Claim Me

Chapter 17

I narrowed my eyes at Talon, but before either of us could speak again, Octavia’s door opened and we turned to watch as she and Javier walked through the door. The tension between them was still there but it wasn’t as tense as before. It seemed Javier succeeded in his reassurance, but Octavia needed a little more convincing.

“Were you two always here?” Octavia asked with worry.

“No.” I smiled tightly. “We just came back from a little walk.”

Javier glanced between the two of us with narrowed eyes and I knew he noticed that something had happened.

“Lydia,” Octavia suddenly spoke and walked to stand in front of me. “I heard you can stay or a few days and I was hoping that we could talk and get to know each other better. We left off on rough terms before and I want to correct that.”

I blinked before looking over her head to Javier. His lips were compressed into a grim line. Their little talk didn’t clear up everything, but I knew that staying by their sides would reassure Octavia. Once she saw that Javier and I were truly over with each other during our interactions, she’d be completely convinced.

If that was the only way, then…

“Fine,” I said. “I came prepared to do so anyway.”

Her face lighted up. “Thank you.”

“I guess I should go and rent a hotel room though, huh?” I looked at Javier. “I’ll go back to your home so I can get my luggage.”

“No need,” Talon spoke up and I stiffened from his voice. “You can stay here.”

All three of us turned to him in shock.

“She’s your guest, so she’s also our guest. We have plenty of room for Lydia here.”

“No,” I immediately rejected the offer. “I’ll disturb the atmosphere. It’s best if I go to a hotel.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having you here, Lydia.” Talon stepped towards me. “Stay.”

“A single vampire rooming in a werewolf complex?” I nearly snorted. “Thank you, but I’d rather not.”

“Having you here will be convenient for Octavia and Javier as well. Instead of wasting energy to get you every time they want to spend time with you, it’s best if you just stay here so they can easily contact you.”

“I can simply teleport here every time Octavia contacts me through telepathy. It’s not a difficult thing to do,” I retorted. “Staying here would actually be an inconvenience, especially since I’m sure your pack isn’t used to vampires, even with Javier’s presence around.”

“Plenty know to not disrespect you,” Talon growled. “I made sure of it.”

I shook my head. “I’m not worried about being mistreated. I just simply do not want to make your pack any more uncomfortable than they probably already are.”

Without waiting for a reply from the alpha, I turned my attention to Octavia and Javier.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Octavia asked.

“I’m sure,” I answered. “It’s late. I nearly forgot that we’re on the other side of the earth now. When Javier and I left, the sun had just risen back home. But at least now I’ll have the chance to get settled down.”

Octavia’s expression said she didn’t want me to leave just yet, but she would accept it. I said my farewells to her and Javier before giving Talon a mere glance.