Chapter 213 Chapter 213

Chapter 213 Chapter 213
Refusing to be a part of this any longer, I walk past them and up the rest of the stairs into the packhouse, finding Andrew and Matt inside the door.
"Happy Solstice, Little Luna," They greet with warm smiles, "where is Damon?" Andrew asks, surprised not to find him beside me, the two of us inseparable. You'd think we were conjoined at the hip.
Sighing, I look behind me, at the open door with Damon and Theo still standing there arguing over me. Without needing more, Andrew nods in understanding, always knowing how to calm down both outside. For being a Beta, I expected mine to be more like Andrew and less like a Gamma, always ready to start a fight.
Walking further into the house, I can hear the boys following behind me, having calmed down enough to get further into the house. Heavy footsteps come up behind me as eucalyptus and sandalwood fill my nostrils. Damon stands next to me, slinging an arm over my shoulder and pulling me closer in a lopsided hug. "Biscuit?" he asks, handing me one of Helena's famous cinnamon biscuits. "Goddess, yes!" I say greedily, snatching the treat from his hand, acting surprised like this is the first time he has done this when it had been a tradition between us for as long as I can remember. Taking a large bite, I can't help the involuntary groan leaving my throat as my eyes roll back into my head, enjoying every cinnamon-filled bite.
"Happy?" he asks; a chuckle leaves his lips, and his blue eyes shine with boyish charm as he removes his arm from around my shoulder. Turning his attention to the group of men behind us, he only has to give them a look before they disperse like shrapnel, Andrew dragging Theo along with him, despite his grumbles.
"Don't worry," he grins, watching me lick my fingers clean of the delectable little treat, "I have more, you little fiend!"
"It's not my fault the little buggers are so delicious," I retort, grinning back at him, missing this easy banter between us. It had been so long since we had seen each other, and while we talk on the phone daily, it's not the same.
"And comforting," he comments, with a shrug as he continues down the hallways towards his bedroom while I stare at him in confusion.
"What does that mean?" I ask him as I follow behind as we trek up the stairs to his area of the large mansion.
"Helena makes those when I haven't seen you in a while," he says calmly, "the smell reminds me of you." "Really?" I ask. slightly shocked at the revelation, "I sleep in the library when I haven't seen you in a while, the smell reminding me of you too." I tell him, revealing a secret even my parents don't know, a blush creeping up my face as I continue following him. Once we enter his room, he hurries toward the dresser opening the top drawer, while I take a seat on the couch, turning on the tv to flip through the channels looking for a show for us to watch, deciding on a mindless re-run while Damon hands me a small delicately wrapped box a sheepish grin covering his face.
"Merry Solstice, Little Luna," he says, handing me the treasure in his hands, looking around for my bag with his gift stored safely inside, only to realize that it is still downstairs, stilling by the front door.
"Oh, shoot!" I curse, my cheeks warming as they turn pink in embarrassment, "I forgot your gift downstairs. I'll run down and get it quick." I tell him, jumping up from the couch and racing out the door to grab it quickly before one of the adults sees us and prevents us from exchanging them.
Making it past the gang of grownups hanging about, I grab the present from my bag before hurrying back up the stairs toward Damon's room. Reentering the room, I find him sitting on the couch watching the tv show I had chosen, the gift still clutched in his hands. Sitting beside him once more, I hold out the gift to him while taking the one meant for me. "Count of three?" Damon asks, clearly eager to see what I got him this year.
"One..." I say, grinning wildly, the anticipation killing me.
"Two..."
"Three.." we say together, ripping into the paper like a starving man eats his first meal after weeks without it.
As the paper reveals the box inside, I can't help the chuckle rumbling through my body as I look at the gift. A second later, Damon's giggle joined mine as we stare at the iPod we got for each other.
"Great minds think alike," he smiles, opening the box and giving the gift a once over before turning it on. I do the same, not wanting to waste any time trying out my newest gadget. Turning on the song on the iPod, I see a picture of a blonde-haired girl smiling on the screen, the name Taylor Swift sitting underneath.
"Taylor Swift?" I ask him, my brows furrowing in an unspoken question. "Yeah?" he asks, a little offended by my question, "I heard her song on the radio and thought you'd like it."
"Well," I say, "I added some to yours as well. Dad introduced me to this band I think you'd like," I inform him, "I already put them on the iPod before wrapping," I say, as I continue flicking through the tunes already added to the little gadget.
"Blink-182?" He asks, skepticism clear in his voice as he shoots me a questioning look.
"I promise they're an amazing band," I say self-assured, as I lean into the couch, putting the headphones in one of my ears, as Damon copies me doing the exact same, neither of us saying a word as we listen in silence enjoying the music we have chosen for each other.