Page 3 of Claim Me
Chapter 2
Jade
Home.
That term had always been associated with my parents but as time had gone on with the Crimson Pack, I realized that home was wherever my entire family was. So my parents were home but so were Tracey, Lucas, the Guardians, and possibly Rafe. I didn’t know if I could admit that just yet.
Since finding out that Rafe was my mate, it had been hard for me to accept that another bout of control was taken from me. But Rafe reassured me that I still had a choice. Even though he had joked about claiming me that night against the tree, he hadn’t done so. No claiming mark had happened and no ceremony had been organized. Even though those things shot a pang of uncertainty through me, they also sounded… great. I had never imagined myself married but this felt different. It felt better than a piece of paper. It felt deeper, more important. It was terrifying but beautiful.
I finished putting the last dish in my dishwasher and sighed with contentment. Tonight was a special night. My parents would finally be coming to visit my home. Not just the pack, but the cottage that Tracey had renovated for me. I wiped off the counter one last time and checked dinner on the stove. I could actually stomach vegan food again, even if the thought of it made me a little sick. I could season it enough to get it down my throat. That was all that mattered. I had to do it for my parent’s sake. Rafe leaned back on the couch and patted the seat beside him. It had been a week since the children had died. A week since the others had gotten massive surges of power. Walking through the pack was rather dangerous as they practiced their magic and what they needed to do to control it. Rafe and I hadn’t talked much but when we had, it had always been reassurances to the situation we were in. Tonight, everyone was going to be on their best behavior for my parent’s sake.
“Come sit down for a minute.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”
“Maybe I want to meet your parents,” He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. “We are mates, after all.”
“We aren’t married,” I grabbed his hand and yanked him off of the couch. “We aren’t even dating. We occasionally kiss. That doesn’t amount to much commitment or the need to meet parents.”
Rafe pouted. “You have met my mom.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s different, your mom is my boss.”
“Sounds scandalous.”
He pulled me in for a kiss and this time, I allowed it. His hand went up to cup my neck while his other hand snaked around to cup my hip. It was farthest he had gone, even though I had wanted things to go further. I wasn’t innocent, he knew that but he also wanted to give me time to choose. If things continued at a fast pace, we could do things we regretted in the heat of the moment. Translation- I would do something I regretted because he had already explicitly told me that he wouldn’t regret anything that happened with me.
I sighed into his mouth as he deepened the kiss.
“Oh,” I tore away from Rafe’s mouth at the sound of my mother’s voice. “We didn’t mean to interrupt! Your car was the only one here, we didn’t realize. The door was unlocked.”
Rafe gave me a smug look. He had used me being distracted against me. He knew they had been here and used it to his advantage.
My father cleared his throat while my face flamed red. “We didn’t realize you were seeing someone.”
I exhaled hard. “I wouldn’t consider it that, I like kissing him. He was just leaving.” I shoved Rafe by the shoulder around my parents and to the front door.
He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “As long as I get to kiss you later.”
“Don’t count on it,” I muttered as I closed the door in his face.
“I have to say, I think he’s the cutest one yet.” My mother sat her dish on the counter. She had brought a salad, which I was grateful for. It could go great with the burrito bowls I had prepared. I tried to avoid what she had said but she simply sat down on my broken couch with a look of expectancy on her face.
I scratched the back of my neck. “Yes, I think he is too.”
My dad wore his traditional dad shirt that had numbers and letters all over it like it came from an I-spy book. He had worn it so much that my mom had to sew patches over the elbows. His jeans were a dark wash and he had on loafers. He would be such a great grandpa someday. My mom wore jeans too with a light blue blouse and a gray sweater over it. They looked entirely too underdressed for the snow still coming down outside.
My mom wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “You aren’t freezing?”
Shit.
I had forgotten to turn the heater on. I could barely feel the chill but my sweatshirt and flannel leggings kept it away. I rushed to the thermostat in the hallway and clicked it on. “Sorry, I was having some work done on the heater this week and I think I’ve adjusted to it.”
My dad laughed nervously as he sat down beside my mother. “Your house is beautiful. I can’t believe Tracey did all of this while you were out of town.” How many more lies would I have to tell them? Couldn’t I just tell them the truth? Their wide eyes watched me as I moved around the kitchen for a moment. I didn’t know how to be around them anymore. I was different now. Thank goodness for the cold weather, how would I explain the scars on my legs and arms? I would have to tell them eventually.
“Yeah, Tracey is the best.”
“I’m surprised she isn’t here tonight,” My mother laughed but I knew she was fishing for some gossip. After all, I lived on the Crimson Land with her and the rest of her family. We hadn’t kept that a secret. There was no point.
