Dad wasn’t happy at all. It was kind of funny how much he was sulking because we decided to move in with the one person he disliked for some reason or another. I figured that things between them would have been sorted considering the fact that Lucas turned out to be the baby Dad has been searching for even before we were born.
Apparently it hadn’t been that much of a surprise for Eva because she already knew about him. She hadn’t told me how she knew but I figure it had something to do with her bad habit of eavesdropping.
The fact that Lucas’s real name was Luca didn’t change things at all. He was still the same person who had kissing me senseless in the shower at college, the same person who had risked his own life to rescue me and the same person who had been set on destroying my family.
During our two year separation and out daily talks, I had actually gotten to know him for the person he really was rather than the one he pretended to be. Lucas was still cautious, always extra carefully and extremely protective of both Eva and me.
We still didn’t know much about his heritage but I knew that Erik was still looking into it and now that Lucas was once again with us, we would be able to help him everyway we possibly could. He never made a big deal about finding his birthparents but I could tell that it was important for him.
“Leave the boxes, doll, I’ll carry them.”
I turned to glare at him. “I’m not going to stand and watch you carry all the stuff inside by yourself.”
Smiling, Lucas gripped my hips and pulled me against his body. His head dipped, making me tilt my head back and part my lips expectantly, but he didn’t kiss me like I thought he was going too. He turned his head last minute and pressed his lips to my cheek.
“If you want to help then you can start unpacking the boxes,” he said. “Silas and Ethan are helping me.”
The moment we agreed to move in together, Lucas had started making plans. Last week we’d gone paint shopping and spent the majority of our time repainting the walls. Since I had chosen the colours, Eva had been the one to choose the furniture that had been delivered two days ago. Eva and I had returned home to pack our stuff which was being carried up to our new apartment at the moment.
“Go,” Lucas urged with a soft kiss to the corner of my lips before he pulled away.
I hesitated a moment longer and then made my way into the building and towards the stairs. We had an elevator but too many people used it, and besides, the stairs was a much healthier option.
A few minutes later I entered the apartment. A sigh fell from my lips as I stared at the stacks of boxes decorating one corner of the living room. I never knew that we had so much stuff until we started packing things. There weren’t a lot, just photos and a few other things I wanted around, along with all our clothes and such.
I could hear Eva singing from her bedroom. Shaking my head, I moved towards the first stack of boxes. I was somewhat relieved that they actually managed to organize it by room. As I unpacked the cutlery, my mind trailed off to the day we told Dad that we would be moving out.
He hadn’t seemed all that surprised but he hadn’t been happy at all. He had actually tried to talk us into staying home for a few months before we made such a big decision. After numerous refusals, Dad had finally given in but I suspected that Uncle Ethan might have had something to do with it.
There was just something right about moving out and starting our own life. Nothing stopped us from visiting Dad or him visiting us and if he was really so worried about our safety; Uncle Ethan was nearby to check on things.
Although I had been going to therapy for a while now, there were still a few things I had to work on, like my anxiety. Not only towards humans but the fear of something happening to Eva, Lucas or Dad and my other family. I knew that the world was filled with danger no matter where we went, but I just hoped we never had to face something similair to what had happened with Oliver.
As long as Lucas was at our side, I knew that we would be okay.
***
“Are you planning on finishing college?” Dad asked Lucas.
We sat at a small table near the back in a restaurant in town where Lucas had booked us a table to celebrate. Uncle Ethan sat next to Dad across from us with Lucas sitting between Eva and me.
He paused with his fork halfway to his lips and raised his eyes to look at Dad. “No.”
Dad’s eyes narrowed. “How do you expect to take care of my daughters if you don’t have a degree and a solid job?”
“I assure you that my mates will be well taken care of.” He took the bite and slowly chewed all while staring at Dad. Once he swallowed, he smirked at him. “You can do a lot of things without a degree, Silas, you should know that.”
“I have a degree,” Dad growled.
It looked like Lucas wanted to say more, but he apparently changed his mind about. His eyes dropped to his plate again as he continued eating. Very aware of the tension between them, I tried to ignore it as I ate. It was a simple meal but I could feel the troubling thoughts starting to circle at the back of my mind.
Lucas’s thigh brushed against mine, making me relax slightly. A few seconds later he placed his hand on my knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze. I smile at him before I continued eating—small bites—and before I knew it, my plate was empty.
“I already have a job lined up,” Lucas said, breaking the silence. “It’s flexible but the money’s good. You don’t have to worry about your daughters living in poverty, Silas.”
Ethan cleared his throat. “What kind of job?”
“It’s at a tattoo studio close to the apartment. I start on Monday,” Lucas answered.
“How flexible are we talking?” Eva asked him.
Lucas smirked at her. “Flexible enough to make sure that my mates are satisfied . . .in the bedroom and out of it.”
Dad and Uncle Ethan growled lowly but they both remained silent; however the rest of dinner was spend with them glaring at Lucas and Lucas smirking at them.
I wished I knew the reason for the tension between Dad and Lucas but I guess I just had to hope that they would eventually fort things out otherwise holiday celebrations were going to be a mission to get through.
***
Our first night in our new apartment as mates.
Lucas was in the shower, Eva had disappeared into her bedroom the moment we got home while I lay on the bed in my bedroom, staring up at the empty ceiling. Honestly, it was not how I had expected things to go. Then again I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to happen.
Apart from a few kisses and some innocent touches, Lucas had pretty much kept his distance. I kinda imagined him grabbing me and kissing me senseless the moment we walked through the door, but that didn’t happen. He had said that there were a few things he wanted to finish before taking a shower.
If Eva was surprised by his actions, she didn’t show it.
I frowned.
Eva had been acting strange the last few days. Was she regretting her decision to move in? Or was she starting to distrust Lucas again? He hadn’t given us any reason to second guess things. Maybe Eva wasn’t ready to just forget about the past?
“Are you asleep?”
I pushed myself up onto my elbows and smiled at my sister. “No.”
She walked over to the bed and climbed up to lay next to me. Dropping onto my back, I waited. She blew out a loud breath before she turned her head to look at me.
“I thought about what you said,” she whispered, “and I have an answer for you.”
A few weeks ago, I approached Eva with the idea of breaking the bond we shared after she had questioned whether Lucas only saw her as his mate because of the bond we shared. There was no denying the fact that Lucas and I were closer than Eva and Lucas, but I knew it was only because we had spend so much time together where they hadn’t had a chance to build their own bond before things went south.
Breaking our bond would make Eva realize that she was his mate just as much as I was. All they needed was time to build a bond as strong as the one we had.
“And?” I questioned softly when she didn’t continue.
“And I don’t want to break it,” Eva said softly. “I’ve gotten used to being. . .linked to you and breaking that link would make me feel empty.”
“It would feel strange,” I admitted.
She nodded. “I know in my heart that Lucas is my mate. I guess I’ve know it from the moment we met, but I allowed a bit of my insecurities to get the best of me. I’m jealous of the bond the two of you share.”
“I know that over time your bond will grow stronger,” I told her softly. “You just need to make sure that you spend a lot of time together.”
Eva’s lips curled up into a slow smile. “I can’t wait for him to wear my mark so all those bitches who kept eyeing him today knows that he’s taken.”
“If I’m going to wear your mark then I suppose it’s only fair that you wear my mark,” Lucas said from the doorway.
I shot upright and stared at him. His hair was still wet from the shower which made little droplets drip onto his shoulders and slowly roll down his chest only to disappear underneath the towel wrapped around his hips.
Colour flooded my cheeks. When I looked back up at him, his eyes caught mine. The heat in them was unmistakable and it made my panties flood with wetness. He raised an eyebrow at me in question. I instantly nodded at him.
It has been too long.
“How are you planning on marking me?” Eva asked him.
Lucas’s lips parted, revealing his fangs. Without saying a word, he licked one fang with the tip of his tongue. The action was unexpectedly sexy. Straightening, he gripped the towel with one hand and took a few steps into the room and towards us.
“I’ve learned a few things from Erik which I’m not planning on telling you,” he told Eva. “Like I said if you mark me then it’s only fair that I mark you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. We need to talk, you and me.”
“Privately?” he asked.
She hesitated, and then gave him a nod. “I’ll explain later,” she told me as she stood. “My room once you’re dressed?”
Lucas nodded and stepped aside so she could walk past him. When Eva was out of the room, he turned to look down at me. For a moment we just silently watched each other and then he leaned down, gripped the back of my neck and pulled my lips to his.
“Don’t go to sleep yet, doll.”