A Mating of Convenience

by Elyce de Reefe

  Elizabeth shrugged. “Well, I can’t explain it. Maybe because he needed you for the Sickness research. But he drove Lucas half crazy chasing Aster for months. And he sent three guys after Lyla— with an ax. Around here, he’s pretty much been enemy number one.”

  “Except for me,” Lyla put in, cheerfully. “I was enemy number one for at least a day.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Please.” But she was smiling.

  Nina felt a little queasy. The man whose support had so recently left her feeling warm, had been running around trying to capture women? Force them to be his mate? But really, how was that different from Boaz? Well, so far there’s been no sign of an ax. She shuddered. And Boaz is trying to protect his people…

  Mate. Mating. Did you have to be fertile for that? She grimaced. One would think so. “I think it was more likely because I was infertile,” she said slowly, not really meaning to speak aloud.

  “Oh, honey.” Mari surprised her by coming over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. Well, it was more like around her upper arms because of their height difference, but it felt comforting all the same. Nina smiled and gave Mari a brief squeeze before releasing her.

  “Yeah, um… that’s the thing. I seem to be fertile now. According to Boaz, anyway.” She felt a little spurt of anticipation. She’d wanted a baby for so long…

  “The chocolate,” Lyla said, nodding sagely.

  “That’s what Boaz said.” Nina still couldn’t believe she’d actually succeeded after all this time. Now all she needed— was the father.

  “So… tell me. How does it work? With the bonding. And why humans? Don’t they want to mate with… their own kind?”

  “Let me take the last part of that first,” Elizabeth said, and Nina noticed that Mari was watching her intently. “Cray told me about that. Well… I dragged it out of him.” She shrugged. “Same thing. So. Mates are scarce for the people these days. For some reason the People have produced very few females these past few generations, and competition is fierce. Apparently, the bond won’t take with just any human. In the past, human mates were mostly just accidental bonding.”

  “Accidental bonding?” Nina stared at the other woman. That was a thing?

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yes.” She raised her eyebrows. “It happens. But not often. Anyway…” She glanced around and caught Mari’s rapt attention. She winked at the younger woman, her smile widening. “It seems the guys can actually sense which humans might bond.”

  “Honestly, Nina,” she continued, all trace of humor gone from her face, “I couldn’t find a better husband than Cray. He drives me crazy sometimes—he’s so over-protective—but it’s because he really loves me.” She smiled. “And with the bond, I can feel the intensity of his emotions. And it just— melts your heart, you know?”

  Nina thought about Boaz telling her he would never be the same if something happened to her and felt a lump form in her throat. She managed a nod and glanced away.

  “The other thing about the bond,” Lyla put in, “is there is no cheating. Ever. So that’s something. He will never let you down.”

  Nina bit her lip, nodding again. She believed that. She couldn’t imagine Boaz ever letting her down. She was starting to feel like maybe he was someone she wanted in her life, permanently, but how could she be sure? If only she didn’t have to decide right now.

  The conversation drifted to other topics, lighthearted teasing between the women and some speculation on the other male members of the pack—who Nina might choose, if not Boaz—with some hilarious observations. But it was all in jest. If she did decide to do this, there was no way she would choose anyone but Boaz. Gorgeous, thoughtful, reliable Boaz, who had already proven his loyalty.

  The women finished their preparations and joined the men out on the newly-installed patio. Throughout the evening, Nina watched the interactions among the group. The playful way they teased each other, and the confidence the women showed around the men. They were obviously very happy. Elizabeth continued to rule the roost, telling Aaron to make sure he used plenty of McCormick’s Montreal Seasoning on the steaks, and admonishing Jesse not to undercook the salmon.

  “The brown sugar is supposed to form a crust,” she informed him. She turned to Nina, “I know it sounds gross, brown sugar on salmon, but it’s more like a honey-mustard sauce only with sugar, and it’s absolutely delicious.”

  Which it was. The entire dinner was superb, with everyone sitting on the new patio, eating by candlelight, with thousands upon thousands of stars overhead. And this life could be hers. She had one more day before the new moon. One more day to decide.

  If she said no, she would have to wait a whole month before she could change her mind. A whole month during which she couldn’t leave, couldn’t go see Eva. Couldn’t try to start a baby.

  Was she crazy to be contemplating this? Or was she crazy to even consider saying no? She couldn’t decide. Because with the bond thing, there was no turning back once you committed. No do-overs. This was forever.

  And she wouldn’t be able to tell Eva. She’d never be able to tell her sister about a major part of her life. But if she could save her…

  And throughout the evening Lyla’s words kept coming back to her. “He will never let you down.” That much she had no trouble believing. And really, wasn’t that more than most marriages had? Wasn’t that enough?

  Chapter 16

  That night, Nina had trouble sleeping. She couldn’t even toss and turn properly because Boaz insisted on keeping one hand on her hip at all times.

  She finally exploded after about the fifth time she’d rolled from one side to the other. “Would you just stop that?”

  Boaz didn’t say anything for a minute. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No.” She didn’t even want to think about it, but of course she was doing nothing but think about it. “Okay, yes. Let’s talk about it. How does it… go? Is it like a wedding ceremony? Am I supposed to wear white?”

  “Only if you want.”

  She waited for a moment, but nothing else followed. “What do you wear?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “I will be in wolf form.”

  That had her sitting up. “Wolf form!”

  “Yes. That’s the ceremony. Lucas will say the formal words. Then you run, and I chase you. In wolf form.” She could hear the quiet satisfaction in his voice.

  “Wonderful.” She flopped back down on the bed. “That sounds perfectly barbaric.”

  “It’s not. It symbolizes my dedication to make you my mate. My determination. I have to catch you.”

  “Like that will be hard.”

  There was a short pause.

  “I will be careful with you, Nina. I won’t let you get hurt.” His voice was all quiet assurance.

  “Great.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. A sudden thought hit her, and her mouth went dry. “But you… turn back into a man, right? Before…”

  “Yes, Nina. Always. You are human.” He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but somehow it just managed to underscore their differences.

  “I don’t know, Boaz. I’m not sure I can…”

  She couldn’t continue. Her stomach quivered at the idea of getting naked with Boaz. Of mating with Boaz. If she couldn’t even talk about it, that didn’t bode well for actually doing it.

  “You don’t have to decide tonight, Nina.” His hand found hers in the dark and squeezed gently. “Sleep.”

  She swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. “Okay.”

  But she couldn’t. Tomorrow she would have to decide, and she didn’t see how she could choose anything but him, and go through with this crazy scheme. She lay there on her back staring up at the ceiling and trying not to obsess. Her mind was filled with nightmare images of a giant wolf chasing her through the dark woods, that row of jagged white teeth she’d glimpsed gleaming through the darkness. Then the moonlit image of Boaz’s naked body flashed through
her mind. Well, things could be worse.

  But her over-active imagination kept offering up different scenarios, most of them disturbing. What if something went wrong? What if somehow she managed to trigger the beast when he was chasing her? The memory of that poor tortured soul Marten had brought to her clinic popped into her head— snarling and snapping and clawing to get at her. She shuddered.

  It was sometime close to dawn when she finally rolled onto her side and dozed off. The comforting weight of Boaz’s hand on her hip was the last thing she was aware of as she slipped into sleep.

  The next morning Nina was profoundly grateful for the predictable structure of her days. She’d woken late—again—and Boaz had let her sleep in. Once again they had the house to themselves when they went down for breakfast. But Boaz didn’t push her for a decision, in fact he said next to nothing. Just dropped her off at the trailer as usual.

  “See you tonight,” he said, waiting until she was inside before turning to leave.

  It was harder than usual to concentrate on her work. It would have been impossible except for yesterday’s breakthrough. Dean was practically beside himself—acting like a kid on Christmas—as they re-examined all the samples he’d managed to collect. Most of them related to her fertility research, but that didn’t stop him. By the time they broke for a quick lunch, Nina had to admit there was an interesting correlation.

  But as the afternoon wore on, she found herself glancing at the clock again and again. She felt vaguely like a condemned prisoner waiting for the guards to come and take her. As her nerves strung tighter and tighter, she wasn’t sure if she wanted the time to stretch out indefinitely, or if she would rather just get it over with already. Because really, what other choice could she make? Eva needed her.

  When Boaz finally appeared in the doorway, it was almost a relief. With a silent nod of acknowledgement to Dean, he escorted her out of the trailer. He said nothing as he took her hand and led her down to the river. The irises were almost finished, only a few lonely spots of purple remained— sad reminders of their former glory.

  For the first time, the silence seemed to grow into a charged thing between them. Nina snuck a quick glance at him, but got only his profile. His jaw was clenched, and a tiny muscle jumped along his jaw line, something she had never seen before. She got the impression he was exerting all his control to keep from speaking. She bit her lip. It was unsettling to witness. This man, to whom silence came so naturally.

  All of a sudden, she couldn’t take it anymore. She used their joined hands to pull him to a stop.

  “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  He turned to face her, and it seemed that he was holding himself very still.

  “Are you certain, Nina?”

  She let out her breath in a big sigh and kicked at the grass with her toe. “Yes, I’m certain.” She looked up into his eyes, the blue so intense it was almost as if they were glowing. “But I’m trusting you, Boaz. Trusting you to, um…”

  She glanced away, unable to hold that intense gaze. She swallowed and forced herself to continue, staring just past his left shoulder. “I’m trusting you to be careful with me.”

  He stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders. Slowly, she raised her gaze to meet his, feeling equal parts hope, and fear, and yes—there was also that nervous quiver of anticipation, deep in her belly.

  “I will be very careful with you, Nina. I will make you a good mate.”

  She nodded. It was the best she could do.

  He drew her into him, gently enfolding her in his arms. “It will be okay, Nina. You’ll see.” He kissed the top of her head. “And tomorrow we can go see Eva.”

  Nina jerked back in surprise. “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really? Tomorrow? You promise?”

  “Yes. I promise.”

  “Okay, then.” She felt her spirits start to rise.

  He smiled. It was that soft, warm smile that touched his eyes and both sides of his mouth. “Okay, then.” He reached down and took her hand. “Come on. We have to tell the pack.”

  As they walked back to the house to discover everyone once again assembled on the porch, Nina couldn’t help thinking about the restraint Boaz had shown. He could have easily tried to sway her decision with the promise of leaving to see Eva the very next day. Could have used that to press his advantage—and it would have worked. He’d given her the facts. She couldn’t leave unless and until she agreed, but he’d never pressed her. She felt a lump rising in her throat.

  He was such a good man. Even if he is a werewolf. A not-werewolf. Maybe this would be okay. Maybe this would be better than okay. She stole another quick glance at his impassive profile as they approached the porch. As usual, it gave almost nothing away. But she could see that tiny curve at the corner of his mouth. Still, she felt her stomach tighten as she looked up at the tense, silent group on the porch. What would happen now?

  They were nearly at the stairs when Boaz nodded silently to Lucas.

  Zeke gave a yell. “Yes!” He punched the air with a quick, sharp jab. “She said yes!”

  The crowd assembled on both sides of the porch stirred. Lucas nodded gravely back to Boaz, and then to her.

  “Yes?” Elizabeth, standing next to Cray, looked directly at Nina. “That was a yes?”

  Nina swallowed and nodded.

  “Pour the champagne!” She called and descended the steps to gather Nina in a quick hug. “Oh, honey. It will be okay.” She escorted Nina up the stairs, keeping one arm tightly around her. “Girls’ pow-wow in the kitchen,” she announced. “Someone start the music. We need dancing!”

  “Elizabeth.” Lucas’s deep voice stopped them in the doorway to the house. “There is no dancing in the ceremony.”

  “Dancing,” Elizabeth bit out, as if it was a threat.

  Lucas huffed out a breath. “Fine. But only for a short time. We must start the ceremony soon.” He glanced up at the sky. “While it is light. Humans do not see well in the dark, and tonight there is no moon.”

  “That’s fine. We don’t need a lot of time. Aaron, have Boaz pick a song. We need maybe five or six songs. Eli, you help.”

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eli nod in assent, but her eyes were on Boaz. He was watching Elizabeth with an almost bemused expression on his face. And then he shot Nina a full smile. Oh-my-God—with a flash of teeth. Her stomach flipped over. He was unbelievably handsome, looking more relaxed and happy than she’d ever seen him.

  The next few minutes were a blur of hurried advice and rushed preparations. “You’ll want to dress in layers,” Lyla said as they rushed her up the stairs.

  “And wear comfortable shoes,” Elizabeth added.

  “Don’t wear your favorite outfit,” Mari put in cryptically. She was carrying a bottle of champagne and refilled Nina’s glass. Nina stared down at her drink. Had she really just chugged that last one?

  She decided on comfortable black slacks and low-heeled boots paired with a cranberry v-necked sweater. Mari shook her head, but Elizabeth shushed her and pulled out a lightweight wrap jacket. “You’re going to be out in the woods all night. Better take this.”

  “All night?” Nina couldn’t help remembering how scary the dark forest had been on her ill-fated attempt at escape. But Boaz would be with her.

  “That’s part of the ceremony,” Elizabeth confirmed.

  Nina tried not to think about the fact that Boaz would be a giant wolf for a large part of it. Chasing her. Mari refilled her glass again and then they were all bustling her back down the hall to the stairs.

  “Better hurry before Lucas gets his knickers in a twist,” Elizabeth said.

  Mari snickered. From the balcony, Nina could see the four Masters brothers clustered around the bluetooth speaker, obviously debating the music.

  “What song do you think he picked?” Lyla asked as they began the descent.

  Nina had no idea and was saved from having to come up with an answer when the familiar strai
ns of Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey filled the great room.

  “Oh, how perfect,” Lyla breathed.

  Boaz looked up and caught her eye. She hesitated there for a moment, halfway down the stairs. She was almost afraid to continue, but when he strode to the bottom of the steps and waited there, she bit her lip and met him at the bottom. He took her hand, leading her out into the center of the room, and Nina realized the couches had been pushed back for the occasion. He smiled down into her eyes as he led her into an honest-to-God slow-dance. She blinked a few times trying to process that fact, as Cray and Elizabeth, and then Lyla and Aaron joined them on the makeshift dance floor.

  A moment later, he bent his head and brushed a soft kiss to her lips. Loud cheering and clapping erupted, and Boaz pulled back and grinned. Grinned! Then he pulled her close, pressing her head to his shoulder as they swayed gently to the music. Nina could feel her heart beating rapidly. Against her cheek, Boaz’s heart echoed hers. But when he pulled back and started mouthing the tender words to her, she thought she might actually swoon.

  Her eyes widened when he got to the part about nobody stopping them on their road freedom. Boaz sang softly, echoing Van Morrison’s words, and Nina felt tears spring to her eyes. She’d never really listened to this song that carefully. She couldn’t believe how perfect it was. At first it just seemed like a sweet love song, and the way he was singing it, she knew he meant it that way too. But really, it was all about the sweetness of freedom. And he’d picked it, for her.

  He gave her another soft smile and then pulled her close again, holding her against him for the rest of the song. After that there was an Eagle’s song that they sort of shuffled to, and then Boaz pulled her over to the hors d’oeuvres laid out on the kitchen island. Apparently, this was going to be their dinner.

  And then, all too soon, it was time for the ceremony. As they descended the porch stairs, she heard another song come on. Aaron seemed to pause and look back, but Boaz reached out to smack Zeke on the back of the head.