Fate and the Defiant Angel (COMPLETED)

Chapter 32- Taking things slow

Cassie stared at the house with great trepidation.

"It'll be okay, I promise," Jace whispered. "But, if you're not ready you don't need to do this."

Cassie turned to him, steeled her shoulders and nodded.

Soul mates.

What an odd term to think. Cassie remembered when she was younger, her brother was long since dead, but her sister was still alive and healthy. They were typical girls, with many play weddings and barbie boyfriends. She could remember thinking about her soul mate. She'd been so sure that she'd have one at that age.

But as she'd grown, she'd become more cynical. The world for a long time was nothing but darkness and misery. She'd forgotten childish notions of romance. Cassie had never imagined herself with anyone, not even Jay. Her future was a blur that she almost expected to not happen.

Yet, now she was a student in university. She was close with her father again and had a new step-mother. She was happy and healthy. She had found her soul mate.

When Jace had told her, she knew he was telling the truth. It was almost a relief actually because it justified what she thought were silly feelings. She wasn't going crazy. Everything she felt for Jace was real, and for he felt the same way.

How many people got to say they had met their soul mate?

Cassie had taken some time to come to terms with it. She tried to think of the reason it was a bad idea. She was young, did she really want to be stuck with the same man for the rest of her life? She barely knew him, what if was secretly just a bad person? What if- what if . . .

She wanted to be with him, for ever.

She knew he wasn't a bad person.

He was good and he made her happy. That was all she needed. It would take some time to get used it, to fully come to terms but for the moment she just wanted to enjoy it. She loved to spend time with him. She loved talking with him. She didn't care that he was a werewolf. She didn't care that she was human. She didn't care about any what ifs.

So, when Jace had cautiously asked her if she wanted to come to dinner with his family, the answer was yes.

However, as she stood in front of the ridiculously large house, she could feel her anxiety mounting. Cassie had never meet someone's parents. She didn't know what to expect or what to say.

What if they didn't like her?

What if they were crazy?

What if she wasn't good enough?

Again, so many what ifs.

She took another deep breath, gripped Jace's hand and let him lead her in the front door.

Inside was warm and lush. It wasn't as expensive looking as she had expected from the outside exterior. The house was large, will dozens of windows, a wrap around porch, three levels and pillars. It was an old house, one that was obviously built hundreds of years ago. There was detail and extravagancy found within features, but it was aging. Inside was cosy surprisingly, with modern updates and life clear within. The first thing she noticed was the abundance of family pictures on the walls. There were dozens of them, and they were filled with a lot of people.

The walls were scuffed slightly from people racing along and up stairs. The wooden floors and grooves and fading from time. There were a few toys scattered. It was not just a house, but a well-loved home.

Cassie turned to Jace and whispered, "How many people live here?"

"Oh, a thousand it seems," A woman cried out, sticking her head out in the doorway.