Half of What I Could Be

Chap 28

Chapter 28 Taylor

I left the only gas station in Burlesque angry. Maybe "angry" was the wrong word. It was the only adjective that could describe what I was feeling: fear of never finding Mae and being stuck in Hell for another couple hundred years, pissed that Hades decided to send another bounty hunter as if he didn't trust my skills, and scared that Roan would realize the monster I was and leave.

I would leave me too if I could.

After leaving the sex motel with Roan not saying anything, we found a Honda CRV. It didn't take long to hot-wire. What took long was the car ride to Burlesque. Who would have thought I would miss Roan's pointless remarks. At least then I knew where his head was at.

After laying the whole "Mae is Hades Daughter" on the table, he asked if I was lying. I said no, as there was no point to lie. He nodded... and that was it. I expected something more. Maybe a scream of surprise, rapid fire of questions, and possibly an understanding of why we've gone through all that trouble to find her.

Yet I got nothing. Just a blank stare, mindless following, and an expression that showed that this brain was working overtime. Hell, I would too if I got that bomb dropped on me. It's not every day that the girl you were raised with and somewhat bullied ended up being a Demi-god of the most notorious antagonist in history.

As we entered Burlesque, he finally opened his mouth. I almost let out a sign of relief, but caught myself.

"Okay."

"Okay?" I questioned back faster than I should have. Maybe he was taking his time to place the words in the way he wanted. Probably not.

He let out a sigh. It wasn't a sigh of annoyance. It was a sigh of "I really hate what I am going to say next" which made the worry jump start my heart, "I will help you deliver Mae."

My heart relaxed with his words. I stayed quiet as I did not know how to respond to his statement. I was fairly certain after telling me about Mae and his Spelling Bee memory, that he would try and stop me. I guess her parentage made a difference.

"I am going to help you as she is a risk to my pack. It is one thing to have a weak wolf in ranks, but another to have a Demi-god spawned from Hades. We don't know what she is capable of. Who knows how similar she is to her dad?" He asked rhetorically. I could hear the guilt laced into his words. He felt bad. That much was evident.

"You do not have to feel guilty. You are protecting your pack. If anyone should feel any sort of remorse it would be me. I'm only delivering her to help myself."

"It is just a lot to take in. I barely thought she was a wolf, and now she is one of the most powerful beings to exist. At least with her not being a wolf, it's easier to take her out of the pack because she didn't belong in the first place."

The last sentence caused my mind to swim in all directions. My first initial thought: does that mean I wouldn't belong? I am your mate, but I'm not a wolf. Where would that leave us? Second: Wait, why would I even want to be in his pack in the first place? Third: oh shit, I forgot to tell him who Mae's mom is.

"So about that..." I trailed off trying to think of the easiest way to tell him, "I forgot to tell you who Mae's mom is."

He looked at me with worry in his eyes that seemed to say "Oh no, here we go again."

"Mae technically is still part wolf, sort of."

"Just get on with it!" He semi-yelled back at me. Patience is not a virtue he holds.

"You heard of Helen Heights?"

And with that he shut his beautiful brown eyes, slumped down into his passenger seat, and let out a rattling sigh, "No."