Bloody Paws

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

We drove for exactly three hours and twenty three minutes to a little town called Bishop. This town was the type of town that never upgraded with the rest of the world. There was not a McDonald's or a Walmart and I absolutely loved it. 

"I was born on August 15, 1940." Darren told me. We had talked the whole way to Bishop. He didn't order me around once except when he told me to take my feet down from the dash. 

"Geez." I stared at him while he drove, I couldn't help it. Everything about him was intoxicating. I wanted to run my hands through his blonde hair and down the chiseled features of his face. 

"I was an only child. My father died in the war, so it was just me and my mother." 

His voice seemed strained and I could tell he didn't talk about his past with many people. I was thankful that he was telling it to me. 

"I'm sorry. I would like to know what she was like." I whispered. 

He turned to me and looked at me with such strong emotion that it took my breath away. 

We had passed through Bishop at this point at made it to a small farmhouse on the outskirts of town. It was a white two-story house with a wrap around porch. Darren pulled up to the front of the house and cut the engine. 

"This is where I grew up. Would you like to stay the night here?" He asked me. 

I had skipped class all day and after my weekend I really think I needed a few days to adjust so I made the only logical choice I could. 

"I would like to stay a longer if we could. Three days?" I asked. I could email my teachers about family problems later. 

Darren smiled. "Okay. Whatever you want." 

I was going to be in trouble if he was going to be this agreeable in the future. 

We got out and Darren pulled a few packed bags out of the back. One of those bags looked like mine, it seems as though he planned ahead. 

We walked up the steps and to the front door. Darren opened it with one of the many keys on his key ring and let me into his past. 

*

Darren had cooked dinner. Like actually cooked me a freaking meal. He really didn't have to do much for his meal considering he eats things raw..Gross..but he cooked mine to perfection. 

We were currently sitting at the dining room table eating and finishing our conversation from earlier. 

"She did that?" I asked, laughing at his story. 

"Yes. She was quite the spitfire. Nothing could fool my mother and you remind me a lot of her." He looked at me from across the table. 

My breath caught in my throat. 

"So you were bitten at twenty-six?" I changed the subject. 

"Yes. I was bitten in Vietnam." He said as he plopped more steak in his mouth. 

"You were in the war?" I asked. 

"Yeah, every abled body was. The Vietnamese paid wolf mercenaries to fight for them. How do you think they won?" He just looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"No freaking way..." I looked at him in disbelief. 

"So I was bitten and left for dead, but I overcame the bite. It was agonizing for a few days but it got better. The first change was even worse yet I seemed to gain something even better from it." 

"Do you want to change me?" I asked. 

"It is not a must to change you. You can be my mate without becoming a werewolf but if that is something you chose to do, I would not stand in your way." He said but I could tell it wasn't something he wanted me to do. 

"You said you 'overcame the bite' what happens if you don't overcome it?" I knew this is what he was trying to avoid answering. 

"You die."

"Okay. So it is good I don't have to then."

"Yes, it is. Grace, I need you to understand something. You are my mate, I will protect you with my life. There will never be anyone but you and you will rule by my side until the end of time. Without you there will be no me. I want you to know now that we have started the mating process, I intend to give my all to this."

I looked at his beautiful face. It was so easy for him to give himself to me, I was his mate and he was ready to be mated. I just met him and I just found out about this world. I wasn't ready to jump headfirst into the fire just yet. 

"I don't know if I am ready to give you my all, Darren." I said.

With those words I got up and walked out the side door to sit on the porch. Maybe some star gazing would give me some answers, it worked for Simba.