Love Bites

Chapter 6: Mating Mark

Zoey peaks her head out the door after she finished getting ready and looked down the hall. Her mouth fell open to realize that it really was like a cabin lodge, there were so many rooms. How did Kali keep up this place by herself? There must have been like 12 rooms on this floor.

She closed the door behind her and started walking toward the stairs, in awe. This was his place? Does that mean he's rich? Of course he was. Must be nice. Then it occurred to her that she had no idea what he did and the image of him in a business suit yesterday came to mind. Some sort of accountant maybe? Weres had to make a living too after all, right? Then again they don't have to live in the city and pay rent so maybe not.

She got to the bottom of the stairs and realized that the bottom was just as extravagant. The oak furniture and the stone fireplace, everything was breathtaking. She was caught in a daze when she heard Damon speak behind her, "Let's go."

He walks past her to the door, opening it for her and as she walks out she catches a glimpse of the boy from the other day. He was quietly sitting at a dining table not far from the large wooden double doors with his head down. A flash of guilt passed her at the thought of the condition he was in that day, he was clothed and fed now but that didn't exactly make him in better shape than he was then.

She followed Damon out and looked around, pine trees were as far as the eye could see. She took a deep breath and let the fresh air brighten her mood a bit. It was drastically different from the city. The house sat on an incline of a hill. It gave a wonderful view of little wooden houses scattered just down below it with a clearing not too far from them that held what looked like main buildings of different sorts. A school, some small shops, restaurants, and other larger buildings that she couldn't make out what they were for, with the weres going about their business. There was very few cars and there was no paved roads, just dirt paths that have formed from years of use. It was beautiful, just like what Cole had described, thinking about him had dampened her mood again. She wished she could have experienced this place with him.

Damon walked ahead of her, not bothering to look back so she followed after him. He hadn't said much to her since that morning and she didn't blame him but if things went on like this then it would be awkward, "So... Kali made it sound like there was something I should know about when it comes to why you're so adamant about me keeping this baby. What are you hiding from me?" She said in a half joking manner.

"Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. You said you wanted to be strangers. You didn't want to know anything about me. Remember? If anyone is hiding here, it's you." He casually walks down the path in front of them, leading them into town without missing a step.

She brought it up but she kind of wished she hadn't. The truth hurt. She did say that, but did he have to say it so harshly? She looked at his back, he was being a jackass but could she particularly blame him? She was being a bitch too, "That doesn't answer my question."

He stops abruptly and turns around to face her, narrowing his smoky eyes on her, "And why are you asking? Is it because you actually want to know? Or is it because someone else had told you that you should know?"

Him stopping abruptly had made her almost bump into him as she stopped. His gaze felt like he was trying to see what was underneath her cold exterior so she looked away from him and spouted the first thing that came to mind, "Well, if you want me to make a rational decision about this then shouldn't I know why you want to keep it?"

"When did you start caring about what I want?" 

She goes quiet. That stung. She didn't have anything to say to that because she already knew she had been selfish up to this point. She had come to the conclusion that she was just going to use him and that was it, like playing with a toy until she got tired of it but things were a bit more complicated now. She was pregnant with a werewolf's baby despite not knowing which one was the father and as much as she wanted too, she couldn't ignore that. Not anymore anyways.