Making Bonds

*Chp 13*

What just happened??? Does Kate hate me? Am I really that big a freak? I thought among people who are abnormal I wouldn't be a freak. Besides, my eyes aren't that strange. There's some other reason Kate was looking at me like that, don't ask me how I know, I just do. Plus, she was looking at m estrangely before she even took off my sunglasses, there's something else going on here and I want to know what it is. But maybe not right now. This incident's really upset me, regardless of it's reasons, and I stare at the floor as tears gather in my eyes and I try and hold back sobs. This isn't how I wanted my meeting with Brendan's family to go. His parents are still standing beside me but I keep my eyes glued to the floor. No doubt incredulous expressions are on their faces and, despite probably not knowing what happened either, they'll be thinking how wrong they were to treat me so warmly on our first meeting and now they'll have to keep up a facad of civility. This whole situation is stupid; meeting a stranger and knowing you love them immediately, being expected to spend forever together. That doesn't happen! If I hadn't met Brendan I may have stcuk around through mum's engagement, I'd maybe still be at my old school with my old friends and my life would go just as it was meant to. I wouldn't have had to go through this pain of obviosuly not meeting the standards of Brendan's family, and what guy will be truely happy with a girl his family doesn't like?

"Alless? Alless!"

I look up to see Brendan shaking me but I can barely see him through tears at this point. "Brendan, maybe it's best if I just go. I won't bother you again, I promise. I don't want you to choose between your family and me." Then I run towards the front door, but before I even make it half way across the hall again Brendan manages to grab me.

"I don't know what just happened but screw Kate, you haven't given me that chance to win you over yet." Then he kisses me. Properly. He lent me back like in movies and I wrap my arms around his neck and I can feel all the emotions he's feeling, everything. And in that moment I know he loves me. Truely loves me. And that I love him more than anything, more than I'd even guessed at before. More than I thought was humanly possible. And I know I can't leave him. Brendan's right, screw Kate, if she doesn't like me well too bad 'cause I'm here to stay. The kiss is amazing and immediately I start to respond with all the passion I feel. The kiss heats up and I grip Brendan's hair tighter as his hand starts to travel up and down my bare legs and thighs, under my dress.

Eventually we pull apart panting for breath but Brendan still holds me in the same position, bent back with one leg partially around his waist. He smiles at me and it melts my heart to see his love and happiness in his eyes and I'm sure the emotions are reflected in mine.

"Ahum."The moment is interupted by a well timed cough and I blush when I realise his parents are still there! They saw all of that! Brendan's dad looks a little embarrassed but his mum looks overjoyed! That's a bit weird. I give Brendan a look which says 'Help me! What the hell do I do now?'. He just laughs at me happily and helps me to stand properly while I try and fix my dress to make sure I look presentable. I smile politely at his parents, though I can still feel my cheeks burning. I look them in the eyes and they look a little surprised when they see my eyes properly for the first time but they get over it quickly and don't have a reaction anything like Kate's which makes my smile more genuine.

Mr Thompson steps forward and says, "Would you like to come into the kitchen? We ordered some pizza for lunch and there are a few more people we would like you to meet Alessandra. Derek, close the front door would you?"

I turn to see the man who was giving Brendan a hard time when we walked in was still behind us and he saw everything too. Yay. Note sarcasm. He winks at me before going to close the door. I give Brendan a questioning look and he grabs me around the waist and holds me close as we follow his parents into another room. "He's my older brother."

Realisation dawns on me as I notice the obvious resemblence. Why did I not notice that the minute I saw them?

Just then we enter a room which is obviously the kitchen. White marble topped counters surround the edges of the room and there is a huge island worktop in the middle with numerous brow leather bar stools surrounding it. The island is covered in just about every type of pizza you could imagine and the stools are filled with occupants. The only people I recognise are the twins Daniel and Ezekiel who I meet at lunch on Monday and Brendan's parents. Kate isn't here and there are no other girls excpet Lilith. I try not to think about where she is as I smile at the wtins and look pointedly at Brendan, hoping he'll introduce the two strangers sitting down.He takes the hint and we walk over to the island.

He points at a guy about his age with ebony black hair and a reserved smile, he looks pretty athletic but so does everyone guy here, even Brendan's dad looks very fit for his age. "Alless, this is Liam, remember I mentioned him the other day but he didn't grace us with his prescence?"

I nod and smile warmly, Liam may look reserved but I have a feeling he's just overly cautious by nature and he'll soon warm up.

Next Brendan gestures to a pre-teen boy of about 11 who looks the spitting image of Lilith but slightly more masculine. He hasn't really grown much muscle yet but you can see he's pretty athletic and some day he'll probably grow up to be every bit as handsome as the others in his own way. "And this is my younger brother Callum."

I smile at Callum too and he smiles back genuinely but he also seems to be studying me a bit, sort of like he's trying to understand me. Then he just comes right out and asks," Are you Brendan's mate?"

I smile at him and say, "Yeah aparently."

"I don't see why I even bothered checking, I could smell his mark on you from outside the room.Are you wearing contacts?"

Lilith smacks Callum quickly across the head for that commen, " Callum! Don't be so rude and apologise immediately to Allie!"

He looks at me unrepentantly and says," Sorry."

Brendan growls at him and tightens his grip on me. "Say it like you mean it Callum, I will not have you disrespeecting my mate!"

I quickly shh Brendan and reassure everyone, "It's OK, I don't mind him asking. No, I'm not wearing contacts." And truthfully I didn't mind him asking. After all the revelations I had about Brendan and I in the hall nothing could ruin my good mood. Besides, I woukd much rather he ask than stare and try and figure it out for himself.

Callum grins at me, "Cool."

That quickly diffuses any tension and Ezekiel pats the 2 bar stools beside him and me and Brendan sit in them thanfully as we reach out for pizza.

********

The small talk had conitnued while we ate the pizza and I had laughed and joked with everyone the whole time, they all seemed like genuinely nive people. We had spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the lounge and I had gotten to know everyone better before 4 o'clock rolled around and it was time to go home because I promised Molly I would bring her over for the night to my dorm. I was sad to see the back of everyone. I had had a great day and Brendan hadn't let go of me at all the enitre time, almost like we couldn't be seperated, and we stayed as close to each other as possible at all times. His company was pleasant and every now and then he would start skimming a sensitive part of my body when no one was looking through my clothes like just below my breasts or my inner thighs and I would shiver in delight.

The enitre visit I hadn't seen Kate again.

In the car on the way home I decided despite the rough patch early on the day had been a great sucess and I was confident that at least some of his friends and family liked me. I also decided these werewolves took far too many days off school as it turns out the twins and Liam were werewolves too and they were all skipping. Even Callum was meant to have been at school! I resolved that, no matter how I felt tomorrow, I would actually go to school and try and get a decent education from the rediculously high tuiition fees my father was paying. And maybe I'd go visit liza at reception as well as I hadn't seen her since my first day and I sort of missed her company. Plus I would have to organise a mandatory 'welcome, how are you settling in?' meeting with the headmaster this week anyway so I had an excuse to see her and everything.

Whatever I did I knew that it would definitley nvolve seeing a lot of Brendan 'cause now I've found him, no matter how scary this situation is, I never wanted to be without him even for a second again.