Chapter Ten (Cont.)

I took Marks hand as we walked down the hall towards the living room. I pushed open the French double doors, leading Mark in. The living room was massive, containing two stories worth of bookshelves. It should technically be considered a library, in all fairness to libraries, but this was the only place that we could get a decent cable connection at. So a living room is what it became. The Mahogony wood floors were covered with small carpets that branched from the couches to a small table and chairs that was covered in open books.

"This room is massive." Mark breathed, eyes wide as he circled the room.

I laughed and walked over to the "L" shaped sofa sectional. "This part has the pull out bed, and the other side reclines out. Dad was very specific on this." I started shoving the cushions off the pull out bed to start getting everything ready. I went to take a step back and accidentally tripped on the carpet. I fell back and hit the coffee table with a loud THUD. Mark turned towards me as I rubbed my lower back and groaned.

"The one time I needed you to keep me from falling, and you're staring at a book." I laughed half-heartedly. Mark walked, well sprinted over to me, grabbing one of my hands with his left hand and holding the small of my back with his right.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" He lifted up my shirt to see if there was any bruises forming.

"I'm fine. Let's just-"

"Oh, did I walk in on something serious?" Sabrina said mockingly. Her eyes shifted between the two of us as Mark lowered my shirt, my face flushing completely red.

"Morgan hit the table with her back, I was making sure she wasn't bruised."

"You mean, you threw her back on the table and she hit her back before you guys could get down and dirty?" Sabrina winked at us, walking over to where we stood. I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her face. Sabrina busted out laughing. "I'm sorry, but until one of you actually, FINALLY, admit that you are in love with each other, I'm going to contiue being a bitch." She smiled brightly.

"Actually," I started to say something, but Sabrina rushed over and grabbed my shoulders.

"Actually what?!" She glanced between me and Mark, her eyes glistening with admiration.

"She overheard Celestial tell her dad that she's my mate." Mark smiled, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

"You didn't!" Sabrina gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes wide.

"I did!" I squealed, wrapping my arm around Marks arm.

"Girl, you are telling me EVERYTHING later!" She hugged us both, all three of us laughing.

"Okay, okay. Just help me get the room set up for us to sleep in tonight, dad's orders, and I'll tell you all the details. There isn't much though." I smirked.

"I don't care! I'm just happy this," she motioned between the two of us with her finger, "is finally happening! You both deserve all the happiness. Screw the Council!" She held her fist in the air.

"Screw the Council!" Mark and I chimed in unison, lifting our fists with hers. Me and her giggled, tossing pillows back and forth at each other as we pulled the bed out and set it up to sleep in. A knock came at the living room door.

"Dinner's ready!" Celestial peeked her head in. "Morgan, can I speak to you?" I nodded, watching Sabrina and Mark walk out of the living room. Celestial turned to me, folding her arms over her chest, her eyes squinting at me. I shifted uneasily under her gaze. She never looked at me like that.

"So that was your first kiss, huh?" My jaw dropped and my eyes went wide with shock.

"H-h-h-how d-d-d-did y-y-you k-k-know?!"

"Sweetie," she tapped her ears again, "you forget I hear a lot more than you think." She walked up to me and hugged me. "I want you to be happy, sweetie. He didn't force you, did he?" I shook my head no. "Okay, good. I'm not above killing, if I have to." She winked at me, laughing.

"It was a long time coming, I guess." I shrugged in response. "It wasn't until recently that I realized that I was falling in love with my best friend. Did you know I was his 'mate' before he came and told you?" She nodded her head at me. "How?"

"Werewolves and Vampires aren't totally different when it comes to 'mates'." She pulled me to the opposit side of the pull out bed. She patted the cushion next to her, motioning for me to sit down. I sat down looking at her. "With Vampires, we don't have destined 'mates', like werewolves do, but when we decide upon a 'mate', we still share a mate bond. Werewolves and Vampires mate for life, but the process is completely different. Werewolves mates are decided before their even born. I still don't quite understand it, but I know it's not that different from our mate process." Celestial does her best to explain in a way that she knew I understood. I hugged her.

"I'm so worried about tomorrow." I nuzzled my face into her shoulder. "I can't lose you guys. I love you both so much."

"I know, sweetie, I know. But you have other family outside of your father and I." Celestial rubbed my back as I sobbed into her shoulder, hugging her tighter than before. I couldn't let anything happen to them. NO. I WOULDN'T let anything happen to them. I was going to stand my ground in front of the Council, no matter what it took. They will not die. I sat up, releasing my hold on Celestial. I dried my eyes with the back of my hands.

"Come on, lets go eat before Dad and Mark eat all of the food." I laughed, standing up and holding a hand out for Celestial. She laughed with me, grabbing my hand. As we walked out of the living room, I vowed that I would do whatever it took, to keep my parents alive.

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"Morgan! Morgan!" I looked up, a pillow hitting me perfectly square in the face as I did. Sabrina's laugh belted out through the living room. "BULLSEYE!" She shouted.

"Ha Ha." I mocked her. I threw the pillow directly back at her, but rather than hitting her, I hit Mark right in the face as he walked into the living room from changing into his sweats and a V-neck t-shirt. "Oops." I ducked under the table I was sitting at. While I was waiting for Sabrina and Mark to get dressed for bed, I started doing research on the Council and all their "court cases", if that's what they liked to call them. There were a few cases that allowed the person to live, but they had to accept exile for something in return. I was willing to do anything for my family. Even if it means sacrificing myself for them.

"What were you hollering at me about?" I poked my head out from under the table.

"I was trying to get your attention. You were over there mumbling to yourself about cases, and I wanted to know what the hell you were doing." Sabrina plopped in the chair next to the one I was sitting in. I crawled out from under the table, making sure Mark wasn't holding any pillows, waiting for me to come out. Mark had sat down on the couch turning on the T.V.

"Typical man." Sabrina and I said in unison.

"I heard that!" Mark shouted over his shoulder.

Sabrina and I laughed at him, both throwing a pillow at the back of his head. We turned to look at the book I was reading, and began discussing my findings and ideas.

"I don't know, Morgan. This seems too damn risky to me. My dad said that he would make sure they didn't die, but he can only execute so much." Sabrina shrugged.

"It's the only way. I'm going to keep them from getting killed. I can't lose my family. Outside of you two, they're all I have left, and I'll be damned if I sit by and don't do anything." I replied coldly.

"Well babe," Mark walked over placing a hand on both mine and Sabrina's shoulder, "what's the plan?" He smiled at me.

I looked at my best friend and now my boyfriend, and gave them a big crooked smile. "This is what we're going to do." Indulging them in the plan that I had been concocting for the past hour. This had to work, or both my parents would be dead.