Touch of Innocence

9

"Happy Birthday, baby," Clay greeted when Hadley walked into the kitchen.

"Thanks. One year until adulthood," she said. Clay couldn't wait. One more year until he could finally have his mate. Just one more year.

Clay picked her up and enveloped her in a hug. She giggled as his arms tightened around her. She only wished he'd do more than just hug her.

"For breakfast, I thought I'd take you down to the cafe for the strawberry crepes," he said as he walked around the kitchen with her still in his arms.

"I would love that so much."

He gently placed her back on the floor. "Go get dressed."

Hadley ran to her room where she put on a pair of straight-leg jeans and a black sweater. Then she quickly washed her face and applied a layer of mascara to her eyelashes. Walking back into the kitchen, she could feel Clay's burning gaze drifting up and down her body, causing her to turn bright red. His gaze on her also made her feel good about herself. She liked knowing he was staring, that she was able to even attract his gaze.

She slid on a pair of white shoes and then she was ready to go. Clay was already dressed in a pair of jeans, boots, and a gray t-shirt. His shirt and jeans hugged his muscles deliciously. He was so attractive.

As they walked to Clay's private parking garage, he kept his hand wrapped around her waist. Hadley knew it wasn't out of affection or anything romantic, but she liked to tell herself it was a romantic action.

When they arrived at the cafe, Hadley saw someone she hadn't seen in almost six months- Lucas. After the incident with him at school, she never saw him again. No one ever saw him again actually. He quit going to school altogether. Hadley knew Clay was the reason for it, but he never told her what he did. She knew it must've been bad because as soon as they walked into the Cafe, Lucas looked down and turned sickly pale.

She saw Clay's gaze pointed directly at Lucas, but she nudged his shoulder in hopes he'd drop it and pick a booth for them to sit in. Luckily, he did as she wanted, but he sat on the side of the booth where he could still maintain a view of Lucas.

"Hey, don't spend our time glaring at him. I want this to be nice."

That pulled Clay's gaze away from Lucas once again and he pulled Hadley's hand into his. "You're right. I'm sorry," he said, looking at her. Thankfully, Lucas left the cafe a few minutes later.

"Mmh this is so good," she moaned after she dug into her crepes. "Thank you for this."

Clay tried to ignore the noises her throat kept eliciting, but it became very difficult to ignore her moans.

"I'm glad you like it," he said.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked a few minutes later. He nodded his head.

"What happens when I turn 18?"

Clay lifted an eyebrow at her words. "What do you mean what happens?"

"Well, I just figured I'd have to go live in the human quarters or something. I don't know. You'll find your mate eventually... so I'll have to leave sometime." As she said those words, her throat tightened and both jealousy and sadness filled her heart. She didn't want to leave him nor did she want to think about him loving a woman that wasn't her, who loved him back equally as much. It made her sick.

He squeezed the hand still placed in his. "You're not going anywhere, Hadley. Me finding a mate has nothing to do with us. You'll stay with me."

"But I can't just stay with you when you find a mate, Clayton. I'm sure she won't like that very much. Besides, you'll need room for kids -"