The hatred she was displaying was just below her polished surface. Every look, every gesture communicated her intent to do serious bodily harm to this bitch she sat across the table from. Zach could sense this, could feel it, and knew exactly where all that hatred came from. This was the daughter of the wolf that had taken her husband from her, his father.
"Mom, this is Zenah, Zenah, this is my mother. I wish this meeting would have gone better, but if truth be told I kind of expected this."
"How could you do this to me? Do you know who she is, who her father is?"
"Do you think I'm stupid, do you? She's the daughter of the man who killed my father. So yes, I know exactly who she is." Zach squeezed Zenah's hand and brought it to the top of the table. "But she is not her father mom, and whether you like it or not, she's mine. Now unless you want your son to die, I need you to understand that."
"But our kind does not bond with anyone. It's never happened in all of our history as far as I know." Zach took heart, he could see his mother calming down. That didn't mean she was warming to the idea of her son with a wolf, but at least she wasn't visible looking like she wanted to rip Zenah's head off.
"But that's just it, neither Zach nor I have a firm grasp of what this bonding does. Your son saved my life after a vampire sliced me open like an over cooked sausage. One second, we hated each other, the next he was stitching my stomach closed.
"I know you were lying, I knew it. You told us you killed that she wolf and that vampire." His mother's eyes bored holes into Zach's head.
"And what was I supposed to tell you. Oh hey mom, I killed a vampire with some help from a wolf. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, she now my mate because the funniest thing happened. You would have thrown me in the cells for being crazy right after you hunted Zenah down and killed her." He felt a hand on his arm and realized he was towering over his mother, looking down at her from his imposing height.
"You're bonded to her, aren't you?" His mother's arms gaze out and her head slumped to the table.
"Mom, are you okay?" Zach circled the table and took his mother by her shoulder.
"It's all quite a shock, that's all. I've been wondering why you never took any interest in any of the mollies in the house." Her head lifted, her eyes boring into Zenah's. "I still don't like what you are," She took a deep breath and held it. "But I think I can try to accept you for who you are." She let the breath out and stood. "Would you care to join me on the couch, it's far less formal."
Zenah's smile lit up the room. "I would love to." She looked at Zach and grinned. This was going a lot better than she thought it would. Her father would never be this understanding of this situation and she knew it. Somehow, so did Zach.
"I'm going to go and get some wood for the fire place. I know it's not very cold, but I think a fire could do us good." Zach smiled as Zenah's asked him without words why he was leaving her alone with his mother.
He mouthed back that she'd be fine and stepped out the back door towards his wood pile. Minutes later he was walking back in with a large bundle of firewood under one arm. He heard a commotion coming from inside and quickened his pace. He knew he shouldn't have left them alone. What had his mother done now?
Bursting through the door, he rushed in, ready to defend Zenah if he had to. He almost dropped his stack of wood when he saw Zenah doubled over, her hand on his mother's shoulder for support. She was laughing so hard her face was red and she was having a hard time breathing.
"He didn't? And how old was he, three?"
"He was two, could barely run and had the squirrel by the tail and was running the poor thing all around the backyard. Every time he'd stop running backwards, it would jump around and bite him on the nose. So there he was, this little kitten, not over fifteen pounds, snarling and hissing at this tiny gray squirrel. It was so adorable." His mom gave a mighty chuckle and pounded Zenah's thigh with her open palm.
"Go ahead, laugh it up, everyone else does when mom tells that story." He slid past them and to the fireplace.
"I bet you looked adorable with squirrel fur sticking out of your little mouth." Zenah tried to catch her breath but missed and started to laugh again.
"Has mom told you yet what happened to said squirrel?" Zach asked without turning from his position hunched over the fireplace.
"No she hasn't, not yet." Zenah answered. "So, what did happen?"
"Oh, he finally got tired of the game and killed it. Got a hold of its little throat and snapped it like a twig. He was so proud of his little self when he dragged it up to me." Zenah could feel the pride in Zach's mother, something she'd never felt from her father in all her years growing up.
"Oh Zach, where did you find this girl?" His mother flopped back onto the couch, her eyes shifting between him and Zenah.
"I didn't, she found me."
With her eyes still moving from Zach to Zenah and back, she sighed as her eyes locked on Zenah. "I can't believe you're a wolf. Everything I've been told of your kind has been false, if you're any representation. But I have another question for you."
"Yes?" Zenah leaned back and asked.
"What will your father do when he finds out about you two. I'm going to do my best to keep your secret, but will your father and mother be so accommodating?"
"No, he will not. My father will kill the both of us if he knows we're together. I know it in my bones, even if my mother attempts to stop him he will murder us both before he willingly sees a union such as ours."
"Why does your father hate us so much?" Zach asked? Finally finished with the fire, he stood up and stretched his back.
"I guess he was born into it, as we all are. We're taught from the moment we're born that cats are evil and it's our duty to fight and destroy you. But my father has an obsession with your kind. I think it's because of his weak arm that he hates you so much. It's the reason he's so hard on all of us. If he were to show any weakness, his lieutenants would be at his throat. So he's grown hard over the decades, even to me."
Zach sat down beside Zenah and wrapped his arm around her. She snuggled into him with a sigh that had his mother envious. She could remember those days, when she and Zach's father would run under the stars together and spend the rest of the night in each other's arms. Now her son had a chance at that. How could she deny him that she couldn't?
Startling them both, Zenah jumped to her feet.
"Oh my God, I am so toast. I lost track of time. I have to go, now."
"Now, why?" Zach rose with her.
"Because my mother thinks I'm at Amy's house for dinner. It's eight thirty, she'd not going to except an excuse, not now. I can only hope she doesn't ask too many questions."
"But I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here, with me." Zach pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the lips.
She melted against him, her body charged with electricity. It tingles from her toes to the last follicle of her hair. She didn't want to leave either, yet she knew she couldn't stay.
Pulling away from him, she caught her breath and looked up into his eyes.
"I'll be fine, all I need to do is study some of our ancient books. there's got to be something in them on the bonding. We need to know more, and I need to make sure no one suspects anything." She gathered her things and walked towards the door.
"Be careful, young lady. You have more than just yourself to worry about now." Zach's mother walked her to the door, even opening it for her.
Zach stayed on the porch as his mother and Zenah's tail lights receded. His mother had agreed to have Zenah follow her out and as far as the den so she wouldn't get lost. Zenah had protested that she didn't need the help, she was quite capable of finding her own way, thank you very much.
But his mother had been very persistent, so at last she'd agreed. Zach was glad she had, he was also glad that his mother had made the offer. But now he couldn't sleep, his mind focused on only her, his arms wanted to be wrapped around her and nothing else. Her touch was the only thing that would satisfy this ache inside him.
"Oh, come on, what is wrong with me?" He grumbled as he tossed and turned in his bed.
He fell asleep with a vision of Zenah front and center in his head.
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