The Second Covenant

Dax opened the door when I knocked and I was in a strange mood, I smacked a kiss on him to. “Hello.” I said and bounced on by him, down the hallway, smelling chocolate. Hot, creamy, frothy chocolate. Druex was reading the paper, sitting down, good. With a mug of fresh Godiva chocolate as his elbow. He looked up and smiled at me. “You don’t look harassed. I was expecting you to come back and tell me you weren’t going to stay anymore.” I crawled over him, straddled his lap and kissed the hell out of him.

His hands rounded over my bottom and I could taste the silky flavor of the chocolate on his tongue. “Isn’t it bad for canines to have chocolate?” I said, licking at the corners of his lips for more of the sweet flavor. “Not this one. I’ve got some waiting for you in the microwave.”
“She kissed me.” Dax said when he came stomping in the room and I rolled my eyes at him. “You know you’re not going to win Molly over at Thanksgiving if you keep up this mean guy act.” I said and he seemed to seriously think about that. He looked from me to Druex and back. “I didn’t know we were invited. And I am mean, it‘s not an act.”

I frowned at him. “Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you be invited?” He shrugged and I looked at Druex. “Why wouldn’t you be?” Druex smiled gentle and tucked my hair back behind my ears. “That’s usually a family thing.” I frowned harder. “You’re part of that now, right?” His look was patient, gentle. “We’re pack, that’s family. Your family, whether they want to accept us is up to them.” That kind of put a damper on my happy buzz. Dax brought me the chocolate from the microwave and I took it with a little smile. “Thanks. Well, if you want to come, you’re invited. We always have enough food to feed an army, mostly cause we’ve got so many growing boys.” I gave Druex a small sip of a kiss and slid off his lap to pack up my stuff.

He was frowning when he saw that. “Where are you going?” I looked back at him and smiled. “I want to go home and snuggle up with my mom. She‘s feeling the empty nest syndrome already and its freaking my dad out.” He nodded, but didn’t look happy about it. “It’s just for tonight, you can survive one night without me.” He looked skeptical, seriously skeptical. “I’ll survive, but I wont like it.” I gave him a sympathetic look and rose up on my toes to slide my lips over his, wind my arms around his shoulders. “So go pile in with the puppies.”

Druex made a face. “I’d rather pile in with you.” I gave a low laugh and spread kisses from his mouth to his ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll come back tomorrow.” I kissed him and continued to pack up. “My dad also asked me if I was thinking of moving out.” I said and Druex sat down on the end of the bed. “And what did you tell him?” I shrugged. “That I hadn’t thought of it.”
“Are you now?” I bent down to get my small pile of dirty clothes, folding them up to put on top. “I don’t know.”
“What would help you know?” I smiled and tossed my hair back, coming to crawl over his lap again. “Time to actually consider leaving my parents in that big old house. I’d need somewhere that I could have a workroom, for all my magic stuff. Somewhere safe, away from a graveyard and prying eyes. We’ve survived for so long, like your people, because we live in absolute secrecy and close together.” He nodded and seemed to be thinking hard about that. “So a house then?” I shrugged. “Be best.”
“And do you want to go to school?” I scrunched up my nose and gave a little grin. “I actually have taken all the prep classes to be a psychologist. But I took them and then realized I didn’t want to be that involved in someone else’s mind. I’ve got my own problems without trying to fix more. So I don’t know what I want to do. Maybe cosmetology, do hair. Wax. Could be fun.”
Druex nodded seriously. “Okay.”

I drove home, already missing Druex, but had a wonderful dinner, and evening with my parents. It was an experience, after two nights of being held by a big, hard warm body, sleeping by myself. I didn’t like it. I missed the weight of Druex, of his power cuddling around me. The scent of him, the nose wrinkling musk of his wolf that comforted me. It was a long time before I could sleep. Fitfully.

My mom remarked on the dark circles under my eyes and I smiled over a cup of coffee. Which raised her brows even more. I didn’t like coffee, unless it had chocolate in it. But we had no Red Bull or other energy drinks in the house so coffee, liberally laced with cream and sugar, was the only other option. “I’ve already gotten used to sleeping with a bunch of wolves in the bed. It was hard without that heat.” Her lips twitched and she sipped a glass of orange juice. “Did you have everything you needed in the bag I packed you?”

I narrowed my eyes at her and felt my cheeks wash with color. She just smiled and winked. “Good. We’re going to start cooking around eight tomorrow. Kate and Lisa are coming at nine. Paige a bit later. They’re coming, the wolves right?” I nodded and grimaced over the coffee. “Yeah. Molly, her parents and her baby brother. She said he’s only a few months old.” My mom looked wistful. “That will be nice, I’m glad you’ve made a girl friend Cherish. All this testosterone is bad for you.” I scoffed. “You’re telling me.”

I frowned into my coffee. “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for her mom. She’s done really well for herself since Taylor. She works at the Spa in town, I had a facial yesterday and she’s really good.” My mom reached over and put her hand over mine on the table. “No one feels sorry for her honey. Curious about why she dropped charges, but that’s not our business. And the boys were raised better than to be insensitive or cruel.” I nodded and gave a little smile. “If they were, Dax might bite’em.” Her brow arched in question. “The only brunette of the pack, big, snotty. Kind of intimidating, you missed it, but he was being rude the other night, and I did a bitty spell.”

Her other brow lifted. “Oh really, and what did you do?” I grinned unrepentantly. “He was wearing a shirt I cursed. He couldn’t read it, not even with a mirror, but everyone else could.” She bit her bottom lip and giggled. “What’d it say?”
“I have a small penis. So I am required to be an asshole.” My mother gaped at me, and then bust up laughing. “Oh god, I bet he was mad when he found out.” I shook my head. “What was better was watching him walking around with the sissy pink letters on the shirt, and having everyone else laughing at him, when he didn’t know what was going on. It was totally awesome when Molly showed up and she told him it wasn’t a good idea to go about advertising he had a small penis.” I laughed at the memory. “You should have seen him, his ears turned red. Ever since, he’s really had a thing for Molly. So if the guys are rude, he might hurt them.”
My mother sighed happily and drank her juice. “More boys. Just what we need.” we bumped knuckles ruefully. “Amen.”