Chapter Forty-Two

Finley

I lay there on my side for a while after Damon left the room and as soon as he left I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. My brain was maxed out on processing information. He turned into an animal and he marked me. I knew how this worked, even if I thought that I’d made it all up, it was all true.

That’s why I craved his presence and felt safe with him but if I was being honest with myself, I felt that way long before he marked me. He was right about one thing though, we had fallen in love before that St. Barts trip.

There were a lot of things that I understood better now but I was still angry. He had invaded my privacy, forced himself into my life, I didn’t care what his reasons were, but a small voice told me that his intentions had been sincere. Had he actually killed someone to protect me? I had no idea to what extremes he had gone for me.

I sat up straighter when a knock came at the door. It was very soft at first and I thought that I’d misheard but the knock came again, a little louder this time. The door opened before I could say anything and a strikingly beautiful woman walked inside.

“You must be Finley,” she said as she walked towards the bed and made herself comfortable across from me.

“I am,” I said.

“I’m Chastity, Damon’s fiancé,” she said, putting emphasis on fiancé.

“I wasn’t aware that he was engaged,” I said to her wondering what the hell was going on.

“Not officially yet but we will be soon,” she said as I looked at her.

“What do you want?” I asked her.

“I want to know why you’re here?” she asked me.

“Honestly, I don’t know, maybe you should ask Damon that since he’s the one that brought me here,” I said. I didn’t like this woman and everything inside me told me that she was an enemy.

“Stop running after him, it only makes you look cheaper than you do right now, laying in his bed like you belong here,” she said with her cold eyes glaring at me.

“It’s not like I chose to come here,” I said to her.

“You’re human, you could never give him what he needs, the clowder will never accept you as its Lady,” she said.

“As opposed to you?” I asked her, starting to lose my temper.

“Actually yes, our engagement is almost finalized so I suggest you lift your skanky ass and leave Damon to make the right choices,” she said.

“Are you aware that Damon and I are bonded halves?” I asked her.

“That makes no difference, the Council will never allow a human in a position of power, save yourself the agony and let go of him. The sooner you leave the sooner Damon can get back to what he’s supposed to be doing, running this clowder and providing an heir to follow in his footsteps, you’ll just weaken him and his offspring with your human genes,” she said.

“My Lady,” a man said from the doorway.

“Yes,” Chastity said and turned towards him with a fake smile on her lips.

“I was speaking to Miss Finley, Alpha Damon asked if he could join you for dinner,” the man said.

“Connor, she’s not the Lady of this clowder,” Chastity said the anger slightly there in her voice.

“I apologize, Chastity, but until Alpha Damon tells me otherwise about his bonded half I will address her as my Lady, and since you are just a guest here I suggest you leave the Alpha’s quarters before he finds you lingering in here,” Connor said as he gave her a blank stare.

Chastity looked at him and pushed him with her shoulder as she walked past him. Connor turned back towards me and gave me a small smile but remained standing where he was.

“I apologize my Lady, Chastity should know better than entering the Alpha’s quarters,” he said and bowed his head.

“She’s right though,” I said as I stood up and stopped in front of the windows.

“I beg to differ, Lady Finley, bonds happen for a reason, it means you’re a perfect match for the Alpha and he’s lucky to have found you,” he said and left the room. I heard the click of the door closing as I closed my eyes briefly and blinked away sudden tears.

I turned around again as the door opened and smiled instantly when I saw Archer closing the door behind him. Without thinking I launched myself into his arms and started crying as he held me.

“I don’t know what to do Archer,” I said to him.

“You do what’s right for you, whatever that is,” he said to me.

“Are you leaving?” I asked him.

“I have to go back, my book tour starts in two days. Kat and I will come back after the tour and then I’ll join this clowder,” he said to me.

“Why did you choose it?” I asked him.

“I was shocked at first when Kat told me the truth but she opened my eyes to new possibilities, a new life, I was alone and even though writing makes me happy, Kat makes me happier,” he said to me.

“I don’t feel like I belong here,” I said to him.

“I can’t tell you what to do Luce, but I’ve always wished for you to be happy, to let go of the past and of Jackson, I trust Damon and I know he loves you,” he said.

“Did you know that there’s some sort of engagement agreement with him and some slut named Chastity?” I asked him.

“I know she wants to be the Lady of this clowder and I also know that Damon has no interest in her, never has, nothing has ever happened between them,” he said.

“I’m going to miss you,” I said to him as my arms went around his waist once again.

“I love you Luce, just promise me one thing, no matter what you decide, don’t shut me out again, I’ll always be here for you,” he said.

“I promise, I love you too,” I said to him as he hugged me tightly again and then let go.

I watched Archer as he left and I smiled even though I wanted to cry as he waved from the door and closed it behind him. Chastity was right, I was weak, just a human. A broken human at that. I wasn’t fierce and I hated violence, Chastity seemed so sure of herself and her position here no matter what Connor had said.

She was much more equipped to be with Damon than I was, but I also couldn’t help that small part of me that felt possessive over him. What would my life be like if I stayed here with him? Could I handle the Chastity’s that lived here and wanted him while hating me and the ones that would probably make my life a living hell.

“Hi,” another woman said and I jumped slightly as I turned around clutching my heart.

“I’m sorry,” she laughed, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” I said.

“I’m Charlotte, Jared’s bonded half,” she introduced herself.

“Oh!” I said and smiled at her in return.

“I thought we could go into Newport for some items you might need, Damon mentioned that you didn’t bring any luggage with you,” she said. I liked her for some reason, her face was open and honest and she wasn’t overly sweet.

“Uhm,” I said as I looked at her. That much was true, I didn’t have anything with me.

“It doesn’t have to take long,” she said, “I’m not a huge fan of shopping trips.”

“Neither am I,” I said to her as she smiled at me again.

“Come on, let’s get you out of this house for a while,” she said and hooked her arm into mine.

Chastity gave me a dirty look as I walked down the stairs with Charlotte and much to my delight and extra points for Charlotte she glared right back at Chastity. We walked to her car and Charlotte shook her head as we drove away.

“I take it you’re not a Chastity fan?” I asked her.

“That woman infuriates me! Thinks she can do whatever she wants, nobody even wants her here,” she said and I laughed.

“She has some entertaining ideas that she’ll get engaged to Damon,” I said to her.

“Fat chance!” she snorted.

“So Damon doesn’t like her?” I asked.

“Let me put it this way,” she said and thought for a while, “if she was the last woman on earth, Damon would be celibate.”

We spent about two hours in Newport buying the necessary items I would need for a few days. Charlotte gave me a strange look when I took my card from my pocket and I almost felt like I’d insulted her as the sales lady took the card from her hand.

“Damon would literally kill me if I let you pay,” she said to me.

“But I can’t let you pay,” I said to her.

“You’re not, that’s Damon’s card,” she said with a smile.

“You should’ve told me, I would’ve bought more stuff,” I said as she burst out laughing.

“I like you Finley, you’ve got spunk,” she said as we made our way back to the car.

“Chastity was in my room earlier,” I said to her as she stopped dead in her tracks.

“That woman really wants a bitch slap,” she said and started walking again.

“She basically told me to leave, that I was too weak to be here and that I could never give Damon what he needed,” I said to her, “what did she mean by that?”

Charlotte was quiet until we got to the car and didn’t meet my eyes and I knew that whatever Chastity had meant by saying that was a valid point. We put our bags in the car and climbed inside. I kept looking at Charlotte and she sighed audibly.

“The only thing I can think of would be if you and Damon had children,” she said to me.

“Why?” I asked her.

“Well you being human and Damon being a pure blooded Alpha, your child will be half human and he might not even be picked as an Enforcer. The Elders will try and keep the Alpha position from him since he’ll be weaker than full blooded jags,” she said. She wasn’t trying to be mean but I did want to know.

“Oh,” I said.

“But I mean if you choose to stay here Damon can always turn you,” she said and smiled at me.

“I’m not sure I know what I want at this stage,” I said to her honestly.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, all I know is since Damon’s met you he’s been a different person,” she said.

“Different how?” I asked her.

“Nicer, more humane,” she said with a smile.

“He was a real asshole when I met him,” I said and Charlotte laughed loudly at that.

“That he was,” she said in agreement.