From Eden.

Zacky watched me as I washed my hands in the sink. He had revealed to me that when Matt spoke up, he had been very close to finishing, but what was on my hands was just pre-cum. I scrubbed my hands with the soap, hoping my hand wouldn’t smell weird after. I couldn’t believe I had done that. We were in the bathroom on the first floor of Matt’s house, mainly to get his baby gravy off my hand, but also to get away from everyone. They were all probably still laughing at what they had caught us doing. Zacky would joke about it with the guys later, but I was mortified that I had let myself do that.

“Uh, Del?” Zacky spoke up as I grabbed the beige towel hanging from the holder to dry my hands. He was rubbing the back of his neck, looking as embarrassed as I felt.

“Yeah?” I asked, throwing the towel into the dirty clothes hamper. I hoped no one else would use it later.

“Uhm…I didn’t pressure you into that, did I?” Zacky asked quietly, causing me to stop looking at the towel and at him. A new emotion had swept across his face as he continued to look down at the ground - fear. He was afraid that he had made me do something that I didn’t want to do.

“What?” My brows furrowed at his question. “No, of course you didn’t.”

“You wanted to do that, right?” Zacky bit his lip.

“Well it’s not like I planned on doing it, but it’s over and done with now.” I shrugged my shoulders and stepped out of the bathroom, flicking off the light. Zacky still looked nervous, like he had majorly fucked something up. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed the tip of his nose. “It’s fine Zack, really. Stop looking like a kicked puppy.”

He smiled and placed his hands on my hips, he pressed his lips against my forehead and squeezed my hips slightly. “You're so perfect. I don't want to fuck this up.” He whispered into my hair.

The corners of my lips tugged in a smile as I moved my hands from his neck to hold his face. “You’re not fucking up anything.” I said quietly. “I love you, silly. Now let’s get back down there before they think we’re bumping uglies up here.”

“It’s better than what Brian and Michelle are doing. She’s into some freaky stuff.” Zacky chuckled as he laced fingers with mine, leading me out of the bathroom only to face the laughter and teasing by the rest of the guys. Luckily for me, Brian wasn’t there to witness what happened, so at least the tormenting wouldn’t be that bad or perverted. I could only imagine the shit he would come up with.

----

November was over faster than any of us anticipated and December hit us with full force. It was hard to believe that 1999 was almost over, and next year, I would be eighteen as soon as September came. Christmas became an melancholy holiday as it approached. It was the first Christmas I wouldn’t be spending with the family I had grown up with. The realization that it had been two months since I moved out, and my life had been turned completely upside down and spun in eighty different directions was ludicrous to me. And the growing problem of what to buy Zacky and the rest of the guys for Christmas was stressing me out more than it needed to.

“Del, come on, wake up.” Zacky nudged my shoulder as I groaned, pulling my blankets over my head and snuggling back into my cover-cocoon. Today, we were going Christmas shopping. I didn’t want to leave my warm bed.
“C’mon babe.” Zacky pulled the covers off me, forcing me to open my eyes and wake up.

“I don't wanna.” I whined, grabbing my pillow and covering my face with it.

“But we need to. We have ten days until Christmas!” Zacky pulled the pillow off my face and grinned at me, his emerald orbs sparkling with excitement. As Christmas drew closer, Zacky was as excited as a kid in a candy shop. He loved Christmas.

I groaned as I sat up, running my fingers through my hair, feeling the knots as I did my best to brush them out with my fingers. Zacky was still clad in his boxers. I was in a tank top and my undies, my sweatpants were on the floor next to bed, evidence of the things Zacky and I did last night.

“Who are we all buying for?” I asked as I grabbed my sweatpants off the floor to pull them on. Getting off my bed, I walked to my dresser and pulled out clothes to change into after I got my shower.

“Matt, Brian, Johnny, Valary, Michelle, Jimmy, Leana, my brother, Zina, and Kaelah.”

“Kaelah?” That was a name I didn’t recognize.

“Johnny’s girl.” Zacky answered, watching me from the bed. “He asked us to pick her up something so she wouldn’t feel so left out.”

“Do you mean he..?” I asked, hoping Zacky would catch on without me having to say it.

He smiled at me once he realized what I was asking. “Yep, that little shit finallyImprinted on someone.”

I couldn’t help but smile. The fact that my best friend had found someone to share his life with filled me with so much happiness. I knew everybody would be here at Brian’s later to exchange gifts, and I couldn’t wait to meet her.

“Well, I better get ready then. How are we going to pay for everything?” I asked, grabbing my clothes.

“Jaed.” Zacky shrugged, “she’s given me plenty of money for keeping an eye on you.”

“What if something...else, happens again?” I asked him, biting down on my lip. The fear of being attacked again, or having those horrendous nightmares was too much for me.

“Then I report it, just like how I do with anything else The Council might consider suspicious or weird.”

“Zacky?” That got his attention, he looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and I felt my knees go weak. He could melt me with a smile.
“What about what happened last month? You never told me.”

Zacky got up off my bed and walked towards me, “we’ll talk about that later,” he pressed his lips against mine in a kiss that I didn’t want to break free from until he pulled away. “Now go shower, we have a busy day ahead of us.”

----

Brian’s living room was crowded to it’s maximum capacity. Presents were scattered all over the floor and under the tree. Valary and I had decided to cook a homemade meal instead of ordering pizza or Chinese. The smell of chicken fajitas had Matt coming into the kitchen every five minutes asking when it was going to be done. The excitement of opening present filled the air too, considering how many there were.

“Are you guys ready to open presents?!” Jimmy asked, giggling like a little kid. Everyone was stuffed from the fajitas.

“We’re waiting on Johnny and Kaelah, Jim,” Brian told him, taking another bite of his food. Jimmy began to pout, including a fake cry and all. But he didn’t have to put on the act for much longer. We were all excited to meet Johnny’s girlfriend as well, because it would be the first time we all did.

And when she stepped into the threshold that was Brian’s living room, we were all floored. She was gorgeous. Her eyes was a beautiful hazel color with gold flecks throughout them, her gold bracelets on her wrist contrasted with her dark skin. Her hair was the color of honey, the ends dyed a jet black. Johnny had a grin on his face that he couldn’t wipe off, and with good reason. This woman was a goddess.

“Are you fuckers ready to open your gifts?” Brian asked, sitting down by the tree to hand out presents. Everyone responded with a cheer of joy or clapping. As he read off names and the gifts were passed along, I couldn’t help but notice that Kaelah’s eyes never left me. When Johnny or anybody else spoke to her, she’d answer, but with her gaze intently on me. Johnny had probably told her what I was, so I tried not to let it bother me, because really, how many three-specie Hybrids do you meet every day? But as the night went on, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

“And this one,” Brian said, getting my attention and pulling a big box out from under the tree, “is for you, Delilah.” He had a smile on his face that could split his cheeks, and so did Zacky.

“It’s from all of us!” Jimmy piped in, holding two of his unwrapped presents in his lap.

Brian pushed the present over to me, where I sat on the loveseat with Zacky. He looked so happy, like he had done something really right. We were all waiting for every present to be handed out before we opened them, and so far, everyone seemed to have an equal amount. Zacky had gotten a present from each of the guys and their girls and two from me. I was excited to see him open the ones from me, I was very proud of myself for picking out stuff for him with little help from Johnny.

“Alright everybody, one, two, three, go!” Matt said, and the sound of wrapping paper began to tear as it was scattered all about the living room. Both Valary and Michelle screamed when they opened their gifts; and I could see why such a reaction was warranted. Both Brian and Matt had gotten them engagement rings, but they had no reason to get down on one knee and ask, they both knew the answers that their girlfriends - now fiancee’s - would give them.

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, even if it was a bit irrational. Zacky and I had only been together as an official couple for a little over a month, we would be jumping the gun way too fast if he were to propose to me.

But the thought of Zacky proposing to me was quickly pushed out of my head when I saw Kaelah’s arm move, her shirt rolled up, exposing a familiar symbol on her right wrist. But there was something wrong. The symbol didn’t look like mine or Zacky’s. It wasn't an Imprint tattoo. I could tell that Kaelah was different, and in a way that could possibly be very bad for me.

Notes

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