Chapter Sixteen

Thursday – Southern Maryland

Melody

It's afternoon when we wake up and make our way to the living room. Finn makes sure I settle on the couch with a glass of water and a snack before he will entertain the idea of telling me everything that happened. I nibble on the corner of a cracker waiting for him to come back from the kitchen. While Finn fixes a fruit plate, he turns, and I see his back. Noticing the pale pink lines marking it. He didn’t let on how badly he was hurt this morning, and I’m just now seeing the extent of the damage. Even though he is already healed, and I know he is safely in the kitchen, tears start to pour down my cheeks.

“Hey. Hey. Hey. What’s going on?” Finn asks, rushing into the room and setting the fruit plate on the table. “Talk to me, lass. What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry. I’m just overwhelmed. I mean, my god, Finn. My boyfriend is a werewolf!” I try to smile through my tears.

“I’m your boyfriend, lass?” He is grinning at me. “Lucky me.” Finn leans forwards and kisses me on the cheek. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, I promise. Colin is on his way here. We are going to get to the bottom of this. We will be calling our family in Ireland to let them know what I found out last night. Then we will be able to put this all behind us and get back to our normal lives.”

“Normal? What part of our life is ever going to be normal? I’m living with you after two weeks of dating. I still have to tell my mom and dad when they get home today. How am I supposed to explain any of this to anyone? It is the farthest from normal you can get. On top of all of it, we can hardly have sex without your inner Alpha taking over and turning into some crazed BDSM werewolf.” I’m picking at the cracker I’m holding in my hands.

“Are you having second thoughts? About us?” I snap my head up at his words and look him directly in the eyes. I see they’re filled with fear.

“No, Finn. I meant it when I told you I love you this morning. I’m not having second thoughts. But this is intense. I feel like we are moving at warp speed. On top of the emotion, we are facing so much danger. I’m scared, Finn, but I am not leaving you. I promise.”

“I love you, lady. How did I get so lucky?” he says, kissing me on the forehead.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s a good thing you like subs, or you would never have finally found me right down the street. But it took you so long to get up the nerve to ask little ol’ me out. What’s that about? I didn’t think the Big Bad Wolf was scared of anything.” I tease him trying to lighten the mood. Last night and this morning were hell on both of our nerves. We need some comedy right now.

“Oh, trust me, lass. I’m scared of plenty, and losing you is the scariest of them all.” Finn pulls me into his arms, and we sit snuggled on the couch in silence for a while. Eating cheese, crackers and fruit. Just enjoying the comfort of each other's company.

I nearly jump out of my skin when a knock sounds at the door. “Hush, baby. It’s okay. That’ll be Colin,” Finn says and squeezes me in a hug, “I’ll get the door.” I smack his ass and giggle as he stands. “Hey, now. Don’t start anything you’re not going to be able to finish,” he says, as he heads to the door. I smile at him from my warm spot on the couch.

“Come on in,” he says as he opens the door and steps aside, letting Colin into the house. A cold gust of air follows him through the door, and I tuck my feet under the throw over my lap. As Finn closes and bolts the door, Colin turns to me.

“Hey,” I say with a wave, but I see his eyes go wide, and I pause. “Um, what’s up?” I ask, perplexed by his reaction.

“It’s not that bad, Mel,” Finn says quickly. “Colin,” he says in a low warning. Adding to my anxiety.

“What’s not?” I ask. I had forgotten entirely about my fall in the kitchen this morning, and it dawns on me then. I reach my hand up to the side of my face and wince as I touch my right temple.

“How bad is it, Colin? Tell me the truth!” I glare at him.

“Well, um. At least it’s on the same side you ran into me with, and you haven’t bruised both sides of your face.” I can tell how nervous he is to answer my questions because his accent is so thick it takes me a minute to fully process his words.

“Finn?” I turn towards him. “It’s that bad? How am I ever going to explain this to my parents? I was already going to have a hard enough time explaining that I moved in with my boyfriend while they were gone for two weeks. Now I’m going to look like I was beaten up?”

“No. It looks like you slipped, fell, and hit your head on the kitchen counter. After you were outside barefoot on the ice. Which is what happened. Just tell the truth, minus a couple of the finer details,” he shrugs, “I'll go with you to tell them if you want. To help smooth it over. Parents love me.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Getting up from the sofa, I say dryly, “My dad's allergic to dogs.”

Colin snorts with laughter behind Finn's back, and I wink at his look of shock. “Oh. You'll pay for that, lass.”

“I think I'm just going to get it over with, you two talk out here. I'm going to call my mom and break the news to her now.” I point down the hall, “I'll be in the bedroom.”

“If you're sure?” Finn says.

“I am,” I nod. “You'll meet them another time. When I look less like I fell into a counter named Finn.” I immediately regret my words when I see the hurt on his face. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I know you would never hurt me, Finn. But they don't know you. You have to admit it doesn’t look good.” I shrug and look to Colin for help.

“It does look bad, brother. If you saw her, your first question would be, who the fuck hit you?”

Finn is standing with his arms crossed next to the kitchen table. I can see the moment he surrenders and his eyes soften. “You're both right. But maybe it wouldn't look half as bad if your clumsy ass didn't give her the black eye in the first place.” He turns on Colin and lunges at him. They're both laughing and wrestling when I leave the room to call my mom.

***

“Hey, honey! When are you coming home? Are you going to be off at your regular time?” my mom asks when she answers the phone.

“Hey, Mom. About that… I took the day off.” I decide to tell her as much of the truth as possible but try to keep it light.

“Oh. Well. Then where are you, Melody? When your dad and I got home this morning, it looked like you hadn't been here all week. The mail was piled up. My house plants are wilting.”

“Shit. Mom,” Damn! I can't believe I spent the last week so preoccupied that I neglected my responsibilities at home. “I'm sorry.” She loves her violets, and I say a prayer they're not shriveled and dead now because of me.

“Listen, Mom. There's this guy.”

“Oh, a boy! Is it the one from The Sub Shoppe, Mel? Tell me he finally asked you out!” I smile then. I knew I could count on my mom. She is my best friend and always up for girl talk. I settle onto the bed and cross my legs under me.

“Yep! He sure did. We exchanged numbers and planned a date but actually ran into each other before that.” I recap the events of the past two weeks, making sure to keep it G-rated. Of course, I don't mention that my boyfriend shape shifts into a giant wolf when he wants or that we are being hunted by a rival Alpha from a pack of werewolves in Ireland, least of all that we spent our first night together in a BDSM club. Once I peel back the layers and break it down to the nitty-gritty of our relationship, Finn's right, being honest with her is easy.

“So anyway, Mom. Finn asked me to stay with him for the month.” I let the sentence hang in the air between us. She is quiet for so long I pull the phone from my ear to make sure the call didn't drop.

“Mom?”

“Like, move in with him, Mel? That's awfully fast, don't you think?”

“No, not technically. Finn is working nights, and I'm working days. So, we are like ships passing in the night. But being here…” I shift uncomfortably on the bed.

“That's where you are? You're taking time off work and staying with some guy you just met?”

“Mom, listen. Please. That's not why we took the day off. I had an accident.”

“For heaven's sake, Melody! What do you mean you had an accident? You're just now mentioning this. Are you all right?”

“Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit bruised and sore. I went outside last night, barefoot—"

“Honestly, child. Will you ever grow up?” She cuts me off.

“Please just listen, Mom. When I went outside, it was icy. I came back in for shoes, but I slipped on the tile floor. Well, I fell, and I hit my head on the counter. Finn was here, and he caught me, so it's not too bad,” I rush on quickly, “he took care of me and made sure I didn't have a concussion. But we both decided to take the day off today, so I could get some rest and make sure there weren't any other issues.”

“I swear, Melody, if you're telling tales because you're trying to protect some man, I will kill the S-O-B.”

“Mom!” I yell and then pause because I hear her laughing. I relax back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

“Mel, you know I trust your judgment, and we love you, sweetheart. No matter what. If you want to try out living with this guy because you think this might be the real deal, then that's fine. You just remember, baby, if you need to come home, we will be right here. Your daddy and I have your back no matter what.” I smile, relieved by her speech.

“Thank you, Mama,” I say. “I love you.” We spend the next forty-five minutes chatting about their trip and my finals. How the last week of school went and my plans for the spring semester. I tell her about Summer and Donnie. We make plans to have dinner next week so they can meet Finn. When we disconnect, I feel grounded. Sometimes a girl just needs her mom. I smile as I toss my phone onto the bed and head back out to the living room to see if Colin and Finn are still talking.

When I get to the end of the hall, the living room is empty. I head over to the couch and curl up in the corner of it. I can hear Finn talking in the kitchen.

“The Vernal Equinox? That's what we think too. That gives us around six weeks. Yes.” I can tell then, by the silence, that he must be on the phone now. Colin must be gone.

“Beltane? Maybe if the moon's right. But the Paschal Moon makes more sense.” It's quiet again. He must be listening to the person on the other end of the line. He grunts a few times.

“I know. But I'm telling you, Grandda, it doesn't add up. Why not Colin?” I feel guilty for listening in and start to uncover so I can head back to the bedroom and not eavesdrop. “No, I haven't asked him that. But I will. I don't know if we can come. It's complicated.”

“A lass?” He steps into the doorway separating the kitchen and living room just as I am heading towards the hall, and we make eye contact. “Aye, it has to do with a lass,” he says, smiling at me. I realize there is no point in going to the bedroom, so I return to the couch.

He nods. “Aye, I could bring her. I’d have to ask her. Yes, she knows.”

I duck my head, feeling ashamed and guilty for being in on their family secret. Finn gently places his fingers under my chin and lifts my face to look up at him. He shakes his head, knowing what I’m feeling. Then he pulls the phone from his ear and whispers, “Don’t do that. It’s okay.”

“Yes, I’m still here,” he says, putting the phone back to his ear and starting to pace the room. “I’ll plan to be there for the Equinox. But I don’t think we could stay through until Beltane. It’s too long.”

He stops, his back to me, and I see the muscles of his shoulder tense under his tight-fitting t-shirt. “Because we have a life here. My life and job are here. Don’t talk to me about responsibilities. Those are here too.”

“Yes, sir,” he says, finally relaxing his shoulders. “I’ll talk to you soon. Mo grá thú, Grandda. Aye, I’ll ask her. Bye.” Finn turns back to face me, ends the call, and then slides his phone into his pants pocket.

“Everything all right?” I ask, pointing to the phone. “Seemed a bit intense there.”

“Yes.” He sighs and then sits down next to me on the couch. He reaches an arm around my shoulders and pulls my head over to his, then kisses me on the top of mine. “It is. Or it will be. We have about a month before we think that this pack will move on the family. We suspect they will use the Vernal Equinox and the Paschal Moon to their advantage. The summit has been moved to the end of March, which strongly supports this theory.”

I’m confused by his words, but he can’t see my face, so he's going on. “Wait,” I say, stopping him. “What and the what?” I ask, expressing my confusion.

“Och, sorry, lass. The Spring Equinox and then the Paschal Moon is the first full moon after the Equinox. This will be the most powerful moon to come for a time. We think they will use it to strengthen their pack and plan an attack on those in the surrounding area. It is not just our family that has been facing threats. This pack, they’re bad news for us all around.” He raises and then drops his shoulder, shrugging. “I’m just not sure why they are so interested in me. My grand da has a theory, but I need to speak with Colin about it. I’ll ask him and confirm the information when he comes over on Monday.”

He turns then and faces me on the couch, and I sit up, stretching my legs across his lap. “Since you’re going to be staying here for the month, I think you’ll be safe when I’m here. But I have to go back to work on Monday. Colin will be coming over while I’m at work. When you are at work during the day, you’ll be safe. They won't be able to attack then, and their Alpha will have to be back in Ireland for sure now to prepare for the Equinox. I’m going to do everything I can to protect you.” He pauses and rubs the bottoms of my feet with his thumbs.

“That brings me to my next question. Will you come with me to Ireland next month? I need to be there with the pack during the Equinox. There is power in numbers. Colin and I will both need to go. But I won't go if it means leaving you here unprotected. There are places there, Keeps on the family lands, they’re protected, warded from other packs. You would be safe there if you came with me.” I sit quietly for a minute, looking across the couch at Finn, contemplating what he's saying. But then I realize I don’t need to think about it.

“Of course, I will go with you. I’d follow you anywhere, Finn. If that means I get to follow you halfway across the world to your homeland and see the beauty of the place that gave me you, then yes. I will go with you.”

***

We have a small dinner and spend the evening relaxing, decompressing from the events of the last twenty-four hours.

“I’m going to go take a shower. I think I still have blood in my hair.” I point to the small abrasion on my temple and head out of the room to the bathroom. I turn on the hot water, planning to scald away the aches from my body, and I stand tracing my fingers over my bruised face in the mirror as it fogs up. Sighing, I decide there is no use in dwelling on it any longer. The bruises will heal. We are both alive and safe. For now. Oh, don’t be so full of doom and gloom.

I get into the shower and am just about finished, rinsing off the last bits of soap when I hear Finn clear his throat from behind the shower curtain. “Yes?” I ask, rolling my eyes because I know he cannot see me. He pulls back the curtain and pokes his head into the shower.

“Mind if I join you?” I just smile and crook my finger at him. “Come on in. The water's fine.” Pulling the curtain back, he steps in, and I run my hands down his back as he closes it behind him. The final pink lines of his healing skin are fading.

He turns and steps towards me. I wrap my arms around his body and press kisses to the ever so faint lines on his chest that are nearly invisible now. I suspect by morning, there will be zero signs of the attack he faced last night. Finn turns us, so the water hits his back and runs down our bodies between us. He bends and kisses me on the mouth, deep and possessive.

“I thought I had lost you,” he says when he pulls back from our kiss, “when I came home and could smell they had been here, I thought they took you.” He is staring down at me, with what I can only describe as reverence in his eyes, and it takes my breath away.

“Kiss me,” I tell him and throw my arms around his neck, pulling him to me. We kiss that way in the shower for a long time before he steps back, then looks up and down the length of my body.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, Melody?” Finn slides his hands up my sides, then up the length of my arms. He grabs my wrists and gently pulls my arms from around his neck. “Turn around.” I do as he says and turn to face the wall of the shower, my back to him. Then, I feel his hands on my hips and the water from the shower hitting my back as he kneels down behind me. He guides me forward a few steps. “Put your hands flat on the wall, above your head.”

Leaning forward, I do as I’m told. My arms stretch out above me, my palms flat on the cool tile wall. I’m bent slightly at the hips. I have to raise myself up on my tiptoes to reach the wall from my position in the middle of the tub. With my back arched, I look over my shoulder to see Finn. But he is on his knees, rubbing my hips gently with his hands, then I drop my head and let my wet hair fall over my back as he slides his fingers through the slit of my lower lips.

“Yes,” I hiss low under my breath. He is setting off every nerve ending deep inside of me, and the muscles in my abdomen clench and unclench. I’m instantly wet as he works my pussy over with his hands expertly spreading me open and sliding a finger in and out of my hot center.

“Sir?” I ask, wanting to feel him inside of me.

“Ah, lass. You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?” he asks, and I arch my back more, pushing my ass towards him. He takes his hands and spreads my ass cheeks, and I feel his tongue there circling my hole. He takes one hand and slowly rubs my clit while his mouth gradually works over me.

“Please, sir. I want to come. Make me come.” Then, suddenly, he stands and his hands are no longer on me. I’m standing looking over my shoulder at him. He is looking at me. So much love fills his eyes. I get a knot in my chest, and a sob almost breaks out of my throat. “Please, Finn. I need you,” I say, swallowing the groan.

I watch him reach down and grab the base of his cock, stepping forward, he slowly teases me with it. Rubbing my entrance up and down until I’m squirming. “Please!” I grit my teeth. I’m on the verge of coming, and the explosions of sensation going off all over my body as the hot water continues to pelt my skin are driving me mad. He slides into me, just the tip of him opening me up to him. Slowly inching into me. I cry out in frustration.

“Finn!” He laughs in my ear. His hands cover mine on the wall, holding me still. The tip of his cock resting barely inside my pussy. Move, Damn it! I scream at him in my head. I’m shaking now. The tease of having him so close to being inside me is driving me crazy with lust. Then he nips my ear, and I feel him slam forward into me. My pussy clenches down around him. “Yes, sir,” I cry out. “Fuck me hard. I need you to fuck me, sir.”

Finn pounds into me, holding my hands pinned to the wall above my head. He is riding me hard from behind. I clench down on him as my orgasm builds.

“I'm going to come.” I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to hold back the wave of the orgasm as it rushes over me.

***

Finn

“I'm going to come,” Melody says, her tight walls clenching down around my cock. Fuck! I roar inside my mind. I had planned to make this last, take my time with teasing her here, then take her to our bed and spend the night making love.

But being sheathed in her heat this way, with her smooth and tight around me. So ready for me. I buck against her.

“Come, Melody,” I growl in her ear. Then, she comes apart at the seams, her legs shaking, her pussy pulses around my cock, milking me. I explode inside her, filling her with my seed, and she whimpers, aftershocks of her orgasm still squeezing me inside her. I rest my head on her back, and freeze the moment I realize what I’ve done.

“Shit.” I turn her around to face me, and tears are streaming down her face. I put my hands on her cheeks and pull her to me. “I’m sorry, lass.”

She is shaking her head in my hands. “Shh,” she says.

***

Melody

Finn is holding my face in his hands, and he is apologizing.

“I love you, Finn,” I say. It is all he needs to hear. He smiles and pulls me into his arms. I push myself back out of his grasp and look him in the eye. “I love you.”

“I love you too, lass.” He kisses me. We turn off the shower and dry off.

Later, we are curled together in bed, and I ask, “What does Mo grá thú mean? You said it earlier on the phone.”

I hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I love you.” I smile, closing my eyes. Then just before I fall asleep, I say, “Mo grá thú, Finn.”