How Much is That Doggie in the Window? [M]

[Zero]

The werewolf knew when his mate woke up. Tobias could feel her small movements as she shifted against him, heard her soft hum and quite sound of surprise to find herself not alone.

"Good morning, beautiful." He murmured very softly, eyes not opening but a soft smile tugging at his mouth. Tobias tightened his arms around Tessa, pulling her even closer to him before nuzzling his face into her hair sleepily. Waking up was not high on his list of priorities, it seemed. Gods, he never wanted to get up.

They would have to confront her parents. Things would be unpleasant, his mate would get upset, which would cause him to become upset. Could they not just stay in bed forever where everything was pleasant and warm?

[DragonSong]

"Good morning." Tessa laughed quietly, happily, and tilted her head back to beam at him. She stroked his cheek again, then said with a soft sigh, "Can't we just stay here forever?" She didn't want to get up and face the world.

But it seemed the world had different ideas.

There was barely a cursory warning knock before her door swung open. "Miss, your mother wants-"

Tessa gasped and bolted up, remembered her state of undress, and desperately grabbed at the blankets to cover herself. "What are- who-?!" she shrieked, surprised and panicked.

Marion stood in the doorway, wide-eyed and mouth agape. Without a word, she spun on her heel and took off down the hallway in a whirl of skirts.

"Oh gods." Tessa put a hand to her mouth. Eyes wide and fearful, she started to shake. "She- we have to-" They had to do something. Why couldn't she remember what it was?

[Zero]

Tobias's smile grew as she caressed his cheek again, a pleased hum coming from him as she asked if they could stay there forever. That sounded like a fabulous plan to him. They could remain in bed and cuddle forever. If only the world were so perfect.

His whole body jerked at the sound of the knock, eyes shooting to the door and turning golden as Marion barged uninvited into their sanctuary. Unlike Tessa, the werewolf tried to shrink further into the bed as realization that they were caught caused his eyes widened. Oh no, no, no, no! Not like this. Tobias had never wanted them to be discovered like this.

Why couldn't it have at least been Mia? At least she was someone who at least could have been reasoned with, but the older maid hated and feared him. This was bad.

Tobias cursed softly under his breath as the woman disappeared - no doubt off to inform Tessa's parents that she'd found him in their daughter's bed. Naturally they would blame everything on him. Well he guessed that served him right and it was kind of his fault.

"Get dressed, Tessa, before your parents come barging in here to condemn me." He rubbed a hand up her back quickly, trying to be reassuring before jumping out of bed and pulling his clothes on as fast as he possibly could.

[DragonSong]

She nodded woodenly, staggering to her feet and following his lead, clumsily working the ties and laces of the first dress she came across.

Her mind seemed to have blanked out. She couldn't form a coherent thought, shock and panic taking over. Once dressed, she just stood in the middle of the room, eyes still wide and her hand pressed to her mouth. "I- I have to talk to them," she mumbled eventually, feeling strangely distant from the situation.

Then she turned, eyes seeking Tobias out, and the reality of the situation hit her. "Oh gods." She shook her head, tears starting to streak down her cheeks. Moving without making the conscious decision to do so, she found herself throwing her arms around him, shoulders shaking.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry." Swallowing thickly, she tilted her head back to look at him. "I- I'm going to talk to them. I can fix this... I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to do, what else she could say.

[Zero]

Well they had intended to tell the Varrys today about them. Tobias had hoped they could approach the subject calmly and like civilized people, but he doubted Erik Varrys was going to be either of those things now.

He ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. Maybe he shouldn't have spent the night. If he'd left after Tessa had fallen asleep they wouldn't be caught now. He also wouldn't have slept.

"Hey, no, sweetheart. This isn't your fault. Everything's going to be fine." It killed him to hear her sobs. Tobias wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, letting his head fall to bury his face in her hair. Having his mate's scent envelop him helped tremendously, though his wolf was quite calm and not understanding the problem.

Tessa was his mate. Sleeping beside her was where he belonged.

He rubbed his hands up and down her back, trying to soothe her. "I love you."

[DragonSong]

Sniffing, Tessa forced herself to nod, wiping at her eyes. "I love you too," she replied softly. Just something about saying the words helped calm her a little. His arms around her helped a lot more.

Taking a fortifying breath, she stepped back a bit, looking up at him with a tiny, watery smile. "We'll figure this out. It'll be fine." She cupped his face in her hands, leaning up to kiss him and letting the touch linger.

With a sigh she broke away. "Okay. Okay, we can do this." She realized she was worrying her bottom lip and forced herself to stop. Taking his hand, she moved reluctantly toward the door. "Just...don't let go?" she begged quietly, hating that she felt helpless but unwilling to forgo the comfort of his touch.

[Zero]

Tobias didn't want the lingering kiss to end. He didn't want to stop holding her. More than anything, he really didn't want to have to face Tessa's parents. The werewolf was surprised that they hadn't burst through the door screaming at him yet. It was hard to say if it was a good or bad thing that they'd not showed up yet.

"I'm never letting you go, Tessa." He assured his upset mate, fingers tightening around hers just a little in a reassuring squeeze as he followed her nervously. Would they demand he leave? If they threw him out he was taking Tessa with him. Tobias wasn't going anywhere without his mate, and he was almost certain that she would follow him away from her parents if it came to it. He really hoped it wouldn't come quite to that.

At least if it did come to that it would be better than them calling the guards on him, making accusations against him of a particularly foul nature.

[DragonSong]

Tessa squeezed his hand back, moving out into the hall with all the wariness of a hunted animal. To her surprise, it was empty. She wasn't quite sure if she should be relieved or even more anxious. She led them down the stairs hesitantly. The house seemed oddly quiet, though that may have just been because she was so on edge.

"Celestia."

She winced and turned to see her father standing in the doorway to the parlor, arms folded over his chest, face expressionless. His eyes flicked to their joined hands and she thought she saw his lips twitch, eyes narrowing.

She clutched at Tobias, resisting the urge to shrink against his side. "Yes, Father?" Her voice sounded almost as calm and collected as she wanted it to, squeaking just a bit at the end. Okay, just breathe. Everything will be fine, just breathe...

Erik Varrys clenched his jaw. "I would like to speak to you." His eyes flickered to the werewolf and there was flash of real emotion for a moment- something like rage. "Alone."

Her stomach dropped, but she lifted her chin defiantly. "No." She cleared her throat and said, a little more firmly, "This involves us both."

Yep, definitely rage. She saw a muscle in his jaw twitch. "Get. In. Here. Now."

She did sort of flinch at that, dropping her eyes. She kept her grip on Tobias's hand though as she moved warily toward the parlor.

[Zero]

The hair on the back of Tobias's neck stood on end when the voice of Erik Varrys called Tessa's name like that. It was starting. The werewolf felt fear and nervousness, but other things as well, anger, protectiveness, and possessiveness.

Especially when Erik demanded that she go with him alone. Tobias immediately tightened his grip on his mate's hand. She wasn't going anywhere without him.

Tessa. Was. His.

Eyes immediately narrowed and turned a dangerous shade of gold, tension filling the werewolf as he prepared himself for anything. A swelling of pride tinged him when his mate refused to back down and give in to her father's demands.

A low growl echoed in his throat when Erik caused his mate to flinch. Tobias stepped closer to her protectively, glaring at Tessa's father as he moved cautiously forward with his mate, but making a point to keep her close to him as they walked. Erik Varrys would learn quickly that it was not a good idea to attempt to take something from a wolf that the wolf considered his.

[DragonSong]

Nateri was seated in the parlor, eyes fixed on her hands clasped in her lap. She glanced up when they entered, sighed, and looked down again. Tessa ignored the sinking feeling in her chest. She refused to let them make her feel guilty about this.

Erik closed the door and moved to his wife's side, still standing. In an effort to seem more relaxed, Tessa took a seat and made sure to leave enough room for Tobias beside her, looking at her parents expectantly as though this was the most natural thing in the world.

Her mother spoke first. "Oh, Tessa," she murmured, shaking her head and looking at her daughter with something like pity. It made her shoulders tense. "What were you thinking?"

"She wasn't," Erik growled before she could say anything. He hadn't stopped glaring at the werewolf. "What do you want?" he barked. "What do you hope to get from- from this?"

[Zero]

Gods, but it felt like they were on trial. The werewolf spared a glare at Nateri as they entered the parlor, but was quick to fixate his eyes back on Erik, practically staring the man down. Tobias was not going to back down, not now, not over this. Tessa was his mate and her parents would have to learn to live with that. They didn't get to choose who she loved or who she spent her life with.

Golden eyes didn't even leave Erik when he sat beside Tessa, in fact, the werewolf put his free arm around his mate defiantly. Only a quick look in Nateri's direction when she spoke, before Tobias was giving an inhuman growl and standing again, glaring hard at Tessa's father.

"I already have what I want and don't you dare accuse me of wanting things from you." He practically spat that last word out. Even knowing that this would be coming it was impossible for him to control his rage at the implication that he was somehow using Tessa. It was beyond insulting. He could never use his mate, he loved her.

[DragonSong]

Erik started forward and Tessa rose to her feet, not waiting a beat before she put her body between her father and Tobias.

"Papa, please listen to me," she begged as Nateri rose as well, taking her husband's arm in a gesture that was probably meant to be calming. "It isn't like that, it isn't. I love him."

At that his glare snapped to her and she swallowed, but repeated firmly, "I love him, and he loves me. That's all there is to it."

"You don't know what that word means, you spoiled child," Erik spat, and she winced slightly. "Love him? You don't even know him!"

Tessa raised her head defiantly. "You're wrong," she said quietly, voice softer but no less dangerous than her father's. "I do know him. You don't. One word from a slaver and you decided he was dangerous- you didn't even bother to try."

"Tess, it isn't just that," Nateri said before her husband could open his mouth. "There are expectations. Commitments this family has made-"

"Then unmake them!" Tessa exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in exasperation. "I don't care whose son or nephew or whatever you promised I'd marry, I won't do it." She hadn't realized she was growing warmer, chest starting to rise and fall more rapidly, until she paused to take a breath.

[Zero]

Having Tessa before him immediately brought Tobias to a halt, burning gold eyes still glaring intensely at Erik over his mate's head, but he would never hurt her, and he didn't want to lose his temper and get into a fight with her father. This verbal lashing was more than enough for him to inwardly cringe, as nothing was going well to make any kind of peace or understanding between them.

Another intense, throaty growl ripped from the werewolf when Erik spat hateful words at Tessa. Tobias had to keep a firm hold on the wolf, because the beast was practically itching for a fight with his mate's father.

Commitments that the family had made. Tobias felt a rage welling in his chest until his eyes were nearly seeing red. They had sold her like some dog to someone. Making promises that she would marry someone she didn't love for some arbitrary gain to them not for Tessa's sake. If they cared about her they wouldn't let some rich bastard buy her for his use.

"You accuse me of using her?!" He practically roared. "I love her and she will marry no one but me. No one but me!" She had said she would marry him! Tessa was his! There was a desperate panic in his voice as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest.

[DragonSong]

Whatever calm Nateri had meant to instill in her husband was shattered. "Take your hands off my daughter!"

Tessa cringed, shrinking back against Tobias instinctively. "That isn't your choice to make!" she shouted back, shaking. "Whatever you say, I am not a child! This never should have been your choice to begin with, and now I'm taking it back!"

She laid her hands over the werewolf's arms around her, gripping tightly. Erik's eyes flared with an anger that bordered on deranged. Taking a deep breath, she tried to clam herself, hoping maybe that would reach him. "I love him, Papa," she said again, meeting and holding his eyes. "I'm going to marry him." There was raw determination in her voice, not softened by her quiet tone.

Jerking away from Nateri, Erik pointed a finger at them. "Out," he hissed. "I want him out of my house."

[Zero]

Why had it escalated so quickly? Tobias closed his eyes and jerked his head down, letting his nose find Tessa's hair so that he could inhale her scent and try to calm himself. If her stupid father hadn't tried to separate them, if he hadn't accused him of using her then this could have gone easier. Why did the man have to go and rile his wolf?

It took effort, but the werewolf ignored Nateri's demands that he let her daughter go, allowing his mate to be the one to confront her mother. He could feel Tessa shaking in his arms and instinctively he held her tighter.

Tobias bristled when Erik ordered him out, drawing Tessa even closer to him as he raised his head. There was still rage in him, just beneath the surface, but he did not let his voice rise to a shout this time. Instead golden eyes regarded Erik with a cold clarity. "If I leave I'm taking Tessa with me. My mate goes where I go. I am marrying your daughter whether you like it or not, and whether you're willing to be a part of our lives or not."

[DragonSong]

There was a long, tense silence and Tessa saw it in her parents' eyes when they realized if Tobias decided to make good on his threat- they had no way of stopping him. She tilted her chin higher, waiting.

"This is not over," Erik growled. His eyes were snapping fire. "You two will never be alone again, not until I can work out a solution to this. And you-" his glare switched to Tobias- "will not be sleeping within ten yards of her."

Tessa opened her mouth to protest, but before she could Nateri cut in with, "I'm sure you heard that, Selena. Come in here please."

The parlor door opened a crack and the maid peered in. Straightening her skirts, the lady of the house said coolly, "My husband has a meeting to get to. I trust you will act as chaperone for my daughter."

Tessa winced. They were talking about her like she wasn't there, like it was already decided that this was just a short term problem to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. She realized she was shaking again, but this time it was with anger. "You can't do this," she hissed, glaring at her parents.

Erik stared them down. "Watch me."

[Zero]

Tobias narrowed his eyes dangerously at Erik when he said that it wasn't over, his teeth grinding as he listened to these demands and rules that Tessa's father seemed to think he could enforce. Nobody could keep him from his mate. They were not sleeping apart. He didn't care what Erik Varrys said or thought on the matter.

"I will not be followed and watched like some criminal, and if I can't sleep with my mate here then I will take her somewhere I can. You are not separating us, Erik Varrys. Tessa doesn't leave my side. This isn't negotiable." The werewolf's voice was a low, threatening growl as he stared at the man that had come to market so shortly ago to buy a slave. He'd known that the man would never have treated him with respect due to a normal person, but now it was going too far.

Tilting his head down to look at Tessa his expression instantly went from fury to gentle concern. His mate was upset, he'd known today would be upsetting. How he wished he could offer her more comfort. "Let's go, Tessa. We've told them. I believe we made plans for today last night."

[DragonSong]

At the words "last night" Erik blanched, literally going white with rage.

Tessa stared at Tobias for a moment as silence reigned. Then, slowly, she nodded. The hesitation wasn't because she had to think about leaving, really- she just had to take a minute to process what he'd said.

In a state of near shock, she turned and brushed past Selena toward the door, gripping the werewolf's hand so tightly her knuckles went white.

"What- Tessa!"

"Celestia Rose Varrys don't you move another inch."

She whirled around. "I'm done," she said softly, raising her eyes to meet her parent's stunned and angry expressions. "All my life I've done, I've been, what you asked of me. I tried so hard to be what you wanted I forgot who I am. I'm so tired of it, Papa, so tired. I'm done. I can't do it anymore."

Some emotion she couldn't name flashed across her mother's face, but Erik's expression just shut down. "You think you can just walk out?" he spat out, voice low and dangerous.

Tessa gave a sharp, bitter laugh. "You think you can stop us?" she countered.

She saw it in his eyes when he faltered. "I'll call the guards." Nateri gasped, grabbing her husband's arm.

Tessa shrugged. "Go ahead." She turned to leave again, clutching at Tobias's hand, needing him to anchor herself. "Let's go, Toby," she murmured.

[Zero]

Tobias was completely ignoring both Erik and Nateri. All his attention was on Tessa, she was his anchor, his rock, keeping his emotions in check so that his angry didn't burn out of control. Although he felt horrible. This was his fault. Well, not all of it. Her parents weren't willing to be reasoned with or swayed in their views against him.

The worst part was he didn't know if their disapproval was due more to his commoner blood or the fact that he was a werewolf.

He didn't need their approval. Tobias felt relief when his mate nodded her assent that they would leave and go on with their intentions despite her parent's threats and anger. It still hurt to see her so...shocked? Upset? Angry? Sad? He really couldn't be entirely sure what all emotions were going through her right then. Tessa's grip was a little painful, but he didn't complain, merely let her squeeze as tight as she needed to as they turned to leave.

All he wanted to do was hug her until things were alright.

The werewolf ignored both protests that were given, but stopped to look back as Tessa did, watching her outburst with a mixture of pride at her sticking up for herself and pain for her, knowing that this was very difficult.

A low growl was given at the threat, but he didn't say another word to Erik, simply turned away with his mate, having let her handle the situation as she thought best. He squeezed her hand as they left the parlor, looking down at her worriedly.

"I love you, Tessa. I'm so sorry." Tobias's voice was very quiet, his words only meant for her.

[DragonSong]

She was shaking a bit, though whether it was from shock or some combination of the storm of emotions inside her she couldn't really tell. She managed to squeeze Tobias's hand in turn though, looking up at him. "This isn't your fault," she whispered, trying for a small smile but afraid she wasn't quite managing it.

Tessa hovered for a moment in the foyer, looking at the door. For some reason it seemed bigger than it ever had before. "Let's- let's go out through the gardens," she suggested, trying to sound as though she was talking about a quick stroll and not leaving the only life she'd ever known behind forever.

But when she turned, she saw Della standing in the hall, expressionless, and she felt herself start to break. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she tugged gently, pulling Tobias with her. "Can you let us by, Dell?" she whispered, not able to meet the older woman's gaze.

For a long moment the cook was silent. Tessa was under no illusions that she didn't know what was going on- they hadn't exactly bothered to keep their voices down. Then, so quietly she almost didn't catch it, she heard, "I've sent Mia to get you some things from your room, Miss Tessa. She'll meet you outside- Anna will stall your parents."

Her head snapped up, eyes wide, but Della wasn't looking at her. She was looking at Tobias, mouth a firm line. "You take care of our girl, you hear me?"