Broken

Chapter Thirteen

Taylor's POV

I pulled up outside of the restaurant; part two of my date with Tamara. It was going great so far. The ice-skating turned out to be a success and despite what Tammy says I know she loved it. I walked round to the passenger side and opened the door for Tammy. She seemed kind of zoned out, deep in thought. I wish I could read her thoughts, know what she was thinking about. It was obviously something to do with her past, she always had a melancholy look on her face when she was thinking about her past. Her past can't have been easy, whenever she mentions it or I try to talk about it with her she hides herself in her hard-ass shell and yells at me or cries. "Tamara," I called softly, trying to get her attention. She didn't seem to hear me. "Tamara," I said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. She let out a small squeal, turning to look at me.

"You scared me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry. What were you thinking about?" I asked, hoping she'd just give in and tell me about her past already.

"My family," she said, surprising me.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not at the moment, but, maybe later."

"Sure. Come on, it's part two of our date," I said, taking hold of Tammy's hand and pulling her into my chest. I wrapped my other arm around her waist and pressed my lips to hers. She giggle against my lips as she closed the car door. I locked the car and pulled away from Tammy. I took her hand in mine and entwined our fingers. We walked towards the restaurant silently just simply enjoying each other's company. I looked down at my tiny Mate, using this silence as a chance to study her features properly. Her thick black hair was messy as always making her look ever so sexy. Her violet eyes looked vibrant and alive, they were dancing with happiness and contentment at the present moment, but if you looked closely enough you could see the pain hidden deep within. She has full lips that -- as mentioned early -- are irresistible. Her ghostly white skin looks like porcelain, a slight pink tinge lingering on her cheeks. She is beautiful. If I didn't know any better I would say she was an angel, but I do know better. She's a feisty little thing, something which I love about her. She has fight in her, which is why she is so strong, along with the fact that she is so god damn stubborn.

"Stop staring at me," Tammy said. "You're making me feel uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering how I'm so lucky to have someone so beautiful as my Mate," I told her, watching the pink tinge on her cheeks grow darker.

"You don't have to lie to me," she said quietly.

"I'm not lying. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," I said genuinely. The pink of her cheeks increased another shade. "You look so cute when you blush." Her blush increased again. "You blush really easily," I observed.

"Yeah. An unfortunate family trait."

"It's not unfortunate, it's cute," I told Tammy.

"If you say so," Tammy said.

"I do say so, and what I say goes."

"Okay."

   I pushed open the restaurant door and pulled Tammy over to a booth in a secluded corner of the restaurant. Tammy sat by my side instead of across the table like most people would. I enjoyed her being close to me, my wolf enjoyed her being close. I grabbed a menu and slipped my arm around Tammy's shoulder. I love the way that every time I touch her it's like a little electric shot runs through my body, causing my heart rate to increase, making it run wild in my chest. I love the way that tingles consume me, making me feel the need to have her lips against mine, making me feel the need to claim her as my own. It's a good job I have my wolf under control otherwise I would have marked and mated Tammy by now and I know that she's not ready for that to happen yet.  

   "What do you want?" I asked Tammy.

"A glass of water please," she answered.

"You don't want any thing to eat?" She shook her head looking down at the table. "You must be starving," I said.

"Not really. I'm used to not eating," she said as if it wasn't that big a deal. It was a big deal though. My Mate needed food. She looked as though she was about to pass out at any second. Her emaciated body looked fragile and it made her look vulnerable.

"You're having something to eat," I told her.

"Taylor, honestly I don't want --"

"You're having something to eat and that's the end of it. Don't even try to argue with me because you'll get nowhere."

"Fine. Stupid bastard," she said under her breath. I laughed lightly at the insult and proceeded to run my eyes over the menu.

   The waiter eventually came over to the table to take our order. "I'll have a cappucino and a sausage, bacon and egg sandwich," I said. The waiter looked over to Tamara.

"Just a glass of water for me please," she told the waiter.

"She'll also have a sausage, bacon and egg sandwich," I said.

"Taylor," Tammy scolded.

"Don't argue with me, Tamara," I warned.

"Fine," she sighed. "But make mine vegetarian," she said. The waiter flicked his eyes between Tammy and I before shaking his head and leaving to get our orders. I looked down at Tammy, a disappointed look on my face. She averted her gaze obviously finding the table more interesting then me. I sighed. "I'm sorry," Tammy whispered.

"What for?" I asked.

"For defying you," she said. "Please don't hurt me."

"I would never hurt you Tamara. Never. Why do you think that I'd hurt you?" I had to... no, needed, to know the answer to that question.

"I want to tell you, but I can't." Her voice sounded pained. I wish I could take away her pain, I hate that she has experienced so much at such a tender age; it's not fair on her.

"Why not?" I asked.

"They'll kill me," she whispered so quietly that it was almost inaudible. "They'll kill me," she repeated. she sounded strangely calm. I pulled her into my lap holding her tightly against me. Tammy rested her head against my chest, burying herself into me. I ran my hand over her hair in a soothing manner.

"You're safe now, Tammy," I whispered into her ear. "You're safe with me. No-one can hurt you now. No-one will ever hurt you."

"Thank you," she whispered back.

   The waiter came to the table with our food and drinks, placing them down and leaving without saying a word.

   We ate in silence. Neither one of us knew what to say. I watched Tammy carefully as she pulled her sandwich apart. She picked a small chunk of sausage, placed it in her mouth and began chewing. I could see she was gagging but nonetheless she swallowed the piece of sausage and put another in her mouth. She carried on doing this until she had eaten about a quarter of the sausage. She pushed the plate away and slumped in her seat. She hadn't eaten much but it was a start. "You going to eat anymore?" I asked.

"No, I'll throw up if I do," she said. I nodded my head, but I wasn't very happy. She really needed to eat more.

"You sure?"

"I know that you're worried about me but I haven't eaten in such a long time that I only need a small amount to satisfy me," she explained. I still wasn't sure but let it go. I didn't want to cause an argument.

   I finished my meal and asked the waiter for the bill. I paid, leaving a ten percent tip and then left the restaurant with my arm wrapped around Tammy's waist. I led her over to the car and opened her door for her. "Where to?" I asked her as I started the engine.

"Home," she said.

"Would you like to come to the pack house and stay with me for a while?" I asked.

"Not today, but soon maybe," Tammy said. "I'd prefer to go back to my own place right now."

"Sure," I said, feeling a little disappointed that she hadn't taken me up on my offer. I pulled out of the car park and began to drive in the direction of Tammy's cabin as slowly as I possibly could, taking as long as I possibly could so that I could spend as much time with Tammy as possible. Now that I had my Mate I didn't want to let go.