Fate Ch 02

Annabeth woke up the most comfortable she had in months, draped across Collin. Her head was resting on his chest and her leg across his. He wasn't awake yet, "He's too cute when he sleeps." She thought. She ran her hands over his hard stomach and drew little circles around his belly button with her index finger. His eyes fluttered open to see her smiling, content in what she was doing.

"I think this is my favorite way to wake up." His deep velvety voice snapping her out of her trance.

"You're welcome." She smiled at him.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her up his body to place a soft and tender kiss on her lips. Her world begun spinning again, she deepened the kiss wanting more. His tongue assaulted her mouth doing a deadly tango with her own; she nipped at his full bottom lip drawing a primal growl from his throat. She draped her leg back over him to come up on all fours hovering over him not breaking the kiss.

She heard a throat clear behind them the same second Collin tensed and grasped her and rolled her over on her back her chest rising and falling rapidly. There stood James hands on hips.

"Stella would like to speak with you as soon as possible." He said addressing no one unparticular. Once the door closed softly Collin relaxed pulling her back to his body.

"Remind me to take the key away from James." He said breathing heavily.

They found themselves back at the big mahogany doors up for more fun. They stepped out to the small sitting area that sat outside his bedroom and walked through it toward James room were Stella was being kept captive. Before opening the door Collin reached down to interlock his fingers with hers while pulling her to his side.

"You're not getting an inch away from my side this time." He said with a hint of a protective tone caressing his statement. She wasn't going to argue with him. They walked in to find James and Stella sitting on a couch with James caressing her back as she spoke to him. Annabeth and Collin both cleared their throats and put there unoccupied hand on their hip mimicking what James had done this morning.

James had to laugh Collin wasn't exactly a small man and with his hip cocked to the side he looked hilarious. Stella looked up and had to stifle a laugh. "Hey I didn't walk in on you rubbing Annabeth's back." James reminded them.

"My hands were on her back." Collin defended.

"Okay I give you that one." James said with a laugh.

"I'm so sorry." Stella butted in and looked up at them with blood shot eyes.

"I know it was something you couldn't control." Annabeth said.

Collin took a deep breath. "Me too, but from now on she will be attached to my hip."

"I have a feeling you like that." James said.

"Ha-ha." He said sarcastically turning to open the door and walk away hands still interlocked with Annabeth. They didn't get a few steps out the door to run into a young looking man maybe 18 with the same body as Collin and about the same height, but had dark brown hair with striking blue eyes.

"I've been looking all over for you Collin, everyone has been talking that you had a beautiful woman at your side now." He said glancing at Collin then smiled at Annabeth.

"I'm Eli." He said walking forward with a disapproving glare from Collin to pull her into a hug; she hugged him back with her one free arm. Eli ignored the whole thing that she was holding hands with Collin. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Annabeth."

"Thanks I didn't know word was spreading so fast."

"When my sister Laura got a hold of it she ran around at 30 MPH telling everyone what she knew. Well that's just her." He laughed.

"Annabeth, Eli here is kind of the baby here newly turned about maybe 3 years ago. " Collin interrupted.

"Oh, and some of the leaders wanted to discuss some kind of urgent matter, the meeting is in two hours and they told me specifically you had to be alone."

"Damn it, I can't just lock Annabeth in my room." He said rubbing his palm on his forehead. "Eli, I don't want anyone but me protecting her but you are next in line."

"I'll do it."

"I really don't need a babysitter guys."

"Your right you don't need a babysitter, you need a body guard." Collin said.

~~

She sat on the bed watching Collin get ready, first a shave, and then a shower. Now he was in front of her only wearing a pair of black silk boxers bustling around trying to find the correct pieces to make a suit, she was getting sick of watching him run around at superhuman speed cursing so she finally got up to walk over to his closet put both hands on his chest and pushed him away. She walked in to his closet were row after row of expensive Italian suits where lined up, Annabeth grabbed a matching pair and walked out.

"How did you do that so quickly?"

"An impeccable eye for color and the fact the matching pants were across from the matching jacket."She laughed. He huffed pulling on his pants and tucking in his shirt.

Annabeth heard a light rap on the door and leisurely strolled and opened the door to see Eli smiling while waiting for her. "You ready?"

"Collin, I'm gone!" She yelled over her shoulder seeing Collin sitting on the bed tying his shoes.

"Hey, Hey wait!"

She walked back toward him with a smile and opened her arms in open invitation for a hug he walked toward her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"It's like you read my mind." He said whispering into her ear. He brought a finger to lift her chin and place a kiss on her lips. There it goes again, her world spinning. She had to tear away from his lips before she tackled him to the bed.

"Bye." She said biting her lower lips.

He laughed and shook his head.

"What are we doing?" She asked Eli as they walked toward the kitchen.

"Against Collins wishes for me to sit in his room and watch you I thought we could walk around the grounds, I didn't think you had ever been out there its gorgeous at night."

"Okay." They walked out the back door to be assaulted by the fresh smell of the forest that bordered the mansion. They made their way over to a rough pebble path. It was bright that night with little to no clouds in the sky to block the full moon and stars. After a few minutes of comfortable silence Annabeth finally broke it.

"Why can you handle my smell?" She inquired.

He took a deep breath as if preparing for a long story. "You see, some of us when we are turned we gain special abilities." He said strolling down the side path outside with his hands behind his back. "For me blood lust is almost non-existent or I can handle human smells almost unnaturally well. For example my sister Laura she is quicker than the average and Collin is stronger than the average physically speaking."

"Okay, I see. "

"It's usually pretty rare to develop a significant ability."

"Umm, not to be noisy but you said your sister how that is possible?"

"Laura and I are twins we had always been close, three years ago we were coming home from a party we both had been drinking. We came around a blind corner when a doe jumped out I swerved and went into a ditch and we flipped I blacked out. The next thing I knew I was here. They told me and Laura we had been turned by Julian."

"Julian?"

"I know why Collin wouldn't let you meet him." He laughed.

"Why is this?"

"He's not mated."

"Awe, Collin is afraid to lose me how swe-." She was cut off as she heard a low growl from the forest. She tensed struggling to hear a sound while Eli's eyes were black scanning the forest.

"We need to get out of her, fast." She said quickly turning to run.

"That's not going to be fast enough." He said turning toward her eyes turning back blue. Faster than she could comprehend she was in his arms at a dead bolt to the back door. He threw the door open and set her down then locked the dead bolt.

"Is there more than one reason Collin wanted you to have a bodyguard?" He said irritated.

"Yes." She said looking down.

At the same moment Collin walked by the kitchen door loosening his tie, and then walked backward to peer in the door to stare at Eli and Annabeth's wide-eyed expressions.

"I knew I should have brought you with me to the meeting." He said walking toward her.

"I'm not hurt just...we were a little shaken up."

"She's not hurt." Eli agreed. "I'm gone." He said waving walking away to close the kitchen door.

"What happened?" He said hands in pockets.

"We were walking around outside, just talking when we heard a low warning growl from the woods. I freaked, of course making me freak when I freaked Eli freaked and then we ran back."

"Outside." He said grinding his teeth. "I didn't want you to leave me side for any reason, now you know why. " She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist to kiss his neck up to his ear.

"I'm okay." She reminded him.

"You're lucky." All of a sudden she bit his collar bone, hard, hard enough to make him bleed.

"I'm sorry." She said blushing and pulling away to lean over the sink staring out the window, she couldn't figure out why she just bit him. He didn't say anything which worried her.

She turned around only to see him standing not an inch behind her. She looked up into his eyes to not see the grey she knew but black. This was either very, very good. Or very, very bad.