Chapter 65: Simon

It was in the open. I didn’t have to hide it from her anymore. We were together, my mate. Remus went back begrudgingly, but happy he got to spend time with her. The connection between her and Remus jolted through me like I was being brought back to life after going into cardiac arrest. Was it just me or did her eyes glow brighter now that she knew her familiar? It could almost make me feel jealous at the connection they had with one another. I was her mate, but Remus was her familiar. We were connected on all fronts.

She blushed slightly.

“What?”

“I’m just very much aware that you are naked.” She tried to hide a smile.

“You like the view?”

“Please put on clothes.”

“As you wish.” I turned and walked to my pile of clothes and started to dress. Careful to zip up my jeans slowly, not to catch anything important. She wanted me before the change. It took all my energy not to take her right then and there. Just thinking about that moment is making my dick press against the zipper. And without underwear it’s very uncomfortable.

I pulled on my sweater and turned back to her. She was staring at me, no doubt watching me the entire time. I could still smell her want lingering in the air. Not as intense as it was before, but still there. If she got this hot and bothered with me just taking off and putting on my clothes it was going to be a test of my self-control.

“Shall we go?” I said, offering her my arm. She took it and we walked up to the house.

“The Jeep is parked out front and we can move everything there and drive to your house.”

“Our house.” I corrected her.

She gave me a side smile. I wished I could know what she was thinking at every moment. She would get these random looks and I wanted to know where they came from. “Our house.” She repeated.

“Good girl.”

She rolled her eyes at me and grabbed more than half of the bags on the coffee table.

“Violet, what in the hell do you think you are doing?” Even saying her name got me excited.

“Grabbing the bags.” She looked at me raising an eyebrow.

“Let me grab them.” I took hold of the bags that were in her hands and held onto them.

“You know I could probably lift this entire cabin, right?”

“That may be true but give me the pleasure of being a gentleman when I can.” She released the bags into my hands. I slung the duffle bag that was on the dining room table over my shoulder. It was heavy. Heavier than the bags in my hands. “What is in this thing?”

She looked over her shoulder at what I was referencing. “Oh, just about one hundred thousand dollars in cash and my book.” she said nonchalantly, as she continued to walk down the hall.

“Wait you were serious about the duffle bag full of cash?” I stared at the back of her head.

“Yeah. I mean, I don’t have a bank account and that was the duffle bag that Myrtle gave me. Until I can figure out a better place to store it, I have it in the bag.”

“We need to put it in my safe or we can open you a bank account.”

She exited the cabin and went to the rusty green Jeep that was parked out front. She went to the hatch and opened it for me. “Either way.” She shrugged. “I really hadn’t thought that far in advance.”

“You’re with me now. We can talk about the future.” A future with my mate, that brought a smile to my face. “And we could consider getting you a different car. This looks like it is on its last legs.”

“I like it. It was the only thing that we had at the time for me to escape.” I dropped the bags into the back of the Jeep and looked at her. “Probably should think about actually getting a driver’s license too.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “Wait, are you telling me you don’t have a driver’s license?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged again. “I was pretty much taken hostage for ten years by a guy who wanted to bring our covens back to the dark ages. Very little time or energy was put toward me learning how to drive.”

I held out my hand. “Give me the keys.”

“Why? I drove all the way here and around town for the last week. I haven’t gotten into a single accident. I’m a good driver.”

“I just found my mate, and I don’t want to be taken out right after she found out. Please give me the keys.” My hand hung between us.

“You are being such a baby. Fine!” She handed me the keys. “We are not even a five-minute drive from your place.”

“Our place.”

“You’re very frustrating. You know that?”

“And to think, I have the rest of our lives to annoy the shit out of you.”

“Lucky me.” She rolled her eyes and walked to the passenger side door.

I slid into the driver’s seat and pushed the chair as far back as it would go. The Jeep was old school, no bells or whistles. Just the basics that the originals had. “After you get your license, we should get you a new car.”

“I like this one.” She looked at me then out the windshield as I started the clunker up.

“This doesn’t even have Bluetooth or even a CD player, and that’s now become old school.”

“I wouldn’t even know how to use any of that anyway. Remember, I was locked away for over a decade. The technological advances that you have now are irrelevant to me.”

I drove down the little road that connected her cabin to my house. “You could learn.” I said back to her finally. She was right, this drive was not very long and there were very few opportunities that she could get into an accident.

“True. I probably should start getting used to what upgrades there are out there.”

I grabbed her hand that was laying in her lap. Each time I touched her, I felt the energy flow between us. Stronger now, after she has met Remus. It felt like a magnet was pulling my hand to hers, wanting to keep us connected. I wouldn’t complain if we were going to touch for the rest of our lives. I would die happy. I gave a smile.

“What?” Violet was looking at me.

I took my eyes off the road for a moment and looked at her quizzical expression. “I was just thinking that just a few days ago I felt hopeless that I wouldn’t find my mate. And now here you are. It really is true that it comes when you least expect it.”

“You—are a hopeless romantic.” Was all she said to me.

“I am now.” I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed the back of it. I savored the electricity that bounced between us. I breathed in her smell, even though it was locked in my memory I liked the intensity of it as I breathed her in again.

She gave me a half smile and looked at our house as we drove up to it. She gave a smile.

“What?” I asked her.

“It’s nice to think of this as home. It feels like home.” She inhaled deeply. “If I’m being honest, when I was leaving today, I just felt sad. I wanted you to make an excuse not to let me leave.”

“Trust me, I was trying to think of some way to make you stay. I didn’t want to come on too strong.” I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb. “It was good that you left because if you didn’t you would have never seen us in your crystal ball.”

“Oh shit!” She yelled. I looked over at her. “I forgot the crystal ball on the table!”

I chuckled at her. “I can have Bruce pick it up on his way back from border patrol.”

“Is that how you found out about Tomas?”

“Yeah. Bruce was making his rounds and saw a hooded figure approach you. You ran and he sent me a link. I came running.”

“You know I can take care of myself, right? And if this were a battle between witches you would have been too late.” She laughed.

Her words punched me in the stomach. If this were truly life or death, she would have been dead. My mate would have been dead.

“Why do you look so serious?”