House Number 1402

Badass

After our little meeting had ended a few hours ago, Jackson and Ken left with everyone to discuss what they wanted to do if the hunters reacted badly. I was offered to be a part of that, but I declined. I didn't really want to hear what they were going to do. I didn't know what kind of things went on during those types of meetings, and I didn't want to. At the moment I was ok with everything that I knew, but I was afraid that I might hear something in that sort of setting that could change my thinking. I didn't want to think of my friends and family as dangerous or scary, so I thought it best to just let them handle things. I'm perfectly fine with not being in the middle of everything, even if it had a lot to do with me.  

Ken and Jackson returned two hours later, but no one else had. I figured my mother would be with Mark more often now that I knew, and that didn't bother me. I'm an adult, I can handle being without my mother for a few days. 

I decided against asking how the meeting went and instead stayed off the subject by asking Jackson how good his hearing was. He said that he would be able to hear me whispering in the kitchen from my bedroom. I immediately became intrigued by that, and for the past thirty minutes I had been whispering outrageous things to Ken and having Jackson yell them back to me to prove that he could actually hear us.  

"I like little boys," Jackson yelled from my bedroom while Ken and I broke into hysterics. It started out innocent, having him tell me how pretty I was, or saying that Ken was the coolest shifter in the world, but then we got bored with that and started making him say strange things.  

"Now you're just being mean!" Jackson yelled again, causing me to laugh even harder.  

"I think you're hurting his manly feelings," Ken laughed. 

"I heard that!" Jackson growled as he walked into the kitchen, but his face was lit up with a smile. I absolutely loved his smile, it didn't just light up his face it also lit up my whole world. There was something about his smile that just calmed me down and made me giddy all at the same time.  

"Well of course you did," I said, still laughing. It was like nothing bad was happening. In that moment I didn't feel like we were waiting for a battle, I didn't feel confused or hurt, I was just having a good time. I loved it, I felt light, like I was floating on a cloud.  

Jackson grabbed my arm and jerked me towards him so quickly that I fell into his arms. Of course he caught me and placed a kiss on the side of my head. I sighed and kissed his chest, it was all I could reach with the hold he had on me, but it was good enough. It wasn't his lips, but I wasn't sure kissing his lips was a good idea. My body craved his and it wasn't the best time for those type of shenanigans. 

"It's time," A voice said from behind me. I turned and saw Mark standing at the door, "the hunters are here, in the clearing behind your house," he said to Jackson.  

Jackson nodded, "Alright, can I have a minute with Sadie and then we will head over?" 

"Sure, we'll meet you there, keep it short though," Mark ordered.  

Jackson nodded once more and within seconds we were the only two in the room. He stared into my eyes with such intensity that I was becoming uncomfortable. It seemed like he was trying to memorize me, like I would disappear or something.  

"Why are you. . ." 

"I love you," Jackson interrupted me.  

I blinked a few times from the shock of those three little words. "Wait, are you just saying that because you think that this little meeting with the hunters is going to go bad? Do you think that I would choose to go with them?"  

"Not exactly," He sighed, "Sadie I knew that I loved you the first day at my house when you yelled at me and your shoulder ran into mine. The second I felt my body react to your touch I knew who and what you were to me. In that very second I fell in love with you. I was trying to wait for you to say it first, but before we go out there I wanted you to know exactly how I feel."