Fated Mate

“I don’t understand why you’re fretting? We should be pissed at you for dragging us out of the club. You had sex with a human congratulation! So what?”

Billy had his legs up on the table in the AA room. He had a beer in his hand and a bowl of chips on his lap. They were trying to watch a football game, but Ash was pacing up and down in front of the TV.

“You didn’t bite her, well not deep enough to change her. You didn’t kill her or feed on her, you had consensual mind blowing sex, as per what you’ve told us, exactly what are you wearing out the floor for?” Joe was sitting on the arm of the couch. He was getting tired of Ash’s hysterias. They had been at it since they got back and Ash hadn’t calmed down yet.

“Correction, she had mind blowing sex, Ash just got satisfied otherwise there would be something to worry about. Now will you please tell us exactly what is bugging you because I can’t take another four hours of this?” Billy sat upright. He had given up on the game and turned off the TV.

Ash felt ashamed, angry, and guilty for what he had done. He had talked around it the whole night, but now he had to tell them. They needed to help him fix it.

“I charmed her into sleeping with me.”

“So does every man, animal and immortal on this earth. That’s what you do to get laid.” Billy didn’t get why that would upset him.

“You don’t understand.” Ash was losing his temper. He took a few deep breaths before he explained himself. “I placed the idea in her head. All she wanted to do was go home, watch reruns and stuff herself with ice cream. Instead I gave her the thought of taking me home and having me instead of the ice cream.”

The room went quiet. They finally understood what he meant, but this was still very confusing to Joe. “I thought you could read minds, and communicate only with your pack through thought…how were you able to do that?”

“There is no way a thought could get her hot and heavy all of a sudden…unless- So that’s what you meant by ‘charmed her’, you messed with her head, you made her horny?” Billy wasn’t sure if he was asking or stating.

“She was already horny.” Ash tried to defend himself but Billy had hit the nail on the head.

“But you amplified it. You made her believe that sex with you is what she wanted?”

Ash nodded, feeling more ashamed.

Billy was so excited. “Ooh, you have to teach me that!”

“I can’t do that. It’s not something you could learn, it’s something I have.”

Billy’s excitement annoyed Ash. Of course Billy would see this as a wonderful new toy to play with. “Damn! Have you used it before?”

“Yes, but this was the first time I misused it.”

“Things are going to be weird.” Joe spoke after a long silence. Ash and Billy looked at him.

A horrified look crossed Ash’s face. Billy fell back with a thunder laugh, both reacting to Joe’s unspoken thoughts.

“How could you?” Ash spoke through clenched teeth.

“I wanted to see Maria again. She called me in the morning and invited us to dinner next week! I couldn’t say no.”

“Rule number one; never see a one-night stand again, especially if she was charmed. This is going to be good!” Billy’s laugh was even louder. Ash let a loud dangerous growl out, which immediately silenced him.

“This can’t be happening!” Ash fell on the couch, next to Billy, with his face in his palms.

“Don’t worry, she must know the rules of the game. And anyway, she can’t hate you for something she doesn’t know happened, so chill.” Billy was stifling a laugh. “Think of it this way, you have a whole three days to work out an apology.”

Ash’s head shot up. “You can’t seriously want to go!”

“Of course I do, I like Ann.” Billy grinned. “And I certainly want granted the desire of her lustful body.”

Before Ash, could say anything else, their new member walked into the living room. Ash was out the room and behind him in a matter of seconds.

“Dave.”

Dave turned around and faced him. He stayed quiet and waited for Ash to speak.

“Where do you keep vanishing to?”

Dave said nothing. He kept staring at him with a stern look on his face. Ash had no other choice but to continue.

“I’ve noticed you’ve learned how to shut us out of your mind. You do know I can still get in, but it will be the worst pain you will ever experience.”

Dave was fuming mad, he wanted so much to attack Ash, but he knew better than to do that. He’d be dead in a second.

“No. The worst pain was watching my family get torn apart and eaten. The worst pain is having my daughter out there and not being able to see her, because of a stupid centuries old vendetta you and Baku have!”

“I’m sorry.” Ash knew the pain he was in only too well. “If you like, we’ll find her-”

“No!” Dave’s shout cut off Ash. It was so loud and angry that it made Billy and Joe rush into the room. They stood behind Ash. “I don’t want my only living family to die for something she was never apart of. Your fight isn’t going to kill my daughter. I’ve lost enough because of you!”

Ash froze. Dave’s words hit him hard. It was his fault that a family was slaughtered, again. His chest tightened, he was pale and struggling to breathe.

“It wasn’t his fault!” Joe spoke up defending Ash.

“Of course it was!”

“You are alive because of him!” Billy moved closer, angry with Dave.

“You call this living?” Dave turned to address Billy.

“You know, I’m getting really tired…”

Ash stopped Billy before he could attack Dave. “He is right, it’s my fault. But you still haven’t told me where you’ve been?”

Dave answered him, his eyes still on Billy. “The cemetery.”

“Do you mind if I see?”

Dave turned to face Ash, he opened his mind and let him in, careful enough to still block out the thoughts about Merilee. “Satisfied?”

Ash saw him at the cemetery, sitting next to his family’s headstone. He was crying, hugging and kissing the stone but he couldn’t see anything else. He realized Dave was hiding something, but he wasn’t going to push. “Thank you,” and with that, Dave went upstairs and into his room.