Chapter 64: Inseparable

Daphne

Sitting through a dull lecture after spending the morning and the better part of the afternoon was pure torture. Parts of me were still throbbing and sore, particularly after the double shower. I had doubted there was really enough room in the shower stall, but Nate had rather ingeniously held my knee up while he took me from behind, providing the perfect angle for deep, deep penetration.

Oh Goddess, it was deep. So deep I think he might have touched my soul.

And yet… even when we were so connected that we were practically melded into one molecule, I had this nagging feeling that something was missing. I was filled to the point of overflow, and yet, something felt incomplete. And my wolf, while she was ecstatic with Nate, had not once given me indication that he was our fated. It was confusing, and a bit troubling, so I shoved it off.

The water had gone tepid by the time we actually got to the bathing part. And I was so weak and shakey that Nate had to do the washing for me. And he had run that washcloth over me with such gentleness, and so much care and attention, that I had practically melted at his feet.

So yeah, it was really hard to listen to my droning professor, when every cell in my body was saturated with Nathan Straight. A man of whom I knew virtually nothing, accept that he made me feel things I didn’t even have words for. But I wanted to know more. I was dying to know what made that man tick. I wanted to know everything. Where did he come from? What was his family like? I had already deduced simply by behavior and the old army surplus bag that he must have been in one of the military branches. And he had a bullet scar on his back to verify that, but somehow the opportunity to ask him hadn’t manifested. Why Philosophy? And what did he plan to do in the future?

Focus, Daphne, Focus. I was only months away from completing my masters. I had almost completed a rough draft of my thesis, and I had already logged 2000 hours of supervised practice on my last internship. I had come too far to let a man derail my career goals now. I picked up my pen and forced myself to start taking notes.

When it finally ended, I filed out of the auditorium with the other students. Some of them smiled and greeted me, and while I knew a few of them, they were just acquaintances, none of them were what I would consider friends. Given the secrets I had to keep, I had avoided making any close personal friendships at the university. It was just too complicated. I hated lying to people, but in order to keep my pack and my family safe, I would do what I had to do.

I glanced at my phone to check the time. It was already after five. And immediately I wondered if Nate was at the Bleakley House, or if he had gone out to attend his own classes. If he was home, he was probably trying to get some much-needed sleep before his shift tonight. My first thought was to head straight home and crawl in that narrow twin bed with him again, even if it meant laying on top of him. Not because I wanted sex, but just because I wanted to be close to him, wanted to touch him.

But then, a more reasonable and compassionate voice of reason spoke up. Let the man sleep. And let the man live. I didn’t need to know his schedule. If he wanted me to know, he would tell me. If he didn’t want me to know, prying into his affairs would only annoy him, and possibly alienate him. Instead struck out on the sidewalk to walk the short distance to the cafeteria. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I was reminded once again that Nate had swiped part of my dinner.

The university cafeteria consisted of coolers full of ready made food, a hot buffet, a made-to-order grill, and a dessert bar. I grabbed a tray and started loading up. A werewolf has a super-high metabolism, and I was always hungry, even on a normal day. But with the extra-curricular activites I’d been enjoying earlier in the day, I was down right ravenous. I dished myself up a bowl of soup, a fat hunk of garlic bread, a pile of baked ziti, meatballs, chicken wings, and a side salad from the cooler for good measure.

I would come back to the dessert bar later. There was a soft serve icecream machine and a squeeze bottle of caramel that had my name all over it.

I swiped my meal card and looked around the room for a place to sit. The room was just starting to fill up with the dinner crowd, but I spotted an empty table in the back near a window. I stepped around the backpacks and laptop cases that were strewn about the tables as I made my way to the table. I set my try down and sank into the hard wooden chair gingerly.

After so many rounds with Nate, I felt like I needed one of those inflatable tubes to sit on.

Digging into my plate, I quickly stuffed an entire meatball into my mouth and groaned. It wasn’t as good as the food from back home, but it was hot, meaty, a little spicy, and it would fill my empty stomach. I was still chewing when a shadow slipped past my table. Since the dining room was crowded, I didn’t even bother to look up, until a woman slid into the chair next to me.

I was a little taken aback that she would sit at my table without an invite. She was slender, but muscular, as evidenced by the arms that stuck out from a black Motley Crue t-shirt that had the sleeves ripped off. Her hair was a glossy blue-black and straight as a pin. I couldn’t tell if that was her natural color, or she had dyed it. She kept the shoulder length mane away from her face with a rolled up red paisley print bandana. Her oval face was cute, except for three long scars that marred her cheek.

The girl sat there, elbows on the table and just stared at me with amber eyes that glinted in a way that made me feel very nervous. I sat up straighter and let my eyes sweep the room. I quickly swallowed down the meatball in my mouth so that I could speak with some dignity. “Hi. Can I help you?”

She kept staring until I felt the uncomfortable need to squirm. “I can smell you,” she said flatly.

I lowered my fork, but the hairs on the back of my neck were starting to prickle. “Pardon?”

She shook her head slowly. “Werewolves stink,” she said flatly. “Like a wet dog on a warm and muggy day.”

I resisted the urge to react, to look around again to see who might be listening in on the conversation. I kept my face and my voice as calm as I could. “Pardon?”

“Oh yeah, I know what you are.” The girl continued. “Smelled you out in the woods too.”

I narrowed my eyes. If she could scent me, that could only mean one thing, she was a shifter too. But I easily deduced that she wasn’t a werewolf by her less than flattering description of werewolf body odor. “Who are you?” I pressed, leaning forward, “What do you want?”

The woman laughed, but it was an almost empty, forlorn sound. “It doesn’t matter any more,” her eyes looked past me, and I turned to see who she was staring at, but there was no one standing in the empty space between the two tables behind me. Suddenly she slammed her hand down on the table, making me jump, and making several other diners turn their heads in our direction.

“Stay out of the woods,” the black haired woman hissed. “Last warning.”

“How can it be a last warning if I didn’t get a first warning?”

“This place is mine,” she proclaimed, her voice growing louder. “You shouldn’t be here!”

The campus security guard that was stationed near the cash register looked our way and began to shift uneasily, his hand going to the radio on his belt.

“Look, you need to relax and keep your voice down,” I said, easing my legs around the chair so that I could make a quick and clean getaway. This is a big university, a big campus. Miles of forest in the mountains around here. I’ve never even seen you before… I’m sure there is plenty of room for both of us.”

She twitched a little bit, and her head jerked around, as if she was noticing for the first time that we were in the middle of a crowded cafeteria. She eyed my plate with some interest. “Are you hungry?” I asked, using a gentler tone. Maybe she didn’t have meals included in her tuition as I did. I pushed the plate closer to her. “I’ll share with you, if you want.”

She blinked at the food, and then shoved it back toward me. “I don’t want that,” she said, her nose wrinkling. “Just go home, doggy. You are in my way.”

She stood up then, looked down at me. Then she turned and walked toward the exit, stepping gracefully around the tables. As she neared the double doors, she reached into her back pocket, and pulled out a bag of M&M’s. She paused, popped a handful of the candies into her mouth, and then disappeared out the door.