Werewolf Dreams (15 page)

Harry shook his head and ran his hands through his golden brown hair, making it stand up.
“I won’t be here to protect you Ava. There’s no telling what my father will do. He has no respect for women. I could come back in a few weeks and you will have been forced into some heartless abusive marriage. No Ava. I’m sorry, but the answers no. Now come with me now,” he stated firmly, pointing upstairs.

Ava swallowed hard and felt tears slip down her cheeks as she shook her head.
“I don’t know why Dad. I don’t understand it. I just know I can’t leave.
I can’t
,” she whispered, moving back from her father as he moved to grab her hand.

Harry looked at her as if he’d been slapped.
Tobias stood up and held his hands up. “Harry, let the girl stay. I’ll protect her. We’ll all watch out for her. You have my word Harry. I swear it on my own life,” he said solemnly.

Harry ignored Tobias and lowered his head.
Patricia hurried around the table, sparing a small smile for Ava before she threw her arms around Harry. “Harry, it’s okay. She was meant to come here. You were meant to bring her. Let her stay.”

Harry pulled Patricia’s arms gently from around his neck and shook his head, not looking at Ava as he turned and walked out of the room.

Ava stared at her father, her face contorted in pain. She felt a wrenching sob claw its way up her throat as everything in her wanted to race after him and beg him to take her with him. But she couldn’t. She collapsed to her knees and lowered her forehead to the hard, cold wooden floor as violent sobs wracked her body. She immediately felt two arms grasp her, holding on to her, comforting her as just minutes later she heard the slam of the front door. Her father had left. And she, against everything she wanted and believed, had stayed.

She tried to crawl toward the door, crying louder, reaching her hand out toward her father and civilization and safety, but she was helpless.
Against what, she didn’t know.

“Sweetheart, you’re wearing yourself out.
Stop fighting it and just accept it Ava,” Patricia said, still holding on to the girl, who’s every muscle was bunched and tensed as she fought a battle within herself.

“Why?” she finally whispered, looking up with red rimmed burning eyes.
“Why can’t I go?” she begged them.

Tobias picked her up in his arms and carried her into the family room, setting her down on the wide, warm brown leather couch.
“Patricia? You might want to grab a sedative or else she’ll be fighting it all night,” he said softly as he sat down next to her, holding her hands in his as she jerked hard to run to the door, but was held back instantly. By her own choice.

“Ava sweetheart, Patricia is right.
Stop fighting this. You were right to tell your father no,” he said as Patricia ran back in the room with a glass of water in her hand. She popped the two pills in Ava’s mouth and urged her to drink the water. Ava choked down the pills, thrashing her head around as she felt like screaming and crying and begging someone to put her out of her misery.

“Why?” she whispered again as her fingernails scored the leather couch. “Why would I say that to my dad? Why can’t I go?
I want to
.”

Tobias looked at Patricia with a wince, but she nodded her head at him.
“Because you’ve chosen a mate Ava. When the bond is that powerful and intense, you can’t break it. If you had left with your father, you would have found some way to make it back here the first chance you got. And that would have put you in grave danger,” he said, shaking his head at some inner image.

Ava paused and licked her dry lips.
“
What?
What are you talking about? I haven’t chosen a mate. I haven’t. What Cyrus and I have is just pretend,” she choked out in confused misery.

Patricia looked at her in sympathy and placed a warm blanket around her shoulders as she started to shiver.
“Just because you haven’t said it out loud, doesn’t mean you haven’t chosen.”

Ava lowered her head and shook her head.
“It can’t be,” she said raggedly. “I would have known,” she insisted, feeling her words come out slow and long as if she couldn’t remember how to talk.

Patricia pushed her hair out of her face and smiled at Tobias.
“Sometimes our hearts are smarter than our brains. Now Tobias is going to carry you to your room. I’m going to help you get undressed and ready for bed, because you’re going to be asleep for the next ten hours or so,” she said bluntly.

Ava closed her eyes as she felt herself float through the air, finally landing on a soft heavenly feeling bed.
She could almost hear Patricia speaking, but wasn’t sure.

“I don’t care what you say about
her being halfblooded. A reaction like that proves she’s all wolf.”

“Forget about that.
What about Cyrus? He’s probably halfway to Alaska by now,” Tobias said grumpily as someone pulled her sandals off.

And then she was too tired.
She pushed everything else away and fell into the darkest, most dreamless complete sleep she’d ever experienced.

Ava woke up the next day and rolled over, yawning and stretching. Her body felt so heavy as if she could keep sleeping for another two hours easily.
She glanced at the clock by her bed and blinked as if she wasn’t reading it right. She had slept in until eleven. She sat up slowly and wondered why her head felt so fuzzy and strange. And then everything that had happened the night before tumbled back and she was overwhelmed with it all over again.

She rolled to her stomach and screamed into her pillow.
This summer vacation was really not turning out the way she had planned it. If she was remembering everything clearly, she had just chosen Cyrus as a mate.
For real this time
. Because he was so easy to handle before.
Right.
She had to admit he was growing on her, but she’d only known him for such a short time. How could someone trust their instincts and their heart to make such a huge life altering decision?

She stumbled out of bed and hoped a long hot shower would clear her mind a little.
She needed to be sharp before facing Cyrus. She French braided her hair and grabbed some white shorts and a bright red t-shirt and her running shoes in case she needed to get a run in. She opened her door and walked into the hallway and immediately felt the complete silence. She frowned and wondered if she was all alone. That didn’t make sense though since Tobias had just sworn on his life to keep her safe.

She hurried down stairs to find a note taped to the fridge.

Good Morning, or Afternoon Ava!

I had to go to work at the pharmacy

and Tobias went out looking for Cyrus

just
take it easy today and
stay in the

house
!
Call me if you need anything – Patricia

Ava frowned at the note and crumpled it in her fist before tossing it in the garbage.
Why would Tobias be out searching for Cyrus? He had seemed a little upset last night when he’d left the table so suddenly, but why would he just take off like that? It didn’t make any sense. Especially if there were hybrid
things
running around in the woods. She felt a shiver of fear for his safety and rubbed her temples as a head ache began to form. Fine, she’d be a good girl and stay home. Bored to death and now worried.
Great
.

She spent the day wandering around the gardens, looking at all of Patricia’s magazines and staring at the park outside wishing she could go running, but knowing it would be too stupid unless Tobias or Cyrus was with her.
She warmed up some leftovers from dinner last night and ended up watching a little reality TV. She grinned and turned off the TV an hour later, as she realized her life really wasn’t that strange compared to everyone else.

She glanced at the clock and groaned, knowing she still had at least another hour before Patricia would come home.
She went outside in the back yard and decided to get a work out in. If she couldn’t go running, then she could at least stretch out and do some tumbling. After an hour of moving through her more strenuous routines, she still felt on edge so she kept going. She stared at the long branches of the large and ancient maple tree and decided to do a little bar work. She took a running leap and reached for the lowest branch stretching as far as her arms could possibly go. She grinned as her hands made contact with the rough wood. She swung back and forth over the soft grass until she got the momentum she was looking for and then she let go. She flew for a few seconds before tucking herself into a ball and landing on her feet.

“Do that again and I’ll take you to the movies tonight.”

Ava slowly turned around and grinned when she saw Cyrus standing on the back porch of the house staring at her with a strange expression. “Tempting,” she said as she realized she was walking toward him.

Cyrus jumped lightly over the railing and landed right in front of her.
He pulled her immediately into his arms and her arms went around his back, holding him tightly.

“You didn’t leave,” he said quietly.

Ava shook her head. “I know. How weird is that?” she said lightly.

Cyrus pulled back and looked down into her face with a relieved grin.
“I don’t care how weird it is, I’m just grateful. I felt like dying last night,” he admitted and hugged her again.

Ava sighed as she rested her head against his powerful shoulder, breathing him in and not wanting to let go. “Me too,” she said wonderingly.
“Your mom had to give me a tranquilizer,” she said, feeling embarrassed.

Cyrus ran a hand down her long hair.
“Hmmm, so is there anything you want to say to me?” he asked in a gentle voice.

Ava blushed and shook her head without looking up.
Cyrus rubbed her back comfortingly for a few more moments before trying again. “Be brave Ava.”

Ava bit her lip and then pulled back to look up into Cyrus’s eyes.
“For some reason, I’ve picked you for my mate whatever that means. I wanted so badly to leave with my father but I couldn’t. I couldn’t force myself to leave you,” she said softly. “I guess I’m running on instinct now.”

Cyrus’s eyes twinkled down at her and he smiled in satisfaction.
“I’m so glad,” he murmured as he leaned down toward her mouth.

Ava shook her head and pulled away. “No Cyrus, I have a few questions first before you turn my brain to mush.
What does choosing a mate really mean? We don’t know each other well enough to love each other. I can’t be with a man unless I love him,” she said, pushing against his hard chest.

Cyrus clasped his hands around the small of her back and looked up at the sky as he thought about it.
“Look on this stage of things as us just dating. There’s a connection between us that we’re going to look into. It’s very possible that we will fall in love with each other.”

Ava looked away from Cyrus’s penetrating stare and shook her head.
“You make it sound so logical and normal, but what I felt last night was more like my soul was being torn in half and that if I left you I’d be less than human. I’d be some soulless shell.”

Cyrus tried not to smile as he pushed her hair away from her face.
“Well, you’re a werewolf Ava. We recognize our mates. Sometimes our minds and hearts have to play catch up. I knew it the first few seconds after setting eyes on you. You’re my other half Ava. I don’t care if you don’t love me yet. I’m willing to wait for that. I won’t push you for anything more than what we’re doing right now. And when we’re married . . .”

Ava’s eyes flew open in shock and she pushed out of his arms, staring at him as if he were crazy.
“
Married!
Are you insane? I’m eighteen,” she yelped, backing up from him step by step.

Cyrus sighed and rubbed his hand over his tired face.
“They go hand in hand Ava, but fine. We’ll talk about that at a later date.”

Ava glared at him and held up a hand to ward him off as he stepped toward her.
“
Much later
,” she said firmly.

Cyrus laughed and nodded his head.
“Fine, much later. Let’s just date and have some fun. Deal?” he asked holding out his hand.

Ava gave up and smiled as she
shook his hand, not even surprised when he pulled her quickly into his arms and bent her over as he kissed her senseless. Ava held on tightly, kissing him back as she felt so much emotion in his kiss. Passion, kindness but most of all relief.

He pulled back and stared down into her face.
“It’s so strange to think that a little thing like you holds my entire world in her hands now,” he said softly.

Ava smiled at his words and felt her heart warm as she stood up straight.
She couldn’t help running her fingers through his shaggy glossy brown hair. “It’s so strange to think that just last week, I was a normal girl and now I’m attached to a gorgeous werewolf.
Who surprisingly also holds my world in his hands
,” she said softly as he raised an eyebrow at her. He grinned as what she said sunk in and he picked her up and twirled around, making her laugh.