And Then There Were Four

Chapter 201

Chapter 201: Kitchen Chaos

Cassie.

The afternoon spent with Finnick wasn't one I had expected. We walked around and talked about a variety of different topics from the way his realm worked to whom his family members were. The way Finn acted was completely different from the type of person I had thought him to be, but I was still on my guard.

From the garden through the fields that surrounded the various pack houses and by the new elementary school, Finn and I ended up at a path that led through the forest back towards the backside of the pack house.

We walked side by side as if there was no care in the world and more than once this man at my side had me laughing at the stories he told. Finn was far different from Silas and Lucas. He wasn't brooding like the other two, and he didn't have an attitude as if he was pissed off at the world—which was refreshing.

“A penny for your thoughts?" Finn's words pulled me from the thoughts drifting around my mind like a gentle breeze. Looking up to him, I smiled softly before I shrugged my shoulders.

“There is nothing but darkness and confusion there. Not sure you really would be interested in what's in my mind."

“You'd be surprised," he replied, causing me to laugh, “plus, I've never been afraid of the dark."

Stopping in my tracks, I turned to face him. The shadows of the forest cast around us under the canopies as the moon slowly began to rise up into the sky. Most would call this a romantic situation but I found it comforting.

The darkness was nothing but a safety net I had ignored for years.

“You should be."

“And why is that, Cassie? Why should I be afraid?" he replied, stepping closer towards me.

My breath hitched in the back of my throat at the close proximity of Finn. Everytime he was close to me like this, I couldn't think straight. I knew he called me his fated and though I refused to believe it, part of me wondered if it was true.

Was he really my mate? Was I following in my mother's footsteps with my mate bonds?

“Because I'm not…"

“You're not what?" he muttered, his hand reaching up to cup my cheek as I closed my eyes, relishing in the feeling of his skin upon mine. As much as part of me wanted to pull away from him, I couldn't and because of that, I allowed myself to feel things I didn't know I could.

“Normal…" I whispered softly before he leaned forward, his lips brushing against mine as he kissed me softly. The swipe of his tongue crossed my lips, begging for entrance. I parted them and let him in. Allowing him to deepen a kiss I hadn't expected but was glad for.

The soft moan that escaped me as he pulled my body tight against his was only the start of what would more than likely be an eventful evening. Or that was what I thought until low whistling in the distance quickly ripped us apart.

“Get a room!" The unknown voice called out as others whistled and hollered at the interaction between Finn and I. My cheeks instantly turned red as I tried to hide my face, biting my bottom lip only to have him grip my chin with his thumb and forefinger with a smile on his face.

“I didn't take you for being shy."

“I'm not… typically." I smirked before pulling away from him, walking further down the path towards the pack house. I didn't have to worry about him not following because the moment I got ten feet away from him, his footsteps resonated behind me, and I knew he would quickly catch up.

Kissing Finn was fun, and though Lucas and Silas were exhilarating and full of fury when I spent time with them, with Finn it was different.

The dimly lit lampposts at the end of the trail came into view and as I approached them, a firm grip on my arm stopped me in my tracks, leaving me once again to look into the eyes of Finn. Something about the way that he was looking at me made me wonder what he was thinking.

I had many men look at me with hunger in their eyes before. I wasn't naive to the idea of s*x and love, but the way that he was looking at me was something much more. As if he had waited his entire life to stand before me.

“What is it that you're hoping for, Finn?" I asked him, hoping he could shed light on why he was so adamant in being around me. Why he looked at me with such an intensity made me unsure of myself.

“I'm hoping to get to know you more, Cassie. That's why I brought you here."

Brought me here?

I didn't understand what he was talking about. I had thought that my grandfather had allowed me to come home but now he is telling me it was him that had brought me here. Puzzled for a moment with a dumbfounded look on my face, I processed what he was saying.

“You talked to Odin and asked him to let me come?"

“Yes," he replied with a small smile. “I did."

“But why? Why would you go against Odin's wishes and discuss with him letting me come back here?" I watched as he opened and closed his mouth. Finn was thinking over his next words carefully and as much as I wanted him to just spit out the truth, I also wanted him to be completely honest.

“Because I want you to be who you were always meant to be, Cassie. No one properly explained how these things work. Nor did anyone take into consideration that you needed proper guidance to reach your potential. They just threw you into something you weren't ready for and it wasn't fair. I figured coming back here could give you clarity."

Shocked by the honesty from him, I stood there with my lips parted, staring at him for what felt like an eternity. No one had ever been as forthcoming to me about their agenda as Finn was, and I didn't understand why he was being so truthful.

“You're honest…" I muttered, giving him a peculiar glance as a small frown crossed my lips.

“I'm Fae, Cassie. We have no need to lie. We may embellish on the truth from time to time, but we don't lie outright. If we are asked a question, we tell the truth."

He was literally telling me trade Fae secrets, or at least I would assume they were, as if it was no big deal. “Seriously?"

“Yes, I am being serious. You doubt me?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Well, I mean yeah, who just tells someone something like that?"

Laughter escaped him as he crossed his arms over his chest and continued to stare at me with what seemed like disbelief. “You act like it's hard to believe someone would be honest with you?"

“Well, we can just say I haven't had many people who would choose to be honest with me."

“That's a shame," he quickly replied. “Honesty is the only way to create a bond with someone." This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

The way he said it made me wonder if there was more behind his words that he was saying. The tone in which he said it made me hesitant and curious as to whether or not he knew something that I didn't. “Is that why you're so honest with me? Because I'm your fated?"

“Yes… are you saying you finally believe me?"

Shaking my head, I quirked a brow as a smirk crested the corner of my lips. “Not that easily, hot shot. You have a lot more to prove before I'll accept that."

Not bothering to let him reply, I continued off the path back into the open grass area behind the pack house. The lights glittered against the quickly approaching night and within it I saw the shadows of my family.

Curious as to what they were getting up to, I continued on my way until I was stepping through the back door and straight into chaos. My brother yelled at Talon and Hale, trying to make sense of things with my mother, who seemed to be caught in the middle of it as Trixie tried to control Pollux.

“What in the hell is going on?" I gasped as I stepped into the kitchen where they were with Finn at my heel, my eyes connecting with Silas, who stood on the other side of the room leaning against the doorframe with a stern glare upon his face.

Pollux's eyes met mine as he sneered in anger. “You need to leave, Cassie. Your presence here is causing issues."

“What? How am I causing issues?"

“Because!" he snapped, “you can't control yourself, and I won't put my family or my pack in jeopardy because of the magic that runs through your veins."

His words were like a slap to my face as I stared at him in complete and utter shock. I may have been a lot of things but a danger to my family or this pack wasn't one of them. What he was saying broke my heart. He was my brother and for him to think that I was going to hurt someone didn't make any sense.

“Pollux, I would never hurt anyone here."

My mother quickly was across the room and at my side as she pulled me close to her and turned her narrowed gaze on my brother. “This is your sister, Pollux. You of all people should know the kind of person she is."

“I don't know her at all!" he yelled once more. “My sister died years ago. The girl before me is not the same."

Again, my heart ached at his hateful words. When he left Asgard we were fine, and even when I first arrived here, things were fine. So for him to suddenly feel this way didn't make sense to me.

Why would he turn on me so easily?

“Pollux, it doesn't matter what you want, we can not leave right now. The portal is closed for another few days," Silas finally pipped in. It wasn't the truth, and I knew that. Silas could open the portal at any time, but for some reason, he was lying to my brother, which had me curious as to why.

Pollux looked between Silas and me as if pissed off that what he was saying was true. The anger boiling within him was easily sensed as I felt it radiate off him like a bomb ready to explode. Slowly, he paced back and forth in the kitchen as silence fell over us all, and as I looked to my mother, I saw her glancing at my fathers with concern in her eyes.

Something was definitely wrong, but I didn't know what.

“Fine… you can stay until the portal opens, but I don't want you anywhere near my family. You will stay out in the cottage with the two that came with you, Cassie, and if I so much as get a whiff that something has happened to anyone in my pack, I will end you."

Storming from the kitchen, I was left standing there in utter shock as Trixie mirrored my own gaze with tears in her eyes. “I'm sorry," she whispered, biting her bottom lip before she turned and quickly followed him out.

My mind froze with thoughts as to what had caused his sudden change in attitude.

Turning to my fathers and my mother, my lips parted as I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. “What the f**k just happened, and why does he think I'm a threat?"

I wasn't sure what happened, but now I was dead determined to find out what was going on.