Chapter 54

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

Finn eventually pulls away, and I groan as he does so. He feels good, too good, too addictive. With Thane, there was undoubtedly passion when we would kiss, but there was something... missing. Whatever it was, I had it with Finn.

Finn laughs at my small noise of protest, and places a gentle kiss on my nose. "I have to go give Hudson the clothes and talk to him a little more. Why don't you go get something to eat and go to the movie room? I can meet you in there soon," He suggests.

I sigh. "I should go help Ronin with his flower crisis. I can only imagine how stressed out he is right now," I giggle, accustomed by now to his quirks.

Finn nods, the corner of his mouth turning up in amusement. "Whatever you do, just don't make it worse. I'd hate for you to end up looking like Dean," He jokes, kissing me swiftly one more time before leaving his room.

Once he leaves, it takes me a moment to clear my head. Finn is completely intoxicating, and the more I wanted him, the more it scared me. The more I got to know him, the more I liked what I saw. And it was terrifying, to feel that way about someone who isn't my mate. Something is seriously wrong with me.

I go out back to the garden, where I find Ronin kneeling over the patch of chrysanthemums, swearing under his breath. "Need some help?" I offer, sitting next to him.

He jumps slightly at my sudden arrival, and then exhales in relief. "Onyx, thank the Goddess you're here. Can you help me uproot them and spread them out? I planted them too close together and they're starting to block each other and die. It's a disaster of epic proportions," He groans, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his glove.

"Of course, this is a very important matter," I say seriously, trying to hold back my laughter. He did have gardening sheers next to him, and Finn had warned me about ending up like Dean.

For a few minutes, we uproot the plants in silence, careful to not break off any of the roots. "How are you doing today?" Ronin breaks the silence to ask.

I shrug, reaching for a spray bottle to loosen up the soil. "Fine. Finn and I found a rogue," I say excitedly, remembering how happy Hudson was to finally have a home. "He decided to stay. Finn is with him right now."

Ronin grins. "That's good. Finn smiles nonstop for days whenever he finds a rogue. Not even Kal and Dean can piss him off for a good week or so."

Laughing, I begin to replant one of the flowers. "Yeah, he definitely was in a good mood."

"You smell like him," Ronin observes.

My head snaps up to look at him. One corner of his mouth is slightly turned upward, and he gives me a knowing look. I groan, but I can't help my face from blushing.

"It... I didn't.." I struggle to defend myself.

Ronin laughs. "It's okay, Nyx. I won't hound you for details, though you should probably have a better response prepared for when Kallista and Dean ask you about it. And they will ask," He warns.

I groan, knowing he's right. Whatever was going on with Finn, I had to figure out what the hell I'm doing before it gets too complicated.

"Do you like him?" Ronin asks hesitantly.

I know what he's really asking, but I decide to feign ignorance. "Yeah, he's really nice," I say lightly, like I'm talking about an acquaintance.

Ronin sighs, pausing from separating the roots to look at me. "You know what I mean, Onyx."

I consider his question. Do I like Finn? It wasn't too long ago that I told him I wouldn't ever be able to feel that way about anyone, but that was before the lake, before I saw him with the rogue. Everything is different now. I'm different now.

"Yeah," I say quietly. "I really do."

**

Once the monumental chrysanthemum crisis is solved, I go inside, seeking out Finn's room so I can shower the dirt and sweat off of me. I eventually find the hallway, and crash into someone as I turn the corner.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry," Hudson apologizes, and I almost don't recognize him. There's no more dirt on his face, and his blond curls are now smoother. "Oh, hey, I met you already. You're Finn's mate, right?"

I blink twice. "Um..." I begin, not really sure what to say to that. "It's complicated?" I decide on, and it sounds more like a question.

His eyes widen slightly. "Oh, sorry. I mean, I just assumed because you guys were holding hands. And y'know, because he talks about you nonstop."

I can't stop a small smile tugging on my lips at that. "How are you settling in?" I ask him, changing the subject.

Hudson's eyes fill with emotion. "I can't thank you and Finn enough."

"It's all Finn," I tell him honestly. "Speaking of, do you know where he is?" I ask curiously.

Hudson nods. "He asked me what my favorite foods were, said he was going to go get groceries. I mean seriously, how much nicer can this dude get?"

I laugh, and something tugs on my heartstrings at his words. He would go grocery shopping just to get a rogue's favorite foods. It's just so... Finn.

"Alright, well I have to go clean up. Do you need help finding anything?" I offer, and he shakes his head.

"Finn gave me directions on how to get to the home theater. These hallways are pretty freaking confusing, I don't know how anyone manages to get around," He says, and I was inclined to agree.

After telling him to let me know if he needs anything, I go into Finn's room and take a shower. Despite the fact that he gave me my own toiletries, I use his body wash, letting the smell of him comfort me. What? It smells good.

I wrap a clean towel around me once I'm done, and step out of the steam-filled bathroom. I squeal in surprise when I see Finn laying on the bed.

His green eyes wide and I'm suddenly very, very aware of the fact that I'm only in a towel.

"You were supposed to be gone!" I say in panic, pulling the towel tighter around me.

Finn's eyes darken, and my heart pounds furiously in my chest. He takes a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before reopening them. He gets up from the bed, taking slow steps towards me, and my breathing halts.

He puts both of his hands on either side of my face, and leans down and sniffs me. "Are you trying to torture me, Onyx?" He asks lowly.

My eyes widen, and I remember that I used his soap. "Um, well torture is a bit harsh of a word. I actually think that I just-"

Finn suddenly leans over, pressing his lips to mine, and I immediately kiss him back out of instinct, or maybe even just simple desire. This kiss isn't as gentle as the one we shared after finding Hudson, it's passionate, desperate.

He wants me as much as I want him.

Without thinking, I raise my arms to put them around his neck, forgetting about the towel. Until it starts to slip down.

Finn catches it with one hand to hold it from falling, and pulls his lips away from mine. His eyes are dark, and his lips are swollen, as I imagine mine are as well. "Get dressed," He commands, his voice strained.

I replace his hand with mine to hold up the towel, and he quickly leaves the room, leaving me gasping for air.

**

For the next week, Finn and I start off sleeping in separate rooms. But around midnight, I always end up going to his room and crawling into bed next to him, the only way I've found I can have a peaceful rest.

Every morning, I wake up in his arms, and he always jokingly demands an apology for breaking my promise.

During the day, I spend my time gardening with Ronin, watching movies with Hudson and sometimes the others, and reading in the library with Finn, which is what I'm doing right now.

"How come you're here right now?" I ask Finn suddenly.

He looks up from the book he's reading and blinks. "Hm?"

"I mean, don't you have better things to do than sit here reading with me all day?" I ask curiously. "Like, I don't know, paperwork or something?"

He raises his eyebrows, and I instantly know how ridiculous it sounds. Of course he doesn't.

"I'm quite satisfied with spending my time with you, Onyx," He says, and his mouth quirks to the side in amusement. "But thank you for your concern."

My cheeks burn as we go back to reading our books in a comfortable silence. An our later, I finish the book, Wuthering Heights.

"Well, that was depressing," I say as I close the book.

"Didn't like it?" Finn murmurs, glancing down at me. He's sitting in an armchair, while I'm sprawled on the floor next to his chair. He always teased me for reading in uncomfortable positions, but in my opinion, it makes the book better.

"No, I like it. It's still depressing though," I tell him, sitting up.

He laughs, closing his own book after folding the ear of one of the corners. "I think it's meant to be romantic."

I scoff, getting up to stretch my legs. "Not much romantic about that. It's tragic, more like."

Finn chuckles, and pulls me into his lap. "I'll remember to give you a happier book next time. One with a happy ending."

"Very kind of you," I laugh, leaning closer into him as his arms wrap tighter around me. My insides feel... warm. Mushy.

And they have for the last week.

It scared me.

And I suddenly am reminded of the words he told me by the lake, when I was in the middle of being consumed by the Darkness.

"Did you mean it?" I ask hesitantly. "What you said that day by the lake?"

Finn's eyes flash in recognition. "You're asking if I love you," He states.

I nod, feeling my stomach twist nervously.

"I do," He confirms, his face uncharacteristically serious.

I'm not ready to say it back, but he seems to understand that, and leans in and kisses me sweetly, gently.

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same," He whispers against my mouth, and I recognize the quote from the book I just read.

He had an affinity for quoting books, his mind absorbing words like a sponge, making him incredibly fascinating to me, because I have the memory of a carrot.

I pull my lips away from his. "Why do you think we're mates?" I ask him, not to be cruel, but out of genuine curiosity. I hadn't asked him that since he kidnapped me, and he wouldn't tell me. Perhaps now he would.

His eyes darken. "You really want to know?"

I nod.

"Then I'll tell you everything."


DUN DUN DUN


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net