The Pull

Chapter Nine (Rowena)

Rowena

Henry pulled up at a beautiful lake house. I was rapidly discovering that nothing Lawrence owned was modest, and thus, to call it a house was an understatement. It was more of a large hunting lodge. It was very isolated, which I guess was the point, but it was a little unnerving that I couldn't see another house from this area of the lake.

I was surprised to find that the thought of being alone with Henry wasn't scary. The idea of it only a few hours ago terrified me, but now that Charlie was safe, I didn't feel like he would hurt me. He was being almost kind since we argued at the first town, he was doing what he could to make things easier for me. I even tried to assist Henry with my shopping and bag, he refused gently and said I should go inside.

The inside of the lodge was an interesting mix of modernity and antiquity. The kitchen was modern and more extensive than I expected, but much of the furnishing had an old homely feel. There was a grand fireplace, which I hoped we could use, and it gave the whole room a lovely cosy feel despite its size. The rest of the ground floor had a narrow staircase leading to bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom, laundry and a mudroom. I hoped there was more than one bedroom. I didn't think I was ready to share a bed with Henry just yet.

"Henry," I called when he came into the kitchen with my shopping. "Do you eat regular food?"

Henry put my shopping on the bench. He was close to me, much too close. It was like he had never before heard of personal space. It was strange that I didn't feel the all powerful Pull to him like I had. I wondered if maybe we weren't mates after all. I knew it wasn't true, though. The hunger in his swirling amber and blood-red eyes said he still felt something. His nostrils flared when he got closer to me. Henry was so close to me I could feel his warm breath on my ear as he exhaled. I shivered as goosebumps danced down my arms and spine.

"We do," he said in a thick voice.

"Oh," I said. Henry's voice, so close to my ear, rolled through my body as if I could feel his words in every cell. I swallowed hard. "I think I have enough for both of us. I should have thought to ask before I shopped," I struggled to say in a faint voice. 

He tilted his head towards me when I spoke like he wanted to hear every subtlety of my speech. Henry smiled and said, "I'm not hungry for food at the moment." His tongue slipped tantalisingly between his teeth, and he licked lips. I turned away quickly, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. With or without the bond, he was attractive. Very attractive and very seductive.

I cleared my throat and started to put away the perishables. I felt him hovering, unwilling to move away from me. Was this how it would be until I decided to consummate the bond? Was I going to be tempted by his magnetic charisma and desirability constantly? Henry was frustrating me, not only sexually. I was frustrated because I didn't know if I was genuinely attracted to him or if it was our biologies forcing us together. If I was going to be with him, I wanted it to be because I wanted to, not because fate or his Goddess willed it.

Turning away from Henry, I bent over to put some vegetables in the crisper. I heard him swear under his breath. I looked over my shoulder at him and asked, "Are you ok?" Henry slowly nodded. He wasn't looking at my face, instead, he was staring at my ass. My cheeks felt like they had burst into flames, and I wanted to run away. I went down on my haunches instead of bending at the waist and quickly put everything away.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I said when I had finished putting the food away. Henry followed, and as I went to close the door behind me, I hit Henry in the shoulder with it. "Um, alone," I said.

He gave himself a shake and a slight look of embarrassment washed over his features. "Right," he said and went out. I closed the door.

I didn't need to go to the bathroom, I just needed some space to collect my thoughts. I didn't know how but I had to develop an idea of how to play this. My attraction to Henry was strong. If things kept going the way they were, I don't think I would be able to resist Henry for long. But even as I thought it, I wondered if I really needed to. Charlie was safe, and everyone assured me that after bonding, I would eventually become sane again. I felt clearheaded now compared to last night. The necklace chaffed at my neck, and I thought about taking it off. No, not yet. I won't take it off until I'm sure I want to go ahead with the mating.