Alex shook his head as he walked in his room and started the hot water in his master bath shower. His friends were a pain in the ass.

888

“You cut your hair.” Mrs. Wallis said as Alex took his seat at the callers chair in the cafeteria. The seniors were piling into the room on their canes, walkers and wheelchairs, excited for their daily game of bingo.

“Yes, Mrs. Wallis. It’s been cut for a while remember?” Alex asked with a smile. When he had first shown up to volunteer at the nursing home, he’d had his bright green Mohawk and the elderly people had gone crazy. The sane ones had gone on about how back in their day a punk kid like him would be thrown in jail for looking so ridiculous and some of the senile ones had starting screaming and carrying on about the giant, mutant chicken that had taken up residence in the halls.

“Now if only he’d take that green crap off of it he might look somewhat respectable.” Betty Lou muttered as she took her dabber out of her Garfield bingo bag and Alex fought back retort. Didn’t the woman realize that her hair was blue?

“Well I think he’s handsome.’ Mrs. Wallis replied as she gave him goo goo eyes. “As a matter of fact, I have a granddaughter about your age, Alex, you should meet her sometime.”

“I think she’s married, Mrs. Wallis.” Alex said good naturedly. Mrs. Wallis didn’t remember very much these days and her granddaughter was actually a forty year old mortal woman with a husband and teenage children.

“Oh yes.. Yes that’s right.” Mrs. Wallis said as she ran her hand over her tightly permed white hair.

“Alright ladies and gentleman are you ready?” Alex called out.

“Huh?” an old man with a giant nose and satellite dish ears exclaimed.

“Are you ready Hubert?” Alex said much more loudly, yet with nothing but patience in his tone. Hubert waved his hand and nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah. I’ve just been sitting here waiting on you. Maybe if you pulled them earrings out of your ear, you’d be able to hear a thing or two.” Alex nodded.

“I’d say you’re right.” he replied.

“He’s so handsome.” Betty Lou whispered to Mrs. Wallis.

“Who?” Mrs. Wallis asked, raising a painted on eyebrow.

“Hubert.” Betty Lou replied as if that should be obvious.

“Hubert?” Mrs. Wallis exclaimed loudly enough that the whole cafeteria could hear her. “Why he’s got ears bigger than a elephants is what he’s got.”

“Huh?” Hubert exclaimed.

“Nothing Hubert.” Alex said with a laugh. “Now let’s play some bingo.”

888

“I changed my mind.” Alex said with exasperation as he flopped down on his couch and propped his bare feet on the coffee table. “I don’t wanna go out.” Todd and Tony shared a look.

“What the hell is wrong with you man?” Tony asked as he sat down next to his friend.

“Don’t you love us anymore?” Todd added with a grin as he grabbed one of Alex’s magazines off the table and began to flip through it as he sat down on the recliner chair.

“I’m fine.” Alex said as he grabbed the remote and turned on his giant flat screen.

“I know what your problem is. You’re missing that hot ass cousin of yours.” Tony said matter of factly. “Laney, isn’t that her name?”

“First off, don’t talk about my cousin’s ass because I’d hate to have to find a new drummer after I kill you, and second why in the hell would I think my cousin is hot?”

“Well you are from Virginia aren’t you? Aren’t you all rednecks over there?” Tony asked with a wink and Alex couldn’t help but chuckle at his friends antics.

“Shut-up, Tony, your stupid is showing.” Todd said without looking up from the magazine.

“Look, you know I love you both like brothers but could you get the hell out of my house for a while? You do have your own places to live don’t you?” Alex asked looking at the darkness and neon lights outside his window.

“Fine. We know when we’re not wanted.” Tony said as he stood up and slapped Alex on the back of his head. “What the hell did you get rid of your Mohawk for man? If you dyed that hair brown you’d look normal with that haircut… That’s not the image we’re going for.”

“Luckily you’re ugly enough to make up for my beauty.” Alex replied with a grin. Tony rolled his eyes and headed for the door.

“See ya later, Alex. Call if you change your mind about partying tonight.” Todd said as he too stood up and Alex nodded.

Once his friends were gone Alex sat alone in his apartment and thought about his family. Tony had been right about Alex missing Laney. He missed his whole family as a matter of fact. Hell he hadn’t seen his newest cousins, Charlie and Brent since they’d been born and they were both going on two years old now. He’d never met Kayleb’s new mate Vanessa or her daughter and now Kaylee had a mate as a well. A damn demon named Damien or something like that.

He sighed as he stopped flipping channels and settled on a show about motorcycle building. Maybe it was time to take his motorcycle cross country and go visit his family. Alex smiled as he made his mind up. He’d leave tomorrow, and after spending a few days with that dysfunctional bunch he’d get it out of his system and be able to come back to California and enjoy his own simple life again.

Chapter Two

“One, two, three, four….” Angelica counted with each stroke her brush made through her hair. Her mother had always taught her to run the brush through her hair one hundred times a morning. No more and no less.

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” she repeated her mothers favorite phrase as she continued to brush her long blond hair. She walked over to the mirror and stared at the reflection looking back at her, frowning at the gray streaks in the long waves of blond. The brush stopped on it’s path through her hair and she raised her free hand to trace one of the long scars on her cheek.

She knew that she used to be beautiful. It had been so long ago she couldn’t really remember what she had looked like but at fifteen she had had every nobleman for hundreds of miles asking for her hand in marriage. Her parents had been trying to decide who they could get the most money out of when Victor had ridden into town.

He had taken one look at Angelica’s long blond hair, womanly figure and ocean blue eyes and he had come back not long after with several wagons full of gold. Her mother and father had given her to the charming king and at first she had been happy about it. After all, Victor was handsome and strong. A warrior and a rich king. What woman would not have wanted such a man for a husband?

She had learned quickly that he was a monster. She was his slave, there only to satisfy his every sexual fantasy. He had turned her immortal so that she wouldn’t die when he got too rough because for some reason he had wanted to keep her.

By the time Damien had been born she had already been his slave for nearly a quarter century and the things that had made her Angelica, her innocence, warmth and softness, had already begun to fade. She had still had her facial beauty but her hair had begun to streak with gray and her body had wasted down to skin and bones from the many times he had sucked at her soul.

Then Rotan had come along not long after Damien and she had quickly learned that while Victor was bad, it was Rotan that was truly a monster. Every inch of her body was scarred in some way from his ‘toys’ as he liked to call his weapons.

Her Damien had gotten her free and he had told her she was safe but the nerves that she lived with day in and day out, knowing that Victor and Rotan were watching and waiting for her, had kept her body from regaining any of it’s strength or former beauty. Her hair was still gray streaked and she was still skin and bones.

But now Damien swore to her that Rotan and Victor were dead.. He swore they’d been dead for nearly a week but there was that voice in her head, Victor’s voice, .and it laughed every time Damien said he was dead.

’ I’d never leave you, dear Angelica. You are mine and you will come back me one day.’ Angelica shivered and threw her brush down.

“Go away Victor! Damien killed you.” she said aloud to the voice in her head.

’ Be nice to me, Angelica, or it will be rougher for you when I get my hands on you again.’ Angelica sat down on the edge of her bed and wrapped her arms tight around herself as she rocked back and forth.

“Go away. Go away. Go away. Please make the voice go away.” she whimpered fearfully. She screamed with shock and surprise when a knock came on her door.

“You okay in there, Angel?” Laney’s voice came from the other side.

“Yes. Just visiting with my friends.” Angelica replied quickly as she stood up and smoothed out her oversized, red dress. She knew that the mention of her friends made Damien angry and she knew that they weren’t real but Angelica had invented them as a form of comfort to get her through the long fearful days. Though they were no help when it came time to sleep…and to dream.

“Can I come in?” Laney asked. Angelica nodded and then realized that Laney couldn’t see that.

“Yes.” she said. Laney opened the door and came into the room.

“Your hair looks really pretty today!” Laney said as she saw the silky quality, Angelica’s normally frizzy hair had taken.

“Mother always said to brush it one hundred times. No more and no less.” Angelica replied as she picked her brush up off the tan carpet and began to run it through her hair once again, resuming her counting where she had left off.

Laney felt pity fill her when she looked at the frail woman. Laney had always been the care giving type and when she looked at Angelica, she just wanted to take care of her.

This woman had been through hell and she had survived, though she was so scared and nervous at all times that Laney figured she was still living through hell in her mind.

“Are you going to come downstairs today?” Laney asked and Angelica shook her head and sat down on the bed.

“No….” she said as her eyes darted nervously to the window.

“Why not?” Laney asked patiently as she bent down and retied her tennis shoe. Silence met her question and she finished tying her shoe and looked back at Angelica who had set her brush on the bed beside her and was chewing on her lip as she stared at the carpet.

“Angel, there is nothing that’s going to hurt you. Victor and Rotan are gone. They don’t have any spies watching you now and they cannot ever hurt you again. My dad killed Rotan and Damien killed Victor. They’re not coming back.”

’ She’s lying to you, dear Angelica. You know I would never let you go that easily.’ Victors voice sneered inside his head.

“Go away!” Angelica exclaimed angrily and Laney quickly nodded and walked toward the door.

“Okay, I’m leaving.” Angelica’s eyes widened and she shook her head.

“No. No don’t go. I wasn’t talking to you.” Laney stopped and fought to keep her impatience from showing on her face.

“Who were you talking to?” Angelica picked at a string hanging from her dress and shrugged.

“No one.” she said. She didn’t want to tell Laney that she was hearing Victor’s voice. Laney would tell Damien and Damien would get angry. It wasn’t like Angelica wanted to hear Victor’s voice. She could control her ‘friends’ voices, only allowing them to speak when she was alone and afraid and in need of comfort. Victor’s voice was different. It came whenever it wanted and it taunted and tortured her just the way it had when he’d been alive.

“Do you want to come downstairs then?” Laney asked. Angelica stood up and wrung her thin hands nervously.

“Yes.” she said and Laney smiled and wrapped her arm around the thin woman’s shoulders.

“Come on then.” The two women went down to the kitchen to find Lane grabbing his camero keys off the hook by the door.

“Where you going?” Laney asked him.

“Town.” Lane said matter of factly. “I have been a good boy for a week and haven’t had a drop to drink. I finally come down here to just have a glass of one of my best friends Jack or Jim and what do I find?” he demanded. He walked over to his liquor cabinet and opened it, revealing the empty shelves within.

“Oops.” Laney said sheepishly and Angelica tilted her head.

“It’s empty.” she said, wondering if maybe the man didn’t realize that. Lane growled and slammed the door back shut.

“Yes. It’s empty. Because apparently every woman in this family is nothing but a damn drunk!”

“Not me.” Joey said walking into the kitchen with Charlie on her hip. Laney saw the way her uncles face brightened at the sight of his mate and she smiled. She didn’t know what had happened between the two of them but whatever it was had her uncle beaming every time he laid eyes on her aunt.

“No, not you.” Lane agreed, kissing both Joey and Charlie on the forehead. “You know that my liquor means more to me than life.” Joey raised a brow and her green eyes flashed with amusement as she tapped her foot.

“But it doesn’t mean as much to me as you.” Lane added quickly with a sheepish smile.

“You know what you sound like right now?” Greg asked walking into the kitchen.

“What?” Lane said with a sigh.

“One whipped puppy.” Greg replied and he flicked his wrist as if snapping an invisible whip at Lane and caused Angelica to flinch. Whips hurt.

“Greg!” Bethany’s voice called from the living room. “Hurry up with that snack! I’m hungry!”

“Yes dear.” Greg called back as he walked over to get one of Bethany’s cereal bars from the cupboard.

“Least I’m not the only whipped puppy in the family.” Lane said with a laugh and Greg was muttering under his breath as he left the kitchen.

“I’ll be back, honey, do you want anything while I’m out?” Lane asked Joey.

“We’re coming with you.” Joey said, nodding down at Charlie.

“I don’t think my girlfriend will be happy if I pull up in her driveway with the mate and kid with me.” Lane replied, shaking his head. Joey just rolled her eyes and grabbed his keys from his hand.

“Are you coming?” she asked as she walked toward the door. Lane laughed and practically ran to catch up with her.

“Now that I have you downstairs, Angel, I was hoping maybe you’d come outside with me.” Laney said. “Hunter and I were going to go horseback riding today and we’d like you to come with us.”

“Outside?” Angelica asked nervously as she looked at the door. “They might….” she stopped herself from finishing the sentence and reminded herself that Victor and Rotan were dead.

’ Enjoy yourself, Angelica, it won’t last long.’ Victor’s voice was cold and full of hate and it sent a shiver down her spine.

“You’ll be fine.” Laney promised. “It’s a beautiful day and Hunter will be with us. You remember Hunter don’t you?”

“Yes.” Angelica said with a little bit of irritation. She knew Laney meant well but sometimes the girl treated her like she was stupid. She wasn’t stupid, just scared, very nearly, to death. “He’s the cowboy vampire.” Laney laughed and Angelica wondered why she found what she had said to be funny.

“Yes. Yes he’s the cowboy vampire.” she replied. “So do you want to go?” Angelica had not ridden a horse in nearly a thousand years. Not since Victor had bought her from her parents. She nodded.

“I need pants.” she said matter of factly and Laney smiled.

“I’ll go get you some.”

888

Alex pulled his motorcycle to a stop in front of the big log mansion and smiled as he pulled off his helmet. Why did an immortal werewolf wear a helmet? Because a hot girl had once told him she thought it was sexy.

Alex got off his bike and walked up onto the porch. Before he could open the door, it was thrown open and Kaitlyn was jumping into his arms.

“Alex!” she squealed happily. “I’ve missed you!”

“Kaitlyn, look at you!” Alex said as she pulled away from him and she struck a pose, making her look every bit like the model parents she came from. “You’ve gotten big.” he added. It had been nearly two years since he’d seen her and she seemed to have grown nearly a foot. She raised a blond eyebrow and shook her head.

“You are not supposed to tell a preteen girl that she’s gotten big. Do you want me to develop an eating disorder?” Alex smiled broadly.

“Yep, you’re just like your mom.” he said and Kaitlyn laughed.

“So what brings you back? Your mom and dad are at work.”

“Why is mom at work during the summer?”

“Because school starts back soon and the staff had to go in today.” Kaitlyn said with a frown.

“Aww, turn that frown upside down, little one… It’ll be okay.”

“You’re such a dweeb.” Kaitlyn replied with a dramatic roll of her eyes. Alex nodded.

“Right now I’m a hungry dweeb. Does grandma have dinner cooked yet?”

“It’s only three o’clock.” Kaitlyn reminded him.

“My stomach doesn’t know how to tell time.” Alex replied with a grin. Kaitlyn led him into the kitchen and Rebecca jumped from the table and wrapped him in a hug.

“I’ve missed you!” she exclaimed. Charles raised a brow where he was sitting at the table and smiled.

“Glad to see you have a normal haircut. Now if we could only do something about the color…”

“What’s wrong with the color?” Alex asked as he ran his hand through his hair. He loved giving his grandpa mini heart attacks every time he came home.

“I think what he’s trying to say is that it looks like a cabbage took a giant shit on your head.” Kayleb said walking into the kitchen. Alex feigned hurt and laid his hand over his chest.

“Sticks and stones, carrot top. Sticks and stones.” he said then he noticed the little girl walking behind Kayleb. She looked like she was around five and he could tell by her scent that she was immortal.

“This is Faith.” Kayleb said. “Faith, this is my cousin Alex.” Faith tugged on Kayleb’s hand and he bent down to her level.

“What is it?” he asked gently.

“Why does he have green hair?” she whispered and Kayleb snorted with laughter.

“Because he is a loser.” he replied.

“Stop teaching her those kinds of things.” Another woman said walking into the room. Alex looked her up and down. She was a pretty woman. She had chestnut hair, a crooked smile, a single dimple in her cheek and bright green eyes that were looking at his pain in the ass older cousin with nothing but love.

“You must be Vanessa.” Alex said reaching out his hand.

“And you must be Alex.” Vanessa replied as she placed her hand in his. Alex held her hand longer than was necessary on purpose, just to tangle Kayleb’s fur. It worked and Kayleb growled as he walked around them and over to the refrigerator.

“So where’s Laney at?” Alex asked as he took a seat at the table. Rebecca walked over to the refrigerator to get the things out to make Alex a sandwich.

“Out riding with Hunter and Angelica.” Charles replied as he went back to reading his newspaper.

“Angelica?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, she’s Damien’s mom.” Charles said.

“Damien? Kaylee’s mate?”

“Yeah. You’ve been out of the loop for a while haven’t ya, cabbage patch?” Kayleb asked and Alex sighed.

“I guess so.” he agreed and then he began eagerly eating the sandwich his grandma sat in front of him.

“Grandma, have you guys been using a new cleaning supply or something?” he asked after a minute. Rebecca shook her head as she sat back down next to Charles.

“No. Why?”

“Baking cookies?” he asked.

“No.” she replied.

“It smells like vanilla in here.”

“It does?” Kayleb asked, testing the air. He could smell a trace of vanilla but nothing major.

“Yeah. It smells good. It’s got me wanting some ice cream.” Alex breathed in another deep breath, enjoying the vanilla scent that filled his nostrils.

Chapter Three

Angelica did not have fun on her horse ride. It may have been okay if not for Victor’s voice taunting her and making her fear that a spy was hiding in every shadow just waiting to grab her, and Laney treating her as if she was some kind of crazy, stupid person who needed to be talked to like a child.

When they got back to the barn Laney jumped from her horse and was bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Alex is here!” she said. “That’s his motorcycle!” Hunter took her horses reins and smiled.

“Go on up and say hi.” he said. “Angelica and I can tend to the horses.” Angelica stood up a little straighter beside the horse she had ridden. Finally someone who was saying she could something instead of coddling her like a fragile newborn. Laney frowned.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“I’m not a child, Laney.” Angelica said matter of factly. Laney looked as shocked as if Angelica had slapped her.

“Oh…ok.” she said and she turned and went up to the house.

“She means well.” Hunter said watching his mate walk into the back door of the house.

“I do not need to be babied.” Angelica replied and Hunter nodded.

“No ma’am.” he replied. Angelica and Hunter went about putting the horses up and dusk was approaching by the time they finished. Angelica froze at the door of the barn and looked at the darkness of the shadowy forest.

’ Come out, come out wherever you are.’ Victor laughed coldly.

“Leave me alone!” Angelica begged. Hunter stood behind her and looked out across the yard but didn’t see anyone that Angelica could be talking to. He knew whatever was scaring her and whoever she was talking to must be in her head. He was used to hearing people talk to themselves and invisible people only they could hear. His mother had done the same thing quite often toward the end when the medications for her cancer had gotten to her.

He also knew that babying Angelica or treating her differently just because she was a bit crazy would only make the woman angry and cause her to feel shame and he didn’t want that, so instead he held his arm out.

“I’ll walk ya to the house.” he said with a smile. Angelica looked at his arm as if it were a weapon of mass destruction and took a step away. Angelica had not allowed a single man, other than Damien, to touch her in any way since Victor and Rotan. She was scared of being hurt again and in her experience, men seemed to enjoy hurting women.

“Well come on if you’re coming.” Hunter said and he walked out of the barn giving Angelica no choice but to run along behind him or be left behind.

Angelica walked into the kitchen behind Hunter and then froze with fear and remained hidden behind the tall vampire. She hated it when the whole family was gathered in one place like this. The noise and chaos tore at her already frayed nerves.

“I’m so happy you came back home!” Jordan said as she threw her arms around her sons neck for the thousandth time while he sat in his chair.

“I know mom…” Alex’s voice trailed off as the scent of vanilla grew stronger in the large kitchen and the wolf inside of him began to go crazy.

’ Mate!’ it screamed. Now Alex had always been good at ignoring his inner wolf and living as a mortal but right now the wolf in him was screaming loudly enough that there was no way he could just shove it aside. His head whipped around to Hunter who had just walked into the kitchen and his nostril’s widened.

Was the wolf in him playing some kind of practical joke? Or was the wolf in him a raging homosexual? Laney noticed the tension in her cousin’s posture and raised her brow.

“You okay, string bean?” she asked. Alex nodded and blinked several times as he tried to make the voice in his head shut up. It was like someone had fed his wolf some serious crack cocaine and the thing was bouncing around like a hyperactive puppy.

“Hunter, where is Angelica?” Laney asked and Hunter stepped aside revealing the woman hiding behind him. Alex took one look at her and knew that this was who his wolf was going crazy over. That one look was enough to tell him that he’d rather his wolf be gay.

She was about five and a half feet tall and skin and bones in her oversized red cotton moo moo dress and black leggings. She had long blond hair that he was sure he saw gray streaks in and her face, neck and even the parts of her arms and hands that were visible were covered in pale, raised scars. She had big blue eyes behind long blond eyelashes and those eyes were full of fear.

“Come sit down, Angel, we have dinner almost ready.” Rebecca said warmly. Angelica looked around for Damien but he wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“Where’s Damien?” she asked.

“He took Kaylee to their beach house for a few days.” Rebecca replied. Angelica nodded as she sat down in a chair across the table from the new man she’d never met before. He was sitting but she could tell he was tall and he was very lean, almost skinny in his baggy jeans and black t-shirt. He had metal rings on one of his ears and his hair was bright green. She wondered why a grown man would have hair that color.

His face was soft and good natured enough but right now his blue eyes were looking at her as if she was an alien. She self consciously ran her hand over her scarred face before wrapping her arms tight around herself.

Alex couldn’t believe the shitty truth that was his life. His wolf was attracted to this ugly woman. His wolf wanted to jump across the table and take her into his arms and never let her go, whereas the man in him wanted to vomit at the image that created in his head.

“That means I’ll be worked to death for the next week while my sister and her love muffin relax with some Sex on the Beach.” Kayleb grumbled as Rebecca sat a big pan full of lasagna on the table.

“Kayleb!” Raquel exclaimed with a sharp look at her son. Kayleb shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

“What?” he demanded. “It’s an alcoholic drink.”

“Alcohol.” Lane said with a sigh of contentment. “Something I have plenty of now… Just so long as I can keep my drunk mother out of it.”

“I am not a drunk.” Rebecca exclaimed as she blushed blood red.

“Where’s Jake and Angela?” Joey asked looking around the table.

“Upstairs.” Bethany replied, shaking out her blond mane of hair. “Angela is having a hard day.”

The family continued talking but Alex’s mind was not on their conversations. He couldn’t take his eyes off the woman across the table from him. She was avoiding his gaze as she picked at the food on her plate. She was immortal but he couldn’t figure out what kind and he was confused by the scars covering her, the skinniness of her body and the gray in her hair. She didn’t look like any immortal woman he’d ever seen before.

’ Mate! Go to the mate. Love the mate. The mate is scared… take care of the mate.’ The wolf in him chanted. Alex’s hands gripped the edge of the table tightly, his knuckles whitening with the pressure. He had to get the hell out of here. He had to get away from the enticing scent of the ugly woman who had him losing control of his mind. There was no way in hell he was going to be mated to somebody that looked like that.

“Oops look at the time, I got to go.” Alex said standing up. He noticed the way his grandpa was looking back and forth between Angelica and Alex with a look of pure shock on his face. Alex groaned under his breath. His grandpa was too smart for his own good.

(Don’t say a word.) Alex warned and Charles gave a nod that was barely noticeable and became very interested in the peas on his plate.

“Where are you going?” Jordan pouted. “You just got here.”

“Too good to spend time with your mom and dad?” Kent added. Angelica raised a brow. The shortest woman and the shortest man in the family were this tall, green haired mans parents? That was odd. She laughed out loud earning a questioning look from everyone at the table.

“What’s so funny?” Alex couldn’t help but ask and then he kicked himself mentally. He needed to get away from her, not have a damn conversation. But the sound of her wind chime like laughter had the wolf in him wagging its tail and grinning from ear to ear. Damn crazy ass canine.

“Nothing, my peas just said something funny.” she replied as she stabbed her fork through one and lifted it up to her eye level. Alex was sure he must have heard her wrong.

“Your peas?” he asked. Angelica nodded and glanced around the table nervously as everyone stared at her.

“Yes.” she replied. “Haven’t you ever thought about what they would say if they could talk?”

“I imagine it’d be something like, ‘Dude, we’re about to get eaten.’ and then another pea would look at the first and be like, ‘Holy shit, a talking pea!’” Kayleb said and everyone laughed, except for Alex and Angelica.

“So where are you going?” Jordan asked Alex again.

’ Anywhere other than here with that thing that’s supposed to be me my mate. Talking peas? Are you kidding me?’ Alex thought but that’s not what he said.

“I got a hot date.” is what he told his mother.

“I should have known you didn’t come back here just to visit with us.” she pouted.

“You know I love you, mom.” he said before kissing her hair. “I’ll see you all later.” He waved absently and then ran from the house.

“What the heck is going on with him?” Laney asked.

“Puberty.” Kayleb replied matter of factly and Laney threw a pea at his head. Angelica excused herself from the table quickly and went up to her room. She sat on the bed, pulled her knees up into her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them.

The green haired man had frightened her. He frightened her because she was drawn to him and she couldn’t explain why…..

888

“This shit just sucks.” Alex said as he sat alone in a booth at the bar in town. As corny as it sounded, he had always dreamed of finding his mate. That was why he had a rule against cuddling, kissing or any form of intimacy with a woman. Sex was sex but everything else he was saving for his mate…. Or at least he had been, until he’d seen what kind of mate fate had cursed him with.

His mate was supposed to be beautiful, classy, charming and fun. The woman fate had stuck him with was ugly, scrawny and clearly a little crazy if she was imagining having conversations with her green beans. Add to that the fact that she was as old as the far side of the farthest mountain! She was the mother of a one thousand year old demon for goodness sake! He nursed his beer and wondered what his friends would say if they saw her… Todd would probably keep his mouth shut, knowing that immortals didn’t have a say in who their mates were, but Tony… Tony would never let him live it down.

“You look heartbroken.” Alex looked up to see his grandpa standing there looking down at him.

“No, I’m celebrating.” Alex replied sarcastically as he spun his now empty beer bottle.

“Can I sit down?” Alex nodded and motioned at the empty side of the bench.

“So you and Angelica.” Charles said and Alex coughed. “Are you okay?” Charles asked.

“Yeah. I just threw up a little in my mouth is all.” Alex replied. Charles looked at his grandson and sighed. Alex had the dark, sharp looks that he and Jake both had. He had gotten them from Jordan. He was tall like Jake but he was much leaner, almost to the point of being skinny. Lane liked to joke that Jordan had gotten with Greg and that’s really who Alex’s father was because of his tall, skinny build.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Charles asked.

“Nope.” Alex replied. “There’s nothing to talk about..”

“Do you want to know where she got those scars?”

“She scared the mirror she was looking in so badly that it shattered and attacked her face?” Charles chuckled and shook his head. Alex had gotten Lane’s ability of taking nothing seriously. Of course Alex was even more cool tempered and good natured than even Lane. Charles had never seen his grandson fight or get angry or violent with anyone.

“She was held prisoner by a demon named Victor and his son Rotan for five hundred years. Victor took her as a mortal and then used demon magic to make her immortal so he could keep her forever.”

“Obsessive much?” Alex asked, even as he felt the wolf in him growing protective and angry over the fact that anyone would touch the mate.

“Victor was Damien’s father and Damien freed Angelica from him but not before Victor and Rotan scarred her body and poisoned her mind. The reason she is so skinny and her hair looks the way it does is because over the centuries Victor took bits and pieces of her soul. Now given the fact that she’s been free for nearly five hundred years, she should be healed, well at least her skinniness and hair, but I believe that her fear and nerves keep her from doing so.” Alex sighed and leaned back in the booth.

“Grandpa, not only is the woman ugly but she is crazy. Loco. Coo coo in her cocoa puffs.” Charles chuckled again and nodded.

“Yeah she’s definitely a strange one but then again, she has reason to be doesn’t she?” Charles stood up and cleared his throat. “Well I just thought you needed to know.” he said and then he walked out of the bar leaving Alex sitting there feeling sorry for himself and feeling like a jackass at the same time.

He wasn’t normally a shallow dickhead, but come on, he wanted a hot mate!

888

(Damien.) Angelica called to her son. It took several moments but finally he responded.

(What mom?) he asked and she could hear the irritation in his voice. She hated when he sounded like that. She knew her son hated her and she got on his nerves but he was all she had.

(I want to go home.) Angelica replied. She was tired of being here around this family. They were all nice enough but they crowded her and treated her like a child. She would rather be alone again than treated that way. And she no longer felt safe here like she had that first night. Victors voice had destroyed that peace.

(What do you mean? I thought you wanted to stay with Kaylee’s family?)

(My friends don’t like it here. I want to go home.) There was a pause and she could picture Damien rubbing his temples.

(Do you want to go now or can it wait until I get back?)

(Now.)

(Let me talk to Kaylee and I’ll be there. Pack your suitcase.) Angelica looked down at her suitcase she was sitting on.

(I already did, Damien. I’m not helpless.) She felt Damien close the link and she stared down at the tan carpet at her feet. In a way she would miss having people around but at the same time at least she wouldn’t have to see pity filled glances and overly patient voices.

’ Be honest, dear Angelica. You are leaving because you are scared of how often you hear my voice…. You think you can go home and I will somehow disappear.’ Victors voice came coldly into her head.

“Leave me alone, Victor. You’re dead,”

’ Maybe I am, but I’ll never leave you alone,’ Before Angelica could respond the air shimmered in the room and Damien was there.

“Does everybody know you’re leaving?” he asked and Angelica shook her head.

“No. I knew they would try to talk me into staying.”

“You should stay. I don’t like the thought of you isolating yourself again.”

“I want to go home, Damien.” she said stubbornly as she stood up and grabbed the handle of her suitcase. Damien nodded and took her gently by the arm.

“Fine. I’ll let everyone know once I get you settled in.”

Damien didn’t stay long at her cabin. She made sure he checked every room to ensure that she was alone and then he left. Angelica looked around the messy house. She really needed to clean it…. You never know what a friend could come by.

Chapter Four

Alex didn’t drag his drunk ass to the house until late enough that he knew everyone would already be in bed. He made his way to the spare room on the first floor beside the library. He could have gone upstairs to his old room but he hadn’t wanted to go wandering around and stumble on Angelica’s room. Her vanilla scent was overwhelming in this house and it had his nerves on edge. The wolf in him wanted to be near her, the man in him wasn’t so sure. He didn’t want to be an ass. The woman had clearly been through a lot and that had made her the way she was but how was he supposed to look at somebody that looked like her and feel love or passion?

He pulled off his heavy black boots, slid his baggy jeans off his legs and climbed into bed in his t-shirt and boxer briefs. Maybe if he got a good night of sleep he’d see things more clearly in the morning… Than again he wasn’t sure he could take seeing her much more clearly.

888

Alex woke up the next day thankful that immortals didn’t get hangovers or else he’d have a heck of one. His nostrils flared as he searched for her scent but it was gone. Barely a trace remained in the air. Where was she? He groaned at the sunlight shining through the window beside the bed and threw his pillow at the intrusive rays.

He climbed out of bed and pulled on his pants before walking barefooted to the kitchen. Only his grandma was there when he padded in and flopped down in a chair.

“Coffee, grandma that I love so much. I need coffee.” Rebecca shook her head.

“There is no coffee, dear. You have to wake up before noon if you want coffee.” Alex could hear irritation in her voice and it surprised him. His grandma was never irritated. Alex looked at the clock and winced when he saw it was almost one in the afternoon.

“I got in late.” he offered as an excuse.

“Yes, from your date.” Rebecca replied icily as she loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and slammed it shut, with much more force than was called for. Alex sighed and folded his arms on the table before throwing his head down on them.

“You talked to grandpa.” he stated as he stared at the oak tabletop. He could see a dent and crack in the wood and he assumed that at some point his uncle Jake must have decided the table deserved to be taught a lesson.

“Yes I did, Alexander Holt Mitchell, and I must say I am completely disappointed in the kinds of things you said. There is more to a woman than what she looks like!”

“Grandma, the woman talks to peas.”

“Yes and you have green hair.” Rebecca replied matter of factly. ’We all have our little quirks.“

“Riiight… Talking to vegetables is considered a quirk in this family. Nice to know we’re such normal folk.”

“I can’t talk to you right now.” Rebecca said as she walked toward the hallway. “I’m disgusted.”

“Grandma….” Alex called but she was gone. He stared down at his hands feeling about an inch tall and ashamed of himself. He shouldn’t have run from Angelica. Sure he might not ever see her as a romantic mate but he could get to know her and be her friend. Having a friend that talked to vegetables wouldn’t be much different than having Tony who talked to himself most of the time. And his wolf was going to drive him crazy until he was near her again.

Alex stood up and toward the living room. He would have to figure out where Angelica had gone so he could find her and make things right. He was just coming to the living room when he heard his cousin Gwen singing.

“The ittsy bittsy spider went up the water spout! Down came the rain….”

“Gwen!” Jakes deep, angry voice snapped. “What have I told you about singing that song?” Alex stepped into the living room and saw Jake standing over Gwen, who was playing with dolls while Angela sat in the chair with a book on her lap and a haunted look in her eyes.

“Jake, it’s okay.” Angela said quietly as Gwen looked up at her giant, dark uncle with fear. “She can sing.”

“No, that song bothers you.” Jake replied as he moved across the room and lifted Angela to her feet. He sat down in the chair and then pulled her back down onto his lap.

“I think it bothers you more.” Angela replied gently as she kissed his tense cheek. She knew that Jake still blamed himself for not protecting her better. The man was always worried about being the hero and it caused him to carry the weight of the world on his broad shoulders most of the time.

Alex felt a pain deep inside of him at the sight of Jake and Angela together as his wolf cried out for the mate. Alex shook his head to try to make the wolf shut up and cleared his throat.

“Uncle Jake, do you know where uh… That crazy woman is at?”

“Angelica?” Angela asked as Jake raised a brow and gave Alex a puzzled look.

“Yeah her.” Alex replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and doing his best to look casual.

“She left. Damien took her back to her house.” Jake said.

“She’s silly.” Gwen said as she looked up at Alex. Alex nodded because he agreed completely. The man in him was kind of relieved that she was gone but the wolf in him was miserable at those words.

“You okay?” Angela asked and Alex forced his usual goofy grin onto his face.

“I’m okie dokie, McSmoky. How are you?” Angela nodded.

“I’ll be just fine. I’m tougher than I look. It’s this big guy that’s having a hard time.” she replied, tilting her head toward Jake.

“You killed him didn’t you?” Alex asked and Jake growled and nodded.

“Yeah. I killed him.” Alex shivered at the icy quality of Jake’s voice. Alex was a zero violence kind of guy. He knew that the demon who had had Angela, deserved to die, and he didn’t blame his uncle for killing him but Alex had a make love, not war policy in his own life. Why waste time with hate, vengeance and fighting when you could be partying, laughing and having fun?

“Then cheer up, buttercup, all is good with the world.” Alex said with a wink.

“I take back what I said yesterday. You’re not a dweeb, you’re a freaking sergeant major dweeb.” Kaitlyn said as she breezed through the room.

“From the planet Dweebdong in the Dweebly galaxy.” he agreed and Kaitlyn snorted and headed for the kitchen while Gwen giggled for all she was worth.

“Come on, sergeant major, I need some help out in the garage.” Evan said as he walked in the living room.

“I’m on vacation from work.”

“What work? You play in a band on the weekends and you volunteer at the old folks home and play bingo with a bunch of blue haired ladies a few days a week. Now you’re damn good in a garage and Angela’s truck needs A LOT of work so come on.”

“Only because I love aunt Angela.” Alex replied as he winked at her. “One day you’ll realize that you don’t want to be mated with that overgrown, testosterone overdosed, muscle head and you’ll come running to me.”

“Keep dreaming, pipsqueak.” Jake said as he wrapped his arms tighter around Angela. Alex smiled and followed Evan outside, trying to pretend as if he was fine, even though the wolf in him was hurting and wanting to be near the mate. If she wasn’t around anymore then surely the wolf in him would forget about her eventually… Right?

888

Three days later found Alex pacing back and forth in the living area of his penthouse suite as he stared out the large window at the darkness and artificial lights glowing in the night.

“I don’t even know the woman. The only thing I said to her was ‘what’s so funny.’ and then she told me about some talking peas. She’s ugly and weird and there is no logical reason why I should want to see her this badly.” he said to himself. “It’s this stupid mate business. Why can’t I just be a mortal and not have to worry about this crazy canine inside of me. Obviously he has no sense whatsoever or he’d take off running from the mate with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.”

“Talking to yourself is a definite sign of craziness you know.” Todd’s voice came to him and Alex turned and faced his friend.

“I wasn’t talking to myself.” he replied.

“Do you have a new imaginary friend then? Because the only person that I saw in here was you.”

“Don’t you have your own house?” Alex demanded as he walked to the kitchen to grab a beer.

“Yep but it’s not nearly this nice.” Todd replied, catching the bottle of blood that Alex tossed to him and putting it in the microwave to heat it up.

“Where’s Tony?” Alex asked as he popped open his bottle of beer and then took a long drink.

“Hot date.” Todd replied and Alex nodded. “So, your mate…..?”

“Nope. No mate.” Alex said shaking his head with denial.

“You met her when you went home didn’t you? You’ve been acting tense ever since and since you are the least tense person I know, that tells me something must have happened while you were gone.” Alex sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“You should see her, Todd, she’s a crazy ass.”

“Says the dude with green hair, tats and earrings.”

“Says the dude with giant purple spikes on his head.” Alex countered and both friends smiled.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She talks to vegetables… And she’s not hot.” Alex replied matter of factly. Todd shrugged.

“Neither are you.” he said and then he pulled his blood from the microwave at the sound of the ding.

“No I mean she’s reeeaally not hot.”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter, dude. If she’s your mate, she’s your mate. It doesn’t mean you have to love her or tangle sheets with her but it does mean that you have to be around her or else you’re going to drive yourself crazy….. Personally I can’t handle much more of your tense ass.”

“I hate you.” Alex said because he knew Todd was right. He was slowly going insane as he wondered if Angelica was okay.. Where she was… What she was doing…

“You love me.” Todd countered. Alex ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

“Don’t make a mess around here. I’ll be back Saturday for our gig.”

“Go get her, tiger.” Todd replied with a grin.

“I’m a wolf.” Alex said.

“Whatever.”

Chapter Five

Alex dashed himself into the library of the family house, hoping to find Kaylee in her favorite spot and he wasn’t disappointed. Damien was there also and when Alex appeared suddenly the demon nearly had him peeing his pants with just a threatening look.

“Calm down please.” Alex said as he looked from his cousin to his….. Oh jeeze… A sudden thought occurred to Alex when he looked at Damien again. If he and Angelica were to be a couple then Damien would essentially be his step son. Alex felt his knees trembling when he realized he was about to ask this deadly demon to take him to his mother because his mother was Alex’s mate. So much for a no violence lifestyle. He was probably going to have to fight for his life once Damien realized what was going on.

“What are you doing here, Alex? I thought you went back to California?” Kaylee said as Damien relaxed and sat back down on the oversized arm chair beside her.

“I uh.. I need to talk to him.” Alex said pointing at Damien.

“Me?” Damien asked. He had never met Alex before today and couldn’t figure out why the man would want to talk to him.

“Yeah. Alone.” he added with a pointed look at his cousin. Kaylee nodded and reluctantly stood up.

“I’ll just go get a snack.” she said and she left the room. Alex looked back at Damien and cleared his throat.

“I need a favor.”

“Why should I do you a favor? I don’t even know you.” Damien replied. He couldn’t see how any problem Alex had would be his problem.

“Well it’s about your mom.” Alex replied and just saying those words felt wrong. Fate had really dealt him a low blow. Damien raised a brow and looked suddenly more interested.

“What about my mom?”

“I need to talk to her.”

“She’s gone. She went back to her house in Montana.” Damien replied.

“I know.” Alex said with a nod as he rubbed his suddenly itchy palm on his jeans. “I uh.. I want you to take me there so I can talk to her.”

“Why?” Damien asked as he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. Alex looked the demon in the eye since they were roughly the same height but Damien was clearly much more muscular than he was.

“Because she’s uh… she’s my mate and I need to talk to her.” Alex whispered this, hoping against hope that the demon wouldn’t understand. The look on Damien’s face was nearly enough to have Alex dashing to the farthest corner of hell just to hide from him.

“What?” Damien demanded and Alex nodded.

“You heard me.” he said, doing his best tough guy impression. Damien crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the skinny, strange looking wolf. He didn’t know anything about this man. Would this man hurt his mother? Surely he wouldn’t want to be romantically involved with her. Damien cared about his mother but knew that there was no way a man would ever look at her with passion.

“You’ve met my mother haven’t you?” Damien asked cautiously and Alex nodded.

“Yes.” he swallowed hard, “I’ve met your mother.”

“And yet you still want to see her again?” Damien asked and Alex nodded.

“Yes.”

“I will take you.” Damien said. It wasn’t his business how Alex felt about what kind of mate he had and it wasn’t his business how his mother would react to learning she had a mate. He was having a hard enough time figuring out his own emotions and keeping up with Kaylee’s to worry about anyone elses.

“Can you not tell Kaylee about this. I’m not ready for the whole family to know yet.” Damien nodded.

“I’ll keep your secret.” he promised and then he grabbed Alex’s hand and dashed him to the clearing his mother’s cabin sat in, deep in the pine forests of Montana.

“Rustic.” Alex said looking around and Damien shrugged.

“She doesn’t trust people.” he replied. “Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

“No that’s okay, big guy,” Alex replied. “I got it from here.” Damien let out a sigh of relief and then stepped back.

“Good luck.” he said and then the air shimmered and he was gone.

“Thanks, I’m gonna need it.” Alex said to the empty space where Damien had been standing seconds ago. He ran his hand through his green hair, smoothed out his baggy black t-shirt and then walked slowly up to the door, with the sounds of his rattling chains filling the air. He took his time as he walked to the door, as if he were walking to his death and wanting to savor every last second of life before his time came.

He knocked on the door and heard a feminine scream come from inside. Acting purely on wolf instincts he kicked open the door and ran into the cabin only to find himself face to face with the barrel of a twelve gauge shotgun.

“Don’t shoot me!” he said to Angelica, who was at the other end of the gun and looking scared to death as she stared at him.

“You…. What are you doing here?” she demanded, without lowering the gun.

“I came to visit.” Alex replied. Angelica looked beside her as if someone was standing there.

“I don’t know why he’s here either…. Yes I know I should shoot him right in the head for bursting in here…. He scared me too.” Talking to her ‘friends’ was something she did whenever she was uncomfortable. She wasn’t a psychiatrist or else she would know it came from centuries of isolation.

“Uh.. Right… Are you going to shoot me or…?” Alex asked, he didn’t find it too weird that she had just talked to no one. After all the woman claimed to talk to peas so it made perfect sense that she would talk to air too. Angelica considered shooting him for a moment but then decided she had worked too hard to get her house clean, to stain the carpet with his blood and she sat the gun down, leaning it against the wall.

“Have a seat.” Angelica said, remembering her manners. “Would you like some tea?”

“Tea?” Alex asked with a frown. He’d never had tea before.

“I’ll just get you a cup and you can try it.” Angelica said waving her hand dismissively. Alex sat down on a small sofa and watched her shuffle on her thin legs through the kitchen. She actually looked better than he remembered. Not hot, not even beautiful, not with those ugly scars, but her face seemed fuller somehow. Less sunken in and skinny… Maybe her body was beginning to heal a little, the way his grandpa had said it would.

She came into the small living room and handed him a cup, and he was careful to keep their hands from brushing when he took it from her. She sat down in a chair across from him and smoothed out her dark blue moo moo dress and he wondered why she always wore such ugly clothes.

“We weren’t expected any company today.” Angelica said matter of factly before blowing her tea and taking a drink.

“We?” Alex asked and a blush colored Angelica’s scar covered cheeks.

“Me. I wasn’t expecting any company.” Alex took a sip of the tea and realized it wasn’t that bad. It had a sweet taste that filled his senses, but couldn’t overpower the scent of vanilla that was filling his nostrils.

“I came by because I wanted to check on you.” Alex said finding that he suddenly felt awkward. He had never been the type to not know what to say but right now he was feeling pretty lost.

“Why?” Angelica asked.

“Huh?”

“Why would you want to check on me?” Angelica was confused by this man. She was drawn to him which was a big deal for her, seeing as how she trusted no one except her son. She liked being near him, though she couldn’t remember his name. There was something about his presence that made her feel more at peace than she had felt in nearly a thousand years.

“Well uh… that’s kinda hard to explain.” Alex replied as he picked at the fringes on the red throw pillow next to him. He looked around the tidy little cabin and wondered if he should tell her the truth. What if she expected him to touch her and feel passion for her once she knew he was her mate. There was no way he could do that and so maybe it was safer not to tell her.

“Try to explain it. I’m smarter than most people think.” Angelica replied as she took another sip of her tea.

“You….. intrigued me.” was all Alex said in reply and this left Angelica feeling even more confused. Since when were people intrigued by her? Scared of her, yes. Felt pity for her, yes. Acted as if she had a disease because of her scars, yes. But intrigued… that wasn’t a word she heard very often.

“So, have your peas had anything interesting to say lately?” Alex asked with a smile. Angelica felt her last remaining fear of him melt away at the sight of his smile. It was a friendly smile. An open smile. It wasn’t guarded like Damien’s smiles or cold the way Victor and Rotans had always been. There was no pity in his blue eyes either. He simply looked like a nice guy who had wanted to check on her.

“Peas don’t talk.” she replied matter of factly. Alex’s smile grew wider. Why was he smiling? He wasn’t sure. There was something about Angelica. An innocence and a goodness that was infectious to him and all he could do was smile.

“That’s not what you said the other day. You said your pea said something funny and it made you laugh.” This time Angelica smiled and the smile surprised her. It was her first real smile in centuries.

“I was imagining what my peas would say if they could talk, which they can’t.”

“Thank goodness. For a while there I was worried that you were crazy.”

“I’m not crazy.” Angelica replied quickly and Alex could hear the defensiveness in her tone. Clearly she believed that she was normal and he wasn’t about to argue with her. The wolf in him was finally content and satisfied and he wasn’t going to do anything to make it start whining again.

“No, having imaginary conversations with your vegetables is completely normal.” he said with a good natured grin and Angelica laughed.

“It’s more normal than having bright green hair.” she countered.

“Hey, the chicks dig my hair.” Alex replied while patting it. It was hanging down to his ears, soft and flat, since he hadn’t styled it.

“Chicks? Why would chickens like your hair?” Alex laughed and then realized that she was serious.

“Women… Not chickens.” he replied.

“Why would you call women, chicks.”

“Not all women.” Alex said shaking his head and taking another drink of tea. “Attractive women.”

“Oh.” that simple word was flat and full of unmasked pain and Alex mentally kicked himself when Angelica ran her hand over her face. He was smarter than to say something like that. Hell he’d been raised in a whole house full of women!

Angelica looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was getting very late.

“It’s time for my show.” she said matter of factly.

“What show is that?” Alex asked, thankful that she had changed the subject.

“Jeopardy.” Angelica replied as she grabbed the remote control and turned on the small tv on the wall.

“You watch jeopardy?” he asked and Angelica nodded.

“I do.” she said. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Nope.” Alex replied. He settled back on the couch and the two of them sat in a comfortable silence as they watched the show. When it ended, Alex felt like a complete dumbass and he learned that Angelica was actually very very smart. Judging by the number of books covering the house she liked to read as well and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had seen his families library.

“Why did you leave the big house?” Alex asked her. Angelica picked at her dress and chewed her lip before replying.

“I didn’t like it there anymore. Everyone treated me like they felt sorry for me and like I was stupid.”

“Seeing as how you just thoroughly kicked my skinny butt at jeopardy, I think it’s safe to say you’re not stupid.” Alex replied. “And surely you can see why people automatically feel sorry for you when they see you.”

“My scars.” she said and the words were so quiet that Alex would not have heard them if not for his wolf hearing. Seeing her frown was not something he liked. Her smile had been nice. It took away some of the harshness that the scars gave her and it had made her blue eyes sparkle.

“I got a scar too.” Alex said matter of factly. He lifted his shirt sleeve to show her the large splattering of burn scars on his arm where Laney had spilled hot grease on him when they’d been kids. Since he hadn’t been sixteen yet and his immortal healing had not been fully developed the burn had left a scar. “I say to wear ’em like a badge showing just how badass you are.”

“Badass?”

“Tough.”

“I am not tough.” Angelica looked beside her again and Alex knew she was about to talk to someone he couldn’t see. “He is not weird…. I like him… It’s nice to have a friend other than you… You always say bad things about everyone….”

“Your friend doesn’t sound very nice.” Alex interrupted and she blushed. The talking to imaginary friends thing was weird but for some reason it suited her. It almost seemed normal when she did it. Alex looked at the clock and saw that it was getting close to ten at night.

“I guess I should go.” Alex said even as the wolf in him rebelled against the idea.

“Okay. Will you….” Angelica stopped and looked suddenly embarrassed.

“Will I what?” Alex asked.

“Come visit me again. I don’t have any friends.”

“Then who were you just talking to?” Alex teased with a smile. For some reason his teasing didn’t upset her the way most people’s did. When he teased her it made her smile.

“I don’t have any real friends.” she amended.

“When do you want me to come?” he asked.

“I could cook us lunch tomorrow.” Angelica said thinking of the fresh baked ham in the refrigerator that would make good sandwiches. Alex smiled and stood up. Angelica stood too and walked him to the door. She looked up at him since he was a good foot taller than she was and wrung her hands nervously.

“Thank you for coming.” she said. “It feels nice to have a friend. What is your name anyway?”

“Alex and a friend I can be.” Alex replied with a wink. He felt bad about not telling her the truth but the thought of touching her the way she would expect a mate to just didn’t seem like something he could do. Angelica watched him walk out into the darkness and then she quickly shut her door and locked the many locks she had covering it. Luckily when Alex had come earlier she had just walked back into her house and had none of the locks done so he hadn’t destroyed her door when he’d kicked it in.

She couldn’t figure out what it was about the weird looking man that made her feel so comfortable and at ease but she was thankful for it. It would be so nice to have a friend she could talk to that would actually talk back.

’ He can’t keep you safe from me, dear Angelica. I will always be right here in your head.’ Angelica shivered and wrapped her arms tight around herself at the sound of Victor’s voice. She walked back to her bedroom, leaving her lights on as she went. The darkness scared her and she never turned her lights off. She curled up under her covers and tried to think of her new friend to keep the nightmares away but the moment she fell asleep, Rotan was there with his knife and her screams were filling the air.

888

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Alex demanded when he dashed back to his California apartment and found Todd and Tony and the three girls from the other night playing a game of pool.

“I thought you said he wasn’t coming back until Saturday?” Tony demanded of Todd.

“He said Saturday.” Todd replied with a shrug.

“This is my house. I can come and go as I please.” Alex said, it wasn’t like him to have a temper but he was tired.

“Come have some fun with us.” Tony said. “The girls here were beating us pretty good.”

“No, I’m tired.”

“How’d things go?” Todd asked and Alex shrugged.

“They went.” he replied. “I’m going to bed. You guys better keep the noise down out here and Todd, don’t forget to close the curtains before you both crash out because I would hate to be vacuuming your ash up in the morning.”

Candy stepped away from the pool table and walked toward him. She licked her glossy lower lip and laid her hand on her tight, tan stomach.

“How about you show me that microphone again?” she asked breathlessly. Alex was confused when he looked at her because instead of being turned on by her, her fakeness disgusted him…. Oh lord, finding his mate had turned him gay.

“Not tonight, Candy. I’m going to bed… Alone.” He added pointedly and then he turned and went into his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

Chapter Six

Alex woke up the next morning and pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a clean black t-shirt. He looked at the clock and saw that it was nine-thirty. Ten-thirty in Montana and too early for lunch. He walked out of his room and rolled his eyes when he found Todd and Tony sprawled across the couches.

He went into the kitchen, and pulled some eggs out of the refrigerator. As he began to scramble them and their scent filled the air, he heard Tony groan and then run from the living room, toward the bathroom.

“Sucks to be mortal.” Todd said, walking into the kitchen and scratching his bare stomach.

“Hangovers must be horrible.” Alex agreed as he took the eggs off the stove and turned the knob to off.

“So, what made you tell Candy no last night? I thought you weren’t interested in your mate.”

“I’m not interested in her but I just wasn’t interested in Candy either.” Alex replied.

“How in the hell could you not be interested in Candy? She is one of the hottest women on the planet!” Tony exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen, scratching his bald, tattooed head and running his hand over his brown beard.

“Alex has a mate now.” Todd said matter of factly as he took a big bite of scrambled eggs from the pan. Alex swatted his hand with the whisk and growled.

“Those are for friends who don’t have big ass mouths.” he grumbled and Todd just shrugged.

“Damn, you found your mate?” Tony exclaimed. “She must be really hot man, if she made you turn your nose up at Candy.” Alex tossed the whisk into the sink and shook his head.

“Turning Candy down had nothing to do with my mate!” he insisted. Had it? Had he turned Candy down because somehow he felt devoted to Angelica? Hell if he knew.. He hadn’t understood a single thing since he’d met the crazy woman five days ago.

“Sure it did.” Todd replied with a smile. “My little boy is growing up.” He patted Alex on the head and Alex ducked and backed away from him.

“Bring her around sometime.” Tony said as he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

“No.” Alex said quickly. He could only imagine the kinds of hell his friend would give him if he saw Angelica. She wasn’t exactly the kind of woman a man could brag about. “And why are you drinking again this early? Don’t you have a hangover.”

“Getting drunk again is the miracle hangover cure.” Tony replied with a grin. Alex couldn’t help but smile and he took a big handful of the eggs and stuck them into his mouth.

“Do you own plates and silverware?” Todd asked.

“Yeah but the funny thing about using them is that afterward you have to clean them.” Alex looked at the clock. Ten o’clock… That meant it was eleven in Montana. Some people ate lunch early like that, maybe Angelica was one of those people. He didn’t take the time to wonder why he was so anxious to see her again. Not the wolf, the wolf was always anxious to see her so that was nothing new, but the man. The man in him wanted to see her and he figured if he tried to take the time to understand that his head would probably start to hurt.

“Well I gotta go.” he said.

“To the mate.” Todd stated with a wink.

“No.” Alex said in denial. “I’m a busy man.” Todd and Tony both snorted with laughter. “Please don’t destroy my house, I’ll be back later.”

“You go puppy, get that girl.” Tony said, nudging him in the stomach with his elbow.

“I hate you both.” Alex said and then he took a step back, the air shimmer and he was gone.

Alex looked around the small clearing in the pine forest outside Angelica’s cabin. This was his first time seeing it in the daylight and he realized just how isolated she really was. He breathed deep, but not a single scent of civilization came to him. He wondered how she’d managed to even get electricity way out here

Suddenly his ears picked up a sound that had him running to the cabin. She was crying, she was yelling out and she was scared. Alex threw the door open, ignoring the splintering crack as he broke the wooden frame. He ran down the short hallway toward the sound and he found her asleep in her bed with her knees pulled into her chest and her arms wrapped tight around them.

“Leave me alone!” she screamed out. “You’re dead! You’re dead! You’re dead!” She screamed, an ear piercing scream that seemed to be filled with pain and Alex didn’t even think about what he was doing as he went to the bed and crouched beside it. He smoothed her blond hair from her face and then grabbed her skinny shoulder and shook her gently.

“Wake up, Angelica.” he said. Her blue eyes flew open and at first they were filled with fear but as she recognized who he was the fear changed to relief and before he could pull away she jumped toward him and threw her thin arms around his neck.

“Knives. Knives. Knives. Him and those stupid knives.” she whispered against his chest as Alex felt her tears soaking through his shirt. Her tears bothered both the wolf and the man in him. He had never been able to see any woman cry without wanting to make whatever was wrong, all better.

“Whose knives?” he asked gently as he smoothed out her hair.

“Rotan.” she replied and he felt the shiver pass through her as she said the demon’s name.

“He’s dead, Angelica. My uncle killed him. Chopped him up like stew meat according to Hunter.”

“That doesn’t stop him or Victor from coming into my dreams.” Angelica whispered and then she realized that she was letting a man touch her and she jumped away as if she’d been burned.

Alex looked at her questioningly and tried to ignore the fact that he suddenly felt colder without her in his arms. He chose not to think about that because the only logical explanation was that he was going crazy.. Why else would he crave to hold her?

“Do you have nightmares like that very often?” he asked and he saw the haunted look come into her blue eyes as she nodded.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. Alex tilted his head and raised his brow.

“You invited me.” he reminded her. “For lunch.” Angelica thought back to the night before and shook her head.

“I didn’t think you’d be here this early.” she said.

“It’s eleven.” he said in defense of himself. “Do you want me to leave?” Angelica shook her head with so much force he worried it might pop off.

“No, please stay.” she said with a hint of desperation. Alex knew she must really be lonely if she was that eager for him to stay and he wondered again why she lived so far out here on her own.

“So what’s for lunch?” he asked as he stretched back up to his full height and looked down at her, sitting in bed, with her blankets pulled around her and the same blue dress from the day before.

“I have a fresh baked ham. I was going to make us some sandwiches, but I have to shower first. My friends say I look a fright.” Alex smiled broadly. That was the first time he had ever heard someone say ‘look a fright’.

“Well why don’t you do what you need to do and I’ll make the sandwiches.” Angelica stood up and looked at him uncertainly.

“You know how to cook?” she asked.

“Not much cooking involved in making sandwiches.” he replied and then Angelica looked beside her and he knew the imaginary friend was about to get a talking to.

“Leave him alone…. He is my friend…. I don’t know why he would want to be friends with me but he does…. I should kick you out of here.”

“Yeah I think you should kick them out of here.” Alex interrupted. “Anybody who would try to make you doubt a friend should take a hike.”

“A hike?” Angelica asked with confusion.

“Yeah, that means leave and never come back.”

“I do know that the friends aren’t really there.” Angelica said, feeling a sudden need to defend herself. She didn’t want her new friend thinking she was crazy. Alex nodded and crossed his arms over his chest as he rocked back on his heels.

“So why do you talk to them?” he asked. Angelica shrugged and looked so pitiful and lonely that he felt the urge to hug her again come over him and he took a small step back.

“Who else am I going to talk to.” she asked and Alex nodded.

“So your ‘friends’ say the things that are already on your own mind and then you answer them?” Angelica didn’t answer him, instead she walked over to a closet and opened it to reveal hundreds of moo moo dresses, just like the one she had on, only different colors.

“I’ll go get started on those sandwiches.” he said, sensing that the conversation was over.

Maybe she wasn’t completely crazy. Just lonely and a bit eccentric. When her ‘friends’ spoke to her they were simply telling her her own thoughts and then she replied to them. Pretty much everybody had conversations with themselves inside their own heads, just not everybody spoke those conversations out loud.

888

Angelica turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, using the fluffy white towel to dry herself. She wiped off the fogged up, full length mirror and then felt a tear in her eye as she took in the sight of her naked body.

Rotan’s handiwork covered much of her body. Her skin, in the places he had not left scarred, was soft, pale and young but those places were few and far between. Her breasts were small, given her skinniness, but they were firm and high. Her collarbones, ribs, and hip bones jutted out and looked harsh and sharp but her hips still had a slight feminine curve to them.

She could almost remember how she had once looked. All soft, pale skin and lush curves. She wiped the lone tear from her scarred face and examined her image more intensely in the mirror. Rotan had carved designs into her face. They looked like the ancient demon script tattoos that he and Victor had been covered in, only hers were pale, raised and jagged. Her nose was unscarred and it was a long, straight and very aristocratic looking nose. Her chin was stronger than most women’s and she could remember that before Victor had taken her, the fullness in her cheeks had taken some of the edge off of the hardness of her chin.

Her eyes were big and her lashes were long and full. Her blond bangs hid the scars on her forehead and while her hair was wet like this, the gray could not be seen. Angelica wished she could get rid of the gray. She had been told that it was stress that kept her skinny and gray, and she had tried to relax but always Victors voice and Rotan’s knives would find their way into her mind and her heart would race, her stomach would fill with nerves and she would pace with fear.

She shook her head and turned away from the mirror and the sadness it always made her feel. She pulled on a dress, this one red with white and yellow flowers. The dress hid any sign of her curved hips or high, firm breasts and that’s how she liked it. She ran her brush through her long blond hair and then, leaving it wet and hanging, she walked out of the bathroom and into the main part of the cabin only to find the cabin was empty and her door was hanging open, the wooden frame cracked and broken.

She looked at the kitchen table and saw two plates sitting there with sandwiches and chips and them back at the open door.

“Alex.” she whispered and suddenly he appeared. He walked around the edge of the open door and poked his head inside.

“I’m here.” he said and then he pulled a new door over so she could see it. “I broke your door so I got you a new one.”

“Why did you break my door?” she asked.

“Because I heard you crying and yelling.” he said with a shrug as he leaned the door back against the wall, wiped his hands on his jeans, and walked back into the house.

“Why would you care if I cry?”

“Because you’re my….. Friend.” he said and he felt his stomach twist when he realized how close he’d come to telling her that she was his mate. “Hungry? I used my unrivaled culinary skill to whip us up some killer ham sandwiches. We got tomato, lettuce, mayo and everything.”

“I’m hungry.” Angelica said, finding that she couldn’t help but smile when she saw the goofy grin on his handsome face…. Yes, the green haired man was handsome. He looked a lot like Charles and Jake only with less of the hard edges and danger.

“Let’s eat then, woman, I’ll warn you though that those tomatoes talked my ear off while I was fixing lunch. They were a talkative bunch.” Angelica rolled her eyes as she sat down in the chair he pulled out and he pushed her up to the table.

“Tomatoes don’t talk.” she said matter of factly. Alex smiled and stuck a chip in his mouth.

“Don’t you ever imagine what they would say if they could talk?” he asked and Angelica smiled.

“Something like, ‘Holy shit a talking tomato?’” she replied and Alex laughed.

“Look at you! You’re turning into a comedian.” he said. He was surprised by the difference in her since the first day he’d met her. Some of the fear was gone from her blue eyes. And he was sure that her face looked fuller today than it had even yesterday and her hands looked fuller as well.. Less bony and more feminine.

They ate their meal in silence but it was a comfortable silence that both of them were okay with. Angelica’s comfort surprised her. She was content and that shocked her. In nearly one thousand years she had never been content and peaceful but sitting here with her new friend she felt both of those things.

’ Don’t feel too comfortable, dear Angelica. I’m am still right here in your head.’ Victors cold voice said and Angelica hid her face in her hands.

“GO AWAY!” she screamed. Alex jumped, the sound of her scream startling him so badly, he nearly choked on the bite he’d just taken of his sandwich. He stared at her with shock as she hid her face and rocked back and forth.

“Go away. Go away. Go away. Please make the voice go away.” she chanted. Alex was alarmed. This was different then when she talked to her ‘friends’. She was scared now and clearly this was a voice that she couldn’t control on her own.

“Angelica.” he said calmly but she didn’t seem to hear him. He reached out his hand and touched her bare arm gently. “Angelica, nobody is here but you and I… What are you hearing?”

“Victor…. Victor will always be here.” she said without looking up and he could hear the defeat in her voice.

“Hey Victor.” Alex said, deciding that he might as well talk to the voice too. Maybe he could get it to leave her alone. She had looked so peaceful sitting across from him, eating her meal and smiling occasionally, that to see her like this seconds later was something he couldn’t accept.

“You can hear him too?” Angelica asked as she looked up at him and he saw a tear running down her cheek. Without thinking, he reached out and wiped the tear away with his thumb, surprised by the softness of her skin between the jagged scars.

“No. But maybe he’ll hear me.” Alex replied. “Victor, you leave my friend alone. You are dead, so why don’t you just enjoy the afterlife and leave Angelica alone. She is mine now, not yours, and I don’t like to share.” Angelica waited for Victor’s voice to come back but it didn’t and she breathed out a sigh of relief.

“He’s gone.” she said and Alex grinned broadly.

“That’s because I’m scary.” he replied and she shook her head.

“No, you’re not and I’m glad. I have had enough mean, violent and scary to last me ten lifetimes.” She looked at their plates and realized the food was gone. “I’ll clean this up.” she said standing up and beginning to gather the dishes.

Alex nodded and tried to ignore the way his heart was pounding from the simple contact of his hand against her cheek. This reaction made no sense. Friends… Friends is all they could ever be. Clearly he needed to give Candy a call and get laid because if the man in him was getting turned on by Angelica, it clearly needed some attention.

“I’ll hang your new door.” he replied quickly as he too stood and left the kitchen.

888

It took several hours but finally Alex got the new door in place and all of Angelica’s locks back the way she wanted them and he wondered how horrible it must be to live with so much fear that you felt you needed ten door locks.

“Well I guess I better get going.” Alex said after he got done sweeping the sawdust from her hardwood floors and Angelica nodded.

“Okay.” she said. “Will you come back?” she asked quickly and Alex couldn’t help but smile at her innocence. She might be A LOT older than him but in many ways she still seemed so young.

“Yeah I’ll come back. When do you want me?” he asked. Truth was Angelica didn’t want him to leave at all. He made her feel safe, which was a big deal for her, but she knew he couldn’t stay. What man would want to stay with a woman like her? She cried when she saw her own reflection in the mirror and could only imagine what a man saw when he looked at her skinniness and all of her ugly scars.

“Whenever you have time.” she said. “My friends and I don’t do much around here.”

“Well then you need to get some better friends.” Alex said with a wink and Angelica was grateful that he just accepted her talk of imaginary friends without treating her like she was crazy or getting angry about them. “I’ll come back by tomorrow and see you if that’s okay. Will you be home?” he asked and Angelica burst out into loud laughter.

“What’s so funny?” Alex asked with a chuckle.

“You asked me if I was going to be home.” she said and he nodded.

“Yeah… So?” Angelica stopped laughing and leaned against the newly repaired door frame.

“Of course I’ll be home. I never go anywhere.”

“Never?” Alex asked and she shook her head.

“Never. He has spies that could find me.”

“Who does?” Alex asked as he saw that damn fear come back into her eyes.

“Victor.”

“Victor is dead.” Angelica looked down at his feet and Alex knew that whatever she was seeing, it wasn’t his dirty brown boots. He put his finger under her chin and tipped her head back up so their eyes met.

“I’m your friend, right?” he asked and she nodded. “You trust me?” Again she nodded. “Victor is dead. There is no one that is going to come after you.” For a moment he thought she was going to nod again but then she pulled away from him and wrung her hands nervously.

“Yes they will.” Alex sighed with defeat.

“If you never leave, how do you get food and stuff?” he asked.

“Damien brings it to me. He always has.” she said and he tilted his head.

“Is that so?” he asked, then he smiled and took a step away from the open door and out into the yard.

“Well I’ll see you tomorrow then Angelica.” he said and Angelica nodded. She didn’t tell him to call her Angel, the way she did everyone else. The only person to ever call her Angelica all the time had been Victor and that’s why normally she insisted on being called Angel, but she liked the way Alex said her name. His voice was full of warmth, humor and good nature and it made her name sound prettier then it had sounded when spoken by Victors cold, hate filled voice.

Angelica saw the air shimmer and Alex was waving as he disappeared. She shut and locked her door quickly and then walked over to the couch and flopped down, her thoughts full of the handsome, kind, funny man and wondering what in the world he saw in her that kept him wanting to come back.

888

Alex didn’t know what he thought he was doing as he dashed to the family house and sniffed out Damien in the living room with Kaylee, Kayleb, Vanessa and Faith. He walked up to the demon who stood to meet him.

“You are angry.” Damien said, cocking his head. “Why?”

“You.” Alex said as he stuck his finger into Damien’s rock hard chest, not paying attention to the fact that Damien could very easily rip his head off and take a dump down his neck without much trouble.

“Me?” Damien asked with confusion.

“What is your problem, Alex?” Kaylee demanded.

“Yeah, cabbage patch, I’ve never seen you angry before.” Kayleb agreed as he grabbed Faith by the back of her striped shirt and pulled her closer to him.

“You did this to Angelica! You made her the way she is!”

“No my father and Rotan…..”

“They abused her and mistreated her.” Alex interrupted. “You freed her and then left her alone in that damn house. Instead of helping her deal with her fear you left her and let her develop more fear. You crippled her. The damn woman won’t even step outside!”

“Alex, that’s enough.” Kaylee said, growing angry herself as she stood up. “Damien has enough guilt, he doesn’t need more. Angelica is crazy. Plain and simple.”

“She’s not crazy!” Alex growled. “No more taking her stuff. No more ‘helping’ her. From now on if she wants something she has to leave that damn house and get it!” he said angrily and then the air shimmered and he was gone.

“What the hell is his problem?” Kayleb demanded and Damien rubbed his face with his hands as he sat back down.

“I promised him I would not tell.” he said and this earned him a sharp look from Kaylee as she tapped her foot, put her hands on her hips and glared down at him.

“Now you’re angry. What?” he asked, sounding tired.

“You don’t hide things from me. What do you know that we need to know?” Kaylee demanded. Damien remembered then that nothing was private in this family and so he nodded.

“My mother is Alex’s mate.” he said and the adults in the room gasped.

“Really?” Vanessa asked, wondering if the demon was joking.

“Really.” he replied.

“That’s a whole big bag of weird.” Kayleb said matter of factly. “But it explains his sudden display of temper. I’ve never seen him mad like that before.”

“He better not hurt her. She’s been hurt enough.” Damien said and Kaylee sat down beside him and laid her head on his shoulder.

“They’ll figure it out.” she promised. “Just like we did.

Chapter Seven

(Damien.) Angelica called the next day around ten in the morning.

(What?) Damien replied.

(Where are you with my groceries? I thought you were bringing them today.)

(I was told not to.)

(By who?) Angelica demanded.

(Your new friend.) Before Angelica could reply she heard a knock on her door. She closed the link with Damien and walked over to look through the tiny peephole up top. Her old door had not had one but Alex had told her that he thought she might like being able to look outside every now and then.

She smiled when she saw the side of his head and his green hair. He had it spiked up today and the sight made her want to laugh as it stood four inches and rock hard in the air. Then she remembered what Damien had said. Her new friend had told him not to bring her food. The only real friend she had was Alex… Was that who he was talking about?

Alex heard the many locks unlocking and he tried to fight back his racing pulse as he waited for the door to open. He was irritated that he was even here. Irritated that the thought of hearing her voice and seeing her smile had had him pacing his apartment until a late enough time for him to show up. Irritated that Tony has spent half the night telling him what a prude he was after he had once again turned down Candy’s invitation for sex and kicked her and her friends out of his apartment.

He smiled broadly when he saw her but then the smile quickly turned into a frown when he realized that she did not look happy to see him.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked.

“No. My friends are angry with you.” Angelica replied. Alex couldn’t help but noticed that her cheeks were full, not a bit sunken in and they were flushed pink with anger as she crossed her arms (also more full and toned) over her chest and glared at him. For a second he found himself wishing he could see her body in something other than a baggy dress but then he mentally bitch slapped himself. Friend. Friend. Friend. He seemed to be reminding himself a lot the last two days that she was only a friend.

“Okay, so when you say your friends are angry with me, it means you are angry with me. What did I do?”

“Did you tell Damien not to bring me what I need?” she demanded and Alex let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Uh.. Yeah. Yeah I did.”

“I thought we were friends? Why would you do that to me?”

“We are friends and that’s why I did it!” Alex replied loudly and he saw her flinch and take a nervous step back and he reminded himself to keep his voice calm and gentle. “It’s not okay for you to lock yourself up in this cabin and never go anywhere, Angelica.”

“I’m fine! I’m not crazy! I just don’t like to go places! He has spies everywhere, Alex! Everywhere!” she exclaimed loudly, her wide, blue eyes full of panic and fear.

“Please calm down.” he said and without giving any thought to what he was doing, he grabbed her hands (which she was wringing nervously), in his and pulled her closer to him so that less than a foot was separating their bodies.

“You need to trust me, Angelica. I know how smart you are and I know how strong you are. Hell, only one really tough broad would still be kicking and screaming after everything you’ve been through.” He grinned and she felt a small smile tugging on the corners of her mouth despite her fear and anger. “I am your friend and I won’t let anything else bad happen to you. I’m not asking you to drop yourself into downtown New York City all alone.” He saw her shiver and knew that that must sound like her idea of hell.

“I will be with you. Anytime you leave here, I’ll be at your side and we’ll go together. There is a small town not far from here.” Angelica looked as if she might agree for a moment and then she pulled her hands away from him and shook her head.

“You need to leave! I thought we were friends but you want them to find me.” Alex shook his head and stepped toward her.

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Angelica. I want to help you.”

“Then leave.” she said and she felt her heart breaking apart in her chest. The fear that she had lived with for so long still held her prisoner to her cabin. She trusted Alex as long as he was here in her home but did she trust him enough to leave and go out where the spies could find her? No.

“Leave?” Alex asked and he wondered why this simple word caused him so much pain. Of course the wolf in him was throwing a fit and rebelling against the thought of leaving, but the man in him didn’t like the idea either.

“Yes. I will not go anywhere. It’s not safe.”

“I would keep you safe.” Alex promised, and he wondered where these words were coming from. He’d never been the heroic and big promises type.

“No. No. No. I can’t leave.” Angelica said, shaking her head roughly.

“Calm down, Angelica.” Alex said, hearing the hysterical tone to her voice.

“Please just go.” Angelica begged. She was about to have a breakdown and she didn’t want him to see it. Not him. Not the one person who didn’t treat her like she was crazy.

“Okay fine. I’ll go, but I’m coming back tomorrow.” he promised. He took a few backward steps away from the door and was about to dash when she cried out his name and ran to him. She grabbed his arm and tried to tug him back toward the house and he dug his boots into the grassy ground and stood still.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“They’re here!” Angelica exclaimed, all logic and intelligent thought disappearing as her fear overwhelmed her. Alex looked around and flared his nostrils to smell the surrounding forest but everything seemed calm and quiet. There was even a group of rabbits hopping around in the long grass

“Who’s here?” he asked in his calmest voice even as her fingernails dug into the skin on his forearm.

“The spies.” Alex looked down at her and he felt his own heart hurting for her. She looked so scared and pitiful as she clung to him and yet he knew how strong and smart she was. What kind of fear would make a tough woman like her act like this? It made him wish that he could bring Victor and Rotan back from the dead and kill them himself…. Which shocked him since he had never had truly violent thoughts before in his life.

“What spies?” Alex asked as he looked around again. Angelica pointed into the yard.

“Them. They are here everyday, watching me!” Alex followed her finger and couldn’t help but laugh when he realized she was pointing at the rabbits.

“The bunny rabbits?” he gasped and she nodded, flashing him an angry look as he laughed.

“Yes.” she said while he tried, and failed, to stifle his laughter.

“Come on now, Angelica! Bugs Bunny and his friends are not evil demon spies and you know it.”

“They are.” she said but she didn’t sound as sure.

“How about I catch one and prove to you that they are just bunnies?”

“They’ll get me!” she exclaimed, releasing his arm and taking a step back.

“No, they won’t. They eat clover, not pretty women with tough green haired body guards.” Alex replied with a wink and his words were enough to jerk Angelica from her fear. Had he just called her pretty? Surely she had heard him wrong. But he was still just standing there with that goofy grin on his face.

“Promise you won’t let them hurt you?” she asked quietly and his smile got bigger.

“Now it’s me you’re worried about?” he asked and instead of answering she just smoothed out her dress and ran her hand through her hair. Alex walked inside the door and grabbed her shotgun. He handed it to her and then sighed.

“I’m gonna go in the woods and change to a wolf since it’ll be easier for me to catch one that way. If the bunnies attack you…” he couldn’t hide the amusement in his voice as he said those words, “…just shoot them. But don’t shoot the black wolf that comes into the yard because that’s me.”

“I won’t shoot you.” Angelica promised. Alex nodded and then walked into the woods. Why was he doing this? Because he couldn’t stand to see the fear in her eyes.

He pulled off his clothes and folded them on the ground. He pulled the four steel hoops from his ear and sighed. Once he changed his ears would heal and he’d have to get them pierced all over again. But Angelica’s peace of mind was worth it. Holy shit, am I falling for the woman? he asked himself. You just might be. he replied and then he slapped his forehead. Hanging around her had caused him to start hearing voices too. He changed quickly to his wolf form and then loped out of the woods and into the yard.

He looked up at Angelica who was staring at him with a mixture of shock and awe and he prayed she wouldn’t shoot him. He knew that as a wolf he wasn’t all that impressive. He was bigger than his dad’s wolf but much smaller than his uncle Jakes. He was jet black, but his eyes remained bright blue and he was long and lanky.

He let out a yip as he took off after the rabbits. The wolf in him was excited about the chase and he played with the rabbits for a few longs minutes, before finally deciding that Angelica had waited long enough and he grabbed one of the rabbits in his jaws, careful not to harm it and then ran back into the woods.

Changing back to a man was interesting seeing as how he had a five pound, struggling rabbit in his mouth. He pulled his pants on and then cradled the rabbit in one arm, while grabbing his shirt with the other hand and walking back into the clearing and up to the house.

“Your hair!” Angelica exclaimed when she saw him and Alex grumbled when he realized that his hair would be black yet again and hanging a little past his ears.

“This is what it looks like if I don’t dye it.” he replied with a nod. Angelica tilted her head.

“Your rings on your ear are gone.” she said. Alex nodded and then turned his attention to the rabbit.

“Do you want to look at it?” he asked holding it out. Angelica shrugged.

“Why would I?” she asked. “It’s just a bunny rabbit.”

“Are you freaking kidding me? I’m gonna be spitting up fur balls for a month from carrying this thing in my mouth and suddenly you’re not afraid of it?”

“Why would I be afraid of it? Rabbits can’t hurt you.” Alex rolled his eyes and then held the rabbit up less than a foot from her face but she didn’t flinch.

“I thought it was some kind of spy that was going to come grab you and take you to certain death?” he demanded and Angelica laughed and waved her hand.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” she said and Alex had heard enough. He put the rabbit down and then quickly pulled his shirt back on as it hopped away.

“You aren’t crazy but you sure as hell are going to make me that way, woman!” he exclaimed and Angelica sat down the gun and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and she was surprised that when his arms wrapped around her and held her tight, she felt nothing but comfort and a strange heat… .None of the fear and panic that she normally felt at physical contact with another person.

“Thank you for showing me they weren’t anything to be scared of. I promise I’m not crazy but he really did have spies watching me when he was alive. I was so scared of going back to him.” Alex pulled away from her, trying to ignore his racing pulse and the heating in his blood.

“He’s gone now, Angelica. You can get your life back.”

“I never had one.” she replied sadly as she looked at the forest and wrapped her arms tight around herself. “I was fifteen when he found me. He paid good money for me and took me from my parents… I’ve never been anywhere or seen anything. I’m afraid of crowds and people and I can’t even think about going somewhere with either of those things without having a panic attack.” Alex reached out and smoothed her long hair from her face, pushing it behind her ear.

“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Angelica.” he promised.

“Why? Why do you care?”

“Because we’re friends.”

“But why are we friends?” Angelica asked as she looked up at his handsome, warm face. “I’m ugly, scarred and crazy. I dress like an old woman and live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere like some kind of hermit. My hair is ugly and scraggly and I talk to thin air. Why are you my friend?” Alex was shocked by her outburst and didn’t know what to say at first. He could tell her it was because he was her mate but that wouldn’t be the whole truth.

Sure the fact that he was her mate made him want to be around her but the caring about her and wanting to make her unafraid and hear her laughing and happy? That was something different entirely. Something he still wasn’t quite ready to deal with so for right now he was calling it friendship.

“I don’t think you’re ugly.” Alex said matter of factly and he was surprised that it was the truth. He didn’t know when the change in his thinking had come but it had come none the less. He could see that beneath those scars she was beautiful. “You do dress like an old woman and I’ve been wondering why and I would like to get you out of this cabin and back around people so you’re not a hermit anymore. Your hair is not ugly or scraggly, it’s long and silky, and talking to thin air just seems normal when you do it.”

“Maybe I should have shot the rabbits. Are you sure they aren’t spies?” Angelica asked as she picked her gun back up and Alex couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden change of topic, that signified that she was uncomfortable with the conversation. She rolled her eyes and looked beside her.

“Shut-up… . I like him… I don’t care what you think… .Yes I like him without the rings better too, but I miss the green hair….. I liked the green hair so I don’t care what you think…” she said to the air and Alex smiled.

“So are you coming shopping with me?” he asked and she bit her lip and shook her head.

“I’m not ready yet…. Will you have patience with me? I’ll try someday to go with you.” Alex tried to hide his disappointment and nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll have patience.” he replied. “Since we’re not going shopping then I gotta get to work.” he added. It had been almost a week since he’d volunteered at the nursing home and he had a gig late tonight at a bar.

“Okay, are you coming back?” she asked quickly and he smiled yet again.

“You know you don’t have to ask me that. I’ll be back tomorrow.” he took a few steps away from her. “Take care of yourself, Angelica, and no shooting bunny rabbits.” She smiled in the sunlight and the sight took his breath.

“I won’t. They eat clover not pretty women, right?”

“That’s right.” he said with a smile and then he disappeared. Angelica walked into the house and shut the door. She started doing the door locks and then stopped halfway down. She didn’t need all ten of them locked. Alex told her she was safe and she believed Alex. She unlocked all of them but one and then walked over and flopped down on the couch, stretching out her legs and folding her arms behind her head.

She thought of Alex running out of the woods shirtless. He looked so different from Victor. Victor had been built like a dangerous warrior. Covered in demon script tattoos and made for killing. He was different from Rotan too who had been bony, evil, cold and sadistic.

Alex was perfect. He was tall and small enough to look welcoming and friendly, but big enough that people would know he wasn’t helpless. His stomach had been lean and his shoulders had been broad. His arms hadn’t been heavily muscled but they had been toned and defined. She had seen the tattoo across his stomach that has said ’ Live, Laugh, Love’ in Chinese. Most men would not have a tattoo like that, thinking that it made them less of a man to have such a caring statement on their skin but the fact that Alex wore it proudly showed her even more that he was a good guy who stood up for what he believed and that made her trust and want him close to her even more.

She couldn’t wait for tomorrow when he would come again. She knew the day and night would drag by until she got to see his warm, caring smile again.

Chapter Eight

“He looks different.” Mrs. Wallis said to Betty Lou , who was just sitting down beside her and laying her Garfield bingo bag on the table.

“Who?” Betty Lou asked.

“Him.” Mrs. Wallis replied, pointing one wrinkled, crooked finger at Alex.

“He finally took that green stuff off his head.” Betty Lou said after several moments of careful inspection.

“Well yeah, any dingbat with two eyes can see that.” Mrs. Wallis grumbled as she straightened her bingo cards. “There’s something else. His smile looks different.”

“You two ladies aren’t sitting there talking about me are you?” Alex asked from his chair several feet away. He could hear every word they were saying of course but they obviously didn’t realize that as they shook their heads and did their best to look completely innocent and wide-eyed.

“Of course not.” Betty Lou said quickly.

“Yes they were.” Hubert said from the table behind Betty Lou. Betty Lou rolled her slightly yellowed eyes and turned to face him, her blue hair bobbing.

“You couldn’t hear a nuclear attack, Hubert, so how in the world do you know what she and I were talking about?” she demanded and Hubert flushed angrily and then glared down at his bingo boards while grumbling under his breath.

“Trouble in paradise?” Alex asked as he got the balls ready to start the game. He remembered that Betty Lou had always had the hots for Hubert and had never had an angry word to say to him.

“That grumpy old coot said I’m too old for him to consider dating. TOO OLD! Just because I’m a few years older than him. Well I hate to tell him but he just missed out on some of the best sex he’ll ever have.” Betty Lou exclaimed, pulling a bright pink dauber from her bingo bag. Alex closed his eyes and swallowed his vomit, wishing he could scrub the image Betty Lou had just given him from his mind with a wire brush and bleach.

“You do look different.” Mrs. Wallis said as she tapped her chin with her bright red fingernail and studied him. “Do you have a girlfriend?” Alex was surprised by the question and he just sat there for several long moments before finally giving a small nod.

“Yeah, Mrs. Wallis, I think I do.” he replied. He told himself that the only reason he said yes was to keep Mrs. Wallis from mentioning her daughter again, but then why was he helpless to stop the goofy grin that came to his face and the image of Angelica’s smile that came to his mind?

888

Alex ran his hands expertly over the strings of his acoustic guitar. It wasn’t often that he pulled it out and blew the dust off of it since it didn’t fit his rock star image, but there was a song that he wanted to practice here in the privacy of his bedroom.

If he was to market the song, it would be considered country music and that’s why he didn’t play it in front of his friends. They wouldn’t understand why a rocker like him had written a country love song. He had written it when he’d been sixteen. It was a song he had written for the woman he fell in love with someday. It was about not knowing where she was but telling her that this was her song to listen to until he was able to find her.

His voice rang out, rich and pure, as he sang the lyrics and the sound of the guitar filled the air. He finished the song and then sat there in the silence of his bedroom and wondered why he had had such an urge to play that song again.

“That’s different.” Todd said walking into his room. Alex sat his guitar down on the floor and looked at his friend.

“I’m going to buy you a place of your own so you’ll stay out of mine.” he said but the smile on his face, took the edge off his words.

“Country music huh? And look at you.” Todd said with a smile. “Black hair instead of green and the earrings are gone. You aren’t trying to change your look to impress a certain someone that you won’t let Tony and I meet are you?”

“No.” Alex said quickly and he reached onto the bed behind him and held up the green hair dye. “I had to change today and it ruined my hair so I’m gonna fix it back.”

“What about your ears? You want me to go get a needle?” Alex thought back to what Angelica had said about liking him better without the earrings and shook his head.

“Naw, I think I’ll just leave my ears alone. Besides I wouldn’t let your blood sucking butt that close to my neck. You might decide you’re hungry.” Alex said standing up and putting his guitar back in its case.

“I only bite beautiful people, Alex. Which means you are guaranteed safe.”

“What about me?” Tony asked as he walked into the room with a beer in his hand.

“I would have to rip my fangs out and disinfect them with bleach, Tony. Besides you have so much alcohol in your blood, I would be drunk for days after drinking from you.” Tony grinned and took a big swig from his bottle.

“We doing this thing tonight or what?” he asked Alex and Alex nodded and scratched his stomach.

“Yeah, we’re doing it.” he said. “Now get your mangy butts out of my room and I’ll do my hair and we’ll head to the bar.”

“What do you think about that? The damn dog calling us mangy.” Tony grumbled with a grin. Todd just shook his head and the two of them left the room.

888

After they finished their set that night, Alex turned down his friends invitations to stay at the bar and have some drinks and instead decided to head back his apartment. He could have just dashed to there quickly but he wanted the fresh air and exercise. He missed Angelica and he was starting to think that maybe he really was falling for her. How was that possible? He had no idea. She was innocent and sweet, yet she’d experienced hell and she was tough. She kept him smiling and on his toes and he never knew what she was going to say next.

And those eyes…. Those big blue eyes of hers captivated his attention. He could already read them like a book. He knew every fleck of green in their blue depths and he knew the way they lit up when she smiled.

The walk home from the bar seemed to take no time as his thoughts were preoccupied and he smiled at Frank as he walked up to the doors.

“How’s your night going, Frank?” he asked and the doorman nodded.

“Pretty good I guess. How about yours? Did your show go good?”

“Yeah the show went great.” Alex said, remembering the way the crowd had cheered and the way Todd and Tony had both commented on the change in Alex’s energy level. For some reason everything in life seemed better lately.

“That’s good. I have a feeling your night is about to get even better.” Frank said with a wink and a grin. Alex tilted his head and raised a brow.

“Why’s that?” he asked as he ran his hand through his spiked, green hair.

“Because there is one hot little number waiting up in your room on you. I hope you don’t mind that I let her in but she said you’d be expecting her.” Alex rolled his eyes and laughed. Tony and Todd were pathetic, getting Frank to lie to him a second time.

“Alright Frank.” he said. “You have a good night.” He patted the doorman on the back and walked into the apartment building. He rode in the gold plated elevator up to the thirtieth floor and then crossed the marble hall to his door. He hadn’t bothered to lock up before leaving and he sniffed the air before opening the door. He was puzzled because he didn’t smell Tony or Todd but he did smell… Candy.

“I must be better in bed than I thought.” Alex muttered as he jerked the door open. The woman just wouldn’t take no for an answer after having him once. He walked in the apartment, leaving the door open since Candy would be leaving through it very soon, and looked around for her.

The sight of her sprawled on his pool table in nothing but a lacy black bra and black, lacy, boy short underwear with black hose and garters on her long lean legs caused a purely male reaction to occur in his pants and for the first time in his life, he was angry with his penis.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Alex demanded as he turned away from her and headed toward the kitchen. He heard her mutter something under her breath and then he heard her high heeled shoes clicking on the tile floor behind him in the kitchen.

“I’m here for you, Spade.” she purred as she laid her hand on his shoulder. Alex laughed as he remembered telling her his name was Spade so he’d sound tough. He grabbed her hand and threw it off of him before turning to face her.

“My name is Alex.” he said. “And you are leaving.” he added, pointing at the open door.

“Why are you doing this to me? We had something good.” Candy pouted and Alex couldn’t help but stare at the way her teeth pressed into her full, bright red bottom lip as she bit it. He growled and shook his head.

“No, we had sex… We had one night of sex and now it’s over so get out.”

“I thought you were a different kind of man than that! How can you do this to me? Your friends told me you were a good guy.”

“I am a good guy and that’s why I’m telling you to leave.” Alex replied as he turned and opened the freezer to pull out a tub of ice cream. Sure he was irritated but that didn’t change the fact that he was starving.

“Who is she?” Candy asked as she walked into the living room and bent down to pick up her trench coat, giving him a very nice view of her backside. He sighed and opened the freezer again to let the cold air fight the chemical reaction going on in his blood.

“Who is who?” he asked as he closed the freezer and grabbed a plastic spoon from the drawer so he could dig into the ice cream.

“The woman you are leaving me for?” Alex laughed as he stuck a big bite of the vanilla ice cream into his mouth. He had never cared much for vanilla ice cream before meeting Angelica but now he couldn’t get enough of the stuff.

“You’re one crazy ass chick. We had sex… It’s not like we were dating.”

“So sex means nothing to you?” Candy asked as she tied the belt of the coat tight around her waist and then stuck her hands on her hips.

“Sex with complete strangers means nothing to me and you are a stranger so kindly get the hell out.” Alex said as he felt his temper rising.

“Can I have a kiss for the road?” Candy asked walking over to him. She had seen the instant reaction that Alex Jr, had had to seeing her and she knew that if she could just get her hands on him he would give in.

“Nope.” Alex said sticking another bite into his mouth and letting the scent of it fill his senses. It wasn’t quite as rich as Angelica’s scent but it was a close second and was plenty enough to get his mind off of Candy.

“You’re a horrible man! Using me for sex and then dumping me like I meant nothing.” Alex rolled his eyes and walked into the living room with his bucket of ice cream and his spoon. He grabbed the remote, flopped himself down on the couch and propped his feet on the table.

“Don’t let the door hit you in that tight little ass on the way out.” he said as he clicked the television on. Candy let out a screech and then turned on her heel and stomped to the door, her four inch heels clicking loudly.

“Say goodbye to the best sex you’ll never have again.” she said, giving him one last chance to change his mind. He didn’t even look at her as he waved his hand.

“Goodbye.” She screeched again and slammed the door behind her as she left.

“Now that is a crazy woman.” he muttered as he stuck another bite of ice cream into his mouth.

Chapter Nine

Angelica was crying as she brushed out her hair the next morning. She was at number forty-five and she was happier than she had ever been before. The gray was gone. Her hair was long, silky and golden, hanging down her back in waves.

She stared at her naked reflection in the mirror and couldn’t believe the change from just two days ago. Her body had filled back out. Her hips were flared and feminine, her legs long, lean and toned. Her stomach was tight and taut over her filled out muscles. Her breasts were full and firm. She looked like a woman.. A young women. All lush curves and toned muscles. If not for these ugly scars covering her body she would be the woman she remembered herself being.

She wondered if Alex would notice the change in her when he came today. Probably not, considering she hid her body in her oversized dresses. Maybe he would notice the goldenness of her hair! That thought excited her and caused butterflies to swarm in her stomach. She touched her stomach and frowned.

She had never felt butterflies in her life. These were different than the nerves she had felt constantly before becoming friends with Alex. These were pleasant. She thought of Alex and the way he had changed her life so much in such a short amount of time. She hadn’t heard Victor’s voice since he had told the demon to go away and she had slept last night and only had one nightmare instead of being plagued by them all night. She had even stepped outside alone this morning and enjoyed the sunshine on her face, something she had not been able to do in her life.

Angelica finally got to one hundred and set her brush down on the bathroom sink before pulling on her oversized dress. She walked out into the living room and sat down on the couch to wait for Alex to show up. It was already almost eleven and she hoped he would get there soon.

Suddenly she had the urge to see the sunlight again and she walked over to the large living room window. She reached out a shaking hand to the thick black curtain covering it and froze. If she ripped that curtain down it would mean anyone outside would have a clear view of her….. But Alex had told her the world was safe and she believed him.

Sure Damien had been telling her that for centuries but he always acted irritated or exasperated when he spoke to her. Alex had laughed and teased. He’d been warm and caring and that was what she had needed. She grabbed the curtain and pulled it down before tossing it on the floor and smiling at the sunlight shining on her face.

888

Alex dashed himself to the clearing and hoped that Angelica wouldn’t think he had forgotten her. He had had a hard time getting away from Tony and Todd that morning. They wanted to meet the woman who had their friend turning down a hot chick on a regular basis.

He realized that the thick black curtain was gone from the living room window and the sight he saw took his breath away.

Angelica was spinning around, her golden hair, gray free and swinging in the sunlight. She had a bright smile on her face and he could hear her singing along with a country song playing on the television. She stopped spinning and he felt his heart race as her dress became twisted tight around her and he was able to see the shape of what was beneath.

She was built like some kind of Greek goddess. Her breasts were high and full and they were rising and falling rapidly as she panted with exertion. Her waist was slim and her hips flared out and he wondered what it would feel like to place his hands on those hips and pull her close against him. He wished he could see her legs, but the dress hid those from view.

She looked like a completely different woman from the one he had met at the family house a week ago. She looked young and innocent and beautiful and she had an effect on him that no other woman ever had. The sight of her made it hard for him to breath and made his heart race in his chest.

He walked to the door quickly, his mind focused on only the fact that he needed to be close to her. He grabbed the door handle and turned it and the door swung open and he froze. She hadn’t had the door locked….. And she had the black curtains off the windows. The enormity of what that signified shocked him.

“Alex!” Angelica said happily and she grabbed the remote and turned the music down. She grabbed a bit of her hair and twisted it while she bit her lip. “You didn’t see me dancing did you?” she asked. Alex nodded.

“Yes I did. You have some mad skills.” he replied, his voice slightly deeper than normal as he remembered the way her dress had been tightened against her body.

“Mad skills?” Angelica asked and Alex smiled.

“It means you dance good.” he said. A blush covered her full cheeks and her smile lit up her face and made her blue eyes shine.

“Your hair is green again.” she said pointing at his head. He pointed back at hers.

“And yours is blond…. You definitely don’t need to be afraid of the bunnies anymore because they might not eat pretty women, but they run from beautiful women.” Angelica’s cheeks blushed even deeper as her heart soared because he had noticed her hair. She touched her hand to her hair and then frowned.

“I’m not beautiful.” she said as she ran her hand over her cheek and felt a jagged scar. Alex closed the distance between them and grabbed her hand in his. He pulled it to his mouth and kissed her fingers gently. He saw her eyes widen with surprise and then darken with passion and he felt his body responding to the contact as well… It was as if someone had taken a match and lit his body on fire. He filled his nose with her vanilla scent and smiled.

“You are beautiful. Would I lie to you?”

“I hope not.” she replied breathlessly and he knew he was going to kiss her if he didn’t move away and since he could see fear in her eyes he knew that kissing her was not a good idea. He let go of her hand and took a step back.

“I’m hungry.” he said, trying to keep just how turned on he was from showing in his voice. “What do you have to eat around here? That’s the bad part about having a werewolf friend. We eat a lot.”

“There is nothing bad about having a werewolf friend.” Angelica replied as she smoothed out her purple dress and looked down at her bare feet. She had thought he was going to kiss her and the thought had both excited and scared her. She had only ever been kissed or had sex with one man and that had been Victor…. As far as she knew the process was cold and painful and she didn’t want to ruin what she had with Alex. He seemed so warm and caring that she wouldn’t be able to bare doing those cold, nasty things called kissing and sex with him.

“Are you sure about that?” Alex asked with a grin and she heard that his voice was back to normal and had lost the gruffness it had acquired. “What about the fleas?” Angelica laughed and waved her hand dismissively.

“You don’t have fleas!” she exclaimed and it was Alex’s turn to laugh.

“I am feeling a bit itchy this morning.” he said as he scratched at his spiky green hair. “So what’s to eat?” he asked again as his stomach growled.

“Nothing.” Angelica replied. “You won’t let Damien bring me my food.” Alex looked at her dumbfounded. The demon had actually done what he’d said?

“Well then I guess that means we’re going shopping.” Alex said matter of factly. “Where are your shoes?” Angelica pointed at a pair of bright white sneakers and Alex shook his head.

“Purple moo moo and bright white tennis shoes…. Can’t argue with good taste.” Angelica wrapped her arms tight around herself.

“I like to hide myself.” she said and Alex raised his brow.

“Why?” he asked. From what he could tell she was a blond bombshell, much like his aunt Bethany and he could never imagine her saying she wanted to hide herself.

“Victor always made me go naked. He kept me in chains and he would parade me in front of the subs and they would point and laugh and throw things. Once I was free I found the type of clothing that would hide me the best and that’s what I wore.” Alex felt his blood pressure raise a couple thousand points at he thought of Angelica being chained and harassed.

“If I take you to a store would you consider buying different clothes? You don’t have to hide yourself anymore.”

“You want me to leave and go to a store with people?” she asked and he nodded.

“There are usually people at a store.” he replied. She wrung her hands nervously and Alex grabbed them to still them and he gave them a squeeze. “Trust me.” Angelica nodded and pulled away to walk over to her shoes. She put them on and then stood there waiting on him.

“You’re coming with me?” Alex asked, startled by how quickly she had agreed.

“Yes. You say it’s safe and I trust you.” Alex found himself humbled by her words and anyone looking at him would be able to see how much he had grown up in the week since meeting Angelica.

“Well come on then, sweetheart, let’s get you some new duds.”

“Duds?”

“Clothes, Angelica, clothes.”

Before Alex could worry about clothes though he had to get something to eat. He took her to a small Mexican restaurant in California that he knew would be pretty empty this time of day.

“Hola Senor and Senorita.” the server said as he led them to their seats. Alex had felt the way Angelica clung to his arm, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment and he kissed the top of her head.

“You’re okay, sweetheart.” he said gently and he saw her shoulders relax, slightly. They took their seats and when she said she didn’t know what to order he ordered them both a chicken taco salad.

“Are you okay?” he asked her once they were alone. She looked at a small table across from them and the couple that was sitting there. The woman was in the mans lap and he was kissing her and holding her tight. She felt a heat in her body that she had never felt before when she looked back at Alex and she realized that he had followed her gaze and he now had a hungry look in his eyes as he looked at her.

“Kissing is bad.” she said quickly and Alex raised his brow and wondered why she would say something like that. True he had never kissed anyone other than his mom and aunts in his life… Kissing was one of the intimate things he’d been saving for his mate… For Angelica.

“Why would you say that?”

“It was always cold and Victor would hurt me….” Alex shook his head and the anger in his eyes stopped her from saying anything else. She wondered if he was angry with her. What had she done? Would he hurt her?

“Victor is dead and if he wasn’t then I promise I would hunt him down and kill him myself for hurting you.” Angelica breathed a sigh of relief. The anger was at Victor, not her. “Now I’m an easy going guy, Angelica, and not much makes me angry but every time I hear that man’s name I see red, so how about we don’t talk about him anymore?” Angelica nodded. She didn’t like seeing him angry.

The waiter brought their food and while they ate they talked. Alex learned that her favorite color was orange, she loved country music and she was afraid of the dark. She learned that Alex’s favorite color was green, he was in a rock band and he wasn’t really afraid of anything other than spiders. Anything with that many legs was unnatural.

Angelica found that she wasn’t looking around every five seconds for a threat. She wasn’t jumping at every shadow and she felt safe, warm and protected in Alex’s presence.

Suddenly snickers from the table across from them, where the kissing couple sat, caught her attention and she looked over at them, only to realize they were staring at her and laughing.

“Look at that dress. The poor guy with her must be desperate. Those scars are hideous!” the woman said and her date nodded in agreement as he chuckled. Angelica felt her heart fall to her feet and she suddenly wanted to go home as she buried her face in her hands.

The next thing she knew she heard Alex’s chair push back. She looked through her fingers to see him walking over to the couples’ table. The man, who was six feet tall and at least 250 pounds of solid muscle, stood to confront him and Alex smiled.

“You two enjoying your lunch?” he asked. The man seemed confused by the friendliness in Alex’s voice.

“Uh… Yeah.” he said.

“Me and my girl are trying to do the same, so if you and yours would please keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself that would be greatly appreciated.”

“Whatever.” the man said with an amused snort and then he sat back down next to his woman and Alex turned away. He was halfway back to Angelica when he heard the man say,

“Green haired little fucker and his ugly ass hag.. A woman like that shouldn’t be allowed in public, she’ll scare the kids to death.” Alex heard Angelica whimper at those words and something snapped in him. He turned and walked back over to the table slamming his hands down, cracking the cheap plywood and causing the man and the woman to jump with shock. He knew his blue eyes would be flashing with animalistic anger and his muscles were growing.

“Now I asked you nicely. This is the second time I’m asking. We are not done with our meal yet and would like to finish it in peace so keep your mouths shut, go back to sucking each others faces off, and leave us alone.” He forced himself to turn and walk back toward his table but the man was tired of being bossed around so he stood up and hollered,

“How do you even kiss that thing? Turns my stomach just to think about it.” Alex wanted to turn around and break the mans steroid filled face but he knew that wouldn’t solve anything and would probably scare Angelica, so instead he did the next thing that came to his mind.

“I kiss her like this…” he said and then he closed the distance between himself and Angelica. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. He put his hands on her cheeks to tilt her head up to his and he could see the fear and uncertainty on her face but he wasn’t going to let that stop him this time. He smoothed one hand across her scarred cheek, pushing back her hair and burying his hand deep in the golden strands before lowering his mouth and pressing his lips to hers.

He felt her stiffen beneath him at first and then suddenly she relaxed and her arms slowly wrapped around his neck as she rose on her tip toes. The kiss was soft and gentle as Alex used every ounce of self control he possessed to keep from giving in to his hunger for her and deepening the kiss. This was neither the time nor the place for something like that.

He was surprised by the softness of her lips beneath his own and the way she moaned his name against his lips had his heart swelling with…Love. He might as well just admit it to himself since he was sure it was clear to the few people staring at them in this tiny restaurant.

He pulled away and looked down at her face but her eyes were still closed and her cheeks were flushed with passion. Alex looked behind them and saw steroid man huffing and puffing as he threw himself back down in his booth.

“How come you never look at me like that when you kiss me?” his woman asked him and Alex smiled at the broken look on steroid man’s face. The man got to his feet and walked out of the restaurant with his woman running after him.

“Alex.” Angelica whispered and he turned his attention back to her, massaging the back of her head with the hand that was still buried in her hair and rubbing his thumb along her jaw.

“Yeah?” he asked, staring deep into her big blue eyes.

“Kissing you isn’t bad.” she replied and Alex couldn’t help but laugh as he kissed her nose and moved away from her.

“Do you want to finish lunch?” he asked pointing at the table and she shook her head.

“No, I’m done.”

“Me too.” He pulled some money from his wallet and put it on the table, knowing it would be enough to cover the meal and the cracked tabletop. “Let’s go then.” he said.

“Time to get some new duds.” she agreed and his smile broadened.

“Yes it is.”

888

“I don’t even know where to start.” Angelica said looking around the brightly lit, crowded department store and feeling overwhelmed. Alex wrapped his arm tight around her waist and she let herself take in the comfort that just presence provided.

“How about with this?” Alex asked with a wink as he held up a slinky black dress that clearly would only cover the necessary areas.

“No. No. No.” she said shaking her head roughly. “Everyone would see all of me!” Alex frowned and put the dress back.

“Good point. I’m not sure I want everyone seeing all of you.” Angelica twisted her hair in her hand and looked up at him.

“Alex?”

“Yeah?” he asked while looking through a rack of shirts next to them.

“The kiss was amazing.” she replied honestly. It had been the most amazing thing she had ever felt as a matter of fact and it had caused her body to feel as if it was floating off the ground and only his hands on her face and hair had kept her from drifting off into nothing.

“Thanks, sweetheart, I tried.” Alex replied with a smile. Angelica smiled back but he could tell there was more on her mind.

“Are we still friends or…”

“Or what?” he pressed, enjoying the innocent blush on her cheeks.

“Well I’ve seen on tv that sometimes when people kiss they call themselves boyfriend and girlfriend.” Alex grinned and moved his hand to her cheek.

“Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

“If you want to.” she replied. She had no idea how relationships worked but television had taught her a little.

“I want to.” he replied. He knew he should tell her that he was her mate but he worried what her reaction would be. Would she think the only reason he was here with her was because he was her mate? Because it wasn’t. There was so much more to what was going on between them.

“So what kind of duds should I wear?” she asked and a saleslady gave her an odd look as she walked by but quickly looked away when she saw the threatening way Alex looked at her. If there was one thing that could make a laid back, easy going, make love not war kind of guy violent and protective, it was anyone looking at or talking to his mate the wrong way.

“I have no idea.” Alex replied honestly.

“This was your idea.” Angelica replied matter of factly.

“Yeah I know. I just want to see you in anything other than those old lady dresses.” he said and Angelica smoothed out her dress and glared at him. Alex led her back to a bench beside the changing rooms and she sat down.

“I have an idea, will you be okay here for a few minutes?”

“You’re leaving?” Angelica demanded with panic and he laid his hand on her shoulder.

“Five minutes at the most. I know somebody that can help us out.” Angelica looked around uncertainly. “You’ll be fine. Trust me.” Alex promised and she nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right back.” Alex assured her and then he pulled away and dashed himself to the family house. He smiled and waved at his mom and grandma who jumped in surprise when he appeared in the kitchen.

“Hi.” he said. “Where’s Kaitlyn?”

“In her room.” Rebecca replied.

“Why do you smell like Angelica?” Jordan asked and her eyes narrowed when she saw Rebecca quickly turn away.

“Mom, I don’t have time right now.” Alex said.

“Answer me, Alexander.”

“She’s my mate mom, okay!” Alex answered. “Now I’m going up to talk to Kaitlyn, I need her help.” He walked away as his mom and grandma started arguing with raised voices. He took the stairs three at a time and knocked on Kaitlyn’s bedroom door.

“What?” she exclaimed when she jerked the door open.

“Wanna go shopping?”

888

“Okay, Angelica, what is your style?” Kaitlyn asked as she stood with Angelica and Alex and looked around at the many racks of clothes around them.

“Style?” Angelica asked with confusion. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes and looked at her cousin.

“I see why you came to me.” she said. Alex nodded.

“And now that you’re here, I’m gonna go down the mall to the music store.”

“You’re leaving again?” Angelica demanded and Alex took her hands in his, ignoring his cousins dumbfounded look, and pulled her close.

“I’ll just be a few stores down. I don’t want to see everything you get. I want to be surprised when I see you wearing it later.” He reached in his pocket and grabbed his wallet, fishing out his credit card before putting it back.

“Here.” he said, handing the card to Kaitlyn who smiled like a drug addict being handed a bag full of cocaine.

“Can I get some things too?”

“Will you stop calling me dweeb all the time?” Alex asked and she shook her head.

“No.” she said, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder and he laughed.

“Fine, but I want you to worry about her first.” he replied and she nodded.

“Of course.”

“Come find me when you’re done.” Alex said turning back to Angelica. He pressed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips and then walked away.

“You and my cousin?” Kaitlyn asked once she and Angelica were alone.

“Me and your cousin what?” Angelica asked, still watching Alex’s back as he walked away.

“Nothing.” Kaitlyn replied, shaking her head. “What kind of clothes do you want?”

“I have no idea.” Kaitlyn thought for a moment and then smiled.

“Think about my family. Who do you want to dress like?”

“Maybe Raquel and Angela.” Angelica replied after several moments of thought. Kaitlyn nodded.

“So jeans, long skirts, and t-shirts?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds like a snore to me but if it’s what you want then it’s what you’ll get.” Kaitlyn replied and the two of them got busy shopping.

888

“You make me feel stupid when we watch this show.” Alex complained as he and Angelica sat on the couch watching Jeopardy that night in her cabin. He had his feet propped up on her table and his arm around her waist and she had her head on his chest and her arm around him as well.

“I’m sorry.” she said and Alex shrugged.

“Don’t be.” She yawned against his chest and he kissed her hair. “You’re tired.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“I’ll come back in the morning.” he promised. He looked at his watch and saw that it was eleven o’clock, that meant it was ten in California and he just had thirty minutes before his gig. “I have a show I have to get to.” Angelica sighed and stood up, walking him to the door.

“I’ll miss you.” she said and Alex smiled. He loved her open honesty and innocence.

“I’ll miss you too.” he replied. He pressed one last gentle kiss to her lips, pulling away before it deepened, and then he took a step away from her and disappeared.

Angelica covered her heart with her hand and felt it thundering away. She had seen enough about love on television to know that she was very deep in it.

Chapter Ten

Angelica looked in the mirror and hoped that she had picked out something that Alex would like. The jeans fit her tight and showed off her feminine hips and long legs. The satiny floral blouse was loose enough that she didn’t feel over exposed but form fitting enough that her firm breasts and small waist were easy to see. She and Kaitlyn had even gotten her some new bras and underwear and she was surprised by how much different her chest looked with the bra on.

Kaitlyn had picked out some ties for her hair as well so she could pull it up into a ponytail and so Angelica had. She wasn’t sure she liked the ponytail as it made all the scars on her neck and cheeks fully visible with no hair hanging down to hide them. She would leave it up to Alex whether he liked her hair this way or not.

The knock on her door had her running to unlock and answer it. She glanced at the clock on the way and saw that it was only eight-thirty in the morning. He must have really missed her if he was here this early. She unlocked the door and opened it only to realize it wasn’t Alex but Damien and Kaylee that stood there.

They both stared at her with shock and disbelief.

“Angelica, is that you?” Kaylee asked. If it wasn’t for the scars she would swear this was not the same woman. She looked healthy, young, fresh and….. Happy.

“Of course it’s me. Who else would it be?” she asked as she moved aside so they could walk in. Damien saw that the curtains were down and the house was spotless.

“How have you been?” he asked.

“My friends and I have been great!” Angelica replied as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself and Kaylee a cup of the tea, she’d just gotten done making.

“Here you go.” she said handing one to Kaylee. Kaylee remembered how the tea had smelled and tasted like stale sweat the last time Angelica had given her a cup, and so she sniffed it carefully only to be surprised by the sweet, lemony scent.

“The place looks good.” Kaylee said as the three of them sat down in the living room.

“Yes, it was getting a bit messy.” Angelica replied and then she tilted her head and looked at Damien.

“I love that you came to visit but what brings you by? It’s not like you to just stop by and surprise me.” Damien cleared his throat and laid his forearms on his knees as he leaned forward.

“I wanted to check on you…. Has Alex been here?” Neither Damien nor Kaylee missed the way Angelica’s eyes lit up at the mention of Alex’s name.

“Yes. He’s been here every day to visit with me. He’ll be here soon. He took me shopping yesterday and Kaitlyn helped me pick out these clothes.” she said, running her hands over her blouse.

“They look really pretty.” Kaylee said with a nod and Angelica set her lips in a firm line and squared her shoulders at the tone in Kaylee’s voice. Kaylee talked to her the same way Damien and everyone else did, except for Alex. They talked to her as if they were talking to a small child.

“Yes they do. He also took me to a Mexican restaurant and the food was great.”

“You left the house and went shopping?” Damien asked, finding that hard to believe.

“Yes. Alex insisted that I come with him and he makes me feel safe. I’m not afraid of the bunnies anymore either. He changed into a wolf and caught one and showed it to me. I realize now how foolish I was to be frightened of them at all. Alex told me that he thinks I’m pretty too… can you believe that? A man that thinks a woman like me is pretty?”

“He told you that, huh?” Damien asked and he leaned back on the couch and stared at his mother. He was glad to see how happy she was but that didn’t ease his mind. What would happen when Alex got tired of playing ‘caretaker’ to his mother. It would happen, Alex would leave and his mother would spiral back down to what she had been before.

“Yes he did.” Angelica said, frowning at the doubt in Damien’s voice. Damien shook his head when she looked beside herself at someone he couldn’t see.

“Damien is happy for me! Alex cares about me a lot… I don’t care what you say, I know he does… He made me so I’m not so afraid….. I’m serious about being sick of you.”

“Still talking to voices, huh?” Damien asked and Angelica nodded.

“Alex says when I hear my ‘friends’ it’s really just my own thoughts and then I’m replying to them out loud, and he says it seems normal when I do it. It makes him smile.”

“Right.” Damien said.

(I want to talk to your cousin.) Damien said to Kaylee.

(Why?) Kaylee asked. (He’s obviously made her really happy. She looks young and vibrant, the house is clean, she took down her curtains, she’s wearing nice clothes… He’s had a good effect on her.)

(What happens when he leaves her?)

(What do you mean?) Kaylee demanded as Angelica stood and walked into the kitchen to start herself some breakfast.

(There is no way he really cares about her, Kaylee.)

(Why?)

(You know her. She’s crazy and the scars….)

(Damien, I can’t believe you right now! She is your mother!)

(Exactly. So I know her better than anyone.)

(Maybe you don’t. Maybe Alex sees something you don’t. I know my cousin and I know that he wouldn’t be here, doing things with her, taking her places and telling her she was pretty if he didn’t care a lot about her. He is not the kind that leads a woman on or plays with her heart.)

( I just don’t want to see her hurt.)

(Then trust Alex.) Kaylee replied and Damien nodded in defeat.

(I’m sorry. I’m still trying to learn how to deal with emotions. I forget sometimes that people really do care about other people.)

(You’re forgiven, but only because I love you so much. Now let’s get out of here, she said Alex is coming soon and I want them to have privacy.)

“Well mom, we are going to go.” Damien said and Angelica nodded.

“Okay then. Damien…?” Damien stopped and looked at his mother who walked toward him, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

“What?” Kaylee could tell that whatever Angelica wanted to say was serious so she excused herself from the house.

“I am not crazy. I know you think I am, but I’m not. I know the voices aren’t real but for over one thousand years they were the only friends I had and old habits are hard to break I guess.’

“Mom, you had me.” Damien said.

“No I didn’t. And it’s not your fault. It was the demon in you that kept you from realizing that I needed a friend. That’s what Alex has given me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m crazy or like I’m an obligation or a problem. He laughs with me and even at me, but it’s a nice laugh. Can you at least pretend to be happy for me?”

“Friend? But I thought Alex was your…”

“Hush Damien and quit being nosy.” Angelica said, blushing a bright shade of red and smoothing out her shirt. Damien’s eyes narrowed. He was sure that his mother didn’t know that she was Alex’s mate and Damien wondered why Alex was keeping it a secret… Not that Damien could say anything to the man about it, seeing as how he’d kept the same secret from Kaylee for twenty years.

“I am happy for you. I hope that Alex always makes you this happy.” Damien turned and walked out of the house and Angelica shut the door behind him but didn’t lock it. She knew Damien had been lying. He wasn’t really happy and it made her sad.

Why would he not be happy that she had found such happiness with Alex? Did he want her to be scared and locked away in her cabin? She felt tears filling her eyes as pain lodged itself in her heart. For a thousand years Damien had been all she’d had and now she realized that he didn’t want her happy. She walked to her bedroom and curled up in the bed, with her knees in her chest. The sounds of her quiet sobs, pain filled tears and the ticking clock in the hall, the only sounds filling the air.

888

Alex held the bouquet of bright white and yellow daisies in his hands and walked up to Angelica’s door. He had thought about getting her roses instead but somehow those just didn’t seem to fit her. The daisies made him think of sweetness, innocence and light and all three of those things reminded him of Angelica.

He was about to knock on the door when he heard a soft sob come from inside and he realized she was crying. He opened the door quickly and walked inside, following the sounds of her tears to her bedroom. She had her back to him as she lay there curled on her side with her knees in her chest. He walked across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, lying his hand gently on her back.

She let out a squeak of fear and turned to look at him.

“Alex.” she said the relief and happiness in her voice touched him in a way nothing else ever had. He was truly humbled that just his presence made her feel better. She rose up and moved over so she could curl up against him with her head on his chest. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her rich vanilla scent and enjoying the view of her long graceful neck, that her ponytail awarded him.

“Why are you crying?” he asked as he rubbed his free hand up and down her slender back and over the satiny fabric of her new shirt.

“Damien was here.” Angelica replied. She wanted to tell Alex the truth. She knew she could tell Alex anything.

“Why are you crying?” he asked again.

“He doesn’t think you really think I’m pretty and he doesn’t really believe that you care about me and he doesn’t care that I’m happy.” Alex smiled as he kissed her hair.

“Of course he cares… He’s just worried because he thinks I’m going to break your heart and he worries about you.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Going to break my heart?”

“You have to give me your heart in order for me break it. Do I have your heart?” Angelica looked up at him and suddenly she couldn’t answer him as her heart froze with fear. What if he did break it? She loved him so much… Could she survive if he walked away from her?

“Do you like my new clothes?” she asked, pulling away from him and standing up. Alex fought back the disappointment and wondered if he should pressure her to answer the question but decided not to. He would be patient with her. Eventually she would tell him how she felt and then he would tell her how much he was beginning to love her.

“You are one good looking chick.” Alex replied with a smile and Angelica lit up.

“Chick means attractive woman, right?” she asked and he nodded. Damn if she didn’t take his breath away every time he saw her smile like that. She looked gorgeous in the jeans, that showed off her feminine hips and rounded backside and her shirt that hugged her chest and showed the smallness of her waist.

“I brought you something.” he said and he held up the daisies.

“Flowers?” Angelica asked, eyeing them curiously.

“Yeah. Do you like them?” Angelica felt a new tear forming in her eye. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that a man would bring her flowers.

“I love them.” she said and she took the bouquet from him and pressed it against her nose. “Daisies are pretty.” Alex followed her out of the room watching the way she seemed to bounce with happiness as she walked. Her butt swung deliciously and her long blond ponytail bobbed back and forth and he decided that he was going to follow behind her more often.

“So what do you want to do today?” Alex asked her after she’d put the flowers in water.

“I would like to go visit your family. I want them to see that I’m doing better.”

“Better? There was never anything wrong with you.” Alex replied as he ran a finger down her cheek.

“I talked to peas, remember? And I was afraid of bunny rabbits.”

“You’re perfect, Angelica.” Alex argued. He couldn’t believe there had ever been a time when he had thought she wasn’t. She was truly the single most unique and amazing person he had ever met in his life and he was proud to be with her.

“You’re perfect.” Angelica said looking up into his eyes and he shook his head.

“Don’t start thinking that because I’m bound to screw up somehow and then you’ll be disappointed because you had your heart set on perfection.” he said with a smile.

“You won’t hurt me.” Angelica said matter of factly and he tilted his head.

“Is that so?” he asked. She pressed her hands against his chest and nodded. Alex cleared his throat, wondering if she felt the way his heart pounded beneath her touch.

“Yes.” Her absolute trust in him shocked him. He knew her trust was not misplaced. He would cut off his own foot before he would ever do anything to hurt her. Alex pulled away and smiled. He knew if he kissed her now he wouldn’t stop and he didn’t want to push her into anything. He could only imagine the kinds of things that Victor and Rotan had put her through.

“So you wanna head over there now?” he asked. Angelica nodded.

“Do I look okay?”

“I’ve already told you that you’re hot and perfect this morning. Are you fishing for compliments now?” he asked with a grin.

“Fishing?” she asked looking completely confused.

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said with an amused sigh. “You look beautiful.”

888

“Oh my! You look so different!” Rebecca exclaimed after Alex and Angelica appeared in the kitchen. Charles nodded in agreement from where he sat at the table looking through the Sunday newspaper.

“Alex bought me the clothes.” Angelica admitted as she ran her hand over the shirt. Charles and Rebecca both looked at Alex and saw the way his hand his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand resting protectively and possessively on the front of her hip. They could also see the pride and happiness in his eyes as he looked down at Angelica and Rebecca felt her eyes fill with tears that she quickly blinked away and blamed on the onion she was chopping up.

“I thought I smelled you.” Kent said walking into the kitchen with Jordan on his heels. He ruffled his sons bright green hair, (which of course involved Kent standing on his toes), and walked over to the refrigerator to grab a pop.

“I want to talk to you.” Jordan said matter of factly to her son and Alex mumbled under his breath.

“I’ll be right back.” he said to Angelica.

“She’ll be fine. She can help me with these meatloaves.” Rebecca said matter of factly.

“Meatloaves? More than one?” Angelica asked and Rebecca laughed.

“If I just cooked one you’d see a whole bunch of wolves, fighting tooth and nail over the last crumbs.” Angelica smiled and Alex kissed her hair before walking out of the kitchen with his mom and dad on his heels.

(Does he love her?) Rebecca asked so only Charles could hear.

(It looks that way to me.) he replied simply.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of the upcoming lecture?” Alex asked as he turned to face his parents in the hallway. Well he didn’t actually face them since they were both over a foot shorter than him.

“I love you, Alex, and I like to think that we raised you to be better than this but…. Are you using that poor woman?” Jordan asked.

“What?” Alex demanded with a chuckle of disbelief.

“Well she’s not your usual type…” Kent said as he looked completely uncomfortable with the conversation and rubbed his head.

“Thank God.” Alex replied. “She is so much more than what I thought was my type.”

“Alex…”

“No, I’m not listening to any more of this. You’re my parents, you know what you raised me to be and I’m not some jerk who is just using Angelica or playing with her emotions. Just so you know she’s not just some ‘poor woman’. She’s really strong and she’s really smart. She has more heart than anyone I know and she is good. She is one of the only people I know that is just naturally good.” Kent and Jordan shared a look and then they both smiled.

“Oh we’re so happy for you!” Jordan exclaimed as she jumped to her tip toes and threw her arms around his neck. “Our baby boy is in love.” Alex patted her on the back and threw his dad a helpless look but Kent just shrugged.

“Okay mom, can you please not go shouting that from the rooftops just yet.” he asked and Jordan pulled away and smoothed out her shirt, while practically bouncing with excitement.

“I’m sorry! I’m just so happy!”

“Happy about what? The fact that cabbage patch is finally getting laid?” Kayleb asked coming down the hallway.

“Jealousy. Isn’t it a terrible thing?” Alex asked with a grin and Kayleb snorted.

“What do I have to be jealous over? I have a perfectly fine woman of my own.”

“Where is she?” Alex asked looking behind Kayleb.

“Working at the hospital. She refuses to give it up.”

“ALEX!” The sound of Angelica’s scream had Alex running as fast as his long legs could carry him to the kitchen. He burst in and saw Angelica holding her hand, which was bleeding badly, while Rebecca and Charles tried to calm her.

“Blood and knives. Blood and knives. Blood and knives.” she chanted as she cradled her arm with her good hand and rocked back and forth. Alex saw the knife lying on the kitchen floor.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“We were chopping vegetables and then she said something about Rotan and it was almost like she was listening to someone talk. The next thing I knew she jumped, cut herself and then screamed for you and starting doing this.” Alex cursed Rotan and prayed that he was experiencing just as much pain in the afterlife as he had caused Angelica while he’d been alive.

He took three long strides to her and then pulled her against his chest, not caring about the blood soaking into his shirt. He heard the kitchen filling with bodies but all of his attention was on Angelica who was still shivering and chanting quietly.

“Sweetheart, listen to me, it’s Alex, I’m right here and you’re safe.” Angelica sniffed against his shirt and her shivering began to subside.

“Alex?” she whispered.

“Yes, Alex. Do I need to tell Rotan to go to hell like I did Victor?”

“I think he’s scared of you. I can’t hear him anymore.” Alex smiled and kissed her hair.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

“Can we talk about this alone?” she asked. She didn’t want all of the family to judge her when she told him what had happened. She already knew that Alex wouldn’t judge her.

“Mom, Rotan is dead. How many times do we have to tell you that?” Damien asked with exasperation and Alex whirled on him and glared.

“As many times as it takes.” he growled. Angela made her way through the crowd and laid a gentle hand on Angelica, willing the deep cut on her hand to heal.

“Look, it’s gone.” she said and Angelica looked at her hand to see that the cut was indeed gone.

“Thank you.” she whispered.

“Rotan was a monster.” Angela said, her eyes took on a haunted look and Alex heard Jake growl. “He really is gone but I know that doesn’t help with the nightmares. I have them too.” Angelica looked at Angela and nodded. She liked Angela. She’d never really spoken to her much before but Angela wasn’t talking to her like a child and Angela understood about the things that Rotan had done.

“I’m taking her upstairs for a while. We’ll be back down later.” Alex said, giving his aunt a grateful look before leading Angelica from the room and up the stairs to his old bedroom.

She looked at the walls covered in rock band posters, pictures of him with friends and family members and even a couple posters of half naked women in bikinis. Alex blushed when he saw her looking at those pictures and he cleared his throat.

“Those are old. I haven’t lived here in a long time.” he said. He sat down on the bed and patted the empty space on the gray comforter beside him. Angelica sat down and laid her head on his shoulder.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

“I heard him… The way I used to hear Victor until you scared him away. He was reminding me of all the fun we had with knives.” Angelica shivered. “I was scared and I told him to go away but I was too upset and cut myself. When I saw the blood on the knife and on my skin it just…” Her voice broke and she bit her lip.

“I understand, sweetheart. I am sorry that he did those things to you. If I could build a time machine and change things I would. Unfortunately I was never very good at science.” She smiled and was amazed by how he was always able to calm her down and make her smile. There had been a day where an episode like what had happened in the kitchen would have crippled her for days.

“Thank you, Alex. You are a miracle for me.”

“I’ve never been anybodies miracle before.” he admitted as he kissed her blood covered hand. “Lets get you cleaned up and get back downstairs. Everybody will be worried about you and we need to show them that you are a tough cookie and can handle anything.”

“Tough cookie?” she asked and he smiled.

“I want them to see how strong you are.” he replied before kissing her hair and pulling her to her feet.

Chapter Eleven

A few hours later Alex left Angelica in the kitchen, laughing and talking with the other women while he sniffed out Damien. He found him alone in the library, sitting at a table and looking out the window.

“Damien.” Alex said when he walked in and the tall, blond demon turned to look at him.

“Yes?”

“You need to learn how to be more supportive of Angelica instead of being such a hard ass.” Alex said and Damien stood up and gave him a hard look as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I have been dealing with all of her irrational fears for a lot longer than you have. You will soon grow just as tired of it.” Alex shook his head and sat down on the back of the couch.

“No I won’t because the irrational fears are very rational and she’s already getting better. Can’t you tell that she’s getting better?” Damien nodded.

“She is and that’s what scares me.” he said. He decided that it was best to open up and be honest with Alex since most of what he’d been saying lately had made him sound like a cold, heartless monster and that wasn’t what he was at all.

“Why does that scare you?” Alex asked as he twisted the chain on his pants around his finger.

“She is taking all her strength from you. What happens when you grow tired of her and leave?” Alex laughed at first but then realized that Damien wasn’t joking.

“Damien, I love her. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then why haven’t you told her that she’s your mate?” Alex shrugged and tapped his fingers on the table top beside him.

“Because I know that what I’m feeling is real but I want her to know it is too and I’m afraid she won’t if she knows I’m her mate.” he replied. “She still needs you too, you know. She needs you to support her and be there for her. Only difference is that now she can go get her own groceries.”

“I do thank you for that.” Damien said. “I never pushed her to leave because she would begin to panic and scream and I didn’t want to see her like that.”

“She’s tougher than you think. But she did cry after you left this morning.” Damien’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Why?” he demanded. Emotions still confused him greatly.

“Because you weren’t happy that she was happy.” Alex replied. “And because you didn’t think that I really cared about her or thought she was pretty.”

“I never said those things.” Damien argued and Alex shrugged.

“I told you that she’s smarter than you think. She picked up on it.” he said and then he raised his brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I do care and I do think she pretty… Hell I think she’s beautiful.” Alex saw Damien’s look of disbelief and he grinned. “Okay at first I didn’t think so but once you get to know her and you see the goodness inside she is beautiful.”

“If you hurt her….” Damien warned.

“I won’t hurt her.” Alex assured him. Both men stared hard at each other for several long moments and finally Damien sighed and nodded.

“Okay. If she trusts you and you say you mean her no harm then I’ll trust you too.”

“Good.” Alex said with a grin. “I was kind of worried you’d kick my skinny butt for coming in here and telling you what I thought.”

“No. It would not be a fair fight.” Damien replied, scratching at his muscular forearm. “I am glad that my mother has someone who isn’t afraid to stand up for her.”

“I hate to interrupt this touching father/son moment but the food is ready.” Kayleb said with a laugh as he poked his head into the library.

“I don’t eat.” Damien replied while Alex tried, and failed, to think of a witty response to Kayleb’s comment.

“Kaylee said to tell you to come on. Do you want me to tell her you said you don’t eat.” Damien shook his head quickly.

“No that will make her angry.” he said. “I come when she calls or else I have to deal with more of her crazy emotions.”

“I am so telling her that you just said she was crazy.” Kayleb said and he took off back down the hallway. Damien muttered something under his breath and then left the library as well. Alex looked around the room. Shelves full of books covered the walls from floor to ceiling. He definitely had to bring Angelica in here. She would love this room.

He walked to the kitchen and Angelica quickly crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Thankful that he was here with her again in this crowd of bodies.

“It smells good.” Alex said as he led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her before sitting down in a chair beside her.

“I helped make it. I hope you like it.” Angelica said as Alex placed a piece of meatloaf on both of their plates.

“I’m sure it’ll be great.” he said.

“I’m so hungry I’d eat it even if it tasted like a giant turd.” Kent said matter of factly.

“Kent, please try to act like you have an ounce of sophistication and don’t talk about bodily waste at the table.” Bethany said tossing her hair over her shoulder. As the family began eating their meal, Angelica found herself feeling more and more comfortable around them. She looked over at Damien and he smiled at her and it was the first time she had ever seen a warm, caring look like that in his eyes when he looked at her.

(Alex, did you say something to Damien?) Angelica asked so only Alex could hear. Alex smiled, enjoying the sound of her voice in his head.

(He does care about you, sweetheart.) Angelica smiled at Alex and laid her head on his shoulder before going back to her meal.

“Hey sis, guess what king demon said about you?” Kayleb asked before sticking a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“What?” Kaylee replied.

“He said that you are a moody pain in his ass and you drive him crazy.” Kayleb said with a grin. Damien just shook his head and Kaylee looked over at him.

“Did you say that?” she asked.

“Not exactly.” Damien replied and Alex winced. That was the wrong answer.

“What exactly does ‘not exactly’ mean?” she demanded. Alex felt Angelica grab his arm and he could tell she was afraid by the confrontation.

“It’s okay.” he whispered and she felt a tremor pass down her spine as his warm breath blew across her exposed neck. She was helpless to speak and stuck a bite of meatloaf in her mouth instead.

“I said that your emotions are crazy.” Damien said to Kaylee and Lane laughed.

“Dig that hole, demon boy, dig that hole. I’ve dug a fair share of my own holes in the past.”

“By the past he means just this morning.” Joey added and Lane smiled and took a bite of food.

“My emotions are not crazy, Damien, I’m a woman and we are more complicated than the simpler sex.” Kaylee said matter of factly.

“Now you’re insulting all of us men?” Evan asked his daughter and Kaylee nodded.

“Yes I am.” she replied.

“That’s a bunch of B.S.” Kayleb grumbled. “There is at least one woman at this table that is crazier than any of us men.” His gaze hesitated on Angelica for only a second before moving back to Kaylee but it was long enough that Alex and nearly everyone else at the table caught onto it.

“Who would that be?” Bethany asked. She had been too busy eating to see Kayleb’s glance at Angelica.

“Yeah, Kayleb, who would that be?” Alex asked, finding that suddenly he was angry.

“Well, I mean, uh…. Angelica is a bit eccentric sometimes. Have the beans said anything interesting today?” Kayleb asked not realizing just how angry Alex was and Vanessa slapped him on the back of the head.

“Is that right?” Alex asked as most of the table chuckled. He looked over at Angelica and saw that she was picking at her food and looked near tears.

“She’s silly.” Faith agreed and Alex stood up.

“This is ridiculous. I thought there would be one safe place I could bring her where no one would make fun or torment her but obviously I was wrong and this family isn’t the family I thought it was.”

’It’s okay, Alex, I am crazy.“ Angelica said as she fought back her tears and tried to tug his arm and make him sit back down. For someone so tall and lanky he was much stronger than he looked.

“Alex, honey, we didn’t mean to laugh.” Jordan said to her son.

“Yes you did.” Alex said.

“No we didn’t… Angelica has done some things that have been funny since we’ve known her and Kayleb’s words made us think of those things. We’re sorry.” Laney said.

“Sometimes sorry doesn’t mean shit.” Alex said glaring at his muscle bound, red haired cousin who had started this mess.

“Alex, please don’t, I really am crazy. They have every right to laugh at me.” Angelica said desperately as tears ran down her cheeks.

“No they don’t.” Damien snarled and Kaylee nodded in agreement. Alex couldn’t believe that the only people who hadn’t laughed at his mate were Lane, Joey, Angela, Jake, Damien, Kaylee, Hunter and Vanessa. Everyone else seemed to think that Kayleb calling her crazy was funny.

“You are not crazy. You are smart, beautiful and amazing.”

“No, I’m not.” Angelica said and Alex growled. Thanks to Kayleb’s big mouth his mate was crying and in pain. Kayleb better be glad that Alex was different than Uncle Jake or else Kayleb would be picking pieces of himself up off the floor right now.

“Angelica, I….” Kayleb started but Alex cut him off.

“We’re leaving.” he said. He pulled Angelica close and the two of them disappeared.

“I didn’t mean to make anybody mad or make her cry.” Kayleb said as he rubbed his face and looked over at his sister and Damien. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah you are.” Damien snarled and he stood from the table and left the room.

“Nice job, family. Way to be a bunch of assess.” Kaylee snapped and she followed after her mate.

“For once, I was one of the mature ones.” Lane said, sounding very proud of himself.

“We have to fix this.” Rebecca said as she leaned against her mate with tears in her eyes. “I would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose.”

“Me either.” Laney agreed.

“The woman talks to thin air and has conversations with her food, she is crazy.” Bethany spoke up and this earned her a glare from everyone else at the table. “So now I’m the bad guy because I said what the rest of you were thinking?” she demanded and she stood and left the table as well.

“I know she can be a bitch, but I love her.” Greg said apologetically as he stood to follow her.

“I heard that!” she yelled from the hallway and Greg winced and followed after her.

“Our son hates us.” Jordan said to Kent.

“I don’t blame him.” Kent said. “If someone had said something bad about you I would hate them too.”

“The great Collins clan messed up.” Kayleb grumbled. “Not very often that that happens.” Jake went about eating his food as if nothing had happened.

“Aren’t you upset?” Raquel demanded of her oldest brother. Jake looked up and shrugged.

“Why? It isn’t any of my business.”

888

“You’re okay, Angelica.” Alex said as he held her cradled in his arms on the couch. He hadn’t dashed her to her cabin because he hadn’t wanted her to be able to lock herself away the way she had in the past. Instead he had dashed to his apartment in California.

“No I’m not.” Angelica said through her tears. The front of Alex’s black t-shirt was soaked with their hot wetness. “First the people at the restaurant, then the clerk at the department store and now your family… There has to be something wrong with me.”

Alex growled as he thought about the clerk at the department store who had laughed outright at the sight of Angelica. He knew that Kaitlyn had dealt with the situation by threatening to go to the manager and the clerk had been so upset she had ended up giving them half off the clothes they bought in order to save her job, but that didn’t change the fact that he wished he had been there to take care of Angelica himself. Kaitlyn hadn’t been at dinner and for that Alex was grateful. She probably would have laughed like her mother had and it would have hurt Angelica to see her new shopping buddy making fun of her too.

“There is nothing wrong with you. It’s the rest of the world that has the problem.” Alex replied. He was ashamed by the fact that he had once been part of the problem. He hadn’t insulted her to her face in the beginning but to others he had went on about her being ugly and crazy. He wanted to kick himself for ever thinking those things about this woman, who had completely stolen his heart in such a short amount of time.

“Where are we?” Angelica asked as she wiped her face clean on his shirt and then pulled away. Alex looked around his fairly messy suite and smiled.

“This is where I live.” he said. Angelica pulled herself to her feet and Alex was amazed that she had gone from having a break down, to perfectly fine in just a matter of seconds. She walked over to the wide windows and looked out at the crowded city streets and fancy homes all around them.

“It’s very nice.” she said. Alex watched her walk around the living room. She ran her fingertips along the edge of the pool table and then smiled at him.

“I’ve seen this played on television.” she said. Alex was momentarily speechless. The sight of her looking so beautiful with her fingertips gently tracing the wooden edges of the table, her feminine hip cocked to the side, and her smile lighting up her face excited him more than even Candy had with all her sex appeal, sprawled on the table when he’d come home the other night.

He wanted nothing more than to grab her and lay her down on the pool table and make love to her. Not sex… Nothing done with Angelica would be as simple as sex. No, it would be love making and it would include his heart and soul for the first time.

“Are you okay?” Angelica asked. She recognized the hungry, passionate look on his face and it scared her. She had learned from the kisses they had shared that not all kisses were cold and painful like the one’s Victor had given to her but that didn’t mean sex would be any different.

She couldn’t stand to be hurt by Alex…. She needed him too much.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Alex said, seeing the fear in her eyes. He cleared his throat and stood up, thankful that his baggy clothes hid his arousal. “Have you ever played?” he asked pointing at the table. Angelica laughed.

“Did you see one in my cabin?” she asked.

“Nope.” Alex grabbed a pool stick from the rack on the wall. “You want me to teach you how?” Excitement lit up her face.

“Will you?” she asked.

“Of course.” Alex said with a grin. He handed her the stick and then positioned himself behind her, covering her body with his and showing her the right way to hold the stick. Angelica felt her body heating and her heart beating faster at the close contact of their bodies.

Alex hoped she wouldn’t feel his arousal but there was no way she could miss it with their bodies pressed so closely together.

“You line up your shot like this.” he said as he guided her hands. His voice was rough and he cleared his throat. “Then you pull back and hit the white ball to make it knock the other balls into the holes.” He helped her take a shot and when a red and white ball went into the corner pocket she yelled with triumph and turned in his arms.

“I did it!” she exclaimed.

“Yes you did.” Alex replied as he sat the stick down on the pool table and ran his thumb over her jaw.

“Alex…..” she said breathlessly as she looked at the passion darkening his blue eyes.

“I want you, Angelica. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.” He tilted her head up and then crushed his lips against hers. He forgot all about taking it slow as his passion for her poured from him. The kiss was hungry and desperate and Angelica clung to his arms for support. He put his hands on her waist and lifted her so she was sitting on the edge of the table, then he used his leg to spread her knees apart so he could position his body between them.

He let her vanilla scent fill his senses as her hands ran down his back and he buried one of his hands in her golden hair. His other hand traced up her waist, across her rib cage and then his thumb touched her breast through the satiny fabric of her shirt and she froze. Her moans changed from those of passion to moans of fear and she put her hands on her chest and shoved him back.

Alex broke away and stumbled back several steps. His body was on fire with need but he forced himself to take a deep breath and look at her. She had her arms wrapped tight around herself and she was rocking back and forth and staring at the ground.

“Sweetheart…” Alex’s voice was deep and gruff so he cleared his throat and started over. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” Angelica shook her head quickly.

“I can’t do it! I can’t!” she said and Alex could hear her fear, sadness and disappointment and his ardor cooled several degrees instantly. He walked back to her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Why?” he asked. “Why can’t you? Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes.. But.. I can’t tell you.”

“You can tell me anything.”

“No we agreed to not say his name anymore.” she said and Alex groaned and rubbed his face with his free hand.

“Victor.” he said. “Victor raped you.” Angelica shivered and he wrapped his arms tight around her and pulled her back into his chest as she once again began to cry.

Her tears surprised her. For years she had been living with only fear.. Fear all the time.. To finally feel emotions that made her laugh and cry was something new to her.

“Angelica, I would never hurt you. I’m sorry I got carried away.”

“You didn’t. I’ve seen it on television. I’m supposed to have sex with you, I just can’t.” she sniffed against him. Alex shook his head.

“You don’t have to do anything with me that you don’t want to do. And I don’t want to have sex with you.” Angelica pulled away enough so she could look at him.

“You don’t?” she asked, looking crushed. He kissed her nose and smiled.

“No. I want to make love with you. I won’t rush you.” Angelica wiped her face and then jumped from the pool table and moved away from him.

“I had nightmares last night and couldn’t sleep well. Can I take a nap?” she asked, doing her usual lightning fast change of subject.

“Yes you can.” he grinned. “My beds through that door.” Angelica nodded and then quickly turned and walked away from him, closing the bedroom door behind her. Alex went to the kitchen and opened the freezer to let the cold air help cool his heated blood.

He shut the freezer and leaned his head against it as he yawned. He hadn’t gotten home from the gig the night before until nearly three am and he’d been up just a couple of hours later to find flowers for Angelica and get to her as quick as he could… He could use a nap himself.

He walked into the bedroom to find her on her side, buried beneath his thick black comforter in his king size bed. He pulled off his tear soaked shirt and slid into the bed behind her. He felt her stiffen when he circled his body around hers.

“I just want to hold you, sweetheart. I’ll leave if you want me to.” Angelica shook her head.

“I want to feel you holding me. Maybe the nightmares won’t come.” Alex kissed her hair.

“Victor and Rotan, you better leave my woman alone because I’ve told you once that I don’t like to share. Don’t make me lose my temper with you both.” Angelica giggled and the sound was like music to Alex’s ears. He wrapped his arm tight around her, making sure to keep from touching her breasts and he buried his face in her hair.

They lay there like that a long time. Alex heard her breathing deepen and become steady and he could tell that she had fallen asleep. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered,

“I love you.” Then he closed his own eyes and fell asleep.

chapter twelve

“Looks like he gave up his no spooning policy.” A male voice broke through Angelica’s dreams. She’d been dreaming she was in a warm cocoon. Enveloped in a hardness that made her feel both safe and protected. She opened her eyes just a sliver and could see Alex’s green hair, and his thin, firm lips were pressed against her shoulder, blowing warm breath across her skin.

“Yeah, he’s definitely spooning.” a second voice said and Angelica felt the beginnings of fear. Who was in Alex’s house and what did they want? She sunk down a little deeper in his arms and made sure her face was hidden by the blankets.

“Alex,” she whispered as she felt him stir behind her. “Who’s here?”

“A couple of homeless idiots who don’t have the good sense to stay the hell out of my house…. Or my bedroom.” he grumbled but she could hear the smile in his voice.

“That wasn’t very nice.” Tony said. “Thought you didn’t cuddle after sex. Who’s under there with you, Candy?”

“Once again, Tony, your stupid is showing.” Todd said. “She smells a little like that ice cream he’s suddenly been eating by the gallon.”

“Who is Candy and do I really smell like ice cream?” Angelica whispered and Alex chuckled.

“First off, Todd and Tony, get the hell out of my bedroom, I’ll come out in a minute.” Alex said and Todd and Tony laughed and Angelica heard the door close. “Second, I think we took a really long nap because it’s dark out.” Angelica pulled the covers off her face and looked out the big window to see that yes it was dark. The dark night was lit with bright lights and neon signs.

“Who is Candy and do I really smell like ice cream?” she asked again. Alex sighed and kissed her neck, causing goose pumps to cover her skin and a tremor to pass over her spine.

“Candy is just a girl and she’s nothing for you to be worried about and yes you smell like vanilla ice cream, only better.”

“And who are those people that are here?”

“Todd and Tony.”

“The other men in the band with you?”

“Yeah.” Alex replied running his fingertips over her hand and then lacing his fingers with hers. “Todd is a vampire and Tony is a mortal who is missing a few brain cells.”

“Can I….”

“Can you what?” Alex asked burying his nose deeper into her hair so he could breath more of her scent. He had never held a woman like this before and he could see now why men enjoyed it so much. He felt bigger and stronger, holding her small body wrapped so tightly in his arms.

“Can I talk to them?”

“They’re pretty big losers but yeah you can talk to them, why?”

“I wasn’t allowed to speak with Victor’s visitors.”

“I don’t know if you noticed but uh… I’m not Victor.” Alex replied as he pressed his lips against her neck.

“Yes.. I noticed.” Angelica replied and she pulled out of his arms and away from the heat he was stirring in her. Alex sighed and sat up, flinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“They’re good guys, Angelica. You can trust them.”

(Todd, make sure Tony knows not to mention the fact that she’s my mate okay? I haven’t told her yet and I’d rather she not hear it from the bald baboon.)

(I’ll tell him, but you really should tell her.) Todd replied.

(Mind your own business sir sucks-a-lot.) Alex grumbled.

(Whatever, ass sniffer.) Todd said with a laugh and then the link closed.

“We better get out there before they come bursting back in here.” Alex said to Angelica. She nodded and smoothed out her ponytail.

“I’m kind of scared.” she admitted. Alex smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“Don’t be scared. They’re harmless and even if they weren’t, I could take both those wimps.”

“I heard that!” Todd shouted and Alex chuckled. He kept his arm around Angelica’s waist and led her out into the living room. Todd and Tony both looked at Angelica with surprise when they saw her. Alex looked down at her and could tell she was afraid but she still had a warm smile on her face.

“Angelica, this is Todd and Tony.” Alex said motioning toward each man when he said their names. “You guys, this is Angelica, my…girlfriend.” he said, knowing that the word girlfriend was a pitiful explaination of what she meant to him.

“Hi Angelica.” Todd said, recovering from the initial shock of her scarred face first. “You smell delicious.” he added, using his usual vampire humor that he used whenever he met a new woman. Angelica shrank away from him and looked up at Alex with true fear on her face.

“You do smell good.” Alex said with a grin and a shrug. “I told you they were stupid, but harmless.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Todd said apologetically as he lifted his bottle of blood to his lips and took a drink.

“You have to forgive Todd, he’s the dumbest of the three of us… Of course what else can you expect from a vampire?” Tony asked reaching out to shake Angelica’s hand. Angelica looked at his hand as if it was a live bomb and Tony pulled it back.

“So what brings you two losers by?” Alex asked as he led Angelica toward the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer for himself and was about to grab a water for her but she reached in the refrigerator herself and grabbed a beer. He raised his beer and then smiled proudly and clinked their bottles together.

“Checking on you. You weren’t here when we showed up this morning.” Todd replied.

“I had better things to do then hang out with the likes of you two.” Alex replied with a grin before taking a big swig from his beer. He watched Angelica take a swig from hers as well and shook his head. The woman was a constant surprise. Who would have thought that the woman who had once said ‘I look a fright’ would be the type of woman to drink a cold beer while standing in his messy kitchen with his buddies?

“Can we hang out now or are you wanting some more alone time with your woman?” Tony asked as he grabbed himself a beer as well.

“What do you say, Angelica?” Alex asked.

“About what?” she asked.

“About hanging out with us handsome fellas.” Tony replied with a grin and wink. Angelica looked at his bald, tattooed head and his thick brown beard and at Todd’s bright purple hair that was styled into six inch spikes on his head and she burst out laughing.

“What the hell is she laughing so hard about?” Tony asked, looking insulted. Alex shrugged and smiled broadly. Her laughter made him happy.

“You’re not handsome.” Angelica gasped through her laughter as her eyes watered and tears ran down her cheeks.

“Don’t tell me you think that little green haired freak is handsome.” Tony asked with disbelief as Todd leaned against the counter and watched with amusement. Angelica’s scars had shocked him at first and he had felt sorry for Alex for about two seconds until he had seen the way his friend had looked at her. Now seeing her laugh and seeing her innocent nature even as she insulted him and Tony and sipped at her beer, he realized how lucky Alex really was. This was one hell of a woman and the perfect woman for his best friend.

“Yes I do think he’s handsome.” Angelica said, wiping her face and holding her hand against her aching stomach muscles.

“Well isn’t that something… She’s insulting me and instead of being mad I can’t get over how darn cute she looks.” Tony grumbled. Angelica blushed and put her face against Alex’s chest.

“He called me cute.” she whispered.

“Maybe he’s not as stupid as I thought he was.” Alex replied.

“So, Angelica….” Todd started.

“Call me Angel.” Angelica interrupted.

“Okay. Angel, do you know how to play pool?”

“Alex taught me a little.” she said and she felt Alex’s gentle arm wrap around her waist and his hand rest on her hip.

“Well then come on and let’s see what you’ve got.” Tony said, downing the last of his beer. He and Todd walked into the living room and Angelica looked up at Alex.

“I’ve never been called handsome before.” he said with a grin and she shrugged.

“I’ve never been called beautiful either.” she replied. He gave her nose a gentle poke and then motioned toward the living room with his beer bottle.

“You ready to go play some pool?”

“Yes. I like your friends. They treat me like I’m normal.”

“You are normal.” he replied with a smile and he led her out of the kitchen.

888

“She’s all right Alex. I like her.” Todd said as the three of them lounged on the couches and chairs and Angelica took a shower. They could hear the running water and Alex was fighting the urge to go in his bedroom and join her.

“Thanks I think so too.” Alex replied looking at the clock and seeing it was one in the morning. Despite his nap earlier he was getting tired already. Or maybe he was just wanting to go back to bed and hold Angelica in his arms again.

“How’d she get those scars?” Tony asked sipping at his beer.

“She was held prisoner by a demon for about five centuries. He and his son tortured her… a lot.”

“They’re not that bad… They look like cool tattoos only they’re scars. I saw this broad one time that had a big three inch metal spike through her cheek… Now that was messed up.” Tony said with a shiver. “She told me she had some other things pierced but after seeing that cheek there was no way in hell I was willing to check out the rest.”

“You going to tell her that she’s your mate?” Todd asked and Alex rolled his eyes.

“Some day.” he replied and he could see Todd’s disapproving look. “Don’t judge me, Todd, let’s wait until you find your mate.” Todd shivered.

“I hope it isn’t anytime soon. I’ve got too many other women I want to get to know first.”

“Alex ruined it for me and that hot chick I was seeing.” Tony grumbled.

“How the hell did I do that?” Alex asked.

“She was friends with Candy. Candy told her that you were a jackass and now she won’t have anything to do with me.”

“Sorry.” Alex said with a grin that clearly said he wasn’t really sorry. “Candy was really pissing me off.” They heard the water turn off in the shower and Tony and Todd laughed at the look of anticipation on Alex’s face.

“Well we’ll head on out of here and let you have your alone time with the misses.” Tony said standing up.

“We’ve got practice tomorrow at Tony’s garage.” Todd said and Alex nodded.

“I’ll be there.” Todd grabbed Tony’s arm and the two of them disappeared, just as Angelica came out of his room with her hair soaking wet and hanging long and nearly to her butt. She was wearing one of his long black t-shirts and a pair of his boxers and Alex felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her long, lean, toned legs. He didn’t even notice the scars, all he saw was the soft pale skin on those beautiful legs.

“Thanks for letting me shower. I felt dirty from crying so much today.” Alex smiled at her statement that made no sense but somehow seemed completely logical coming from her.

“Are you tired?” he asked her when she yawned into her hand. She walked to him and he pulled her down onto his lap.

“Yes.” she admitted. “Where did Tony and Todd go?”

“Back to wherever it is they live when they’re not here.”

“So who is Candy? I heard you saying something about her when I was in the shower.”

“She’s not important.” Alex replied as he pressed his face against her neck and breathed her in.

“I want to know.” Angelica said. Alex sighed and admitted defeat. She was clearly stubborn when she wanted to be.

“She was a girl that I slept with.. Once.. That’s all it was and that’s all it ever will be. Like I said it’s not important.”

“She still wants you.” Angelica said and Alex wondered how she managed to know things like that… It was like she picked up on things that other people wouldn’t notice.

“That doesn’t’ matter.” Alex said matter of factly as he moved her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck. Angelica did her best to ignore the tremors and the tug she felt in her breasts and between her legs at the feel of his lips on her sensitive skin.

“So she wants to have sex with you and I can’t… You must hate me… If you want to you can have her….”

“Shut-up.” Alex said and Angelica winced when she heard the anger in his voice. He pulled his head away from her and she could see anger in his eyes. Surprisingly though she wasn’t afraid of him. She knew that Alex would never hurt her, no matter how angry he was.

“Alex, I’m serious.” she said. “It’s not fair that I’m holding you back.”

“Didn’t I say to shut-up?” he demanded. “You need to understand something, Angelica, there is no way, and I do mean no way, that I would ever trade you for Candy. You don’t even realize how amazing you are. You are innocent, kind, smart, funny. You have made such a difference in my life in such a short amount of time. I love you, Angelica.”

“What?” Surely she had misunderstood him. He put his hands on her cheeks and forced her to look into his eyes.

“I am in love with you.”

“You are?” her blue eyes were wide with disbelief.

“Without a doubt.” Angelica took a deep breath for courage and then pressed her lips against his. He seemed surprised at first but then he kissed her back but he forced himself to keep the kiss gentle. He would not let himself get carried away again until she told him she was ready.

She pulled away and blushed as she looked down at her lap.

“I love you too.” she whispered. “You’re so different from anyone I’ve ever known.”

“I’ll wait on you forever if that’s what it takes, Angelica. There is nothing that could make me turn away from you. You are everything to me.” Alex shifted beneath her and suddenly looked nervous.

“What’s wrong?” she asked and then she looked beside her. “Of course he isn’t about to change his mind…. He says he loves me… You need to go back home.” she said with narrowed eyes and Alex chuckled.

“You tell ’em.” he teased.

“Hush.” she scolded. Alex grinned but she could see the nervousness in his eyes.

“I need to tell you something.” he admitted. Angelica felt herself growing nervous as well. Was he about to tell her that he hadn’t meant what he’d just said?

“I don’t want to know.” she said trying to pull out of his lap. He tightened his arms around her and she was helpless to get away.

“You need to know.” He took a deep breath. “Angelica, you’re my mate.” Her eyes widened and he wondered what she was thinking.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she asked feeling betrayed.

“At first it was because I was an idiot but then as I fell in love with you, I didn’t want to tell you because I was worried that you would think I was only with you because you were my mate…”

“Aren’t you?” she asked as she jerked from his arms and stood up. “You must really hate fate for giving you a mate that looks like me.. My friends were right! I should have ran away from you in the beginning before I gave you a chance to hurt me!” Alex rose to his feet and shook his head. How was he going to make her understand?

“Sweetheart, this, you and I, this has nothing to do with being mates. Yes you being my mate is what drew me to you at first but that’s not what kept me coming back and it’s not what made me fall in love with you.”

“I want to believe you.” Angelica said desperately as she looked into his blue eyes.

“Then believe me.” he replied and he closed the distance between them and ran his hand over her cheek. “Believe this.” he added and he kissed her, doing his best to pour every ounce of love he had into it.

“Okay, I believe you.” she said breathlessly as he pulled away and Alex smiled.

“Good.” he was relieved more than he could say. He had been scared to death to tell her that she was his mate. The thought of losing her or her trust was his worst nightmare. “Will you stay here with me? I’ll take you back to your cabin if you want me to but I would really like to hold you at night and wake up with you in the morning.”

“My friends and I would love to stay.” she said with a big smile on her face that lit up her eyes.

“Good.” he said smoothing his thumb along her jaw. “But you’re the only one allowed in the bed, your friends have to sleep on the couch.” Angelica laughed.

“Okay.” Alex wrapped his arm around her and led her to the bedroom. They curled up beneath the covers, the same as they had during their nap and as Alex drifted off to sleep he thanked his lucky stars that he had been given such an incredible woman to spend eternity with.

chapter thirteen

“Are you coming with me to practice?” Alex asked Angelica the next day around noon. He had already taken her to her cabin and they had packed up her clothes and a few personal items and brought them back to Alex’s apartment.

“Thirty-five, Thirty-six, Thirty-seven…..” Angelica paused with her brush in her hair and looked at him with wide eyes. “Out there?” she asked, looking out the window at the crowded city below.

“Yeah out there.” Alex replied as he swept the kitchen floor.

“No. No. No.” Angelica shook her head roughly. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

“You know I won’t make you. You can stay here if that’s what you want.” Alex replied, dumping the dustpan in the garbage and carrying the broom back over to the small closet. “I am taking you out to dinner tonight though. I’ll take you to a smaller town to eat, it won’t be crowded.” Angelica nodded and went back to brushing her hair and counting her way to one hundred.

A knock came on the door and Alex raised a brow and wondered who would knock. Tony and Todd always just let themselves in since Alex never locked the door and he didn’t know of anybody else who would come to visit him without warning.

He sniffed the air and growled under his breath when he realized it was Kayleb. He forced himself to remember his forgive and forget policy in life…That was easier said than done when it came to someone hurting Angelica.

“Who is it?” Angelica asked as she backed toward the bedroom.

“Kayleb.” Alex replied as he watched the way her skirt whipped around her shins, just below her knees. He loved her legs. “Should I tell him to leave or let him in?”

“Let me in.” Kayleb replied from behind the door. Angelica nodded and walked over to the couch to take a seat and she laid her brush on the table beside her. Alex went over to the couch to stand behind her.

“It’s unlocked!” Alex shouted and Kayleb stepped in with a sheepish grin on his face and a rose in his hands.

“I was hoping I’d find you here.” he said to Angelica.

“I live here now.” Angelica replied matter of factly as Alex laid a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“I have to head out in a minute, Kayleb, what do you want?” Alex asked. Kayleb shifted uncomfortably and then held out the pink rose to Angelica, who reached out with a hesitant hand and took it.

“Uh.. I’m sorry about yesterday.” he said as he shoved his hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to hurt you and make you cry. Sometimes I don’t think before I speak and for that I apologize.” Angelica turned her head and looked up at Alex questioningly, who just shrugged.

“You can either forgive him or I can kick his ass, it’s up to you, sweetheart.” Her eyes widened and she looked back at Kayleb who was frowning.

“I forgive you.” Angelica said quickly. “Thank you for the flower.” Kayleb let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

“You’re welcome.” he said.

“That looks like a rose from that bush Angela planted.” Alex said with a grin. Kayleb grinned sheepishly and stuck his hands in his jean pockets.

“Well I’ll head out since you were busy.” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you knew I was sorry.” Angelica stood up and nodded.

“Thank you for apologizing.” Kayleb smiled at her and then looked at Alex.

“Come to the house again soon, cabbage patch, everybody feels bad about yesterday.”

“We’ll think about it.” Alex replied. Kayleb nodded, the air shimmered and he was gone.

“I’ve never had anyone apologize for calling me crazy before…” Angelica said as she pressed the pink rose to her nose.

“Kayleb’s a good guy, for an overgrown, muscle bound, gorilla.” Alex replied and while Angelica giggled he looked at the clock and groaned. “I have to go.” he said.

“I’ll be here waiting for you.” Angelica replied. “Maybe I’ll practice my pool game so I can finally beat you tonight.”

“Knowing you’re here waiting is going to make it really hard to concentrate on practice.” Alex said as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close.

“Say it again.” she whispered against his chest.

“Say what again?” he asked with a grin because he knew what she wanted. Angelica blushed and hugged him closer.

“You know.”

“I. Love. You.” he replied with a smile. Angelica felt her heart swell in her chest. She had never imagined she would hear a man say those words to her. Let alone a man as incredible as Alex. Alex kissed her hair and pulled away.

“I’ll be back in a couple of hours and then I’ll take you out to dinner.” he promised. He kissed her nose, walked over and locked the door, then gave her a wave and disappeared.

Angelica walked over to the pool table and set the balls up for a game and as she did that she thought of Alex and the difference he had made in her life. Last night, wrapped tight in his arms, had been the first night in her entire life since meeting Victor that she hadn’t had a single nightmare. And ever since Alex had told them to leave her alone, neither Victor nor Rotan’s voices ever came to her head.

Outside of Damien freeing her from Victor, meeting Alex was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

888

“Are you done eating?” Alex asked Angelica as they sat together in the booth in the dimly lit restaurant. Angelica nodded.

“Yes.”

“Good, because all I want to do is get you home and kiss you senseless.” Alex replied. Angelica felt her body heating instantly and she followed Alex up to the counter, where he paid the bill and then wrapped his arm tight around her before dashing her back to the apartment living room. He wasted no time before putting his hands on her face and pressing his lips to hers like he’d been wanting to do all day. He reined in his passion the best he could and tried to keep the kiss from seeming too hungry but he was surprised when Angelica nipped at his bottom lip and moaned and he lost all sense of control at the sound and deepened the kiss using his tongue to war with hers and taste her sweetness.

“What in the hell is going on here?” An angry feminine voice demanded and Alex pulled away from Angelica and quickly turned to see Candy. He looked back down at Angelica and saw that though her cheeks were flushed with passion and her breathing was ragged, she looked alarmed as she stared at Candy.

“Who is this ugly bitch?” Candy demanded, pointing at Angelica who whimpered at the harsh words. Alex felt himself growing angry and made a mental note to start locking his apartment door.

“Her name is Angelica and you will not insult her again.” he said matter of factly. Then he pointed at the door. “Leave, Candy.”

“This is Candy?” Angelica asked feeling suddenly self conscious. Candy was beautiful. All long and tan and toned in her barely there black dress. Her hair was platinum blond and hung to her waist and her face and skin were flawless.

“Yeah, I’m Candy and you are with my man.” Candy spat with venom dripping from her words.

“You are one crazy bitch.” Alex exclaimed as he lost his patience. “We had sex, ONE TIME! There was no relationship and I am not your man. I am hers.”

“I can’t believe this! I thought you were a good man. Turns out you’re nothing but a damn player that jumps from woman and to woman and doesn’t give a damn who he hurts! Fine if you want to downgrade from me to that piece of trash, be my guest.” Alex’s temper snapped then. He released his hold on Angelica and strode toward Candy.

“Get the hell out of my house and if you ever come back here again, I can promise you that you won’t leave in one piece.” His blue eyes flashed with an animalistic quality as his teeth sharpened and he growled low in his throat.

Candy looked terrified and then she yelped, grabbed her purse and ran from his apartment, leaving the door open and taking the stairs instead of waiting on the elevator. Alex took several long deep breaths to calm himself and push the wolf back down and then he felt a soft, gentle hand on his shoulder.

He turned to see Angelica looking at him, her eyes were wide and her face pale. He instantly regretted losing his temper with Candy. Angelica would probably be scared to death of him now.

“I’m sorry, I lost my temper.” he mumbled as he ran his hands through his thick, unspiked, green hair. Angelica’s face was unreadable and then suddenly she burst out laughing. Alex stared at her with confusion even as he smiled at her obvious amusement.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Did you see the way she ran? She was really scared of you! Why would anybody be scared of you?”

“No idea.” Alex answered dryly.

“I don’t mean that you couldn’t have hurt her but you never would! You’re not that kind of man.” Alex nodded.

“Sure.” he said. If that’s what she thought, he’d just let her keep believing it but he hadn’t been giving Candy an empty threat. If she ever came back to his apartment she was leaving it in pieces.

“I love you, Alex.” Angelica said as she leaned into him. She loved him even more now that she knew just what kind of woman he was turning down for her.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

“And I love beer.” Tony said as he walked in through the open apartment door with Todd behind him.

“Did you miss us?” Todd asked Angelica with a grin and Angelica smiled.

“I’ve been practicing my pool today. You don’t stand a chance.” she said and the men laughed.

888

“Come with me, please.” Alex asked three days later as he was getting ready to go volunteer at the nursing home. “You can stay right beside me.”

“Is it safe?” Angelica asked as she twisted her hands. Alex grabbed her hands to still them and nodded.

“Would I let anything happen to you?” she shook her head. “So you’ll come with me?” Angelica nodded. Alex smiled at the victory and kissed her forehead.

“Good, because I don’t like being apart from you.”

888

“I knew you had a girlfriend!” Mrs. Wallis exclaimed as she took her seat at the table beside where Alex and Angelica were sitting to call the bingo game.

“Yeah, I told you I did.” Alex replied as he readied the balls in the machine.

“I see you put that green crap back on your head.” Betty Lou grumbled as she slammed her bingo bag down and flopped her old bones down in her chair.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mrs. Wallis asked her.

“Hubert.” Betty Lou sneered. “He is dating that little floozy Patricia King.” Alex looked over at Hubert and saw that he did indeed have Patricia King sitting beside him with her arm wrapped around his.

“I’m scared.” Angelica said as more and more people filed into the cafeteria.

“You’re alright, sweetheart.”

“So what’s your name?” Mrs. Wallis asked Angelica. “And what happened to your face?”

“Angel, and I was tortured.” Angelica replied, touching her scarred cheek self consciously as she sank back in her chair.

“She’s pretty enough, Alex. Though I still think you would have liked my granddaughter better.” Mrs. Wallis said matter of factly as she laid out her bingo cards.

“She’s married.” Alex reminded her for the thousandth time. “And this one stole my heart.” he added as he pressed a kiss to Angelica’s cheek and she beamed.

“Now there’s a man who knows how to treat a woman.” Betty Lou said loudly. “Not like that damn Hubert!”

“Huh?” Hubert asked, cupping his large ear with his wrinkled hand.

“Nothing Hubert. Enjoy your floozy.” Betty Lou replied.

“You’re just jealous because she has better hair than you.” Mrs. Wallis told her and Betty Lou’s face turned red with anger.

“My hair is great.” she said as she ran her hand over the tightly permed blue waves.

“Not as good as mine.” Mrs. Wallis argued as she touched her thinning white hair.

“You’re bald as a bat.” Hubert spoke up and Mrs. Wallis fluffed up like an angry chicken.

“Mind your own business, you old coot!” she exclaimed. Angelica leaned into Alex and he smiled.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I just realized why you thought I was normal.” she said making his smile grow.

“Why’s that?”

“Because these people are crazy.” she said with a nod and he laughed.

Chapter Fourteen

A week passed and Angelica and Alex had both never been as happy as they were during those days. Alex loved holding her in his arms all night and while his body was screaming at him for more, she still wasn’t ready. She was getting better about going places with him as well though she hadn’t wanted to go to his gigs Friday and Saturday and Alex hadn’t blamed her. A rock concert in a bar was a scary thing.

Alex was sitting on the couch watching television, while Angelica laid with her head in his lap reading a book when suddenly Angelica put her book against her chest and looked up at him.

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked looking down at her and smoothing her hair behind her ear.

“I think it’s time to go back and see your family.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked.

“Yes. I would like to talk to Damien.” Alex nodded.

“It’s late enough that everybody should be home.” he said and he stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Are you ready?” he asked her. She sat her book on the table and smoothed out her tight blue t-shirt and jeans.

“Yes.” He wrapped his arms around her and dashed her to the front yard of the family house.

“Alex!” Gwen called as she ran from the porch and Alex knelt so he could hug her.

“Hi Gwen.” he replied. Then he looked up at his aunt Raquel who had been on the front porch with the little girl. “Where’s everybody at?”

“Out back. Evan and Greg are showing off their grilling skills.” Raquel turned to Angelica. “I owe you an apology.” she said. Angelica shook her head.

“It’s okay.”

“Well come on and eat then.” Raquel said with obvious relief. Angelica was happy to hear that Raquel was talking to her as if she was an adult instead of a child.

(Family, I need to tell you something.) Alex said so everyone but Angelica could hear. (We’re here to visit and I’m warning everybody right now to be nice to her, no insults and do not treat her like a child because she doesn’t need to be coddled or babied. Treat her just like you’d treat anybody else coming into the family.) No one answered him but he knew they all had heard him.

Raquel and Gwen led them all to the back and Angelica was surprised, as always, by just how many people were in this family.

Hunter was standing at the grill, wearing a ‘kiss the cook’ apron that Laney had insisted he wear because she thought it was hilarious. Raquel saw that and walked right up to him and planted a big kiss on his lips. Evan and Laney both looked on in shock and Hunter blushed, cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t flipping burgers.

“Uh, what was that about?” he asked.

“Yes, do tell.” Laney agreed. Raquel shrugged.

“His apron says to kiss the cook!” she exclaimed. Everyone laughed because they knew the crush that Raquel had always had on Hunter. Evan grabbed his mate around her waist and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers hungrily.

“You’re lucky I don’t kill him for that.” he growled with a smile.

“Oh hush, big guy, you know you’re the only wolf for me.”

“But I’m a vampire, ma’am.” Hunter said matter of factly as Laney pushed him away from the grill to let Greg take over.

“Hush, don’t give away our secret affair lover boy.” Raquel said with a wink.

“Angel!” Rebecca exclaimed when she caught sight of her. She rushed over and hugged her tight. Rebecca was surprised when Angelica hugged her back instead of stiffening up the way she always had in the past.

“Hi Rebecca.”

“We are all so sorry for the way we acted the last time you were here.” Rebecca said as she pulled away. Angelica looked around at the family and saw that most of them were nodding in agreement.

“It’s okay, really.” Angelica said. “I would have laughed too… Talking to vegetables is pretty crazy.” Angelica smiled brightly and Alex swelled with pride. His mate had grown so much stronger. Angelica moved away from him and walked over to Hunter.

“I want to see the horses.” she said to the vampire. Hunter nodded.

“Sure, come on.” he said.

“I’ll come too.” Laney said and Angelica tensed. Laney had always been the worst one for treating her like a child. “Besides, you need to tell me all my cousin’s dirty little secrets so I have some ammo to blackmail him with.” she added in a whisper and Angelica smiled.

“Well he does snore very bad… And he eats more vanilla ice cream than anyone I’ve ever met.” she replied. Laney laughed and the three of them walked off to the barn.

Alex saw Kayleb and Vanessa over at the swing set, helping Faith swing while Jake, Angela, Joey and Lane pushed Brent and Charlie around the yard in their strollers.

“Alex, we’re sorry.” Jordan said walking over to her son with Kent by her side.

“That’s alright.” Alex replied. “I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.”

“It’s hard to control your temper when you see your mate hurting.” Kent agreed and Alex nodded.

“I never had a temper until Angelica. Now whenever somebody so much as looks at her the wrong way I want to rip them apart.”

“You get that from me.” Jordan piped up and Alex raised a brow at his tiny, pixie-like mother. “What?” she demanded. “You didn’t think Jake was the only one with a temper did you? A person doesn’t have to be big to have a big temper.”

“Good thing is, when she loses her temper it’s like a little fire cracker instead of the nuclear blast that is Jake.” Lane said as he, Joey, Jake, Angela and the babies walked past them. Alex flopped down at the big picnic table and grabbed a piece of cut watermelon. It felt good to be with his family for a while. He and Damien’s eyes met and Damien gave him a nod.

(She looks good. You have been good for her.) Damien said so only Alex would hear.

(She’s been better for me.) Alex admitted.

He talked and visited with his family and then the scent of vanilla filled his nose just before Angelica’s arms closed around his neck from behind.

“I love the horses.” she said.

“Do you?” he asked as laid his hand over hers.

“Yes.”

“I’ll have to get you one to keep here so you can ride it when we come.”

“You would do that for me?”

“Crazy woman, I’d do anything for you.’ Alex replied with a grin and he heard her light laughter and felt her breath against his ear.

“Angel, I need you to help me!” Rebecca called from the doorway to the house. “I’m trying to cut up the vegetables for the cheeseburgers but I need another set of hands.”

(I feel like an equal today.) Angelica said to Alex. (I’ve never felt that way with anyone but you,)

(You aren’t an equal to anyone here, sweetheart, you’re better.) he replied. Angelica blushed and then walked up into the house.

“So why haven’t you fully mated to her yet?” Kayleb asked walking up, sitting on the table top and munching on a stick of celery.

“None of your business, carrot top.” Alex shot back.

“So you’re not getting laid… Hasn’t she been living with you for like two weeks?”

“Yes.” Alex said, grabbing a second piece of watermelon.

“So what are you waiting for?” Kayleb pressed while elbowing his arm and grinning. Alex felt his temper rising again. It surprised him because he’d never had a temper before but by now this idiot should know that Angelica and his relationship with her was off limits.

“She was raped for over five hundred years by a demon king who tortured her and stole bits of her soul, what do you think I’m waiting for?”

“This is where you open your mouth and insert your foot.” Vanessa said walking up to her mate.

“I was just kidding around.” Kayleb exclaimed.

“You two have always loved to hate each other.” Raquel said shaking her head at Alex and Kayleb. “I’ve never understood it.”

“Shut up you blood sucking leach!” Lane hollered at Hunter across the yard. Hunter laughed.

“If I throw a stick, will you be a good puppy and go fetch it?” he demanded and both Lane and Hunter laughed.

“It must be a man thing.” Raquel said with defeat.

888

“Mom, I want to talk to you.” Damien said after the family had eaten dinner and they were all just sitting around in the twilight and enjoying the warm late august night.

“I’ll be right back.” Angelica said to Alex and then she followed her son around the porch to the front of the house. Damien sat down on the porch swing and patted the space beside him so she sat down as well.

“You look good, mom, and you act like you feel good too.”

“I do Damien.” Angelica replied with a smile. “Alex has made such a difference for me. He takes me places. I don’t hear the voices anymore and now that I have Alex and his friends, I don’t hear my ‘friends’ anymore.”

“I’m glad.” Damien said. “I know I don’t always say the right things or act the right way but I do want you happy and if Alex has given you happiness then I’m glad.”

“I love you, Damien, I always did, even though I wasn’t a real parent to you. I know you hated me for a long time.”

“I never hated you.” Damien said as if he was shocked to hear her say that. “I blamed myself for the shape you were in because I didn’t free you from him sooner. It took me so long before I cared enough about anyone but myself to free you.”

“But you did free me.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you what you needed. I wanted to but I didn’t know where to begin. I owe a great debt to Alex for doing what I couldn’t.”

“I love him Damien. He calls me beautiful and tells me that he loves me.” She sighed wistfully. “Can you imagine that? A man that loves me and thinks I’m beautiful even with all these scars. You know the last few weeks, I’ve begun to notice them less. There are times when I forget that they are there altogether.” Damien nodded and then thought about the conversation he had had with Angelo.

The angel had promised to take his mothers scars away and Damien wondered when he would make good on that promise.

“I’m proud of you.” he said. Angelica had never been happier than to hear those words from her son. She had always known that she was a pain in his side. An obligation and a worry but now finally she was standing on her own two feet (with Alex by her side of course) and Damien was proud of her.

“We better get back out there before Alex misses me too bad.” Angelica said, standing up and smoothing out her hair. “He’s attached to my hip you know.” she added with a wink. Damien found himself chuckling as he followed her back around the house.

888

“Did you have fun?” Alex asked Angelica when they arrived back at the apartment. It was dark outside and both of them were feeling tired.

“A lot of fun.” Angelica replied and then she hid a yawn behind her hand.

“Come on, sleepy head, I’ll tuck you in and then I’ll take a shower and join you.” Alex walked her back to the bedroom, leaving the bedroom door open and the living room light on since she hated the dark. Alex kept his back to her as she slid out of her clothes and pulled on one of his t-shirts before climbing under the covers. He walked over and kissed her forehead, grabbed a clean pair of gray lounge pants and then walked into the bathroom.

Angelica lay there waiting for him to return. When the water turned off and she heard the bathroom door open she felt a delicious shiver run over her skin. She wanted him… She wanted to do the thing he’d called ‘making love’.

She felt the mattress sink down and then he was against her back, pulling her close into his chest, the way he did every night.

“I love you.” he whispered against her ear. Her entire body yearned for him.

“Alex…” she whispered and Alex could hear the want in her voice. He closed his eyes in relief. Finally his body was going to get the attention it had been needing from her. He was going to be able to press his lips to every inch of her body. His fingertips would be able to skim over every curve.

“Turn around, Angelica.’ he said, knowing his voice was rough with passion. She did as he said and he slid her hair behind her ear with a shaking hand. He cursed the fact that he was shaking like some teenage virgin.

“I want you to show me how good it can be.” she whispered. “I want to make love..” Alex smiled, though he wasn’t sure how when every fiber of his body was on fire and then he gently pressed his lips against hers. The kiss quickly turned hungry and he was happy when she matched his passion.

He moved his lips across her jaw and down her neck cursing when the t-shirt stopped the trail of his lips. He felt himself trembling beneath her touch when she ran her fingertips across his chest and down the tight muscles of his stomach. He pulled her up and grabbed the bottom of her shirt.

Angelica felt fear fill her but pushed it back down. Alex would not be like Victor. There would be no taunting about her ugliness when he saw her naked. She could see the hunger, passion and love in Alex’s eyes. She raised her arms and allowed him to pull the shirt over her head.

“God.” he said and she kept her eyes close and froze. Was that a good god or a bad god? “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen… I would say woman but even the sunrise and sunset has nothing on you.” Alex wasn’t sure where the poetic words came from. There was just something about her that inspired him. He loved seeing the blush that colored her cheeks and at his words the blush spread down her chest and even colored the tops of her high, firm breasts.

Angelica could feel his desire for her pressing against her stomach as she stretched back on her side beside him. His mouth claimed hers again as his fingertips danced over her ribs and when his big hand found her breast a fear so raw and primal came over her, that it had her jumping from the bed and pulling the blanket with her to cover herself.

“I can’t!” she exclaimed as she backed away from him until she was pressed against the wall and tears filled her eyes. She stared down at her feet, unable to meet his gaze.

Alex took several deep breaths to try to cool his passion and then he rose from the bed and walked to her.

“Angelica, it’s okay… We can wait.”

“No it’s not okay! I’m broken, Alex. I might never be able to be fixed all the way. You deserve somebody who can give you everything you need and I just can’t!”

“What are you talking about?” he demanded as he ran a gentle finger along her jaw. “I have never been happier than I am since I met you. I love you with everything I have. You are my heart and soul.”

“No. No. No.” she said as tears flowed down her face. “Men need the physical and I can’t give that to you! I don’t know if I ever will be able to.. You should call Candy…”

“Swear to God, Angelica, if you keep telling me to go after Candy, I’m going to explode.” he snapped and Angelica clamped her mouth shut with a snap. Alex let out a sigh and ran his hands over his face. He had to get a grip on his passion and his temper because neither were what Angelica needed right now. Right now she needed the calm, peaceful, understanding Alex. Not the hot tempered, hotter blooded werewolf inside that was thirsting to make love to his mate.

“Sweetheart, I don’t know how to make the way I feel about you any more clear. I love you and I will wait on you forever if that’s what it takes. Just to be near you and hear you voice and see you smile is what I live for now. I don’t even know how I lived before I met you. I don’t want Candy or any other woman. I only want you. You forever.”

Angelica continued to stare down at their feet with the blanket wrapped tight around her. Tears collected in her long blond lashes and ran down her cheeks. Alex sighed and dropped his hands to his side. He walked across the room and grabbed her shirt off the floor. He held it out to her and she took it and then without looking at him she motioned for him to turn around.

“No.” he said stubbornly. Angelica looked up at him so pitifully that he sighed and turned around. She dropped the blanket and quickly pulled the shirt on and then she walked past him and climbed back into the bed, pulling the covers over herself, head and all.

“You have to talk to me eventually.” he said as he snuggled up to her back and laid his chin on her shoulder…. At least he thought it was her shoulder, it was hard to tell when she was all covered up in those covers.

“No.” she replied, her voice muffled. Alex sighed and lifted the covers so he could bury himself under them with her. He kissed her shoulder and she glanced back at him to see him staring at her like a sad little puppy dog, wanting attention.

“Pleeeease talk to me.” he begged as he rested he head against her shoulder.

“I’m too embarrassed and ashamed.” she replied quietly. Alex frowned.

“Why? You have nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. Especially not with me. There is no reason for you to ever feel that way with me.”

“I’m sorry I panicked like that.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I understand your fear.” he said kissing her hair. “Now lets get some sleep, sweetheart, I’m tired.” Angelica snuggled closer to him and it didn’t take long before she drifted off to sleep. Alex waited until he knew she was sound asleep and then he got out of the bed and went to the bathroom for another shower… This time he made sure it was cold.

Chapter Fifteen

“Angel, we need you!” Tony sang in a gruff voice. “Please please please come to our gig tonight!” he finished off, his deep baritone voice rising up to a screechy falsetto.

“Shut up, Tony, and leave the woman alone.” Todd said, sipping his cup of blood. It had been a week and a half since the incident in the bedroom and neither Alex nor Angelica had tried to make love with the other since. Alex wanted to give her time and Angelica was too afraid to start because she didn’t want to disappoint him again.

Now Alex was getting ready for another gig and Tony was desperately trying to talk Angelica into coming with them.

Angelica began to wring her hands nervously and Alex quickly grabbed them to stop her the way he always did.

“You’ll be fine, Angelica. You don’t have to stand out in the crowd, you can hang out behind the stage.” Alex wasn’t about to let her give in to her fears this time. He knew from the past that she needed a push in order to do new things and he was willing to shove her forward when it came to this.

“Okay.” she said with a tiny nod. She didn’t want to let him down.

“Hell yeah!” Tony exclaimed and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, lifted her feet from the floor and spun her around and around. At first she stiffened with fear but by the time he sat her down she was laughing happily.

“Are you done manhandling my mate?” Alex asked with a grin and Tony nodded.

“For now.” he replied.

“You guys go on and Angelica and I will be there in a bit.” Tony and Todd smiled.

“Our little ones are growing up.” Todd said with a smile. Tony wiped a make-believe tear from his cheek and sniffed.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Get the hell out of here.” Alex said with a broad grin as he punched Tony in the arm. Tony and Todd laugh, grabbed onto each other arms, the air shimmered and they were gone.

“Your friends are crazy.” Angelica said matter of factly. Alex shrugged and kissed her nose.

“Don’t let them hear you call them my friends because they considered themselves to be your friends too.”

“I’ve never had real friends.” Alex grinned.

“Well they’re not much, but they’re loyal and they love you.” Alex led her back to the bedroom where she began to change out of her lounge pants and oversized t-shirt and into a pair of jeans and a black tank top. Alex found himself unable to look away from her as she stood there in her matching black panties and bra. The black fabric contrasted with her pale skin and outlined the curves of her breasts and hips.

His eyes roamed from her face down the gentle slope of her shoulders, across the high firm curve of her breasts and down the tight lines of her stomach. He followed the feminine curve of her hips, his eyes pausing on the tempting triangle between her legs before going further down to her long lean legs. He honestly didn’t even notice the scars anymore when he looked at her beautiful body.

He felt his own body responding to the sight of her and she quickly pulled her shirt on to break his concentration. Alex cleared his throat and looked in the mirror to make sure his hair was spiked enough.

“I think you could draw blood if you ran into someone with that hair.” Angelica teased as she slid into her jeans. Alex smiled.

“See, if anybody messes with you I’ll have a weapon right here on my head to defend you with.” The mental image of Alex using his head and hair as a sort of battering ram had Angelica laughing out loud. As she began to brush out her hair Alex grabbed his acoustic guitar case from beneath the bed.

“What’s that?” she asked. Alex slid the guitar back under the bed and shook his head.

“Just a guitar.” he replied. He had thought about singing her the song he had written for her over ten years ago, long before he’d known who she was, tonight at the show. But it wasn’t the type of music that anyone in the bar would want and it was too private and personal to share with all of them anyway. He wanted to share it with her and only her.

“You better wear your hair up, sweetheart, it gets kinda warm in there.” Alex said and Angelica nodded and grabbed a scrunchy off the dresser. She was just finishing pulling her hair up as Alex put on a smaller t-shirt, that fit his lanky frame tighter and a gray suit type vest on over that. He had chains hanging from the pocket of the vest and connecting to the chains on his pants. He pulled on his big brown boots as she slipped into a pair of high heeled sandals that Kaitlyn had insisted she buy.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Alex smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

“I promise. No one is going to hurt you ever again, Angelica. Not as long as I have a breath in my body to defend you with.” Angelica smiled up at him and nodded.

“I’m ready.” Alex shifted positions and his hand brushed over her breast. They both froze and Alex stared down into her eyes to judge her reaction.. He prayed he wouldn’t see fear and he didn’t. Instead her eyes were lit with passion and determination.

“Sweetheart, don’t look at me like that or we’ll never make it to the gig on time.” he said. Angelica closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Instead of fear at his touch, she had felt a heat and a passion so overwhelming it had nearly made her knees buckle.

“You can open your eyes.” Alex said with amusement. She shook her head.

“Nope. You said not to look at you.” Alex kissed her eyelids.

“No, I said not to look at me with all that passion or else we’ll never make it out of here on time.”

“I don’t know how else to look at you.” she said with her eyes still squeezed shut. Alex took a deep breath and told Alex Jr. to calm down because he had a three hour gig he had to get through.

“Well let’s go then.” he said. He dashed them to the backstage area at the bar and Tony and Todd ran over when they appeared.

“We didn’t think you were gonna make it!” Todd exclaimed and then he saw that Angelica’s eyes were closed. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Angelica, sweetheart, open your eyes.” Alex whispered in her ear. Angelica did and she looked around to see that the four of them were alone backstage. Alex pointed out through a doorway and Angelica saw all the instruments and equipment set up on a stage. She could also see the crowd and she felt that familiar panic creeping in but, like he always seemed to be able to do, Alex ran his thumb along her jaw and over her bottom lip and she forgot about everything other than him.

“I promised you that you’d be safe. You can sit back here and watch us. You don’t even have to go out with the crowd.” Angelica nodded and he kissed her cheek.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” a male voice boomed. “THE IMMORTALS!”

“Gotta go, beautiful!” Tony said and he and Todd both pressed a kiss to Angeilca’s cheek before running onto the stage, the crowd cheering so loudly that Angelica could literally feel the noise.

“They kissed me.” she said to Alex and he nodded and grinned.

“I’ll kick their asses for it later.” he promised. He kissed her fast and hard on the lips and then ran out onto the stage as well, leaving her standing there touching her lips and wishing the kiss could have lasted longer.

She watched and beamed with pride as Alex picked up his guitar and stepped up to the microphone. She had never heard him sing before and she realized that he really was talented. His voice was clear and strong and it made her heart smile to see the happiness on his face as he performed.

After an hour and a half, the band took a break and while Tony and Todd went down into the bar to get some drinks and mingle, Alex came straight back to her. He wrapped her in a tight, sweaty hug and kissed her lips. She licked her lips after he pulled away and they tasted salty from his sweat.

“Having fun?” he asked and she nodded.

“You guys are very good.” she replied. Alex smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“We have fun… We’ve had offers for big record deals and things but we turned them down. We like doing this.” he said, pointing out at the crowd. “Best part is, we get free beer.”

“Will you go get me one?” Angelica asked as she wiped the sweat from her own brow. Alex hadn’t been kidding when he had said it gets warm here.

“Nope.” Alex replied with a grin. “But I’ll take you out there to get one.”

“Me… Out there?” she exclaimed and Alex nodded.

“That’s the only way you’re getting a beer.” he replied. Angelica glared at him and then nodded.

“Fine.” she said. He could tell she was angry with him and he reached out and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and giving her a squeeze.

“You’ll be okay, Angelica. I’m right here with you.” They walked out into the crowd and Angelica fought the urge to scream when bodies began bumping up against hers.

“You’re okay.” Alex assured her. She was beginning to calm down a bit when they made it to the bar and slid into some stools.

“Two beers.” Alex said and the bartender sat two cold beers in front of them and then moved down the bar to other customers. They sat there in a comfortable silence, watching the crowd and then Alex caught Tony by the shirt collar as he walked by and pulled him to them.

“I gotta go to the bathroom. You stay here with Angelica.” he said.

“You’re leaving?” Angelica demanded.

“Don’t worry beautiful, you got a real man to sit with you now.” Tony said as he wiped sweat from his bald head and smiled. Angelica couldn’t help but laugh.

“Be right back.” Alex said, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and then disappeared into the crowd of bodies, his green hair the only way to keep track of his movements.

“Having fun?” Tony asked as he took a swig from Alex’s beer. Angelica took a sip of her own and nodded.

“Yes. I’m glad you all talked me into coming.” she replied. She saw Tony’s eyes become locked on something and she turned to see a woman in a tiny short skirt and a tight shirt that showed her tan stomach, giving him a ‘come hither’ motion with her finger as she tossed her silky black hair over her shoulder and bit her lip.

“Go ahead.” Angelica said. Tony shook his head and looked at her.

“No, I said I’d stay with you.”

“I’ll be fine.” Angelica insisted, even though she was nervous she didn’t want to stand in Tony’s way. “Go ahead.” Tony smiled.

“Thanks.” he said and he jumped up and went quickly to the woman.

Angelica turned back to the bar and stared down at the wood to keep a handle on her nerves. Alex said she was safe here and she trusted him.

“I bet you’re real proud of yourself.” a female voice said behind her and she turned to see Candy standing there in all her tan and platinum blond glory with vehemence and hatred in her eyes.

“I don’t want to fight.” Angelica said quickly as she averted her gaze and looked down at her own feet, sitting on the rungs of the barstool.

“Too damn bad.” Candy said putting a hand on Angelica’s shoulder and shoving her backward. Angelica’s back struck against the wooden bar and Candy sneered.

“You think you’ve won? There is no way a scarred up, ugly bitch like you will keep Alex’s attention for long. I’ll bet he doesn’t touch you the way he did me.. How could he with all those scars covering you?” Candy demanded.

“I don’t want to fight.’ Angelica said again as tears filled her eyes.

“You’re going to cry?” Candy demanded with a harsh laugh and she pushed Angelica again. “How typical. Little baby. Go running and crying to Alex and let him stick up for you. He’s nothing but a whipped little bastard, taking care of you like you’re something special when you aren’t anything. I’ll have him again before it’s over, just you wait and see. He’ll be….” Angelica had heard enough and something snapped within her as her tears dried instantly. Violence had always frightened her, because of what Victor and Rotan had put her through but a woman could only take so much pushing and taunting before she pushed back.

Candy’s words were cut off when Angelica brought her fist hard across her face. Angelica sat there, shocked by her own actions as Candy raised her hand to her bloody lip.

“How dare you.” she hissed, raising her hand and preparing to rake her sharp nails across Angelica’s face but a strong hand closed around her arm with a grip so tight it made her cry out.

“No, how dare you.” Alex’s voice was so low, cold and smooth that it made even Angelica shiver. “You deserved that punch and if you don’t get the hell out of here right now, I’ll give you another one.”

“You wouldn’t hit a woman.” Candy argued as she jerked her arm away and attempted to press her chest against him. Alex stepped away but his eyes narrowed and flashed angrily.

“Try me.” he hissed. Candy looked back and forth between Alex and Angelica, and then wiped at her bloody lip again.

“Have fun with her. You’re stuck with her now.” Candy turned and fled from the bar and Alex turned to Angelica.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I hit her.” Angelica said with shock. Alex smiled proudly.

“You hit her good.” he replied.

“I’ve never hit anyone before.”

“Where’s Tony?” Alex demanded.

“Don’t be mad at him. I told him to go have fun.” Angelica said, coming to the bald mans defense. Alex sighed.

“We gotta get back up and finish our set.” he said. “You wanna go backstage again?” Angelica bit her lip.

“Can I just watch from here?” she asked and Alex nodded.

“Sure.” he kissed her lips gently and then kissed her red knuckles, that had busted Candy’s mouth. “I love you.” he said.

“I love you too.” Alex moved away from her and made his way through the crowd. He was upset that Candy had said those things to her but he was proud that Angelica had dealt with the situation herself. It just showed how much stronger she was than when he’d first met her.

Alex motioned for Todd and then grabbed Tony by the ear and led him back toward the stage.

“From now on if I tell you to watch my mate, you watch her. Candy started on her again while you were busy playing a bald, fat, bearded Romeo.” Alex said matter of factly. Tony jerked out of his hold and smiled guiltily.

“Is she okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, she busted Candy’s mouth and the woman ran out of here bleeding.”

“Good for her.” Todd said and Tony and Alex nodded in agreement.

“Let’s get up on stage and finish up.” Alex said matter of factly.

“In a hurry to get home?” Todd asked with a wink and Alex smiled.

“As a matter of fact I am.”

chapter sixteen

“Home sweet home.” Alex said once he and Angelica got back to the apartment.

“You need a shower.” Angelica said as she wrinkled her nose. “You stink.”

“Gee thanks.” Alex said, feigning hurt. “I love you too.”

“Love has nothing to do with your sweatiness.” she replied with a smile.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” he asked and she nodded.

“Other than punching Candy,” she said and then she shrugged and gave a guilty grin. “Of course even that was fun if I’m being honest.” Alex laughed loudly and gave her a big hug even as she complained again about his smell.

“I’ll go get a shower then.” he said. He kissed her softly and then walked away to the bedroom. Angelica heard the shower turn on and she tried to work up her courage. She wanted Alex… She wanted to make love to him. She wanted to feel him touching her and she wanted to touch him. She was tired of being afraid.

On shaking legs she walked into the bedroom and slid out of her clothes. She looked in the full length mirror as she pulled the scrunchy from her hair, and winced at the sight of her scars but then she smiled. Her scars didn’t bother Alex so she wouldn’t let them bother her. She could see the love, desire, passion and lust in his eyes whenever he saw her and what kind of woman could feel unbeautiful when looked at like that.

She felt her nerves eating through her stomach as she paused outside the cracked bathroom door. She could hear the water running and she could hear it falling to the ground as he washed his body beneath it.

“I can do this. I am a grown woman, I am in love and he is nothing like Victor. Alex would never hurt me.” she whispered to herself. She pushed the door open and saw him, his body distorted behind the frosted glass of the shower door. He was tall and lean and she could see the darkness further down his waist and swallowed hard.

She knew the instant he realized she was there. He turned to face her and even through the frosted glass she could see his desire and feel it in the foggy air of the bathroom. He pushed open the shower door and Angelica gasped at the sight of him. Everything about him was different than Victor and when she looked at him, already swelling and growing hard for her, she suddenly realized why Candy had been so desperate to win him back.

“Alex….” she whispered.

“My eyes are up here.” he said and though his voice was deep and gruff with passion, she was happy to hear the same light hearted teasing in his tone. Alex wouldn’t be like Victor. He wouldn’t become some mindless, violent machine when he was consumed with passion. He would still be Alex.

“I need a shower too.” she managed to gasp as she looked up into his warm blue eyes. Alex nodded and moved aside, motioning for her to join him. She wasn’t sure how her legs carried her across the cool tile of the bathroom floor but the next thing she knew she was stepping into the shower and standing beneath the hot, pelting droplets of water.

Alex put his gentle hands on her shoulders and turned her around so her back was to him and then he pressed his lips to her ear.

“Go ahead and take a shower, sweetheart.” he whispered. Alex saw the way her hands were shaking as she raised her hand to her hair and smoothed it out as the hot water soaked through the golden waves. She threw her head back and arched her back as she bent one knee, lifting one foot so only her toes were touching the ground and Alex felt his mouth go dry and he barely suppressed the urge to throw her against the wall and take her hard right then and there.

He lowered his hands from her shoulders, and ran his fingertips down her back, and over her shoulder blades. He felt her stiffen and then she moaned and leaned into his hands as he lowered them to the small of her back and massaged her tense muscles. Alex knew he needed to move slowly but he also knew that he was going to make love to her tonight. No more letting her pull away and treat him as if he was Victor and going to hurt her.

He would move as slowly as she needed tonight but he was moving forward instead of standing still or backpedaling. He closed his hands on her waist and pulled her into him so that her back was pressed against his front. He knew she would be able to feel his throbbing desire pressed into her backside and he waited to see what her reaction would be. He could feel her tense and he waited under the hot spray of the shower for several long moments until she relaxed again, before moving forward.

He moved his hands down her hips, and part of the way down her legs, enjoying the feel of her slick wet skin beneath his finger tips. He brought them back up the front of her thighs, skimming over her hip bones and her tight stomach, stopping just below her breasts when she tensed again.

He pressed his lips against her ear, moving nothing other than his lips as he spoke to her.

“This is me touching you, Angelica. My hands, no one else’s. You know you can trust me.” She let out a breath, that he hadn’t realized she’d been holding and her breathing became ragged even as she relaxed against him once again. Alex thought for sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest as he moved his hands to her full breasts and cupped the heavy weight of them. He moved his lips down from her ear to her neck and he suckled, tasted and licked his way to her shoulder as she moaned and leaned all her weight against him. He braced his legs to hold both of their weight and kept one hand on her breasts while the other moved lower once again.

She tensed again when his hand touched the dark blond curls between her legs and he stopped but didn’t remove his hand. The only sounds in the bathroom were the running water and both of their harsh breathing. He moved his lips back to ear.

“Trust me, sweetheart. You know I would never hurt you.” Angelica forced herself to relax again. Her entire body was on fire from his roaming hands and when he felt her relax he began to message her breasts again and his fingers moved deeper into the curls between her legs before he gently slid one inside her and she tried to jump from his arms but he held her tight and shushed her gently.

“You want this, Angelica. Don’t let fear get in the way.”

“I can’t.” she whimpered, even as she felt herself throbbing against his finger.

“You can, love. Just relax and trust me. You won’t feel pain, only pleasure.” he promised. Angelica cursed her own cowardice. This was Alex. Gentle, kindhearted, loving Alex. Alex would never hurt her. She knew that he would sooner die than hurt her.

She relaxed her back against him and then moved her hips and spread her legs to give him better access. Alex growled at her submission and nipped at her shoulder gently. He moved both his hands back to her shoulders and turned her around so he could press his lips to hers.

The kiss was long and hungry and when he pulled away they were both breathless and the water was turning cold. Alex reached out and turned the knob to off before putting one arm behind her shoulder and the other behind her knees, lifting her up and pulling her against his chest.

She pressed her lips against his bare chest causing him to tremble as he carried her out of the bathroom and laid her down on the bed. He covered her body with his and smiled as she touched him with unbridled passion. Running her fingertips over every inch of his body and causing him to nearly lose control of himself and forget about his pledge to go slow.

He grabbed her wrists gently and lifted her arms above her head, holding them down on the bed. He kissed her lips and then moved his mouth to her jaw, then her throat, then across her collarbone and to her breasts. He tasted ever sweet inch of her body from her head to her toes, causing her to wiggle and moan beneath him, before moving his mouth back to hers and kissing her lips again.

“Tell me you want me to.” he whispered, though he was unsure how he spoke when his chest was so tight with love and passion. He pressed his throbbing desire against her slickness and waited for her to give him permission.

“I want you to.” she whispered back, her eyes trusting and full of love and passion as she gazed up at him. Alex let out a sigh of relief and slid himself inside of her, and though he knew it was a cliché thought, he felt like he was really going home.

Angelica couldn’t believe the pleasure coursing through her as he began to move on top of her and continued to press kisses along her jaw and lips. He released her arms and she clung to him as she moaned his name.

She felt the pleasure building within her and she knew something was about to happen but she didn’t know what and when finally the pressure snapped, she yelled his name as she was blinded with white hot pleasure. She felt him stiffen against her and he repeated her name over and over before finally collapsing on top of her.

They lay there in the darkness, each listening to the other breathing, for a long time. Finally Alex moved off of her and collapsed on the bed beside her. He had had sex many times in his life but never, not even once, had it felt anything like what he had just experienced with Angelica. He looked over at her and saw that she was laying there with a smile on her face as she stared at the ceiling.

“You keep smiling like that and you’re going to make my ego grow so big I won’t be able to fit back out the door.”

“I had no idea it could be like that.” she whispered in awe. Alex smiled and grabbed her arm, pulling her onto her side and up against him. She wrapped her leg over his and laid her head on his chest.

“I love you, Angelica.” he said as he kissed her wet hair. She looked up at him.

“I love you too.” she bit her lip and he could tell she wanted to say something else.

“What is it?” he asked. She blushed and smiled.

“How long until we can do it again?” Alex growled and felt himself growing hard again at just her words.

“Now.” he replied and he pulled her head up and kissed her lips again as the very room itself seemed to catch fire.

888

“How long now?” she asked after they had both collapsed against the bed for the third time. Alex laughed and tried to pull her close but his body was too weak to do much other than lay there.

“You’re gonna kill me.” he said and she smiled. “Aren’t you tired?” he asked her.

“It’s a good tired.” she replied. He sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Can I show you something?” he asked. Angelica looked over his long lean body and nodded causing him to laugh again.

“You’ve seen all there is to see there.” he teased as he poked her nose. “I actually want to play you a song.” Angelica wrapped herself in the blanket and nodded.

“Okay.” she said. Alex stood up and pulled on a pair of lounge pants before the grabbing guitar case from beneath the bed. He sat down in a chair next to her side of the bed and pulled the acoustic guitar from it’s case.

He strummed his fingers over the strings before looking back at her.

“I uh…” he cleared his throat finding that he was suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. “I wrote this a long time ago. I wrote it for my mate to hear one day even though back then I had no idea who she was or where she was. Now I know that she is the most amazing woman in the world and that she is right here in my bed looking very satisfied and gorgeous and I want her to hear it.”

“Okay.” Angelica said again. He looked back down at the guitar and his hand expertly brought the song to life from the piece of wood and strings and Angelica felt tears fill her eyes as his words filled the quiet night. They were words of a love he couldn’t wait to share. Words of longing and promises of forever. Vows to save his heart until the day he was finally able to hold her in his arms. It took her breath to know that he had written this song for her, even before he knew who she was.

By the time he finished she was crying freely and he put the guitar down on the floor and went to her. He kissed the tears from her cheeks and smiled as he smoothed her hair.

“It was supposed to make you happy.” he said as emotion clogged his own throat.

“I am happy.” she replied. “Do you realize what you’ve done for me? I’m not scared anymore. You healed me, Alex. I love you so much.” Alex couldn’t reply because he knew if he tried he would cry and while he wasn’t a big tough guy, he also didn’t want to cry like a little baby. He pressed his lips to hers gently and then lay down and pulled her into his chest.

“Goodnight my sweet angel, Angelica.” he said as he heard her breathing getting deeper as she laid against his chest. She moved the blankets and covered him up as well and then she kissed his bare chest.

“Goodnight, Alex.”

Chapter Seventeen

(Please, Alex, come spend some time with us at home. At least a couple of days! We miss you and Angelica!) Laney begged her favorite cousin. Alex rolled his eyes and leaned his pool stick against the wall.

(Why don’t you come out here?) he asked.

(Could you imagine Hunter in that big old city? He’d get killed once those crazy city people got a glimpse of his flannel shirt and cowboy hat.) Alex laughed out loud and Angelica looked up from the shot she was lining up and raised her brow.

“Laney wants us to come spend a couple of days at the big house.” he said matter of factly. Angelica nodded.

“Okay.” Alex mumbled under his breath. He’d been enjoying having Angelica alone in their apartment for the last three days, making love every single chance they got. Even Todd and Tony had gotten to where they were knocking before coming in because Alex had threatened to rip off their legs and make them kick their own asses if they kept just walking in.

(We’ll be there shortly.) Alex replied to his cousin and then he closed the link. He crossed the room and took Angelica into his arms.

“I guess we’ll have to pack some bags if we’re going to stay for a few days.” he said. Angelica smiled.

“We have to go to the bedroom to do that don’t we?” Alex grinned and nodded.

“Yes we do.”

“While we’re there we could always…..” she let her words hang and pressed her lips to his neck. Alex trembled beneath her kiss and grabbed onto her arms as his knees grew weak. He was shocked by how much she had changed in the last three days. She had gone from being scared to death of the thought of making love to being a love crazed woman who kept him wore out and on his toes at the same time.

“Yeah, we could.” he replied and he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom with her laughter filling his ears.

888

“Did you get what I told you to get?” Alex whispered to Hunter as he pulled the vampire aside in the yard later that day. Hunter nodded.

“Yeah I got it.” Hunter replied. Alex smiled happily. The house was pretty empty right now. His mom and dad were both at work. So was Evan, Vanessa, Kayleb, Kaylee and Damien. Kaitlyn and Faith were at school. Charles was down in the basement. Bethany and Greg were gone on a modeling gig and everyone else other then Laney, Hunter, Angelica and Alex was upstairs with the babies in the playroom.

“What are you two whispering about?” Laney asked as she and Angelica walked over.

“Sweetheart, come out to the barn with me for a minute.” Alex said taking Angelica’s hand. He led her toward the barn and Laney walked over to Hunter who wrapped his arm around her waist.

“String bean, is so cute in love.” she said with a sigh.

“Why are we going to the barn?” Angelica asked curiously as they walked into the dusty, dimly lit barn and her eyes adjusted to the change of light.

“I know how much you love the horses.” Alex replied as he looked around and his eyes quickly fell on the white and gray appaloosa in the back corner. He had handpicked this horse himself one day when he had snuck to a breeder after band practice. She was covered in scars from years of abuse at the hands of her first owner. She was gentle and a little shy but she had learned how to trust people again and Alex had thought she would be the perfect fit for Angelica.

“They are pretty.” Angelica saw the appaloosa and walked over to her. She held out her hand and clicked her tongue and the horse walked over and pressed her nose against her palm. “Poor thing.” Angelica said when she saw the whip scars on her sides and back.

“She had it rough for a while but she’s gonna have it a lot better from now on.” Alex said as he ran his hand over the horses neck.

“What’s her name?” Angelica asked, feeling a sort of kinship with the animal.

“I don’t know.” Alex replied. “You haven’t named her yet.” Angelica frowned.

“Why would I name Laney and Hunter’s horse?” she asked. Alex grinned when she looked over at him.

“She’s not Laney and Hunter’s horse. She’s yours. I got her for you.” The disbelieving smile that lit up Angelica’s face was worth every penny Alex had paid for the beast. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” he replied and he moved her back just enough so he could kiss her. The kiss started out innocent enough but then turned hungrier as they clung to each other in the dusty barn.

“Hmm…Hmm…” They broke apart, breathing heavily and looked over at Laney who was watching them with a smile on her face. Hunter was standing behind her but he had his back to them and was staring intently off into the yard as if embarrassed to have caught them in such a situation.

“Do you like her?” Laney asked pointing to the appaloosa.

“Yes. She’s beautiful.” Angelica replied. “I think I’ll name her Smoke.”

“Smoke?” Alex asked.

“Yes. She looks like smoke.” Alex couldn’t argue with that and he smiled.

“You wanna ride her?” he asked and Angelica beamed.

“Yes!” she exclaimed.

“We can all take a ride.” Alex said looking at Laney and at Hunter who had finally turned and stepped into the barn.

“You’re going to ride a horse?” Hunter asked, raising a brow and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yeah cowboy, you got a problem with that?” Alex asked with a grin. Hunter shook his head.

“You’ll be the first green haired man I’ve ever seen on horseback.” he admitted.

It didn’t take long to get four horses saddled and they started into the woods. It was beautiful and Angelica enjoyed the scenery and the peacefulness that she felt with Alex by her side and without Victor’s voice in her head.

“It’s beautiful out here.” she said.

“The kids love it when we bring them out here.” Laney agreed.

“Kids?” Angelica asked and Hunter nodded.

“There’s a group of orphans that come out about every other week or so and we take them horseback riding on the trails around the house.”

“I’d like to come with you sometime.” Angelica replied and Laney nodded.

“They’re coming back out in a few days. We’ll let you know so Alex can bring you.” Angelica looked over at Alex to see him smiling at her and she knew that there was no way in the world she could ever love him more.

’ What if we kill him, dear Angelica. What if I drive a silver stake through his heart and force you to watch the blood drain from his body? What if suddenly he is gone forever and you have to live the rest of your life all alone? You will never find another man who is willing to love and touch you the way he does. You will waste back to nothing and live out the rest of eternity locked in that cabin, driving our son insane with your craziness.’ Angelica let out a strangled cry of fear, sadness and desperation at Victor’s words. She hadn’t heard his voice in so long and the words he said filled her with more fear then she had ever felt in her life.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked moving his horse close to hers and staring at her with concern. “What did you hear?” Angelica looked over at Laney and Hunter feeling embarrassed. Hunter noticed and motioned ahead.

“Laney and I will head on down the trail. This loops around and leads back to the barn so we’ll see you all there.” he said and Laney followed after him. After they had disappeared into the trees Angelica looked over at Alex.

“It was Victor.” she said, her voice full of tears. Alex pulled his horse to a stop and she did the same.

“What did he say?” Alex asked, seeing the fear and sadness in her eyes as she gazed at him.

“I was thinking about how there was no way I could ever love you any more then I already do and then he asked what would happen if he drove a silver stake through your heart and I watched you bleed to death. He said I would never find anyone else and I would waste away to nothing and spend the rest of time in my cabin, locked away.” Angelica waited for Alex to show fear at the thought of being killed but instead he just smiled.

“Victor is dead, Angelica, he’s not going to shove a stake through my heart and even if he wanted to, Jake Collins is my uncle and as a teenager I spent a lot of days and nights having him teach me fighting skills. I promise I’m tougher than I look. There will never come a day that you won’t have me. I can promise you that.” Angelica didn’t look convinced.

“But what if…”

“You can’t live your life scared of the what ifs, sweetheart. There’s nothing we can do to stop the what ifs from happening and there’s no way of knowing if they even will happen. I am here and I can promise you that nothing is going to just take me away from you. I will fight tooth and nail to stay with you forever.”

“I love you.” Angelica said, forcing a small half smile onto her face. Alex reached out and ran his hand over her scarred cheek.

“I love you too. More than you’ll ever know.” They rode the rest of the way to the house in silence. Alex was upset that Angelica was so upset by the thought of losing him and Angelica was thinking about what she knew she needed to do. There was only way to be sure she’d never have to live without Alex.

888

“God, you’re amazing.” Alex groaned as he slid himself inside of her in the darkness of the bedroom that night as the sound of crickets chirping in the woods, floated through the open bedroom window.

Angelica’s heart thundered in her chest as he stared down into her eyes and he could tell there was something on her mind. He stilled his movements and braced himself, holding as still as stone on top of her.

“What?” he asked.

“I’m still scared about what Victor said today.” she replied. Alex kissed her neck.

“I’m not leaving you, Angelica.” he promised. His body was begging to move as he rested inside of her but he wasn’t going to until he managed to convince her she had nothing to fear.

“What if something happens one day and you don’t have a say in the matter.” she asked and Alex sighed and moved his lips to the other side of her neck.

“You’ll be fine, Angelica. You are stronger than you think you are.” he promised. She shook her head roughly and cracked his temple with her forehead. He grunted and raised his head so he could look at her face.

“No. No. No.” she said quickly. “I could never make it without you.”

“You’ll never be without me so lets quit worrying about this.” Alex said as he pressed his lips to her collarbones and felt her tremble beneath him.

“I know. After tonight I will never be without you.” she stated and Alex froze. Every muscle in his body went tense and he could barely find his voice to say,

“What?”

“I want to be your mate, Alex. Your mate in every way. I want to know that no matter what happens I’ll never have to live without you.” Alex felt as if his heart was going to explode as it pounded against his ribcage.

“Do you know what you’re asking me to do?” he asked and he looked at her face just in time to see a look of sadness and shame come over it.

“I’m sorry.. I shouldn’t have asked.. Of course you wouldn’t want to be fully mated to me…”

“Hush.” he snapped. Sometimes this woman was nuttier than an oak tree. “Crazy girl, you know that I love you. That’s not what I meant.” Hope came back over her features and she smiled.

“What do you mean then?” Alex sighed.

“I would have to bite you, Angelica… And I don’t know if it hurts or not. I don’t want you to be afraid of me…” Angelica laid a gentle hand on his cheek.

“I would never be afraid of you, Alex. I want this.” she assured him. “Of course you’ll have to say the words first because I don’t know what they are.”

“You’ll have to change the names around.” Angelica looked slightly annoyed.

“I know that.” she snapped and he grinned. For someone who had been so shy and withdrawn she was developing one heck of a temper. He kissed her lips hard, pulled away, and then kissed them again, only this time it was softer. He began to move in and out of her slowly and then he pulled his mouth from hers and looked into her eyes.

“I, Alex, take this woman as my mate. To be eternally bonded to her and only her, mind, body and soul. My life is hers and hers is mine.” Alex felt the wolf in him coming alive and his movements became more wild and untamed as the pace of their lovemaking increased.

“I, Angelica, take this man as my mate. To be eternally bonded to him and only him, mind, body and soul. My life is his and his is mine.” Alex lost all control of himself as the wolf in him took over. His movements weren’t easy or gentle, they were fast and hard but Angelica moaned his name and clung to him and didn’t mind at all as she became caught up in him.

His teeth sharpened and he pressed a kiss to the soft place between her neck and shoulder before sinking them in deep. Angelica let out a whimper but it sounded more of pleasure then pain and Alex felt himself fall over the edge of pleasure as she bit into his shoulder as well and then stiffened beneath him as she found her own release.

They both dropped spent and satisfied against the mattress and Angelica rolled on her side and laid her head against his sweaty chest.

“I love you.” she said breathlessly, as her eyelids threatened to fall closed.

“I love you too.” he whispered, his voice just as tired as her own.

“Goodnight Alex.” she said as she pulled the blankets over them.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

888

Angelo stood in the darkness of the bedroom and looked down at the sleeping wolf and his immortal mate. He could hear the other wolves and their mates and children breathing, sound asleep in other parts of the house.

The time had finally come for him to make good on the promise he had made to Damien all those weeks ago. He would take her scars away and leave her completely unmarked except for the mark that Alex had placed on her shoulder.

Angelica had finally freed herself from Victor’s grasp. She had learned to accept herself and her quirks and scars and she had found someone that loved her, truly loved her, despite all her flaws and oddities. Angelica’s scars had also helped Alex to grow and mature. They had taught him that beauty was not really about the outside. True beauty oftentimes came much more from within.

He walked over to the edge of the bed and laid his hand on Angelica’s forehead, using the stealth that only an angel possesses to keep from waking the sleeping woman and her wolf mate. He let his white energy flow into the woman and when he pulled away her skin was porcelain smooth and clear. Just as it had been over a thousand years ago when Victor had taken her. She took Angelo’s breath away. He was an angel, born of pureness and light and she was more beautiful than anything even he had ever seen.

“Have a good life, little one.” Angelo whispered. She had been forced to bear a horrible burden for the greater good but now that was over and she could spend the rest of eternity with her beauty and the wolf who had loved her even at her worst.

Angelo stepped away from the bed. There was one more thing he needed to take care of before he left. He disappeared as silently as he came and then found himself looking down at another wolf and his mate.

Angelo didn’t have the bosses permission to heal this particular immortal mate but he figured she deserved it. It wasn’t her fault she’d been taken by Rotan. She was an innocent bystander that had gotten caught up in a war of good and evil.

Angelo stared down at the great Jake Collins, looking just as deadly and intense in sleep as he did when awake. Jake had served a great purpose in life. He had rid the world of a lot of evil and if for nothing else Angelo owed it to him to get rid of his mates scars. Her scars bothered Jake more then they did the woman. Jake saw them as a failure on his part to keep her safe.

Angelo looked at the sleeping woman. She radiated a goodness and a kindness that was clear to see even while she was sleeping. And she had the power of healing, a power she had used many times, regardless of the danger to herself. She deserved to have someone heal her for once. Angelo reached out was about to lay his hand on Angela’s forehead when a strong hand closed around his arm with enough force to cause the powerful angel a great deal of pain.

He saw Jake’s angry golden eyes flashing when he looked back at the wolf’s face and he forced a smile through his pain.

“Are you going to let me heal your mate or not?” he whispered, so not to wake Angela.

“Why? What do you want in return?” Jake asked, knowing that men like Angelo often had ulterior motives for anything they did. Angelo shrugged.

“For you to not break my arm would be a nice start.” he said and Jake relaxed his hold… slightly. “How did you know I was here anyway?”

“I could smell you and you breath loud.” Jake growled.

“I don’t breath.” Angelo replied matter of factly. “Now let go of my arm and let me heal your mate. I see no good reason why she should have to walk around with those horrible scars covering her stomach for the rest of eternity.” Jake hesitated only momentarily before releasing Angelo’s arm.

“Don’t wake her up. She has a hard enough time sleeping through the nightmares without you waking her up.” Angelo snorted at the wolf’s rudeness. If there was one thing about Jake it was that he didn’t sugarcoat things or try to kiss anyone’s ass. Whether you were an angel, demon, vampire, were creature, or mortal he was going to let you know that he could and would kill you if you rubbed him the wrong way.

Angelo laid his hand on Angela’s forehead and a white burst of light entered her before he pulled it away. He smiled a dirty, nearly toothless grin at Jake and then disappeared. Jake pulled the covers down off of him and Angela and used the arm he hard wrapped around her waist to lift her silk nightgown and he held his breath until he saw that each and every scar was gone from her smooth pale skin. He laid his big, rough hand against the porcelain softness and kissed her hair before pulling the blankets back over them.

This might just help her begin to get rid of the nightmares that had plagued her for weeks and it might just help him begin to get over the guilt he carried over not being able to protect his mate.

888

Alex could feel the sunshine coming through the thin curtain and shining on his face as he snuggled closer to Angelica and let her sweet, Vanilla scent fill his senses. She moaned and turned in his arms so the front of their bodies were pressed together. He pressed his face into her hair and then he heard her smile.

“Good morning.” she whispered sleepily.

“Good morning.” he opened his eyes and took one look at her and the sight he was met with had him jumping from the bed, butt naked and in shock.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded.

“You…. Your face…” Alex couldn’t seem to form words. Angelica raised her hand to her cheek and it wasn’t what she felt that had her jumping from the bed and running for the mirror on the dresser, but what she didn’t feel. She looked at her naked body in the mirror and tears filled her eyes and rolled silently down her cheeks as she shook with happiness.

They were gone, each and every one of the hideous scars that Rotan had given her were gone. She moved her hair aside and breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw that Alex’s scar was still there. She looked at him and saw that he was still standing there shocked and speechless.

“This is me, Alex. This is what I looked like before Victor.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Alex replied and Angelica tilted her head when he didn’t sound completely happy.

“I don’t understand.” she said feeling hurt. “I’m finally beautiful. Why aren’t you happy?” Alex sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about what he wanted to say.

“If your scars being gone makes you happy, then I’m happy.” he said after several moments. “But to me you don’t look any more beautiful than you were before. In my eyes you were already beautiful, perfect, gorgeous, amazing.. All those things that I have told you a million times.”

“So you don’t care that they’re gone?”

“I care that you’re happy… And so if your scars being gone makes you happy then I’m glad they’re gone. You are perfect in my eyes regardless.” Angelica couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She figured he’d be jumping for joy and over the moon because she finally was a woman he could be proud of….

Then she thought of the way he had shown her off to his friends. The way he had proudly grabbed her in that Mexican restaurant, purple moo moo, white tennis shoes and all and kissed her senseless. The proud way he had claimed that she’d stolen his heart at the nursing home. The way he had turned down Candy for her and the way he had held her at the bar when he’d had his gig for all the world to see. She realized then that he had already been proud to be with her and she sat down hard on the bed.

He went to her quickly and dropped to his knees.

“Are you okay? Aww, Sweetheart, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I love you more than anything else in this world…” He stopped talking when her laughter filled the bedroom and as always it was an infectious sound and he couldn’t help but smile despite his confusion.

“All this time I was worried that you were embarrassed to be seen with me. All this time I just kept thinking that if I could only lose my scars, you would be able to be proud to have me on your arm. Proud to be seen with me. And now that the scars are finally gone, and my prayers are finally answered, I realize that you were proud of me all along weren’t you?”

“Of course I was.” Alex replied and he knew he was telling the truth. The second he’d lost his heart to her, her scars had no longer mattered. Angelica laid her hand on his cheek and smiled so full and innocent that it took his breath away.

“You’re one of a kind, Alex, truly.” He just grinned and kissed her deeply, laying her body on the bed and covering it with his own as she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. Her mate. The man who had healed her. The man who would be by her side forever, no matter what, and never hurt her.

(I love you, Alex) she said and she didn’t bother making the thought private because she wanted the world to know.