Chapter 4

Thaddeus POV

A week went past, and I sent Orion to watch over her. Find out more about her. Yet each day he came back with the same answer of nothing. He even compelled the girl Lisa, I think he said her name was. Not even she knew much about her, despite working with her for almost two years. Just said that she lived in the caravan park a couple blocks away and that she always showed for work. Her answer made me wonder what it was she was hiding. Orion managed to steal her keys while she wasn t looking and had them cut. So today while she was at work, Ryland and I were going to see what we could find out about her where she lived.

We watched Orion leave and waited for his call to let us know she had arrived at work. Grabbing my keys, I walked to the door of our apartment with Ryland straight behind me, both of them curious as to who our little mate was. It didn t take us long to drive to the caravan park; the place looked abandoned besides the few vans that remained and the front office. The entire place comprised only around twenty vans, so finding her was a piece of cake. Pulling up out the front of it, I noticed an old woman sitting out the front. She lived next door, and she watched as we walked up the stairs. I nodded to Ryland, and he unlocked the door, his eyes not leaving the wrinkly old hag s face as she watched us with suspicious eyes.

"You re not worried she will tell her?" Ryland asks, opening the door. We are instantly hit with her scent, my mouth watering as it wraps around us. My body relaxes instantly, her scent calming as we step inside and close the door.

"You can deal the woman when we leave," I tell him, and he nods his head, looking around. She didn t own much. I thought it was weird that even though she lived here, she had no personal effects besides clothes. We started opening drawers and found some bills with her name on them, a make-up bag, and hair straightener. But other than that, there wasn t much here, no photos, no things that would show what her personality was like. Going into her room, Ryland laid on her bed before jumping off.

"God, she might as well just sleep on the springs," he muttered before going to open the bedside drawer. I noticed a shoe box under the bed. Bending down, I picked it up and opened it. Inside contained a small amount of cash, may be $500 dollars and a newspaper clipping. It looked old and had fold lines in it. It was a photo of a church and a nun holding a baby, the newspaper article asking for information on a baby that was dropped out the front of the church.

"I wonder why she has this?" I asked, showing Ryland. He shrugged.

"Well, this was a waste of time," he muttered before opening up the top drawer of the tallboy. He growled in the back of his throat, making me raise an eyebrow. Ryland turned around and in his hand was a pair of lace panties. I rolled my eyes at him as he dangled them in front of my face. I snatched them from his hand and placed them back in the drawer and closed it to his dismay. Placing the shoe box under the bed, we locked up before leaving.

"What now?" Ryland asked.

"Hungry?" I ask, and he nods. I was getting sick of waiting. When we first saw her and the fear in her eyes, the thought of having her scared me. Now all I can think about is her. Every waking moment of the day she is in my thoughts, and I knew it was the mate bond, but all of us decided she would be ours one way or another. We let Orion try first, try to get to know and woo her, but she showed no interest. In fact she has showed little interest in anyone. Orion said she does her job and heads straight home, that she no hobbies and doesn t wander far from home or work.

But that just made us more curious as to why. Why she keeps her private life so hidden, what is she hiding from, or running from that not even her co-workers know anything about her. Or was she really that mundane? Pulling up out the front, both of us look inside the cafe windows and we can see Orion sitting on a stool at the counter, the girl Lisa animatedly talking to him. Evelyn however must be out the back as we couldn t see her anywhere.

Evelyn POV

The last week went by quickly. Getting to work I quickly unlock to the cafe, apologising to Lisa who was already waiting outside for me, a smoke between her fingers as she waited patiently. She wasn t the only one waiting though. Orion was also waiting for the cafe to open as he leaned against the hood of his car, looking graceful despite his enormous size. Lisa heads straight inside to turn everything on and start heating up the stoves and deep fryers. Shoving the key in the first padlock, I unlock it, lifting the roller shutters on the window, before moving to the next. Only this time the key wouldn t go in and the lock mechanism appeared to be frozen. I jiggled the key for a few seconds before dropping my bag off my shoulder and crouching down so I could see the lock better.

"Let me try," Orion says before bending over and inspecting the lock. He jams the key in, and it does the same. Lisa comes out before handing me my apron. When suddenly I hear metal hit the ground and realise the padlock is broken apart on the ground.

"Whoops," says Orion with a mischievous grin on his face. I raise an eyebrow before holding my hand out for the keys, which he places in my hand. His fingers graze my wrist, making me jump when I feel sparks rush up my arm. I pull my hand back eyeing him, and he has a lazy smile on his lips which just confuses me more. Lisa s voice pulling me out of my awkwardness.

"Cheap bloody locks. I have to go to the store to grab bread. Do you need anything?" she asks, looking at me.

"Yeah, can you grab me some smokes?" I tell her, rummaging through the handbag and handing her some cash. She takes it before walking toward the corner store. Chucking the broken lock in the trash, I walk inside and head behind the counter before turning the coffee machine on. Once it is done, I pour three coffees, one for Lisa and myself, before handing Orion his one. He sits at the counter watching my every move, making me nervous.

"Must you always stare?" I ask as I turn around and pull the cash tray out from the safe and drop it into the register.

"No harm in looking," he says.

I roll my eyes, and I see Lisa come in before she chucks my smokes to me. "When are you going to get ID so you can buy them yourself?" she asks.

"One day when I get a day off," I tell her.

"You are the only person I know that didn t rush to get their ID the day they turned off age. Don t you go out or anything?" she asked.

"And do what?" I ask with my back to her.

"You know, drink or party-like people our age do," she states.

"No, I prefer my own company," I tell her.

"Why?" she asks, and I suddenly wonder what it with her questions she asks. Usually we chit chat, but not about our lives. Though I know a lot about her because she isn t exactly a private person, I was, so her questions were a little off to me.

"Because I don t like people," I tell her, and she pretends to be offended.

"You don t like me?" she says sarcastically, placing her hand over her heart.

"No, you re different. I know you," I tell her.

"Then explain. Your answer makes no sense," she says, placing her hand on the counter and staring at me. I look away and notice that Orion to is waiting for my answer as he eavesdropped on our conversation.

"It s just easier that way. No point going out making friends for them to disappoint you when they walk out on you."

"Well, that s depressing," she states.

"No, it s the truth. Everyone leaves eventually when they realise you got nothing more to offer," I tell her before seeing someone walk in. I walk over to them to serve them. I can hear Lisa happily chatting to Orion behind me, and I quickly jot down the man s order before handing it to Lisa. I watch as she darts out the back to start cooking while I bring him his coffee.

I find Orion following me around while I do things. "Don t you have a job or something? Why are you hanging around here so much?" I ask as I walk outside to have a smoke.

"Lisa doesn t seem to mind?" he says, crossing his arms across his broad chest as I sit on the milk crate lighting my smoke.

"That s because you tip big, which leaves me wondering. Clearly you have money, so why are you slumming it on this side of the city?"

He doesn t answer. "Did you really mean what you said that people just disappoint you?"

"Really, look at the city, the world, everything has gone to shit."

"That wasn t what I asked though."

"Then yes, I do believe that."

"Why do you believe that?"

"That s none of your business, and you really shouldn t listen in on people s conversations."

"You have an attitude, you know that?" he says, stepping closer making me look up at him.

"And you are in my personal space again," I tell him, standing up and flicking my smoke in the ashtray. I go to walk around him when his hand on my arm stops me as he pulls me back in front of him. His face is close as he leans in so close I feel his breath fan my lips, and I suddenly forget how to breathe. Stunned by his manly good looks.

"Does my closeness bother you, little one?" he asks in his husky voice. And I suddenly lose all focus as his lips move closer to mine. And I see him smile while I struggle with my brain to function instead of going foggy and blank. He pulls me closer, his hand sending tingles shooting up my arm, making me gasp as his other hand wraps around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. His breath fans my face, and I lean in, inhaling. He smells so good, making my mouth water. I hear him chuckle, feel it rumble through his chest.

Suddenly I hear Lisa s voice singing out for me, snapping me out of my daze. I step back confused at my reaction to him, while he stands there with a sly smile on his face. I swear I just saw his eyes darken.