When Piper's eyes peeled open, she felt very relaxed. More than she had for months. The night before had been the big stress relief that she needed. It also felt pretty good to have sex on Jason's car. While it was petty and childish, that just made it so much fun. And his reaction was hilarious as well. Enough that she wasn't completely mortified by Leo seeing it.
After Jason had so rudely interrupted Reyna and Piper, they excused themselves to finish the night at Piper's place. The two had fallen asleep cuddling, and Piper felt herself still wrapped in the arms of the werewolf. Her head rested on Reyna's chest.
Reyna was tense, but a glance up showed that her eyes were closed. Her breathing sounded uneven. Piper wasn't sure if it was from Reyna's injured ribs or a nightmare. Should she wake her up? Reyna's muscles relaxed slightly, and Piper held off on it.
Piper studied the werewolf's body. She remembered when Reyna first came to the bar and looked malnourished and beaten. Piper could see the numerous scars that decorated Reyna's body, but most of them looked minor. Nothing more than cuts that had healed over the years.
The worst one was the one on Reyna's ribs that she received when the leader of her pack fought her. How could someone try to kill a child? Piper slowly moved her hand to Reyna's side, being careful of the woman's healing ribs. Then, she carefully traced her fingers along the scars.
"Morning," Reyna greeted in a tired voice. Piper jumped and quickly looked up at Reyna.
"I'm sorry," Piper began.
"It's okay," Reyna said. She laid her head back against the pillow. There were bags under her eyes.
"Did you get any sleep?" Piper asked.
"Not really," Reyna answered after a few moments.
"Shit. Did you have a nightmare?" Piper wondered as she looked up at Reyna.
"Yeah," Reyna confirmed, chewing her lip. "About... her."
"Did sleeping with me make it worse?" Piper asked in a quiet voice.
"It wasn't you," Reyna said quickly. She tensed even more before trying to relax her muscles. "It's just been happening a lot recently. I don't know what it is. I guess I'm scared she'll find me again. And, I'm scared about what she's going to do to me."
"Does she know that you're here?" Piper questioned softly as she pulled away from Reyna slightly. She slipped her arm around the werewolf and started to rub her tense back. Reyna rested her head against Piper's.
"No. But, my sister didn't either. Hylla still found me. Who's to say that she won't," Reyna whispered.
"It doesn't matter if she finds you, your friends are not going to let her hurt you," Piper promised. Her heart broke as she looked at Reyna. The werewolf was so scared to say the name of the woman, the monster, that used her. "I promise."
Reyna studied Piper. There was such fear and worry in Reyna's eyes. She finally closed her eyes, and Piper continued to rub her back, "Are you hungry? I can make breakfast."
"I'm always hungry," Reyna answered with a small smile. Piper chuckled. "I need to get home, though. Check on something."
"That complicated thing?" Piper assumed. Reyna nodded. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Reyna chewed on her bottom lip. She finally sighed and opened her mouth. The door to Piper's room opened. Piper jumped and whipped her head around in confusion. She stared at the man that stood at the door. Tristan McLean looked back at her, and as he noticed Reyna, a frown twisted his face.
Piper's father did not come around often. He was busy with his acting career. When he wasn't off shooting a movie, he was doing interviews, press work, or promoting his next film. So whenever he came around, it was a surprise.
And right now, it was definitely a surprise. Just not a good one.
"Dad!?" Piper shrieked as she pulled the blanket closer to herself and Reyna. "What are you doing here?!"
A blush flashed on Tristan McLean's face as he averted his eyes, "I wanted to surprise you. I didn't realize you had company."
Piper stared mortified at her father. To her right, she saw that Reyna had the same mortified look. Tristan turned his back completely, "The others already ordered breakfast. It should be here soon."
"Thanks, dad," Piper mumbled dishearted. The door closed a moment later. Piper hung her head. "Fuck."
"I'm sorry," Reyna said softly, swallowing painfully. "This is my fault."
"Hey, it's not your fault. We both agreed to do this," Piper rejected, and she slowly sat up. "It's really awkward that my dad walked in, and he's going to want to know if we're dating."
Reyna slowly sat up as well and examined Piper. Her eyes moved up and down Piper's body. It sent a shiver down Piper's spine, but it didn't feel disrespectful. In fact, it felt like Reyna was admiring her and noting every detail.
Reyna blinked and seemed to realize what she was doing, "Shit. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Piper said as she felt her face turn red. She carefully stood and walked towards her dresser. As she glanced behind her, she saw that Reyna was averting her eyes. Piper quickly dressed. "I'm done."
Piper stared ahead as she heard Reyna get out of the bed and dress as well. Her gaze glanced over at Reyna as she put on a shirt. It made her happy that Reyna looked much better than when she first came to the bar. She was starting to develop defined muscles and no longer looked like she was starving. What did that woman do to Reyna?
Piper wondered, but she wasn't going to ask. That woman, that monster, used Reyna as her personal toy to do whatever she wanted, and it looked like she starved her. There was no doubt the other scars were from that bitch as well. And if Reyna's past ever came back around, Piper was going to protect her friend.
"I really am sorry for how I treated you," Piper began. Reyna looked at her and shrugged.
"You couldn't help it," Reyna dismissed. "You were picking up on my emotions."
"I could have found a way to control myself so that it wouldn't be as bad," Piper tried to excuse again. "I really am sorry. A succubus ruined your life, and when you leave that, the next one you meet treats you like shit."
A small chuckle left Reyna, "No. Piper, you didn't treat me like shit. Not really. Not like she did. Don't even compare yourself to her. Promise me you won't."
"I won't," Piper relented after a moment. "And, this is a one time thing, right?"
"If you want it to be," Reyna answered. "Like I said, I'm still not sure about this whole dating thing. I don't know. Never really dated anyone. But, it's up to you really."
"I think I want this to be a one time thing," Piper decided. She knew that when she kissed Reyna back. "I really did enjoy it, though."
"Me too," Reyna said. She leaned on the wall. "This isn't going to be awkward, right? Like at work. I don't want to have to walk on eggshells around you."
"It won't," Piper assured. "And, I know I was jealous about you sleeping with Jason. I shouldn't be."
"You have feelings for him," Reyna shrugged. "I don't blame you."
Piper smiled at her. She walked towards the door, "You sure you don't want food for the road?"
"Just one plate," Reyna said after a moment. The two of them left the room. Piper found her father waiting down the hall. She looked at Reyna, "I'll catch you downstairs. Do you remember where the kitchen is?"
Reyna nodded, and her gaze lingered on Tristan for a moment. Then, she turned and walked down the hall. Piper nervously trudged towards her father. His gaze was focused on Reyna's back, but he looked at Piper and smiled.
"Pipes," Tristan greeted as he wrapped her in a hug. Piper immediately hugged him back.
"I'm sorry about that," Piper began.
"It wasn't what I was expecting to see," Tristan admitted. Piper slowly pulled away. "Are the two of you dating?"
Piper hesitated, and Tristan nodded, "Are you two just friends then?"
"We are," Piper answered. "She works as security at the bar. Are you upset?"
"Did she treat you right?" Tristan asked. Piper nodded quickly. "Did she make you do anything you didn't want to do?"
"No," Piper said quickly. "Reyna made sure I was comfortable, and she listened to me the entire time. She knows what it's like to not be considered, so we listened to each other. I really enjoyed it."
"That's all that matters," Tristan smiled, and Piper relaxed at that. "Just remember to be safe about it. And if you two start dating, I want to have a conversation with her."
"It was a one time thing," Piper promised. "How long are you in town for?"
"A week," Tristan answered. "We have to reshoot a few more scenes, but I'll be home for a month after that. Are Percy and his family settling in well?"
"They are. Percy just feels bad. He thinks he's being a burden," Piper explained. "I keep telling him that it's not like that, but he doesn't listen."
"They are welcome here for as long as they need," Tristan promised. He wrapped an arm around Piper. "Now, let's go eat."