Shit. Shit shit shit shit. He dropped the plate when he saw the look on Sanna's face, and went shoving out the door, almost colliding with Becca. Sanna wasn't on the floor anymore, but there were only a few places she could go before her shift was actually over.
"Remi, I-"
"Not now, Bec." He growled, going past her and to the side door. He didn't have it in him to have a heart-to-heart with Becca before going after Sanna. He pushed out the door and didn't see her right away, but then a sniffling from around the far side of the dumpsters let him know where she was. He went around the dumpsters and there she was, leaning against the brick wall, her arms crossed across her chest, her head tilted down to the ground. He sighed, and she looked up, quickly swiping away the tears that were slowly tracing paths down her cheeks. He felt another pang to his heart, the same one he got when he upset Becca, and he scrubbed a hand across his face. "I'm sorry, Sanna."
She glared at him, her eyes still shining with tears. "Why did you sleep with me if you already loved someone?" She spat accusingly. He didn't answer right away- he really hadn't planned on explaining the whole Becca situation tonight, he'd been hoping he had a few days to figure out how to explain it- and she scoffed a bitter laugh. "No answer, that's what I get. That's bullshit, Remi, and you know it. You and Kara are keeping all sorts of secrets from me, and I guess now I know what the issue was. You know," She pushed off the wall, getting in his face, "Kara's said I should cut you a break, that the situation was complicated. But it's NOT, Remi. It's as simple as you love someone else, you slept with me for god know what reason, and now you're stuck with me. Seems pretty cut and dry to me."
"It's not like that, Sanna-" She groaned and tried to shove past him, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. She wretched her arm out of his grip but didn't go past him. "Sanna, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Becca sooner. But Kara's right, it's a lot more complicated than it seems. But I will explain everything, right now, if that's what you want." He felt himself pleading with her; he couldn't let her walk away not knowing. If she denied him, fine, but she needed to know that it wasn't that he didn't want her.
She refused to look at him. "Can you do it in less than five minutes? I need to go back inside."
"I can't in five. You're off at ten?" She nodded, and he reached for her hand again, but she yanked it out of his reach. He sighed again. "I'll meet you out here at ten. We'll get something to eat and I'll explain everything."
She nodded, and pushed past him. This time he let her go, watching as she went back inside. After a few minutes, he followed, going back inside to the kitchen. Becca was gone, as was Quinn, but Sanna was ducking between tables, clearly within sight. He liked having her within sight. He didn't feel that longing he did for Becca, but there was still that something about Sanna that he couldn't help but like.
That last hour took too long to pass, but finally it was ten, and he tossed his dishcloth to the side and left the kitchen. Et tried to stop him, but he didn't pause to listen to his brother. He'd been lucky so far; no one had been close enough to scent the mating on him, and he's just as soon keep it that way. He shoved through the crowd and out the front door, knowing Sanna would leave through the side door. Dev was at the door, and grabbed his shoulder with a beefy hand. "Where's the fire, frere? We could use you a little longer tonight."
"Not tonight, Dev."
"Going to meet your new lady?"
Remi growled and shoved off Dev's hand. "Don't talk about that." He snarled. He got a quick hold on his temper, and tried to control his tone. "Do you know if Becca knows yet?"
For all his asinine traits, Dev had his moments, and now appeared to be one of them. He let in a couple of girls with a distracted but charming smile, but refocused on Remi as soon as the girls were inside. "I don't think so. For the time being, the bar distracted her from noticing anything, and honestly, even if she does scent it near you, I doubt you're going to be the one she starts looking for a mating mark on." He winced as Remi visibly flinched at that one. "Sorry frere, I didn't mean-"
"Just... make sure she stays in the dark a little longer." He bit his tongue against the sourness of his next word, "Please."
Dev frowned but nodded. He seemed to hesitate for a second, and Remi resisted the urge to leave Dev and go around the corner before Sanna thought he wasn't coming for her. But then Dev glanced back inside. "You know you're gonna have to tell her eventually, right?"
"I'll do it when I do it." He snarled. His patience was out, and he stomped down the street until he was far enough away that he could duck into a corner and flash back to the side alley of the bar. He arrived in the alley and didn't see Sanna right away. "Sanna?" No answer. Shit, did she already leave? "Sanna." He said a little louder, getting worried.
She stepped out from behind Kyle's Jeep, smiling wryly at him. "You're late. I almost thought you weren't coming."
He went right over to her, but refrained from touching her. It'd just annoy her. "I got caught up. If I say I'll be there for you, I'll be there. I swear, Sanna."
"Swear to someone who's not pissed at you. Where are we going to discuss your shitload of secrets?"
He flashed them right down Chartres, near Irene's. Once they'd arrived, he gestured her out of the alley, and they went into Irene's. It was a nice little Italian place, one he thought she might like. The other females in Sanctuary did, it stood to reason she might, too. She refused to walk very close to him, and they got a seat in the back corner of the restaurant, where she ordered her food with a sweet smile to the waiter that turned to an unimpressed frown when she looked back at him as the waiter left. "So. I'm waiting."
He took a breath, and just started talking. Who knew if it was going to come out right; he'd tried to wait and see where that got him. May as well just wing it from here. "Becca, the woman from earlier, she and I used to be together. She was... she was everything to me, and I loved her more than I'd ever loved anyone." The pain on Sanna's face cut him, but he forced himself to keep talking. "I didn't talk about her with anyone in my family, even though I wasn't as pissed all the time as I am now, I wasn't ever a big sharer. One night, her first night in heat," he paused, ready to explain, but she was nodding in understanding so he skipped it; she probably remembered from their hotel talk, "she came looking for me. We'd talked about mating, talked about a family, all that shit. She just wanted to mate to me, it's what most Were-Hunter females want. And she thought she'd found me, and went to bed, but..." he swallowed against the bitterness on his tongue. "but it wasn't me she'd found, it was Quinn, one of my twin brothers." He paused, taking a second to collect himself as the waiter delivered their appetizers. Once the boy was gone again, he went on.
"It's not Quinn's fault, really. As much as I hate him and as much as I envy him, even I know it wasn't his fault. He didn't know how I felt about her, and he didn't know it was me she was looking for. But by the time she realized what had happened, and by the time she told Quinn the truth about her and I, it was too late. The marks appeared and she was gone to me for good."
The unimpressed look was gone, replaced with- not pity, as he'd expected- but unhappiness and a little anger. "Remi. I-" she laughed another wry little laugh. "I'm sorry sounds stupid, but I don't have anything better to offer."
He shook his head. "It's fine. No one's got anythin' better to offer either, if it makes you feel any better."
She looked like she was about to ask something else, but the moment passed without her saying anything, and the waiter was back to take the empty appetizer plates. Remi waited again until he was gone to speak, but she beat him to it. "So there's nothing you or Becca can do to like, appeal it?"
He laughed harshly. "Naw. Besides, she's got three kids with Quinn now. She wouldn't leave them."
"Three kids that probably look a lot like you, since Quinn's your twin..."
He clenched his jaw. "It's not somethin' I like thinking about."
She nodded and looked away, at the other diners. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, then she looked back at him. "That doesn't really answer my first question. If you're so in love with her, why sleep with me?"
He shrugged, opting for honesty. "Because you're the first person in a long while that doesn't treat me like I'm fuckin' broken or something because of the whole Becca situation. I like how I feel around you."
"At least when I'm not yelling at you in the kitchen, right?" She had a playful smile teasing her lips, and he felt an answering one crossing his own. "Even then, chere. No one yells back. My family annoys the shit out of me, but even they keep their distance most times."
"Look, I get that you're not over Becca and you have every right not to be, but I'm going to just come clean right now. I don't love you right now, and I know you don't love me, but I do like you, and you seem to like me well enough, so in my opinion, going through with-" she glanced around like someone was going to hear them, and he felt himself soften further toward her, "this whole thing, isn't the worst option ever. Unless you're like, dead against it, which I'd totally underst-" she rushed to cover and he let out a breath of laughter and reached to lay his hand over hers on the table to stop her rambling.
"I appreciate that, Sanna, and you're right, I do like you. But like we talked about, you've got no real idea what you're getting into agreeing to this. I think it's better we wait."
She looked a little offended, and he wondered what the fuck he'd said now. "You know, for a guy on the verge of being eunuch-ed, you're surprisingly unenthusiastic about this."
He shrugged again, and he felt her agitation growing. "It's nothin' to do with you, chere. It's just, I ain't slept with another girl who meant anything before you since Becca, and needless to say, the thought of not sleeping with another girl don't really scare me all that much. So I'd rather not get you involved in my shit until you've got a real idea what being a Peltier might mean for you.
She raised a hand to the waiter, and once he'd come over she sweetly asked for the check. He asked if everything was alright, and she nodded him off, stating she hadn't been feeling well and coming out hadn't been the best idea. He watched her play the waiter with a raised eyebrow until the kid walked away and she turned back to him. "I feel weird talking about this in here. Too many people. We can walk somewhere private, if that's ok with you?"
"You already got our check, so sure."
She looked abashed, and he forced a laugh. "It's fine by me, Sanna."
He paid and they left. "By the water?" She asked, and he nodded. They walked in silence as they passed the crowds in Latrobe park, down St Phillip and down Peter St until they could go down by the water. Once away from the crowds, she paused and leaned against the railings, her back to the water, her eyes on him. "So being a Peltier. I doubt I'm really going to get a sense of it in three weeks, so tell me about being a Peltier. Kara seems to do just fine, and Alex. I'm sure they could help me."
"They got Were abilities and advantages. It won't be the same for you."
"Then TELL me what to be prepared for, Remi. Jesus, I'm trying to work with you and you seem determined to resist any sort of help!" She snapped, folding her arms crossly across her chest, glaring at him.
He felt his temper snap, and he snarled at her. "Fine. First lesson, everyone outside Sanctuary has a bone to pick with us. Arcadians hate us because our mother was Katagaria and so are some of us, most figure it's all of us and we let them keep thinking that. Truth is some of us are Arcadian, and Katagaria hate us because we house the Were's they're after. Sentinels killed my two older brothers in cold blood and have killed my baby sister Aimee if my brothers hadn't hidden her so well. Aimee's mated to a wolf that has a target the size of Texas on his head, and the things Katagaria do to their enemies, and the mates of them, makes horror films you watch seem like child's play. Arcadians are just as bad, and they like to justify their cruelty to you as they hand you off to whoever wants a piece. Aimee's mate's in line with a guy who may or may not be working either with or against the devil himself and that puts the rest of us in the sights of any demons looking to settle scores with him. Demons don't give a shit about limani's, remember that. The daimons after you don't normally cause problems unless their bossman, Stryker, gets involved, in which case their orders are usually kill everyone and everything in their sights. You will NOT win a fight against anyone I just mentioned. You feeling as open to being one of us now, human girl?"
She was staring at him with her jaw dropped, and at the fear in her eyes he felt bad for scaring her, but she needed to know what she was so easily agreeing to. But then a second passed, and the fear was replaced with anger. "Fine, Remi, you've scared me, congratulations. And now I'm done being scared and we're back to the same issue."
"Vous êtes donc impossible c'est incroyable." [You are so impossible it is unbelievable.] He snarled.
"Prend un pour connaître un." [Takes one to know one.] She snapped back, stomping off down the walk. He followed after her, growling to himself. She was seriously determined to get herself killed, this girl.
"You aren't taking this seriously-"
"I'm taking it seriously for gods' sake! I'm just also taking it seriously the seriously serious impact it's going to have on both our lives. Serious enough for you?!" She spun on him, throwing her hands in the air.
"Fine." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I get it. You're taking it seriously. But that doesn't mean you're ready for it. We'll give it two weeks and decide then, ok? Can you agree to that, at least?"
She seemed to consider that, and nodded. "I can agree to that."
"Good. Now can we stop with the yelling? You're making it hard to want to be around you." He said, laughing when she got that offended look again. "I'm kidding, chere."
She burst into giggles and smacked his arm. "Ass."
"That I am. You're catching on." He said. She took his hand and drew him along with her, lingering close but not pressing his boundaries.