AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“How many more of these gatherings do we have to go to?”
“Oh. Not so many, actually. The next general pack meeting is not for a few more months, so most of what we’ll be doing for now is visiting elders individually. We need them to swing the vote our way.
“There’s still the Moon Shadow pack that needs convincing and they are a pretty tough bunch. But I’m sure if they saw that Yellow Cicada was united in scrapping the blood oath, they’ll fall in line as well. Well, I’m just being optimistic, really. We may not be able to bring this up for another year or two.”
Eleanor remained silent for a long time, and then she said, “It’s not all that bad, I guess.”
“What isn’t?”
“Being married to you. It’s not as bad as I’d feared.” She leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes. “I guess I can do it for a few more years.”
Blake glanced at her as warmth spread through his chest. He’d been thinking the same thing for weeks. Their marriage wasn’t a real one, and though he’d been opposed to the idea of settling down his whole adult life, he had to admit that he enjoyed being married to Eleanor.
Occasionally, he remembered that everything they were doing was for the purpose of ending what they’d started, and the realization always left him with some sorrow and longing. More and more he found himself trying not to think about when their relationship would end.
More than once, he’d toyed with the idea of making what they had permanent. But he had no way to be sure that Eleanor would want the same thing. Why would she? There was little keeping her with him. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted it.
They made the rest of the trip home in silence. When they got home, Blake walked Eleanor up to her bedroom but waited at the door. He hadn’t stepped into the bedroom since the first night when he’d shown her to her room.
“Thank you again for tonight, I had a good time,” Eleanor said.
“I did too. Oh yeah, I meant to remind you about the workshop that the pack’s spiritualists are organizing. It’s tomorrow at six pm.”
“Oh yeah, I definitely forgot about that,” Eleanor said, tapping her forehead. “Do you have any idea what that’s about?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “It’s been a while since I attended one of their activities, so I don’t know the details. I’m guessing it’s a showcase for their new spells or something of that nature. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
“Sounds…interesting.”
“It usually is,” Blake replied with a chuckle. “So, six pm?”
“You got it,” Eleanor said.
Blake waited quietly, as if he was expecting her to say more, but she just watched him with the same curious expression he wore as he looked at her. He didn’t know what he was waiting for, but he knew he didn’t want to leave her yet. He thought about admitting as much, but decided against it. “I guess that’s about it. Good night.”
Once again, something flashed across Eleanor’s face, too quickly for him to be sure what it was. “Yeah, good night.” She stepped into her bedroom and shut the door hastily behind her.
This time, Blake didn’t wait to listen to her move around behind the door. He would just be torturing himself. He turned around and walked straight to his bedroom, the smell of her perfume still heavy in the hallway.
Blake crashed onto his bed and held his hands over his eyes. It was becoming harder and harder for him to ignore how he felt about Eleanor. He now knew, without a doubt, that she felt something for him. He had no idea what it was or how strong it was, but he was certain that there wassomething.
Unfortunately, he knew he couldn’t act on that understanding. He had to constantly remind himself that she was his best friend’s little sister. Xander had only signed off on the arrangement because he trusted Blake. He may not have said it, but Blake knew the man well enough to hear the words he didn’t speak.
It didn’t matter that he and Eleanor felt a strong attraction to each other. It didn’t matter that they both wanted the same thing; they were practically related in all ways but birth. It didn’t matter that they were legally married; touching Eleanor was forbidden. And he knew as much.
That didn’t stop him from pining after her body. He had lost count of the number of cold showers he’d taken to get over his constant longing for her. He lied to himself that it was because he hadn’t gotten laid in a while.
He considered having a shower right now. Instead, he rolled over and forced himself to get some sleep. The vivid image of Eleanor standing naked in front of the house was the last thing he saw before he drifted off.
Blake woke up feeling sharper the next morning, surprisingly. He got into his running clothes and went down to the kitchen, where he found Eleanor already stretching near the kitchen door.
She had on black biker shorts and a white tank top, and her hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head. His pulse quickened, as it did every morning when he saw her in her running clothes.
He took a deep breath, and said, “Good morning. Sleep good?”
“Sure did,” she replied, standing on one foot and hugging her second knee tight to her chest. “You ready?”
He nodded and they took off together. It was still dark out, but they didn’t mind. They knew their way like the back of their hands. They ran the same route they always did, heading east toward the sunrise and into town.
