Thanks to everyone that read the last chapter and left a review. I didn't know that there were so many Tonnie shippers lurking in the shadows! Please Enjoy!
Bonnie had been in the shower for the last thirty minutes. She had finished scrubbing the dirt from her body ages ago. Now she was allowing the hot water to cascade over her bruised skin. She was dreading the prospect of being in the same room with Tyler. Bonnie had been drawn to him for months but it had been muffled like when someone placed their hand over a phone's receiver. However, the mating mark had stripped away whatever barrier had once dulled her attraction to him. Bonnie didn't know how much control she would possess in his presence.
She didn't know if breaking the mating mark on her back would be possible without access to her magic. Moreover, it didn't seem like the type of thing that she could take to another witch. Not that Bonnie actually knew any other witches that could help her. She was actually tempted to call Abby. They didn't have the warmest of relationships but her mother had been a competent witch before she lost her powers. Perhaps she could provide some insight on her situation. She might even be able to contact some witches she knew from back in the day.
A surprisingly large part of Bonnie was pulling her in the opposite direction. She had to believe the mark was altering her emotions. She couldn't think of another reason why she would even consider keeping it. Bonnie and Tyler had been friends once upon a time but that felt like a lifetime ago now. He had a body like a Greek God, but his being attractive wasn't exactly a good enough reason to remain bound to him for the rest of their lives. Although, the most pressing matter was why the mark had worked at all. Bonnie didn't remember much from Jonas' grimoire but she was certain that werewolves could only mark other werewolves.
The problem was that she couldn't possibly carry the werewolf gene. Bonnie would have triggered the curse the first time that she had killed someone. Regretfully, she had killed Jeremy when she desiccated Klaus. Bonnie had also killed more vampires than she cared to think about at length. She needed to figure out what the hell was happening to her and Tyler. However, she needed to be clearheaded to do that. She just wasn't certain that was possible with the mating mark acting as a backseat driver. Even now she felt a dull ache at being so far away from Tyler.
Bonnie stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy crimson towel around her body. She was about to reach for her dirty dress but noticed a small stack of clean clothes sitting on the counter. Bonnie realized that she had been in such a rush to shower that she hadn't locked the bathroom door. She quickly corrected that error. She didn't think that Tyler would just burst into the bathroom but he had obviously entered while she was showering.
She walked over to inspect the items on the counter. Tyler had left a red Mystic Falls' Timberwolves t-shirt, a pair of black sweatpants, a black hooded sweatshirt, and a pair of socks. She could tell by the faded color that the clothes were old. Bonnie hoped that meant that they would fit her a little better than anything from Tyler's current wardrobe would.
She took a moment to dry the water droplets from her bruised skin. Some of the bruises looked as if they had been sustained in a fall. Bonnie assumed that Tyler had tackled her at some point while he was a wolf. She couldn't imagine that she would have allowed him to bite her without a fight even if she was drunk.
She had other bruises that looked more like indentations left by a man's fingers. Perhaps the most pronounced blemishes where the hickeys Tyler had left on her breasts, rib cage, stomach, and thighs. It looked as if she had a case of the chicken pox. Bonnie picked up her talisman and put it around her neck as she prepared to get dressed. However, flashes of last night invaded her already foggy mind. The images were so vivid that Bonnie felt lightheaded. She grabbed onto the stone countertop to keep herself upright.
Suddenly, Tyler tapped his knuckle against the bathroom door. "Bon?"
Bonnie cleared her throat and asked, "Uh, yeah?"
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
"No," she replied quickly. Her knees buckled as she was hit with another powerful memory. The mark on her back literally tingled as she relived Tyler biting her. However, her stomach growling snapped her out of it."Maybe," she amended.
"I figured...it's the mark," he called through the door. "Want to grab a late breakfast with me? I figured we should probably talk about all this once you have some food in your stomach. I'll try to explain everything that I know."
Bonnie was having a hard time focusing while being bombarded with the events of last night. Tyler had taken her in every conceivable position in the woods behind the boarding house. Moreover, Bonnie had been a very willing and vocal participant. She whimpered quietly and bit into her bottom lip.
"Bonnie?' Tyler called out.
"Just a minute! I'm just getting dressed," she lied. Bonnie was resisting the urge to slide a hand between her quivering thighs. But it felt as if she were fighting a losing battle.
He chuckled softly and leaned his forehead against the door with a quiet thump. "I'm a werewolf, Bonnie. I can hear you. I can smell you. And since you are my mate...I can feel you. I don't need to be in the room to know how wet you are for me."
She should have been offended but Tyler's explicit response. However, it only made her want him more. Bonnie silenced the needy moan that threatened to fall from her mouth by biting her bottom lip. She realized immediately that she had bitten down hard enough to draw blood.
The tinge of blood in the air was the final straw. Tyler yanked on the door's knob hard enough to break it. The door swung open and he walked into the bathroom. His nostrils were flared and his normally brown eyes were now amber. "Bonnie," he growled.
When Bonnie's head whipped around her eyes matched his. Her breathing was ragged and she was barely standing. "Stay back," she demanded.
Tyler moved closer but managed to keep his hands to himself. He said, "I promised not to touch you...until you asked me to. I will keep my word."
The young woman felt strangely bereft now that Tyler had assured her that he wouldn't touch her. However, she was also thankful for his show of restraint because she didn't have any. Bonnie's eyes were drawn to Tyler's gray sweatpants. His decision to go commando seemed excessive when she already wanted him so badly. "What's happening to me?"
"It's the mark but I promise what you are feeling is temporary. It's a biological thing from way back. I am friends with an older werewolf that explained some of this stuff to me. Gabe told me that the mating mark sends both parties into something like a heat. In the old days, the mating cycle ensured conception. You are probably feeling the effects more acutely because it is wintertime. Werewolves tend to have their mating cycles once a year and it is always during the winter. It's an evolutionary thing to give the baby a better chance of survival."
Tyler might have been understating his level of research on the matter. He had began peppering Gabe with questions once he recognized his attraction to Bonnie. Tyler had realized that he didn't know nearly enough about certain aspects of being a werewolf. He had been focused on merely surviving for so long. The young werewolf had never considered finding a mate. However, Gabe had assured Tyler that his mate would find him in due time. Tyler had not realized how true those words would turn out to be.
"Conception?" she asked. Bonnie's entire body felt feverish and she was hanging on by a thread.
He nodded and scratched at the back of his neck. "Yeah…."
Bonnie opened her mouth to threaten him with castration but instead she crashed to the floor when her knees finally gave out. She looked up at Tyler pitifully.
Tyler cautiously approached Bonnie and crouched beside her. He hated to see her suffer. The bond was practically on fire as it encouraged him to take care of his mate.
He said, "It won't feel as overwhelming if you let me touch you, Bon. I promise that I won't do anything that you don't want me to do. I just want to help. Please..."
She was completely still for a long moment before she gave a small nod.
He sat down on the bathroom floor and pulled Bonnie onto his lap. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply. She smelled like him and Tyler intended to keep her that way. Tyler ghosted his fingers over her legs but resisted the urge to dip between her clenched thighs. However, smelling Bonnie's arousal wasn't exactly making this easy on him.
His primal instincts were encouraging him to pin Bonnie to the floor and bury himself deep inside her dripping core. However, he wouldn't and couldn't do that until Bonnie was in control of her faculties once more. Besides, they still had a lot to talk about. He knew how stubborn Bonnie could be. Even with all of this evidence, she was probably still thinking of ways to change their fate.
She dug her fingers into Tyler's v-neck t-shirt and hung on for dear life. She could practically hear her heart thumping erratically in her chest. Incrementally, Bonnie began to calm down and her eyes returned to their normal hue.
Tyler pressed a kiss to her temple and asked, "Better?"
Bonnie gave a shaky nod.
He ran his finger over the bite on her back. "We can't have you walking around with an open wound."
Bonnie moaned softly when he touched the mark. She nodded. "Too many vampires in Mystic Falls."
"I can give you my blood to heal it or I can cover it with some gauze," he offered. Tyler knew which option he would prefer. However, he doubted that Bonnie would be interested in drinking his blood.
Bonnie was shocked how quickly the feverish feeling passed once Tyler's arms were around her. Even the memories of last night seemed to be on pause for now. "Gauze...please."
Tyler opened the cabinet behind them and retrieved a first aid kit. He opened the plastic box and searched for the right supplies. "Sit up for me, Bon."
She straightened up reluctantly. "How bad is it?"
"It's not bad at all. It's healing faster than I thought it would. There is only a little blood now," he commented.
It was just more evidence of Bonnie's true heritage.
Bonnie bit her lip as Tyler started disinfecting the bite mark. She realized too late that it probably wasn't a good idea to let him touch the mark. A wave of euphoria rushed to Bonnie's head. She couldn't hold in a sigh of contentment.
Tyler was conflicted by the mating mark on Bonnie's back. On one hand, he felt that primal sense of pride from marking his mate. On the other hand, he felt guilty for the viciousness of the bite. The teeth marks looked deep, jagged, and painful. Tyler tore his eyes away from the bite and secured the gauze with some medical tape. "All done."
"Thank you," Bonnie said. She went back to resting her head on Tyler's shoulder and twisted her fingers in his shirt once more.
He reached over his head and grabbed the clothes he had left out for Bonnie. He was trying to be a good man but there were limits to his willpower. Tyler didn't think it was wise to continue allowing Bonnie to sit on his lap while nude. He pressed a kiss just below her ear and murmured, "Let me help you get dressed."
She gave a shaky nod.
Their movements were awkward and uncoordinated. However, they managed to get Bonnie into the sweatpants and t-shirt without her having to do more than lift up a little. She watched a bit dazed as Tyler cinched the drawstring to keep the pants on her hips. "Thank you," she whispered.
Tyler nodded. "You're welcome. We're just going to sit here a little longer until you feel more stable."
"I remember," she muttered into his chest.
"What?" he asked.
"I remember last night. I remember what we did," she replied in a shaky voice.
"And are you okay with what happened?" he asked. Tyler practically held his breath as he waited for her answer.
She said, "You didn't force me...if that is what you are asking. I know that I was very willing. I wanted to be with you. I still do."
"That was part of what I was asking…."
"I don't make a habit of having sex with people on a whim, Tyler. I certainly don't have sex with my best friend's ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be letting my ex-boyfriend live with him."
Tyler tried to remain calm because getting angry would only trigger Bonnie. They were highly susceptible to being affected by each others' emotions right now. He said, "I don't give a damn about how Caroline or Jeremy will feel about this. We don't owe them anything. The only thing that matters is how you feel about this."
Bonnie realized that it was pointless to argue with Tyler on the matter. He was still furious with Caroline, not that she blamed him. It had taken her a long time to forgive Damon and Stefan for turning her mother into a vampire. It took even longer for her to forgive Elena's nonchalant reaction to it. At least her mother was still alive in a fashion. Klaus had brutally murdered Carol Lockwood in the heat of a childish tantrum.
"I'm not sure how I feel," she answered truthfully.
He nodded. "I can accept that."
"Really? You aren't going to wolf out on me?" she asked jokingly.
Tyler heard the kernel of truth hidden within Bonnie's joke. He said, "I'm not drunk on moonshine right now, Bon. I can control the wolf and myself. If I couldn't...I would be balls deep in you right now."
Bonnie's head snapped up so that she could look him in the eye.
He chuckled and said, "I'm just laying my cards out on the table. You aren't the only one that is in a bad way right now."
"You seem to be handling it better than I am. I don't see you swooning like a damsel in distress," she muttered bitterly.
Tyler bit back a smile at her petulant tone. He said, "You know that I had to go away to break Klaus' hold on me. It was more than just conditioning my mind and body to resist his compulsion and the sire bond. I also trained myself to control my instincts. It is why I have been able to resist you these last few months. In hindsight, I probably should have tried to figure out what the wolf was trying to tell me. I would have preferred to go about this differently."
"But you still would have bitten me?"
He shook his head. "No, I wouldn't have bitten you without your consent, Bon. I probably would have asked you out on a date. We could have done this like normal human beings but neither of us can claim to be normal or human. Gabe called it courting."
"Courting? How old is this Gabe person?" she asked with a chuckle.
"I dunno. Werewolves don't exactly age normally. He looks like he might be in his sixties but he could be a lot older than that. Anyway, I didn't think it was polite to ask his age."
"Witches are the same way," she replied with a thoughtful expression.
Tyler realized how little he really knew about witches. It had never occurred to him to learn about them. He asked, "Really?"
She nodded. Bonnie felt closer to normal now. Although, she wasn't sure that sitting on Tyler's lap could be considered normal. However, her head felt less hazy. She said, "You said that you would explain what happened."
"I will but we need to get some food into you first. We can talk over breakfast." He glanced at his watch and frowned. "Or lunch…"
"It's lunchtime already?" Bonnie asked.
He nodded. "We didn't wake up until around 11 o'clock. I guess it can be excused since we had such a long night."
Bonnie chose to ignore the smug look on his face. "Let's go to a restaurant where we won't run the risk of seeing someone we know."
"Ashamed of me, Bennett?" he asked playfully.
"No," she replied without thinking. Bonnie realized that she meant it. "I just want to understand what's happening before we have to explain it to other people."
He nodded and stood up with Bonnie his arms.
She flailed uselessly. "Why do you keep picking me up? I have two working legs and I am capable of walking."
"Because I can," he said with a smirk.
"Put me down!" Bonnie demanded but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"If the lady insists," he replied and placed Bonnie on her feet. "Do you care where we eat?"
She followed Tyler out of the bathroom as she pulled on the hoodie. "I don't care what we eat as long as it is greasy and covered in cheese."
He chuckled. "A girl after my own heart. I think I can make that happen. I know a greasy spoon joint off the interstate. You can get just about everything on their menu covered in chili, cheese, or gravy."
"Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner ladies and gentlemen," Bonnie replied.