Fault Lines

by K. C. Stewart

  She’d never been very self-conscious but as Owen inspected her in all her bare chested glory, she felt a tinge of red creep up her cheeks. When he tapped the waistband of her jeans, her eyes swelled.

  Owen, being the all-seeing man he was, smiled softly at her. “None of that now. This is purely professional.”

  Sure it was.

  He helped her shimmy out of her jeans so she was just sitting in her underwear. After he made his first round of inquiries he began at the top again but this time he was armed with a washcloth, peroxide and bandages. He wiped away the grime of the warehouse, taking care to get every speck of dirt. When she was clean to his standards, he stung the hell out of each of the cuts with the peroxide. However, after he positioned all of the bandages, he placed a soft kiss over each cut. By the time he lifted her to stand she was a mess of emotions.

  Mira had these fault lines in her heart, tiny cracks that exposed her core. They were weak spots that needed patched after Sophie, Sadie and her attack the year before. Trust was something she didn’t give away so easily anymore. The care Owen was showing her wasn’t sexually fueled; it wasn’t done with an ulterior motive. He showed her genuine care and love. She had never felt so treasured.

  Owen saw in the mirror how his version of first aid was affecting her. He wrapped his arms around her, one crossing over her chest and the other around her stomach and pulled Mira back against him. Her hands held fast to his forearm as they just looked at themselves in the mirror.

  “Why did you come?” she asked.

  “Not coming after you wasn’t an option.”

  “Because I’m Sadie’s sister?” She wasn’t sure why she asked that particular question. No, that was a lie, she knew why. After his attentions she felt so emotionally naked. His hands had traveled over every stretch mark, every jiggly bit, every darkening bruise, cut and scrape. He saw her in her rawest form and still he held her. She worried that all this was because of her relation to Sadie or because of what she just went through. Mira wanted…she could finally admit that she wanted him to see her as more than Sadie’s younger sister but as a woman who found him attractive. Maybe it was just her mind’s reaction to being kidnapped, pawed at and rescued by a shape changing man. But maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it took all those things for her to see Owen for the man he was. Would he see her for the woman she was?

  He turned his head into her neck and nuzzled. “Because you are you, Mira.”

  The skin on her neck tingled.

  “Owen!” Tyson’s uninvited voice boomed through the suite. She felt him slump. Tyson had gone to deal with the men in the back of the truck. He was entirely too efficient and should probably go back down and check on them. Right now.

  “Duty calls, Rabbit.” He let her go and she pouted. Owen pulled a robe from the hook on the wall. It was too large for her but was soft, plush and smelled like him. So when he helped her into it, she felt like she was in an Owen cocoon.

  He left her in his bathroom and cut off Tyson before he made it too far into the suite. Their words fell away as they moved further from earshot. Mira rang the washcloth out and used it to wipe her face. Owen had already done it but she still felt dirty. Sadie was standing in the doorway when she was done. Her hands folded in front of her as she twisted her loose bracelet around her wrist. She looked almost scared to talk to her. Mira gave her an eye roll. There was no need for caution, if she would have freaked out over what her sister now was, she would have done it already.

  “You don’t have fleas do you?” Mira asked.

  Taken off guard, Sadie’s mouth gaped open.

  “I’m kidding Sadie.”

  “Right. Yeah, um…are you ok?”

  Hidden under Owen’s fluffy robe, none of her injuries showed. They may have just been superficial but they would still cause Sadie to threaten a trip to the hospital.

  “Just fine.”

  Sadie came into the room and stood beside her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier. It’s just, it’s all so new yet and I wasn’t sure how to go about telling you. I’m still getting used to my skin and then you showed up…”

  “I get it,” Mira said. “Really, I do. I get why you were so closed off. You just picked a very shitty time to finally learn how to be a bitch.”

  She nodded. “I’m sorry about Sophia,” she said sincerely. “What happened?”

  Mira really didn’t want to talk about that right now, but she did kind of owe it to Sadie. “She cheated on me, we broke up. I’m not heartbroken or anything. Betrayed? Yes, but anyone would feel betrayed.”

  Sadie wrapped her arms around Mira. “I’m still sorry you had to deal with that on your own. I liked Sophia, she’s sweet but not who I think you need.”

  Mira rested her head on her sister’s shoulder. “Oh? And who do you think I need?”

  In the mirror Sadie smiled. “Someone dominant and strong. Protective but not smothering. Someone who can handle your sass,” she laughed, “but also know when you need a hug. Sometimes you can be so independent, Mira, that you push people away without knowing it. You need someone who isn’t threatened by that.”

  “When you find that person, let me know,” she said sarcastically. “So how did this happen? How are you this mythical creature? Just a few months ago you were a hermit and moving in the middle of the night so mom and I couldn’t chase after you.”

  “I’m not sure where to begin,” she admitted and then sighed. “Ok you aren’t going to like this but it’s all over and done with and there is no need to worry.”

  Mira rolled her eyes. “That’s encouraging.”

  Sadie explained about a wolf named Jack who wanted her to be his furry bride. Tyson was a wolf with his own issues—Mira apparently wasn’t going to get the details of that story—who had come to her aid and became something of a pet. Jack tried to change her and in the end would have killed her had it not been for Tyson. It took him a little longer to get his head pulled out of his ass before he admitted to her who he was and what he did to save her life.

  “So tell me the truth now, are you guys married?”

  That guilty look was back. “Yes and no.”

  “She is mistaken,” came the voice of her husband from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt but stop trying to spare her feelings. I think Mira is a big girl and can handle the fact that we are mated.” Tyson stood easily, leaning against the door frame with his thumbs in his pockets.

  Mira wasn’t surprised but she wasn’t happy either.

  “We are mated,” Sadie said looking at Tyson. “But we aren’t married.” Tyson frowned.

  “What’s the difference?” Mira wondered aloud.

  Sadie shrugged. “One is for wolves and one is for people?”

  This must have been news to Tyson. He pushed into the bathroom to stand in front of Sadie. “So we are bonded in the eyes of the pack but not your people?”

  “Yea but it’s no biggie. We are mated and that’s all that…Tyson, what are you doing?”

  He had dropped to his knees.

  “Sadie, this isn’t a question you have a choice in. I want us to get married. I want your people to recognize us like the pack does. You’ll have to tell me what I need to do because I’ve never attended a wedding but I’ll do whatever you want. What I won’t do is go one more day not being linked to you in every way possible.”

  Mira hated to interrupt but she did for her sister’s sake. “Mind if I help you out here?” She didn’t wait for an answer from either of them. Mira got on her knees as well, which hurt going down and was sure to hurt on the way up too, and tugged on his leg until he complied with moving it. Now that he was on one knee, she grabbed Sadie’s hands and tugged her forward a step so that Tyson could hold them in his. He looked like a freakin’ romance novel cover: shirtless, kneeling, perfectly disheveled light brown hair. He’d need to get a ring but that was something for later. Mira stood by putting a hand on his shoulder to boost herself up.

  “Alright, that’s better. You will s
till need to get a ring but that can wait. Now Tyson, repeat after me. Will you marry me, Sadie?”

  Sadie snorted out a laugh.

  She half expected him to put up a fight but he did as she told him and said “Will you marry me, Sadie?”

  Her sister smiled brilliantly then fell onto him in a tangle of arms and kisses.

  Mira was feeling pretty pleased with herself when Owen’s arms slid around her waist. “Nicely done, Rabbit.”

  Sadie, all smiles, reached a hand out to Mira. “Come on Lady, let’s get you home. You can come stay with us tonight and then help me plan a wedding.”

  She felt rather than heard Owen’s low growl. It vibrated down her back into her toes. Tyson looked over at Owen with a raised brow and a shake of the head.

  “She’s had a day of it already Sadie. Moving her again might be more disruptive.”

  She frowned at him. “Then what are you suggesting?”

  Mira liked the fact that they were talking around her like she was an incompetent child. Yes, she had an eventful day and needed to decompress but she was not a five-year-old and she could take care of herself, and that included making her own decisions.

  “Well,” he looked at Owen. “Do you mind if she says here for the night? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you though.”

  Owen’s answer was to pull her closer to him. “Just try and take her from me,” his motion seemed to say. Mira didn’t fight it and went all soft against his chest.

  Tyson laughed. “Alright then. That’s settled. Let’s go Babe. We have a wedding to plan and a ring to get.” He pulled Sadie from the room before she could put up too much of a fuss but at the mention of jewelry, she didn’t put up a fight.

  When they were alone, Owen asked Mira a question of his own. A very important question that made her want to weep with joy and throw her arms around him.

  “Are you hungry?”

  *****

  He was making her spaghetti. Mira lay cocooned in miles of blankets on his couch while he busied himself in the kitchen. He checked on her every few minutes and every time the frown deepened. Mira wasn’t sure why. She was okay. She just couldn’t get warm. And every time her heavy eyes succumbed to sleep and closed, she felt the sting of the plastic wire ties biting into her wrists. So her eyes would spring open and the room would get colder and her eyes would get heavier and the shaking would get worse.

  So maybe okay wasn’t exactly the right word, but she wasn’t crying and screaming, so it wasn’t that bad.

  On one of these fall asleep, wake up with a gasp, shiver, rinse and repeat cycles, Owen had sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap. She didn’t fight it. He handled her like a doll until she was positioned to his liking. The crippling anxiety that had been clawing at her chest eased off. It was the first realization that she may not have been as all right as she had previously thought.

  He was warm, like a snuggling deeper into the covers on a cool morning, a perfect harmony of warmth and comfort. She didn’t fall asleep this time but still he held her until he was satisfied she was actually ok this time.

  “I think some food is in order. It should help you settle too.”

  This time when he moved her she did put up a fight because he was taking away her heat source. But really there was no point to even trying since he was so much stronger than she was.

  “Brute,” she called him in a pout.

  “You’ll get over it,” he said while handing her a bowl of sauce and pasta.

  He was right, she did. Mira ate the entire bowl and sat back content with the heaviness in her stomach. Food did help. She felt less fuzzy now that she had some sustenance in her.

  “Movie?” Owen asked as he collected her bowl. Mira nodded. She doubted her ability to stay awake for much of it but that was probably the point. He pulled up Netflix and put on some western thing that she had never heard of. Mira may not like the genre of movie he picked but all those cowboys were just fine to look at.

  She hadn’t been sure how the night would progress when Tyson suggested she stay here. Part of her was surprised that Owen didn’t need to leave her to take care of his people…wolves? Pack? That was too much to think about so she would just move on.

  Owen stayed with her every step of the way. She had been in relationships where her partner wouldn’t even bring her cold medicine if she was sick and here was this guy who she had known for a few days, could argue had gone on one date with and he already had rescued her twice, held her more times than she could count and was now watching over her in case she had a breakdown all while under the guise of watching a movie.

  As the food did its thing and cleared her head, she realized what a prime opportunity she was missing. Mira had Owen all to herself and she still had questions.

  “So you’re a werewolf,” she stated.

  He chuckled. “Ah, so we have come to that part of the evening, have we? Yes, Rabbit, I am a lycanthrope.”

  “And how did you become that?”

  “How much history do you want? I can tell you mine and my pack’s or of our kind as a whole.”

  Mira thought about that. She wanted all of it but knew that would be information overload. “A little of both?”

  He nodded in agreement. “My kind was born of Loki, the Norse god. He would technically be the grandfather to shifters of all kinds as he was a shape shifter himself. He bore a son named Fenrir, who was all wolf. The gods were fearful of Fenrir and had him chained. It took some doing on their part because Fenrir was so strong but eventually they got it done. Well, while they had been trying to make his bindings, he had been getting busy. The first werewolf was born right before he was locked away. The mother died in childbirth but Loki stepped in and found that child a home, one where he wouldn’t be harmed for what he was. He was given to a pack of wolves and lived as one of them. Over time we refined out shifting skills and let our humanity outweigh our canine instincts to become what we are today.”

  Mira’s mouth hung gaping open. She hadn’t expected that. A virus or something, sure but he was a descendent of Loki. That was freakin’ awesome. “And your history?”

  He reached for her hand and linked his fingers with hers. “Save for you sister, we are born with varying degrees of dominance. My father had been pack alpha before me and I was the most dominate of wolves after he died so I became alpha a few years back. The dominate wolves can change forms while submissives cannot.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.” They are still part of the pack and are often times the most important members. The submissives keep us dominant wolves sane with their voice of reason to our head strong nature.”

  “So how is Sadie a wolf then? If she is, does that mean I am?”

  He shook his head. “Sadie was gifted from Gaia, the Earth. It is rare and special. See, Loki and Fenrir both died in a battle between the gods.”

  “Ragnarök,” Mira supplied.

  “Yes,” he said surprised.

  “College wasn’t just for partying,” she explained.

  Owen nodded but the smile remained on his face. “I’m not going to lie; I’m impressed, but back to the story. All of Fenrir’s descendants were lost without their alpha and protector. Gaia stepped in. She isn’t a god necessarily; she is a force, an element. She has been here from the dawn of time and will be here until the earth dies.”

  Mira felt a little disappointment at that. Why had Sadie gotten this awesome gift? She was missing something. They let the conversation wean off until they were both watching the movie again. She had no idea what was going on and really didn’t care. Mostly she thought over what Owen had told her. It made sense, kind of. Although, most of these mythical creatures that Hollywood liked to use so often came from Greek mythology, Norse wasn’t something she was particularly versed in beyond what pop culture and a bit in college had taught her.

  Owen had fallen asleep, which was a big surprise since she was the one who should be dead to the world. He looked so happy. How many people can say that they
actually look happy when they sleep? Mira usually had her mouth open and drool under her cheek.

  Watching another person sleep was fascinating. First of all, because of the trust involved, especially with someone like Owen who was dominant, as he called it. He trusted her enough to let his guard down and rest. She could study his features this way without feeling weird about it because he would never know. Owen really was a handsome man. His skin was a beautiful olive complexion, more Native American than Mediterranean. He had a square jaw that was just rightly defined. She was seriously going to be noticing such things after him. Never had a jaw line made her breath flutter before. He had thick black hair that wasn’t actually black now that she was up close. It was a very dark brown. His body was strong, not overly muscular but defined where it counted. He was bigger than her but instead of making her feel small, she felt protected.

  Mira wanted to touch him to make sure he was real. After everything he told her, part of her needed to make sure he wasn’t a figment of her imagination. She didn’t just want to touch him, she wanted to kiss him. Nothing crazy but just a small press of lips to lips kind of kiss.

  She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. If she did try to kiss him, he might wake up. Then she would have to explain what she was doing and that could get awkward. But he also looked to be so sound that he might not wake up. He might never know it happened.

  What to do?

  Kissing him won out. She couldn’t resist. Besides, he deserved a little something after all he did for her today.

  Owen’s head rested on the back of the couch, his face tilted her way. She didn’t have to move from where she was, just had to lean in and…

  Her lips brushed so lightly against his that she barely considered it a kiss. But it was and it was sweet and charming and so incredibly heart pounding. A smile spread across Owen’s face. It was adorable how he smiled in his sleep.

  His eyes popped open and startled her. He reached a hand up to her neck and pulled her back into him. He kissed her thoroughly this time. His lips were strong and knowing. He parted hers with a nip and teased her with his tongue. Mira took the chance to thread her hands through his hair. It was soft and luscious and just long enough to fist. Which she did.