Page 12 of Dante
“Oh, hey, Dante,” I said when I noticed him. “I’m glad you’re back.”
He tilted his head, but that was it. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just waved and walked inside. I wasn’t going to stand outside and talk to a beast that couldn’t and most likely wouldn’t say anything back. I was honestly still a little upset that he’d left without telling me he was going on assignment. It wasn’t like he owed it to me or anything though. We weren’t together.
I quietly closed the door behind me, then did something I almost never did. I turned the lock on the door. Not that I thought Dante would come inside without permission. But evenif he were to decide he was going to enter my place, a lock on the door wouldn’t keep him out. I shook my head. The locks on the doors here wouldn’t keep anyone on the mountain out. Even the smallest omegas on Treasure Ridge could break down any of the doors.
I was left unsure about what to do for the rest of the evening. My picnic with Felix had been interrupted and cut short. Neither of us had really eaten too much, but that wasn’t to say that Felix wasn’t continuing things without me there. He had two other friends to enjoy the rest of the food with. But I wasn’t exactly hungry. I checked my freezer and saw several frozen pizzas and nodded to myself. “Yep, those will be supper later when I get hungry because I know I will,” I said to myself. “I am not in the mood to run down off of the mountain to get drive-thru or anything else.”
I went back to the front door, toed off my shoes, and then turned off the light near the entryway. I went to the back room and picked up my tablet. Journaling had been something that Dr. Braun had gotten me started on, and although I didn’t really see any good reason for it in the beginning, I’d quickly become hooked once I gave it an honest try.
I pulled up the app and found the notebook I wanted and started a new entry:
September 28th
I need new friends.
I glanced up and stared out the window for a moment. I thought maybe there was movement out there, but I was pretty sure it was just my mind playing tricks on me. It was wishful thinking, so I went back to my journal.
I like Felix. He’s fun to hang out with, but he has a more serious job than I do. I would love to go back to college and finish my degree or even start a different one. I just don’t know what. When I was a little kid, I always dreamed of being a teacher for our den’s school. Except that we didn’t really have a den school by the time I grew up and I’d let everyone talk me into going to college to become a doctor.
I snorted out loud. That was the absolute last thing that I was fit for. I did not like biology nearly enough to suffer for so many years trying to make my way through college and then medical school. And why? Seriously. Our den hadn’t seen a fated mate pair in at least a decade. There were no babies, which was why the den’s school became obsolete.
This place is thriving. There are so many kids, and I know the shifter school down in Timber Valley is looking for new teachers. Maybe I can figure out how to get enrolled in the local college. I could just ask Sean the next time I see him at work. He’s going to the college with his friends.
I sighed. I’d seen Sean and Longwei together quite a bit. They were the best of friends, and they were now both in college together. Todd and I hadn’t been held captive together, but we’d lived together for some time afterward. But now he’d found his mate, and he had a life of happiness ahead of him. Ugh. Ileaned my head back against the couch and sighed. My thoughts were not going in the right direction. Maybe I should just move away completely. There had to be a den somewhere that would welcome an omega.
I shook my head. That wasn’t the answer. Running away from issues was never the answer.
Felix is nice, and I’m sure the other fae enforcers are as well, but they’re so much louder than Felix. I’m not sure how to take them, because we were never loud like that in my den. I’m not saying they’re bad, but I’m just not ready to try and hang out with all of them.
But back to friends. I need some. Because I have a mate that doesn’t want me, and I guess I can sort of understand why. When we first arrived here at Treasure Ridge, he’d checked in on me a few times and I’d been so mean and hateful to him. I’d yelled at him to get away and even said he was part to blame for some of the things that had happened to me.
I know now that wasn’t true. I know now that Dante wasn’t the same Dante that he is currently. He didn’t have magical powers. Those were given back by the goddess once he joined the council. I’d been a dick to him, and he deserved better.
I looked up from the tablet and tried to remember. Had I actually apologized to him? I couldn’t remember doing so. I shook my head. Even if he didn’t want to be with me, I still owed the man an apology. He might not have been able to rescue us from that compound in the jungle, but he’d saved me more than once when certain captors had decided to play with me.
I set my tablet down and decided that it was time to go apologize to the hellhound. Past time, actually. I put my shoes back on, and when I opened the door, I realized that the sun had set, and it was almost dark. It wasn’t as if the mountain suddenly became dangerous at night. It was protected by dragons. And magic.
I didn’t know how long Dante would be out running with his pack, but he would be home eventually, right? I ran into a solid wall, and if not for strong arms catching me, I would have landed on my ass. I looked up, not recognizing the scent. The eyes flamed, telling me this was another hellhound.
“Uh…hi,” I said. “Thanks for saving me from falling on my ass.”
He chuckled. “You’re welcome. You are Banner?”
I took a step back. “Yeah,” I said hesitantly.
“I would never hurt my packmate’s mate,” he said as he held out a hand. “I’m Augustus. I’m friends with Dante. I knew him when we were still in our realm.”
My eyes widened. “Oh.” I shook the hellhound’s hand and smiled up at him, then froze. “Wait. You said mate.” I scowled. “He knows we’re mates and recognizes the connection?”
Augustus growled. “Yes. He is stubborn though. He feels as if he does not deserve to have a mate.”
I sighed. “That’s my fault. I lashed out at him when we were first rescued. I was actually about to go find him and apologize. I owe that to him at a minimum. Even if he never wants to be with me, I owe him that.”
“That is sweet of you. I do not know the specifics of what happened anywhere. Dante hasn’t talked too much about the jungle. But you apologizing to him will have to wait. He’s just left on another assignment to New Mexico.”
“Oh.” I knew the disappointment in my voice couldn’t be masked. Yet another assignment and not a word to me. I had to remind myself that Dante didn’t owe me anything. “Can I write him a letter? If I do that, can you give it to him for me, please? It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to see me, and I accept that. But I really owe him an apology for lashing out.”
Augustus stared at me for a long moment before he nodded. “I’ll give it to him. Do you need anything?”
