Alex didn't drag his drunk ass to the house until late enough that he knew everyone would already be in bed. He made his way to the spare room on the first floor beside the library. He could have gone upstairs to his old room but he hadn't wanted to go wandering around and stumble on Angelica's room. Her vanilla scent was overwhelming in this house and it had his nerves on edge. The wolf in him wanted to be near her, the man in him wasn't so sure. He didn't want to be an ass. The woman had clearly been through a lot and that had made her the way she was but how was he supposed to look at somebody that looked like her and feel love or passion?

He pulled off his heavy black boots, slid his baggy jeans off his legs and climbed into bed in his t-shirt and boxer briefs. Maybe if he got a good night of sleep he'd see things more clearly in the morning... Than again he wasn't sure he could take seeing her much more clearly.

888

Alex woke up the next day thankful that immortals didn't get hangovers or else he'd have a heck of one. His nostrils flared as he searched for her scent but it was gone. Barely a trace remained in the air. Where was she? He groaned at the sunlight shining through the window beside the bed and threw his pillow at the intrusive rays.

He climbed out of bed and pulled on his pants before walking barefooted to the kitchen. Only his grandma was there when he padded in and flopped down in a chair.

"Coffee, grandma that I love so much. I need coffee." Rebecca shook her head.

"There is no coffee, dear. You have to wake up before noon if you want coffee." Alex could hear irritation in her voice and it surprised him. His grandma was never irritated. Alex looked at the clock and winced when he saw it was almost one in the afternoon.

"I got in late." he offered as an excuse.

"Yes, from your date." Rebecca replied icily as she loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and slammed it shut, with much more force than was called for. Alex sighed and folded his arms on the table before throwing his head down on them.

"You talked to grandpa." he stated as he stared at the oak tabletop. He could see a dent and crack in the wood and he assumed that at some point his uncle Jake must have decided the table deserved to be taught a lesson.

"Yes I did, Alexander Holt Mitchell, and I must say I am completely disappointed in the kinds of things you said. There is more to a woman than what she looks like!"

"Grandma, the woman talks to peas."

"Yes and you have green hair." Rebecca replied matter of factly. 'We all have our little quirks."

"Riiight... Talking to vegetables is considered a quirk in this family. Nice to know we're such normal folk."

"I can't talk to you right now." Rebecca said as she walked toward the hallway. "I'm disgusted."

"Grandma...." Alex called but she was gone. He stared down at his hands feeling about an inch tall and ashamed of himself. He shouldn't have run from Angelica. Sure he might not ever see her as a romantic mate but he could get to know her and be her friend. Having a friend that talked to vegetables wouldn't be much different than having Tony who talked to himself most of the time. And his wolf was going to drive him crazy until he was near her again.

Alex stood up and toward the living room. He would have to figure out where Angelica had gone so he could find her and make things right. He was just coming to the living room when he heard his cousin Gwen singing.

"The ittsy bittsy spider went up the water spout! Down came the rain...."

"Gwen!" Jakes deep, angry voice snapped. "What have I told you about singing that song?" Alex stepped into the living room and saw Jake standing over Gwen, who was playing with dolls while Angela sat in the chair with a book on her lap and a haunted look in her eyes.

"Jake, it's okay." Angela said quietly as Gwen looked up at her giant, dark uncle with fear. "She can sing."

"No, that song bothers you." Jake replied as he moved across the room and lifted Angela to her feet. He sat down in the chair and then pulled her back down onto his lap.

"I think it bothers you more." Angela replied gently as she kissed his tense cheek. She knew that Jake still blamed himself for not protecting her better. The man was always worried about being the hero and it caused him to carry the weight of the world on his broad shoulders most of the time.

Alex felt a pain deep inside of him at the sight of Jake and Angela together as his wolf cried out for the mate. Alex shook his head to try to make the wolf shut up and cleared his throat.

"Uncle Jake, do you know where uh... That crazy woman is at?"

"Angelica?" Angela asked as Jake raised a brow and gave Alex a puzzled look.

"Yeah her." Alex replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and doing his best to look casual.

"She left. Damien took her back to her house." Jake said.

"She's silly." Gwen said as she looked up at Alex. Alex nodded because he agreed completely. The man in him was kind of relieved that she was gone but the wolf in him was miserable at those words.

"You okay?" Angela asked and Alex forced his usual goofy grin onto his face.

"I'm okie dokie, McSmoky. How are you?" Angela nodded.

"I'll be just fine. I'm tougher than I look. It's this big guy that's having a hard time." she replied, tilting her head toward Jake.

"You killed him didn't you?" Alex asked and Jake growled and nodded.

"Yeah. I killed him." Alex shivered at the icy quality of Jake's voice. Alex was a zero violence kind of guy. He knew that the demon who had had Angela, deserved to die, and he didn't blame his uncle for killing him but Alex had a make love, not war policy in his own life. Why waste time with hate, vengeance and fighting when you could be partying, laughing and having fun?

"Then cheer up, buttercup, all is good with the world." Alex said with a wink.

"I take back what I said yesterday. You're not a dweeb, you're a freaking sergeant major dweeb." Kaitlyn said as she breezed through the room.

"From the planet Dweebdong in the Dweebly galaxy." he agreed and Kaitlyn snorted and headed for the kitchen while Gwen giggled for all she was worth.

"Come on, sergeant major, I need some help out in the garage." Evan said as he walked in the living room.

"I'm on vacation from work."

"What work? You play in a band on the weekends and you volunteer at the old folks home and play bingo with a bunch of blue haired ladies a few days a week. Now you're damn good in a garage and Angela's truck needs A LOT of work so come on."

"Only because I love aunt Angela." Alex replied as he winked at her. "One day you'll realize that you don't want to be mated with that overgrown, testosterone overdosed, muscle head and you'll come running to me."

"Keep dreaming, pipsqueak." Jake said as he wrapped his arms tighter around Angela. Alex smiled and followed Evan outside, trying to pretend as if he was fine, even though the wolf in him was hurting and wanting to be near the mate. If she wasn't around anymore then surely the wolf in him would forget about her eventually... Right?

888

Three days later found Alex pacing back and forth in the living area of his penthouse suite as he stared out the large window at the darkness and artificial lights glowing in the night.

"I don't even know the woman. The only thing I said to her was 'what's so funny.' and then she told me about some talking peas. She's ugly and weird and there is no logical reason why I should want to see her this badly." he said to himself. "It's this stupid mate business. Why can't I just be a mortal and not have to worry about this crazy canine inside of me. Obviously he has no sense whatsoever or he'd take off running from the mate with his tail tucked firmly between his legs."

"Talking to yourself is a definite sign of craziness you know." Todd's voice came to him and Alex turned and faced his friend.

"I wasn't talking to myself." he replied.

"Do you have a new imaginary friend then? Because the only person that I saw in here was you."

"Don't you have your own house?" Alex demanded as he walked to the kitchen to grab a beer.

"Yep but it's not nearly this nice." Todd replied, catching the bottle of blood that Alex tossed to him and putting it in the microwave to heat it up.

"Where's Tony?" Alex asked as he popped open his bottle of beer and then took a long drink.

"Hot date." Todd replied and Alex nodded. "So, your mate.....?"

"Nope. No mate." Alex said shaking his head with denial.

"You met her when you went home didn't you? You've been acting tense ever since and since you are the least tense person I know, that tells me something must have happened while you were gone." Alex sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"You should see her, Todd, she's a crazy ass."

"Says the dude with green hair, tats and earrings."

"Says the dude with giant purple spikes on his head." Alex countered and both friends smiled.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She talks to vegetables... And she's not hot." Alex replied matter of factly. Todd shrugged.

"Neither are you." he said and then he pulled his blood from the microwave at the sound of the ding.

"No I mean she's reeeaally not hot."

"You don't have a choice in the matter, dude. If she's your mate, she's your mate. It doesn't mean you have to love her or tangle sheets with her but it does mean that you have to be around her or else you're going to drive yourself crazy..... Personally I can't handle much more of your tense ass."

"I hate you." Alex said because he knew Todd was right. He was slowly going insane as he wondered if Angelica was okay.. Where she was... What she was doing...

"You love me." Todd countered. Alex ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"Don't make a mess around here. I'll be back Saturday for our gig."

"Go get her, tiger." Todd replied with a grin.

"I'm a wolf." Alex said.

"Whatever."