“Case by case basis. There isn’t an actual government; that’d be impossible to manage when so many of us live in hiding. Instead, we have an agency that helps us integrate into human society, remain under the radar. They help with documentation, temporary aid for those struggling or lost their home, those sorts of things. People deal with stuff as it comes up, but most issues are over territory, resources, or women, like you’d expect. Natural borns have enough control that exposure isn’t an issue, and turned ones usually jump right to the honeymoon stage, not leaving their new mates for well over a month. By then, they’ve been through the shift several times.”
He grabs a lock of her hair, toying with it while she continues scrubbing. “We’ve spent so much time making our existence seem like a fantasy, that even if a person saw you and talked, no one would believe them. It’s more of an issue if it’s caught on video or in a crowd. At that point, if the shifter escapes without being captured or killed, they end up moving after alerting any communities in the area to be on alert until the heat dies down,” he finishes, letting the silken strands of her hair slip through his fingers.
“No jail, so yeah, if you kill someone to cover it up, no one in our community is going to bat an eye,” I confirm. “The problem stems from how far technology has come. If human police find any evidence you leave behind like blood or hair, manage to identify you, they’ll show up at your house and arrest you. Same sort of risks you’re familiar with, I’d imagine, only with more excitement.”
She finishes up, drying her hands. My eyes rove over her languidly, the sight of her in my black t-shirt sending a possessive thrill through me. It hangs low enough to cover the pair of fitted, navy boxers that she borrowed so she could throw her only pair of shorts in the wash. Dark brown hair hanging in a loose curtain past her shoulders, she looks right at home, and honestly, it’s taking everything not to kiss her senseless right now.
“So maybe it’s better if I stay off grid.” She looks at Bane nervously to see how he’s going to react. “I’m a bit reluctant to voluntarily back myself into a corner that leaves me wholly dependent on you guys, but I also-“ she fidgets from foot to foot until he cracks, bracing his hands on the counter on either side of her, caging her in. Rather than freak out, his proximity helps her unease and she stops squirming, taking a steadying breath. “I also like the idea of everyone thinking that I’m dead. It means that no one will be looking for me. Yeah, it poses some problems unless I get a fake identity, but starting over fresh actually sounds a lot less daunting than going back.”
Gently, Bane traces a finger along her jaw. “You have my word that if you want to leave, I’ll do everything in my power to convince you otherwise. I’m not going to throw you to the wolves if you’re determined to leave, though, and will absolutely ensure you have everything you need to get situated.”
She looks up at him, scanning his face as she searches for a lie. But as it becomes abundantly clear that he’s telling the truth, she visibly relaxes, tension fading from her shoulders.
That is, until he adds, “And when you finally realize that leaving was a stupid idea, we’ll be right outside, stalking you from the bushes and ready to drag your ass back home where you belong.”
A surprised laugh bursts from her lips. “At least you’re honest.”
Bane smiles down at her, absolutely smitten. “You haven’t gotten a chance to explore the house yet. Want us to give you a tour and then we can pick out a movie?”
“Sure.” We start walking out of the kitchen as she says, “I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s weirdly relieving to find out you guys would prefer avoiding small talk with people, too. I know I’ll need to meet everyone eventually, but seeing as I’m sure the moment we left, Parker ran around telling everybody that I haven’t shifted yet, I’m happy to put that off for a few more days.”
Mason gets up to follow us, bringing up the rear. I turn to look over my shoulder, catching him as he stares at Bane’s hand on the small of her back as they round the corner into the hallway. Stopping him before he can pass me, I jerk my head towards the door, needing a minute with him where she can’t overhear.
Bane can easily take point showing her around. Three bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom on each level, and downstairs is what should’ve been the master bedroom that we converted into a massive multimedia room. With as boring as it is out here in the middle of nowhere, it’s either hangout with the people that invited themselves into our neighborhood, in the woods, or at home. You bet your ass we invested a pretty penny stocking this place with stuff to do.
Heading to the edge of the yard near the tree line to be safely out of earshot, I pivot, whacking Mason on the shoulder.
“The fuck, man?” he complains, smacking me back.
“Clearly you needed somebody to snap you out of it. You’re doing that thing again.”
“What thing?” he demands, but by the narrowing of his eyes, he has a hunch.
“You know damn well, what. Being self-destructive.” Slapping a hand over his mouth as he starts to protest, I cut straight to the point. “If you’ve actually been paying attention to what’s going on instead of what you’re worried about seeing, you’ll notice the way she leans into damn near every touch.”
He growls defensively. “We don’t know how abusive her asshole boyfriend was to her, Stry. I don’t want her to feel like she left one controlling relationship for another, to be too forward with her and act like we have any right to touch her. She barely even knows us, and yeah, she might seem okay now, but what about next week when that really hits her? When everything she grew up hearing about relationships slams down on her and she regrets it, pulls away because she doesn’t think that she should be acting like that with us already?”
I look at the man that may as well be my brother with pity. “And what about if she doesn’t? If she thinks that you don’t have an interest and starts wondering what she did wrong to make you avoid her when we’ve made it clear how the bond pulls us towards her to the point of obsession?”
It works. His eyes darken, and though I feel like a bit of an ass for not pulling punches, I’d rather do it now when there’s still a chance to avoid so many problems and misunderstandings. “You’ve seen how she internalizes and blames herself for shit she shouldn’t. It’s obvious that douchebag was some sort of emotionally abusive, narcissistic fuckwad, but I don’t pick up the vibes that he was beating her. She looks starved for affection, Mason. Stop torturing yourself and actuallylook.”
“I haven’tstoppedlooking!” he hisses vehemently, careful not to shout. “I can barely sleep, can’t think of anything other than her. If I fuck up and drive her away from us, then what the hell am I supposed to do? I will lose my ever-loving mind, Stryker. What if-“ he drops his voice to barely more than a whisper “-what if she never shifts? If Bane and I biting her did more harm than good? What if we not only changed her life irrevocably, but we ruined her second chance at it?”
He swallows, a myriad of emotions barely contained within his eyes. “What if shecan’tshift? If she thinks there’s no risk of exposure, no reason for her to have to stay, she could move back to the city where we might not get to her in time before something happens.”
Troubled, blue eyes stay rapt on my face, needing me to fix every problem that hasn’t even happened yet. I get it better than I think he realizes, the lack of answers torturing me as much as the constant need to be around the woman. So I do the only thing that I’m able to.
I bitch slap him.
“Motherfucker!” he hisses, glaring at me, but it works. Anger replaces the anxiety for a heartbeat, all of the ‘what if’s’ momentarily forgotten in favor of the immediate problem.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, dumbass. You acting on that paranoia will absolutely bring it to fruition. None of us know what tomorrow is going to bring, so don’t sacrifice the time you actually have with her now because you’re scared.”
Lifting a finger, I correct, “I’m not saying go stick your tongue down her throat and freak her out by coming on too strong. I’m saying she isn’t objecting the casual touches and sense of security that the bond offers her while she’s just as riddled with nerves as you are; out of her element and frustrated, trying to figure things out. So help her. Let her see that you’re someone she can rely on so she won’twantto leave.”
The seconds turn into minutes as he absorbs my words, and I wait patiently without a word, giving him time to analyze things like he needs to. While I absolutely love Bane and owe him everything, he doesn’t getthisas much as I do, though he tries. Mason came to us more broken than I was when I showed up on his doorstep, and while Bane devotes himself to helping put us back together, he doesn’t understand that sometimes we need to fall apart.
We’re fractured, and sometimes the pieces we think we put back right, turn out not to fit well anymore. We need to break them back off, allow the wounds to bleed for a while, and then let Bane try taping them somewhere new.
