Chapter Twenty-Five
Anthony was eating leftovers from one of his outings. He was tired. His wounds were healed, but he still felt torn open. He’d have to make it clear to the pack that he wasn’t trying to ruin any bloodline. That having a child born with just half or quarter shifter blood was still better than having no shifter child born.
He knew how they’d respond to that, and his body ached in preparation.
He needed them to accept him.
After meeting Sierra, leaving wasn’t an option anymore.
She was different from literally everyone else he had ever met. She understood him in ways he didn’t think anyone else could, and it was impossible to imagine leaving her.
He couldn’t do it.
Anthony laid out on the bed, staring at the popcorn ceiling, and tried to figure out how he got to this point. How he went from losing everyone and everything that mattered to him to falling for the first person who saw him shift outside of the pack.
He drifted in and out of sleep for a while, time blurring together until he didn’t keep track of it anymore. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for – he wasn’t sure that he was waiting for anything – but he didn’t want to move. Didn’t feel like he could.
The sunlight was an amber-orange coming in through the window when his sleep was interrupted.
Anthony stretched and yawned, pulling himself away from the mattress that had absorbed most of his body heat. He slid on a shirt and made his way to the door. His feet felt heavy and fuzzy, and when he made it to the door, he wasn’t entirely sure he was actually awake.
Peering through the eye hole in the door, he was immediately awake, like he’d chugged a gallon of coffee. He felt so much energy burst through himself that he had to remind himself to keep calm.
“Hey,” he said, opening the door the whole way.
She was gorgeous.
She’d always been gorgeous.
Anthony motioned for her to come in, and then closed the door.
Immediately, they were kissed, pulling each other close like they couldn’t spare an inch.
Anthony let himself get lost in the kiss, enjoying her taste, her touch. He slid his hands to her waist and held her there firmly. When the kiss finally broke, her face was pink, and he couldn’t help but admire how good she looked flushed like that.
“Anthony,” she said softly, stroking her fingers back and forth against his bicep.
“Yeah?” he asked. Loosening his grip, Anthony led her to his bed and sat down. She sat beside him. He could smell how nervous she was, and it affected him, too. Was she going to break up with him? Did she finally come to her sense about him?
“What is it?” he asked, unable to stand not knowing.
Sierra pulled his hands into her lap and held them there, her fingers running over each wrinkle and scar as if they were the most interesting things in the world.
“I want to leave West Valley,” she said softly. “I really, really, want you to come with me. And I know it’s unfair of me to ask you to, but I can’t stay in this town anymore,” she shook her head. Tears started to well in Sierra’s eyes, and Anthony quickly wiped them away, kissing her again.
“Sierra,” he said gently, almost laughing. “I’m going with you. Of course, I’m going with you,” he said, shaking his head. “Unless you don’t want me to,” he added.
“You want to?” she said, perking up immediately.
“Yes. God, yes. I’d go with you anywhere,” Anthony said, stealing a kiss from her swollen lips.
“I’m so relieved,” she sighed out. A few more tears escaped.
“I’m so glad you told me this. I was trying to figure out some way to have the pack just deal with me living out here,” he laughed. “They hate my guts. They would have made life miserable for us,” he said.
“How soon do you want to leave?” Sierra asked. Her eyes had a hunger in them that he wanted to see more of.
“How soon can you be ready?”
“Today I had to sign my mother over to a facility. I can go any time you want,” Sierra answered quickly.
“In the morning?” he asked. “Or do you want to pack everything from the apartment you had with your mother?”
“Tomorrow morning’s fine,” Sierra said quickly. “I can pack what I need. I have a neighbor that I can leave the rest to. I’m sure she’d love to sell all of it,” she laughed.
It felt natural and relaxing to talk like this.
They were talking about picking up their lives as they were and running away together, but Anthony felt the calmest he had in years.
Sierra leaned against him and stole another kiss. Anthony returned the kiss. Holding her tight, he pulled her against himself. The kisses were slow, passionate, and he was dying of thirst for more.
“I have to go if I’m going to be ready by morning,” Sierra said softly, pulling back from him.
“Do you need any help?” he asked, trying to gain some composure.
“No, I’ll be fine.” Sierra hugged him, leaning all of her weight against Anthony.
He loved her.
Everything about her.
He couldn’t believe how lucky he was that she chose him.