“As opposed to the guy who had to drug someone for years to keep them from leaving you?”
Jack didn’t expect any kindness from Jeri. Not that he was looking for it anyway. Regardless, he wasn’t there for either reason the other had questioned him about. No, Jack was there purely with Sera in mind.
“Do you really think you’re any better than he is after doing that? Or for what you did to Kellen? The way I see it, you’ve got more in common with Chance than either of you like to think you do.”
“Is that what they’re telling people? She was a mess when I took her in. Nightmares that would wake her up screaming and clawing at herself. I was doing it to protect her.”
It was the lie he had been telling himself to justify it all for years. Of course, he had began to believe it the more he said to anyone else as well and that did not help.
“All I ever did was try to protect that boy from the toxic mess that is the rest of the family. Look at how your father turned out. Look at what was done to you. Could you fault any parent for trying to protect their own child from that same sort of fate?”
He didn’t answer verbally, but the way he shifted awkwardly and avoided eye contact at the question gave all the confirmation anyone could need.
“Like I said, it’s complicated, and I doubt anyone is gonna be happy to find out about it, so I’m just trying to stay off of everyone’s radar, ‘cause I’d rather not have an even bigger target on my back than I already do now, y’know?”
She scented the air a little, passing it off as a slight sniffle. It was, after all, allergy season. It had taken her a couple of years to really school the animal instincts she possessed enough to pass for human.
“Look, I’ll make you a deal. I don’t tell no one what you involved with and you don’t go tellin’ no one you saw me. I dropped off the face of the earth for a reason and I don’t want that kind of trouble.”
A part of her considered telling him the truth of why she had vanished, but he was still technically a hunter. The pups he had had for years, since they were kids. He didn’t owe her the same sort of loyalty and she wasn’t about to risk her cubs.
He was quite for a moment, debating before finally saying, “I punched the asshole who gave you the black eye.” He didn’t wait to see August’s response before heading into the kitchen. It wasn’t much, but it was the best Chase knew how to do these days.
His head actually shot up at that, confusion creasing his brow. “Why…why would you track down someone I told you nothing about?” It didn’t make sense to him at all. It was just enough to have him moving from the couch to follow him. “Why hunt down someone that literally means nothing?”
“I’ve loved one person, ever, in my life. And she was a good, sweet girl who deserved… ridiculously better than me, but she still wanted me.” Just thinking about her made his heart ache. “And I… don’t think I can ever feel the same way about someone else. I’m sorry.” There was something there. He cared about August more than he expected to, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t what August deserved.
“No one ever loves two people the exact same way,” he returned, curling around one of the decorative pillows. It was a stupid habit, he knew, but he needed something to hold onto, something real. He didn’t want apologies, he just wanted to feel like someone could even remotely care about him that wasn’t a child he was raising or a girl who’s life he had accidentally ruined.
“Oh, valid point. Ben would’ve been everyone’s undoin’ then. But I’m glad we didn’t have ta worry ‘bout that.” Because the idea of Luna not being around bothered her a lot more than she would normally admit. “Isn’t it actually the southern girl’s job ta surprise the city girl with just how corrupt she really is?” she answered, leaning in for a real kiss this time.
“He definitely wouldn’t have made it to college to be a psychologist.” It still amazed her that Ben of all people had gone to school for that. “Oooh, I would love proof,” the fox purred, easily winding herself around Callie to kiss her back with a slight twinge of desperation.
He sighed, feeling tired and more out of his depth than usual. “August, you… I mean, fucking hell it’s the dumbest thing you have literally ever said to me, but like… you can’t control that shit. It just happens. And I don’t know what to do with that information, but I’m not… I’m not mad at you over it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“You don’t think I know that? I’ve gone literal years trying to pretend I don’t feel that way,” he answered, a faint whine in his tone. “And I know you don’t…I know you don’t feel the same…” He muttered, trying to hide the way his voice cracked but he couldn’t quite bury it. Not when he felt like his heart was literally breaking.
“Fair. Are you off tomorrow or am I going to need to get up at an ungodly hour? …and right now anything before noon counts as ungodly.” Noon was maybe being a little too optimistic.
“I’m off for the rest of the week. I get a week of freedom once every six months,” she replied with a faint smile. “Anything before three sounds awful.”
“I don’t even know if the line would’a made it to Ben,” she answered. A laugh escaped her. “Luna, I’m a good southern girl. We don’t kiss before a date. What kinda girl d’you take me for?”
“I dunno, Ben’s Kat and Cam’s and those two are married. Ben still probably would have happened. Todd might not have and then I wouldn’t be here though.” Which honestly made her a little sad to think of. “We’ve been on a date before. Besides, it’s the city girl’s job to corrupt the cute little southern girl. We’re big on liberation in the north.”
“Sharing a bed is awfully domestic,” he returned, tipping his head back against the top of the couch and closing his eyes. He wasn’t tired, not yet, but he knew he would be.
She exhaled heavily and shook her head. “I’m offering you a comfortable place to sleep, not asking you to date me,” she answered, half tempted to confiscate the vodka.
ofviolentdeath 