Hers for the Holidays

Chapter Fourteen

“I didn’t mean what I just said, just ignore my crazy ramblings,”  Emily said with a nervous laugh as she opened her eyes and let her hands fall from her red cheeks.

“I think you meant what you said,”  CJ said as he stepped closer to her, he leaned against the wall beside her, much closer than he should have..

“No, I just meant that it’s too soon to fall for him, that he was just trying to get my mom to like him.”  She nervously bit her lip and peered up at him from lowered lashes.  

“If you say so Princess,”  He smirked as he brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear, his fingers trailing down her neck.  “You’re gorgeous when you blush like that.”  

“What are you doing?”  Vincent asked through gritted teeth as he watched Emily jump. 

“Just talking to our Princess,”  CJ said as he slowly turned to face the livid man behind him.

“She’s not our princess, she’s my girlfriend,”  Vincent said stepping closer to Emily, he took her hand in his own.  Casting an angry glare at the blond gamer.

“We’ll see, I think I might just be able to win the princess this time,”  CJ said with a playful gleam in his eyes. He watched as Vincent pulled Emily down the hallway towards the kitchen.  She peeked over her shoulder at CJ. He winked at her before turning around and heading back into the living room.  

Vincent pulled Emily towards the back door. Her mother looked up at them as she passed a knowing smile on her pink lips.  She put the kettle on the stove and picked through the curtains at her youngest daughter. She was glad the one she worried the most about had finally found her mate.  Celeste went about filling the cheerful mugs that she liked to use for the Thanksgiving holidays with cider mix and her own special blend of herbs.  

***

Vincent let go of Emily’s hand as they stepped outside. She watched him pace back and forth.  She sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and worried the soft flesh. She didn’t want him to be upset, so she didn’t tell about what CJ had overheard in the hallway.  

“He’s interested in you.”  He stated as he turned towards her, his eyes flashing almost black with the dept of their green as his wolf peeked out at her.

Emily took a step back, bumping into a rosebush, she let out a small sound of pain.  Holding her wrist up, she looked at the blood welling up on her hand.

“Oh Emily, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.  I’d never want you to be afraid of me.”  Vincent stepped towards her with his hands held out in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture.

“Your eyes,”  She whispered as she stepped closer towards the house.

“What about them?”  Vincent asked, feeling his heart twist painfully in his chest as she looked at him with dread in her jade eyes.

“What are you?”  She asked.

He took another step closer to her, his face falling as she backed up again almost falling on the bushes behind her.

“Emily stop,”  He said and she could hear the hurt clear in his voice.  “You’re hurt.”  

“I’ll survive, it’s just a scratch.”  She said dropping her hand and moving around the rose bushes.  “What are you?”

“I’m a wolf,”  Vincent answered, dropping his head. This wasn’t how he wanted to tell her, this wasn’t his plan at all, how would he be able to make her understand that she was his mate.  That even without that bond, he was falling for her and fast.

“What you said to my mom about always taking care of me-”  She trailed off, her eyes filling with bitter angry tears.

“I always will,”  He said looking up at her through the curtain of dark brown hair.

“Why?”  She said and then bit her lip, not wanting to hear his answer, but needing to. Tears started to stream down her cheeks “Why Vincent?”  

“I think you already know the answer,”  He said, pushing his hair out of the way as he moved closer to her.

“Say it,”  She whispered, her heart twisting painfully in her chest, she needed him to say what she had a feeling she already knew.  

“Emily, you’re my mate.”  He whispered as he stood next to her, feeling the warmth of her skin seeping through her thin jersey sweatshirt.  Vincent brought his hand up, cupping her cheek, his thumbs brushing away her tears. “You’re my mate.”  He repeated in an almost shocked voice as if admitting it to himself as well.  

“No,” Emily turned away from him. He dropped his hands to his sides already missing touching her. Emily angrily wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Are you rejecting me?”  Vincent asked, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes traced her lips and then moved up to her tear-filled green eyes.  

“No, I can’t be your mate.”  She said backing up and running away from him towards the wooded area that surrounded her family’s home.

Vincent threw his head back as his wolf let out a mournful howl into the crisp autumn air.  He sank to his knees as he watched his mate run from him. He could hear the back door opening as Celeste moved to stand by him. 

“I’ll go talk with her, it’ll be okay.”  She said resting a hand on his shoulder. She had heard part of their argument and could understand why Emily was so upset.  

Celeste kicked off her black heels and ran into the woods following her daughter’s scent trail.  The smell of Emily’s tears and ache made her frown, as she pushed herself leaping over a fallen log until she could hear the pain-filled sobs of her child.  She slowed to a stop smoothing out her blonde hair and her cream-colored sweater back into place.

“It’s okay baby,”  Celeste said coming closer to her Emily.

“No, it’s not, he says I’m his mate.”  Emily said scrubbing her tear-stained cheeks as she looked up at her mother.  

“Oh, that’s amazing Emily.  So many of us spend our entire lives searching for our mate.”  Celeste said sitting beside her daughter as she wrapped her in a hug.

“No mom, it’s not, I’m not a shifter.  I’ve never shifted and I never will.”  Emily sobbed, burying her head into her mother’s chest as she pulled her in for a hug.