In the wonderful couple of hours on the train—after Winter ate all of her food—Cameron took her to another car, showing her the caboose, where the workers lived in the 1800s, the bed cars which still had sheets tucked into hospital corners, and beautiful wood-carved walls...
But in the last thirty minutes, he guided her to a beautiful car that was covered in glass...
Clear walls... clear ceiling... but the floors were still the same handmade red carpet...
She stared through the glass in awe, pointing out mountains, oceans, and other beautiful creatures that passed... Elk, deer, moose...
But sadly, the train came to a stop, and Cameron had to take her out of the beauty of the past...
And right now, she and him had been sitting in the back seat of a limousine for almost an hour, Winter watching the lights on the ceiling twinkle like stars while Cameron drank some Champagne like it was new year's.
“Are you having fun?” he said, breaking the silence that spread among them for almost twenty minutes.
She looked to him then, eyes dancing with the sparkling lights and smiled, nodding.
“Good,” he said, giving her a gentle grin.
I think she’s forgotten about her mom now, he thought. The whole time she hasn’t thought of her once... I think I’m doing a pretty good job.
She looked up to the ceiling then, lifting her arm and touching a twinkling light, pretending she just touched a star.
Cameron imitated an explosion, making her giggle when she realized he was acting as if her touch exploded the light.
Mainly because she was being resistant when she reached for it, almost as if she were afraid it would explode with her touch.
“You thirsty?” he said then, nodding to an open-faced cooler that rested in the corner next to him.
“I can’t drink,” she stated, looking to him then. “I’m sixteen, not twenty-one.”
He smiled then. “There’s juice in here, too, some sparkling cider, if you want.”
“No,” she said, reaching for another star, “I only have sparkling cider on New Year’s Eve... Well... when it hits midnight. So technically New Year’s Day.”
“Ahh...” he said, nodding. “So you never sneak it after your mom goes to bed?”
She looked to him then, pulling her hand away from the ceiling and gave him a look. “I keep on forgetting that you can read my mind....”
A barely-there smile.
“Alright,” she said, reaching up again, “give me some.”
But before he looked away from her, she pointed an accusing finger at him. “Don’t even think about slipping alcohol in there, alright? I’ll taste it and be pissed.”
He raised his brows. “You do know I would never do that, right?”
She narrowed her eyes at him.
“I’m serious,” he stated, “I’m not those kids in your school who try to get you to do drugs, alright? I don’t think it’s cool. I won’t ask you to drink, I won’t ask you to vape, I won’t ask you to do drugs. And I especially won’t slip anything harmful into your drinks, alright?”
She nodded, knowing from his stern tone that he was serious...
His smile even vanished for a moment...
But he turned away, shuffling through the cooler and pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider, pouring it into a Champagne glass and handing it to her.
She took it willingly, lifting the cup to her lips and sipping the juice...
The apples and sugar burst into her mouth, making a sudden warm ocean of nostalgia wash over her.
But Cameron noticed that even when she felt this way from her childhood... not a single thought of her mother flashed through her mind...
Not even a shard of a memory...
And he smiled, scooting over to her as the car rattled with bumps and wrapped an arm around her waist, noticing her staring off into the cup before taking a sip again.
“We’re two minutes out!” the driver called from the now-open window.
“Thank you!” Cameron said back, rubbing Winter’s back when he looked back down to her. “Ready?”
She looked to him. “For what? I thought we were going back to the hotel....”
He smiled. “No way, Snowflake. I have the whole day planned for you, and you’re going to love it.”
She only looked at him quizzically before the car rolled to a stop.
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*****
Winter and Cameron got off the car in the middle of the woods, and she waited until Cameron paid off the driver before he grasped her hand, pulling her into the forest.
She would’ve expected this place to be terrifying, but it actually wasn’t...
Mainly because it was daytime, but still...
They had been hiking for thirty minutes, and Cameron looked down at her a couple times, seeing if she was getting tired or slowing down, but her curiosity kept her going.
“If you get tired,” he said a couple times that hike, “I can carry you, okay?”
She always nodded, for some reason unable to get irritated at him for saying the exact same sentence repeatedly.
By now she knew he wasn’t going to tell her where they were going, he wanted it to be a surprise...
And she secretly loved it...
Cameron stopped suddenly at a line of trees, Winter nearly crashing into him when he looked to her with a tilted smile. “You ready?”
She would’ve said, “For what?” but was too exhausted from walking three miles, so she nodded.
He pulled back a bundle of branches, nodding to whatever lay behind them. “Look.”
She managed to walk up to where he was showing her, peering through the cracks of light...
And gasped.
There was a cliff there... though a steep one, but at the bottom of the cliff was a lone beach... One with silver sand glistening in the sunlight, water foaming as it washed up to shore, and a waterfall sliding off the cliff across from them, pouring into the ocean that danced with the sun’s beams.
But Cameron caught her wrist suddenly, scooping her up before she could even gasp, and jumped off the cliff.
She held her face to his chest as the world fell out from under them, holding back a scream when her insides started floating.
But she knew... that Cameron always planned things before he did them... He wouldn’t kill them both by jumping off a cliff... He would land on his feet like a cat...
Hopefully...
He held her face to his chest when the ground came closer into sight, falling toward them at light speed.
“Cameron, Cameron... Cameron!” she yelled as it got closer.
But his feet hit the ground, and he bend his knees, absorbing the impact like rubber.
She only bounced back lightly, Cameron holding her to him tightly so she didn’t get her breath knocked out of herself.
But she looked up from his chest when he started walking to the shore, eyes dancing with the waves of the ocean...
And Cameron set her down a couple yards away from the damp sand, settling down next to her seconds later.
She touched the silver sand with her hands, loving the warmth emanating from the softness...
The warmth of the sun absorbed by the sand...
But suddenly Cameron slid a wrapped box to her, making her look at him curiously when he smiled at her.
But she looked down to the box, seeing it neatly wrapped, the corners of the paper tightened and centered perfectly... the tape that stuck to it also centered perfectly...
He almost looked like a perfectionist...
Now that she thought about it... Cameron never left messes... His computer was always stored in the drawer... the kitchen appliances always tucked in the shelves... and he made the bed... both beds... every morning. The same way the train made it... hospital corners...
But they did that because no one slept on it... Cameron always made the beds every morning... not caring that they’d ruin it the same night...
How could someone so badass and heartless as him be so perfect?
But Winter snapped herself out of her thought process... looking from the present he gave her, and to him.
“Another one?” she said.
He smirked, nodding to the gift. “Open it.”
She looked to the present and picked it up in her hands, weighing it with her palms. “It feels heavy....”
“Open it,” he said again, chuckling.
So she lightly tore off the wrapping paper, putting it beside her and lifting the blank cardboard box, looking at it carefully.
“Open that, too,” he said, laughing softly.
She slid the box open, peering inside and gasped, heart stopping.
He smiled when she pulled a snow globe out, staring it in awe as tears welled up in her eyes...
Inside the sphere of glass rested a city... a city she’d always wanted to go to...
Paris...
Her heart wrenched with something warm but painful...
“Thank you...” she whispered, staring at the make-shift snow drifting down to the city.
She then set it down beside her, weighing down the wrapping paper so it wouldn’t fly off into an animal’s home, potentially killing them, and wrapped her arms around Cameron.
He smiled, hugging her back. “You’re welcome, my Snowflake.”
He then pulled her down, making her yelp when they collapsed onto the sand together, Cameron still holding her to his chest while he stared into the sky.
“Cameron...?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
“Are there people around here...? Often?”
“No, in fact, no human really comes out here.”
She was silent for a moment.
“Why are you asking, Snowflake?”
“Can you...” she said carefully, but with a light of excitement, “turn into him again?”
“Who?”
“Fuzzy Cameron?”
He laughed then, his voice buzzing from his chest, into her ear. “You mean my werewolf?”
She nodded into his neck.
“‘Fuzzy Cameron...’” he echoed, chuckling. “Alright, get up so I can change, alright?”
She immediately shot up from his chest with the giddiness of a child while he sat up slower, smirking. “Ready, Winter?”
She nodded.
He crawled onto his knees then, hunching over with his arms pressed to the sand.
She winced when his bones cracked again, elbows bending backwards... spine curving... mouth turning into a muzzle...
But the second-hand wincing turned into an awe-struck gasp, seeing Cameron’s black wolf standing next to her once more, his long, black fur blowing in the gentle breeze.
She stood then, smiling now. “Let’s go play in the water!”
And she ran to the ocean splashing in knee-deep into the water when Cameron followed, amusement glowing in his eyes.
She jumped excitedly, waving for him to come in, and he did...
But he caught her shirt in his mouth, making her stumble when he half-dragged her back to the shore, making it over to the soft area they were lying in.
He jerked her clothing and let go, making her lose balance and fall to the ground.
“What the hell?” she said angrily, but still didn’t move from her position.
He only bent his legs and lay down with her, resting his head on her stomach.
“Oh...” she said then, putting a hand on his head, “you just want to cuddle....”
The warm look in his blue eyes answered her question, and she immediately accepted, placing a hand on his head and stroked the fur softly.
“Alright,” she said, “I was feeling tired anyway... We’ve done a lot today....”
And she stared up into the sky that started glowing orange and pink, the sun lowering into the horizon...
They were both silent for a moment, and Cameron would’ve thought she was asleep if he couldn’t hear her thoughts echoing through her mind.
She wasn’t thinking about her mom... even now... she was thinking of her future... how she and Cameron would be able to live...
Where would they go...? Would he grow bored of her...?
He lifted his head off her then, and she looked to him, watching his body slowly morph into his normal self.
But immediately, she realized he was stark naked, and her cheeks reddened, eyes widening when she looked away, covering her face. “Oh, God... Cameron! Where are your clothes?”
She heard a rustling, and she knew he was shuffling something out of the pack he brought with them...
Hopefully clothes...?
But he made it back to her, lying down beside her and brushing some hair behind her ear.
“Are you naked?” she questioned.
“Not anymore,” he said.
She looked to him then, lowering her hands from her eyes. “That was gross.”
“It happens.” He shrugged. “Plus, you wanted me to turn into a wolf.”
“I didn’t see your clothes tear...” she said. “Did they disintegrate?”
“Yep.”
“How the hell is that even possible?”
“I’m just that hot,” he said, smirking.
She rolled her eyes, but allowed him to pull her into an embrace, holding her to him while gently stroking her hair.
“Cameron...?” she whispered then. “Are we a normal couple...?”
“No,” he stated honestly.
“Do I act like a baby...?” she said despite her asking him this before. “You always have to comfort me....”
“No, you don’t,” he said too confidently. “And I love holding you like this.”
“Why...?”
“It gives you a sense of comfort and protection, and I love giving it.”
She was silent after, wondering how well he knew psychology and why.
The sun was behind the sea now, the sky covered in black shadows and grey clouds... the moon hadn’t even risen yet...
But still... in the deathly silence of the night, she could hear him whisper to her, “You were always mine.”
She looked to him then, watching his shadow stare at her softly. “You’re mine, too.”
He smiled then, something light reflecting in his eyes...
No... it wasn’t emotion... it was something else...
Winter looked up then, eyes rounding in surprise. “Cameron, look!”
She watched as stars rained down the night sky, leaving a path of light to dissipate after each one left the atmosphere.
“I didn’t know there was a meteor shower tonight!” she said excitedly. Then muttered, “I didn’t look it up either.”
Cameron watched her for a full ten minutes as she stared at the sky in awe, the raining stars reflecting off her grey eyes like strings of light...
Like the light that was growing inside her...
She didn’t know it existed... not yet anyway...
But then she looked to him when the show stopped, smiling happily. “Did you see?”
He was silent, just kept his eyes on her... but for the first time... he wasn’t smiling.
“What?” she said, rubbing her cheek. “Do I have something on my face?”
He pulled her hand off her cheek then, making her look to him curiously when he pressed his thumbs gently into her throat... tipping her head back...
And clasped their lips together, taking her off guard.
At first she drew back in surprise... but managed to lean in closer seconds later, pulling him toward her by grasping the back of his head and holding him to her...
He tasted like mints and toothpaste... smelled like earth and man... She wanted to kiss him forever... indulged in his taste...
But he moved his lips across her cheek, lightly brushing kisses along her jaw, down her neck, stopping at a soft spot and nibbled her softly.
She let out a quiet whimper, feeling something in her navel burn and coil inside...
And he lightly lifted the straps of her dress, pulling them down but she caught his arm, making him pull away, gazing at her curiously.
“I can’t...” she whispered, screaming at herself internally for interrupting him but pushed the thought away. “I’m sorry....”
He let go of her then, sliding the straps back up to her shoulders, but kept silent.
Clearly he accepted it...
Why? Why would he make a move and not push her when she told him ‘no?’
Why was he so different?
“Cam...?” she said quietly, worried she pissed him off.
“Hmm?” he said softly, making her exhale in relief.
“Remember when you... lashed out at Kit and killed those two people in front of me...?”
“Yep.”
“Is it your vampire side that gets aggressive...? Or is it your werewolf...?”
“Both combined,” he stated.
“So... you get double rage-full or...?”
“Yep.”
“Would you... ever lose control... with me...?”
He was silent, and she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling something cold consume her.
“Never,” he whispered. “I would never hurt you, Winter.”
“What if you can’t control yourself...?” she said then, knowing why she was afraid for the previous moment to go further than just kissing. “What if you got too excited or... frightened....? Then would you hurt me...?”
“No,” he stated boldly.
“How do you know for sure...?”
“Because I’ll never hurt my Winter. Never. I have enough self-control I learned over the years to know how to control my impulses.”
“But you didn’t when those guys encountered me in the bathroom...” she said softly. “And you were able to when we fought those people in the alley... Are you sure that you have full control...?”
“In the alley, I had control because they hadn’t got to you,” he stated. “They didn’t approach you yet. I had control over the situation... somewhat... In the bathroom they were going to hurt you. They had horrid thoughts going through their heads, Winter. They were going to do bad things.”
“Like... what...?”
He shook head, eyes glowing slightly in anger. “Don’t ask me that. I won’t tell you.”
Did he mean... they were going to assault her...?
“Kit’s my brother,” she said then, something cold consuming her. “What...?”
“It wasn’t him who was thinking it,” Cameron said. “But he was going to let it happen. Don’t you understand, Winter?” He looked to her then. “Your brother should love you, should protect you. Not want to hurt you or let his friends hurt you.”
“So... is that why...?”
“I lost control because I knew what they were planning,” he explained. “Even though Kit knows what you’ve been through, Winter. He doesn’t care. He wants you to hurt because he thrives off it.”
She was silent.
“Didn’t you notice, though?” he said suddenly.
“Notice what?” she whispered, gaze aimed to his chest.
“I gained my control back when I helped you,” he stated. “When I bit you that first time? I was able to stop myself. All those times when you were being attacked? I never hurt you when I got angry, or when I lost control. Haven’t you noticed, Honey?”
She stared, realizing he was right...
He might’ve yelled, but he corrected himself...
He never laid a single hand on her... all those times when he blocked her against walls or threw her back on the bed... it never hurt...
He never made her skin sting... not when he was angry... not when he was being possessive... and not when he was preventing her escape...
He was right...
“How do you control yourself like that...?” she wondered softly.
“You’re my mate,” he said then, making her gaze up at him with shimmering eyes. “My beloved, and I don’t hurt the ones I love.”
“But how?”
“Why would I try to hurt you?” he answered. “What would that do? Make you afraid of me? Yes. Make you try to escape again? Yes. Make you terrified? Yes. I don’t want any of those things to go through your head, don’t you see?” He leaned closer to her. “I love you, Winter. I would never hurt you. Ever.”
She blinked, staring down at his chest.
All the fears of him losing control vanished, and it left her wondering what was stopping them from going on...
All they had to do was kiss... and she’d be completely defenseless... having no reason to pull away... because she was ready even though she would’ve never thought she’d be...
And she wanted to be...
“Can you give me time to think...?” she said with no context.
But Cameron understood from her thoughts, nodding. “Of course.”
40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQScqW3OWwT
*****
It was almost eight in the evening, and Winter sat in Kit-Cat Cafe across from Cameron in a booth.
They didn’t really order another limousine... but they did cuddle for a while in the sand, for almost an hour, but Cameron picked her up while she was barely awake and used his “vamp-speed” to take her back to this cafe. Just for a late decaf chai.
It would’ve taken a couple hours to get back to town, but because Cameron had super-speed, it only took a couple of minutes.
“Sorry for the wait,” a waitress said, running up to them and panting. “The machine was broken in the back....”
“It’s alright,” Winter said, smiling softly.
They had the waitress, Erica again. Though Winter had seen her so many times she kind of got used to it.
She was nice anyway.
“Can I get you something to eat or drink?” she said then.
“Can I have pancakes?” Winter said then, making Cameron’s lips tilt. “And a decaf traditional spiced chai?”
Erica scratched down the order in her notebook, then looked to Cam. “For you?”
“Just get me a glass,” he said. “I’ll share the chai with her.”
“What?” Winter said, almost angrily.
He gave her a look that said, Relax, I’m not stealing your precious chai.
She shook her head then, staring back up to the waitress who was scratching down something in the pad of paper she clearly bought from their grocery store.
Winter knew because she had the same one back home.
“It’ll be out in ten minutes,” she said, smiling.
“Thank you, Erica,” Cam said.
She nodded and walked off.
“I’m gonna go wash my hands,” Winter said, scooting out of her booth.
“Remember what I always say?” Cam started.
She rolled her eyes, repeating the sentence. “‘Try to escape, I’ll know.’”
“Good job,” he said, smirking. “Now go.”
She walked off to the bathroom, noting that there was no one in the booths around the cafe...
Probably because it was almost nine... and no one wanted chai or coffee this late...
Let alone breakfast food...
The door closed behind her, and she managed to check under the stalls in case Kit or any of those guards were there, but she ended up finding none.
Though, just in case, she made sure that she always kept her dagger with her.
After she looked up from the last stall, she saw a figure standing against the wall, and she shot up at light speed, pulling out her dagger and pointing it threateningly at the girl.
“Whoa!” she half-yelled, half-whispered, throwing her hands up while her eyes widened in shock. “Please! Don’t try to kill me!”
Winter recognized her brown hair and gold eyes, and she lowered the sword, only a little. “Layla?”
She pushed her finger to her mouth, indicating for her to be silent.
Shock rattled through Winter, making her brows draw together.
“What are you doing here?” Winter questioned, but quietly. “I thought you were fired.”
Was that why she told Winter to be quiet? To make sure the manager didn’t come in and throw her out?
Layla shook her head, looking genuinely terrified...
But Winter knew it wasn’t her she was afraid of... it was someone else...
“Winter...” she whispered, looking to the door behind her to make sure anyone wasn’t coming in, “I had to warn you....”
“Of what?” she said.
“Cameron...” Layla whispered, making Winter’s brows draw together.
“What about him?” she wondered, playing along.
“He’s not who you think,” she said then. “He’s angry... harmful to you... He’s using you....”
Something cold consumed her, but she narrowed her eyes, feeling a sudden suspicion cloud over the ice in her veins. “Why are you telling me this? And how do you know this?”
“I know him...” she responded. “He’s dangerous... scary... You think you know him, but you don’t....”
Tell me something I don’t know, Winter thought.
“Seriously...” Layla said, “you shouldn’t be around him... He wants to hurt you....”
Then why hadn’t he already...?
“Thank you for the warning, Layla,” Winter said, sliding her dagger back into her holster, “but I assure you I already knew most of that. And I don’t know why you’re telling me that he wants to hurt me, or why you think he’s going to, but I can assure you that I can take care of myself, alright?”
A flash of anger burned Layla’s eyes, but Winter only shook her head.
If I wanted you dead five minutes ago, she remembered Cameron say, you’d be dead five minutes ago.
Have I hurt you? At all?
No, he hadn’t...
And something was off about this girl Layla... She was scared one moment, and switched to full on rage.
She looked as if she were fuming inside currently, preventing herself from lashing out.
But Winter waved goodbye, ditching the sink which was why she came in here in the first place, but she didn’t want to be around that psycho anymore, so she exited the bathroom and scooted into the booth across from Cameron.
He was on his phone, a mug placed in front of him as well as her, and she knew by the dark liquid in his cup, that he poured blood in there.
He didn’t want to share, he just wanted a cup so he didn’t have to drink blood from a bag in public.
“What happened?” he said then, gaze still aimed to his phone.
“What do you mean?” she questioned almost defensively.
“You’re staring at me,” he said, looking to her then, “with a confused look. Did he encounter you again?”
“Kit?” she said, then shook her head. “No. It was Layla.”
He looked shocked for a moment. “I thought she was fired.”
“She was,” Winter said, “I think... but she hid in there for God knows how long, waiting for me to come in.”
He set his phone down on the table, leaning forward with his eyes burning slightly. “Did she hurt you?”
“No...” Winter stated honestly. “No, she didn’t... she really just....”
“Just what?”
“I think she was trying to scare me away from you,” Winter said then, eyes widening.
That reason seemed more possible than anything else, and when Winter waved her off, it explained why she seemed so angry that she’d burst.
“What did she say?” Cameron said.
“Things I already knew,” Winter stated, laughing softly. “You’re secretive, you’re not what you claim you are.” She paused then. “She also said a lie, that you’re planning on hurting me.”
He stared for a moment, seeing her eyes still bright despite the words escaping her mouth. “How do you know it’s a lie?”
“Because... you’ve been with me for a while now... and as you said a couple hours ago, you never laid a hand on me. Yelled? Yes, but that’s normal. Hurt me? No. So... I don’t know why she’s doing this, but I have a suspicion it’s out of jealousy... though I don’t know why she’s so jealous....”
Cameron stared.
You’re actually starting to trust me now, he thought, aren’t you, Winter?
She looked to Cam then. “Who is she?” she wondered. “Do you know her?”
He looked shocked for a moment. “Why do you think I know her?”
“She seemed afraid of you,” Winter stated.
“Everyone is,” he said, raising his brows, “your point?”
Did this mean that Layla wasn’t human...? Did he know Layla and was he just dodging the question so Winter wouldn’t freak out?
But she shook her head. “Never mind.”
After those two words, Erica came up to the table and set a plate stacked with chocolate-chip pancakes in front of Winter, smiling as she placed a cup of syrup next to it. “Is everything okay?”
Winter looked to Cam who was covering the lid of his mug casually, though Erica didn’t seem to notice.
He was probably worried that she’d see the blood and question him.
“Yep,” he said, “all good.”
She nodded sweetly and walked off.
“Cam,” Winter said then, looking down to her plate.
“Hmm?”
“Can you do something with me?”
“Depends,” he stated honestly, sipping his blood like coffee.
She lowered her voice so it was barely a whisper. “Do you want to commit a crime with me?”
His eyes shot to hers then, a fox smile spreading across his face. “You’ve got my attention.”
“Can we break into my school and look up Layla’s file?” she said then.
He raised his brows. “Why?”
“I’m curious.”
“You do realize you’d be breaking… what… a hundred laws, right?” he said, sipping his blood again.
She smiled then, though not sweetly. “I know, but I don’t care.”
His fox smile somehow grew wider. “Alright.”
Oh, Winter, he thought, look what I’ve done. I’ve broken you.
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