My Mate, His Mate and Me

Chapter Four: Dylan/Grey

DYLAN

The fog cleared, but my eyelids were almost too heavy to move. I turned, pressing my face into the pillow and towards the feeling of warmth from the nearby window. It made me feel like a cat, stretching towards the sun.

The smell of sizzling bacon and brewing coffee inspired my limbs to move. I peered through my tired lids to find Casey, my mate shirtless and standing at our tiny stove with a nervous look on his face as he poked the bacon around the pan. He flinched flipping them over. I smiled, admiring his sun kissed skin and the curves of his muscles, especially his arms. I always loved his arms. Even when we were only friends in high school when he played as the high school's star quarterback.

He turned to grab something and disappeared from my sights. Inside this renovated RV we called home I could see as far as the tiny hallway from the bedroom and the windows surrounding the bed, which was woods, more woods and our half finished future house. The bones of our future house mocked me with all the work that still needed to be done.

Taking a deep breath, I wrapped myself deeper into the covers to conserve my warmth. My rustling must've triggered something inside of Casey because the next thing I saw was his head pop back into the hallway.

He grinned. "Good morning."

"Morning," I mumbled, my voice coming out muffled and strange. "You're not burning our bacon, are you?"

"I wouldn't dare," he lied under the veil of dimples and his usual morning glow. Never thought I'd love a morning person. He wandered down the hall and crawled into bed with me, covering me with his muscular body. I took a deep breath, refilling my empty tank of his smell of freshly baked blueberry muffins. He explained, "I would've woken you up, but you tossed and turned all night long."

It was too early to stop my face from souring, so I just covered it with my hands and rubbed my eyes. Still, Casey asked, "Are you having nightmares again?" He kissed the back of my hand and insisted, "Legally, you have to tell me."

My lips quirked into a half smile and I dropped my hands with a sigh. "Fine by that logic you legally have to tell me what we're doing for our anniversary."

He peered at me. Not quite a glare. Not wishing to give up the fight. He asked, "Are you hungry?"

To other couples that may qualify as a normal question. If we were people, maybe he'd be referring to the bacon in the kitchen that definitely smelled a little burnt. But we weren't normal. Casey was asking if I needed to feed, if I was thirsting for blood. Just in a polite way.

I shook my head. "It's not that..."

Usually, if I went too long without drinking blood my throat would run dry and feel scorching hot. I'd have stomach cramps and headaches. Once, I shifted into... whatever I am and nearly caused a town riot. Thankfully five years after that incident no body brings it up. But everyone remembers.

They do love to remind me in silence however. They remind me at the supermarket, when I'm looking at the cereal and a mother chooses to find another aisle. They remind me when I walk down the street and they point. They remind me every single day of my life.

"Then, what is it?"

"I don't know. I just have a strange feeling and it's making me restless."

I ran my hands up Casey's arms and savored the sunshine stained into his skin. It was the truth. Even if another monster had smothered my wolf, some of my instincts still lingered. Can't take the wolf out of the boy, I guess. "Promise me you'll be safe, and you won't get yourself into trouble."

"But trouble's my middle name." Casey smiled and leaned down to kiss me, but I covered his mouth.

"Promise."