Tess
“Did you really reject Lucas as your mate?” Jenny asks me after mysteriously calling me over to the inn where she is working. She asked me if I wanted to have lunch with her, and so here I am, ready to eat for free from their luxurious buffet.
I smile at her, leaning against the reception desk with a strange feeling in my heart. “I sure did, or I actually asked him to do it because I felt guilty,” a troubled laugh leaves my lips. “It might seem strange to some, but...I really like Freddy. In my eyes, it seems like he accepts me even though I’m a ‘weak’ human, you know?”
Jenny’s lips twitch, but she still doesn’t make a move to leave the reception desk. Instead, she is studying me with this secretive expression on her face and sliding me a card key across the wood with the number 666 on it, “Here, take this.”
I arch an eyebrow, weighing the card in my hand to then play with it between my fingers. “What’s in room 666?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” she asks, smirking.
"Uh...no?" I blink. Did she hit her head or something? Why does she think I’m a mind reader all of a sudden?
“Your man is waiting for you in there, or... it’s not like I told him you’re coming, but I’m sure your moping hybrid will be happy to see you.”
I feel a sudden rush of excitement and nervousness, my heart pounding against my chest like a war drum. Is Jenny implying that Freddy is in the room waiting for me?
Quickly, I shove the key into my pocket and thank her before rushing to the elevator. The doors slide open, and I step inside, pressing the button for the sixth floor. As the elevator ascends, I can feel my palms getting sweaty and my stomach doing flips.
The doors slide open with a soft ding, and I step outside, scanning the hallway for room 666. My eyes fall on a wooden door with a black number plaque glinting above it. I approach the door, my heart thudding in my chest as I slide the key card through the slot. The lock clicks open, and I push the door open while my nerves run haywire.
The room is dimly lit, with a single candle flickering on a nightstand beside the bed. As my eyes adjust to the low light, I see Freddy sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at me with those piercing red eyes of his. He looks up as I enter, his gaze intense and searching.
“Tess,” he murmurs softly, his voice low and husky. “What are you doing here?”
“I...” I suddenly don’t know what to say. I was in such a rush to see him, but now that I’m faced with his gorgeous face, blonde hair, and that questioning, half-confused look on his face, I’m nervous.
Freddy releases a sigh, his features softening. “Did you come to reject me?”
I shake my head, which seems to interest him. He cocks his head, eyeing me with a stern look on his face.
“Then why are you here?” he asks.
I swallow; it’s now or never. “I...I rejected Lucas, or I asked him to reject me. W-we are done.” God, I feel so silly saying that. What if Freddy doesn’t even want me, huh? And here I am, expecting him to take me into his arms. Silly, huh?
“You rejected him?” he doesn’t look convinced. “Because I’m pretty sure I saw you kiss him.”
I grimace. “You saw that, huh? Well, how was I supposed to say no? He asked for a terrible goodbye kiss before accepting that we were done.”
“Oh...”
What does he mean by saying, “Oh,” at me? Isn’t he happy that I rejected Lucas? Where is my kiss and hug? Ugh! This is so awkward.
My face burns from the thoughts inside my head, and I avert my eyes to the floor, staring down at my shoes with a beating heart. “D-don’t you want me anymore?”
Freddy stands up from the bed without a word and walks over to me, his long legs taking slow and measured steps. He stops in front of me, his hand reaching out to tilt up my head so that I’m faced with a ghost of a smile that fleets over his lips.
“So what exactly are you doing here?” he asks.
I pout, and he laughs because his fingers are pushing my fingers in so that I look like a meatball. “Ishn’t it obvious what I’m doin’ here?”
I can’t talk due to his fingers pressing into my skin, but Freddy seems to understand what I’m saying anyway. He breathes a laugh but doesn’t let go of me.
“No,” he says, tilting his head to study me. “It’s not obvious. I’m going to need to hear you say it.”
I open my mouth, but not a word comes out. Freddy looks amused, and I groan before wrapping my arms around him in a hug. Since I don’t want to see his expression, I hide my face in the fabric of his shirt right below his pecs. For a good minute, he doesn’t move, but then he lowers his arms and hugs me back, stroking his fingers through my hair.
“What is this?” he asks above my head, and I can feel his breath against my scalp.
“This is me picking you...” I mutter into his chest.
Freddy pulls away from me, holding me at arm’s length. His expression turns serious as he looks deep into my eyes.
“Picking me?” he repeats, his voice dropping low. “What do you mean by that?”
I feel my cheeks heat up, embarrassed by my own words. “I mean that I choose you,” I say softly. “I want to be with you, Freddy.”
A slow smile spreads across Freddy’s face, and he pulls me into another tight hug. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words,” he says, his breath hot against my ear.
The intensity of his embrace ignites a fire in my belly, and I can feel a rush of heat pooling between my legs. Suddenly I’m acutely aware of how close we are standing, and I can feel the hard bulge of his erection pressing against my stomach.
“Freddy?” I whisper breathlessly, my fingers tracing the muscles on his back.
He pulls back just enough so that our eyes meet again. “Yes?”
“I want you,” I say, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I can think about the implications of what I’m saying.
Without hesitation, Freddy leans down and captures my lips in a searing kiss. His hands roam over my body, pulling me flush against him as our tongues meet in a wild dance. Every touch of his hands sends a jolt of electricity through me, and I moan into his mouth.
We break apart for air after what seems like an eternity, each panting with desire. Freddy looks at me with a lustful glint in his glowing eyes.
“So, what is this? Are we dating?” Freddy asks. I pout and slide my hands up his chest. He gets the hint and picks me up into his arms. I wrap my legs around his tapered waist while he curiously waits for my answer.
“No, we are not dating,” I answer him in a grumpy yet shy tone. My heart is thumping wildly against my ribcage. I’m not the kind of person to ever be selfish, but I have to be selfish now. “I didn’t reject Lucas just to date you. You’re my...”
He cocks his head and leans back, massively amused. “I’m your what?”
I swallow thickly. “B-boy...”
Freddy bites his lower lip not to laugh. “Your boy?” he asks teasingly while holding me flush against him. “Do I look like a boy to you?”
Since my face is burning from embarrassment, I lean against his shoulder and hide my face behind his head while squeezing him. I’m nervous, and Freddy must realize this because he strokes his hand over my back.
“Just tell me what I am to you,” he whispers. “There is no need to be afraid.”
“Boyfriend... that’s what you will be.”
He breathes a laugh. “Is that right?”
“Mhm...”
“So I get no say in the matter?” Oh, he is messing with me, the bastard!
“No...” I’m shaking in his arms, so insecure that I can barely breathe. Why is he playing hard to get all of a sudden? This is not fair! I don’t like this game…
Freddy smirks. “Interesting.”
“And you also need to be good...”
He pauses briefly. “Be good?”
“No killing people and no trying to resurrect new hybrids...”
His arms squeeze me tighter while he laughs. “These are a lot of demands you have.”
Shit, he is right!
With my heart pounding so hard I can hear the thudding in my ears, I exhale loudly. I feel so ridiculous. Freddy isn’t my mate, and we aren’t bound by anything, yet here I am, demanding things from him. It’s embarrassing, especially if he chooses not to listen. I mean, I’m just a human, and he is a hybrid; he holds the power here. But when he looks at me with those eyes, I realize that maybe I hold power over him because it really seems like he likes me.
I wet my lips. “Am I asking for too much?”
“No,” he whispers in a soft voice. “I will try to be good...and if I try, will you be mine then?”
“You have a trial period,” I tell him. “Prove to me that you can be good for a month, and I will be entirely yours. And no sex until then!”
He frowns. “What? That’s—” I glare at him, and his lips twitch, but he doesn’t laugh. “Perfectly fine, I guess. Since my fierce girlfriend is asking for it.”
“Fierce girlfriend,” I taste the word ‘fierce’ on my tongue and decide to like it. “Sounds good.”