Shame washed over him. Some mate he was turning out to be. First he growled at her and nearly scared her out of her skin, and then he failed to warn her about the most crucial part of the ceremony. How had Aaron managed this? He stared through the white veil to the dark sky beyond. Had he failed some test the Maiden had set for him? Or maybe… he had passed? The bond had taken. Soon her scent would take on the distinctive element that marked her as Rabbit River Pack— and she would be safe.
He breathed it in, letting the rightness of it soothe him. She was okay now. She smelled contented. Just before she drifted off to sleep, he’d imagined he could feel the emotion through the budding embryo of the bond.
He didn’t deserve a mate like her, but she had forgiven him. He sighed. He would do better. He couldn’t go back, so he would just have to do everything he could to make her happy in the future. First up was the trip to Eva. He was glad he had something concrete that he could do for her.
He settled deeper into the covers, absorbing the feel of her warmth all along his body. Drawing in a deep breath, he let the exhaustion wash over him. Tomorrow he would start to make amends. He hoped she liked the surprise he had arranged for them.
Bright mid-morning light flooded the meadow as Boaz and Nina trudged back towards the footbridge. He held Nina’s small hand gently in his as he shepherded her back through the tall grass. He had the air mattress and the candles in a bag over his shoulder and the picnic basket in the other hand. He’d ask Aaron to collect the mosquito netting and the table, but he couldn’t stand the idea of anyone seeing their actual bed. That was just too private.
He felt a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth, remembering just what they’d done in that bed this morning. It had been very different from last night. For one thing, Nina’s hands weren’t tied and she insisted on touching him all over, which definitely sped up the foreplay portion of the activity by a lot. But Nina wasn’t at all nervous, he could tell from the absolutely fantastic way she smelled, so he figured that was all right. When they got to the actual act—well, things had lasted a lot longer. So maybe there was a happy medium. A ratio between foreplay and— play.
He felt his smile spread. He’d have to spend a lot of time experimenting, finding that perfect balance. That could take a while. Glancing down, he felt a warm welling in his chest. His mate looked wonderful this morning, her dark, glossy hair tangled, her pink cheeks enhancing the luminous green of her eyes, and her clothes— Perfect.
She’d tied her torn blouse together, just under her breasts. It was a particularly nice look on her. He could just see the black lace of her bra peeking out. She’d had a jacket that she wanted to put on over it, but he tucked that into the bag with the bed. Simple male pride demanded that this particular tradition be observed. Visual confirmation that the mating had occurred.
But Nina in nothing but her skin? Breathtaking. Every satiny inch of her. All ivory skin, full breasts and long, long legs. He hummed to himself as they made their way to the bridge.
“Boaz, what is that song you keep humming?” He’d been humming it on and off all morning. For the life of her, Nina couldn’t place it. It was driving her crazy.
He turned to her, a brilliant smile on his handsome face. Her heart flipped over. It was hard to believe this man was hers. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that she’d never seen before, taking years off his normally stoic continence.
“She Blinded Me— With Science!”
The announcement was made in such a ridiculously fake voice, Nina stopped dead. She just stared at him. And her mouth might have been hanging open.
“You don’t know that song?” He seemed genuinely surprised.
“No.” She shook her head for emphasis.
“It’s the first thing I thought of when I saw you in your lab coat. Especially since, you know, we were kind of expecting you to be a man.”
Nina was still trying to process that when he gave her his new full smile and started singing, his eyes lit with a teasing gleam.
Apparently, the girl in the song was poetry in motion, as well as a lot of other complimentary things. And Boaz was singing it to her as if he thought she was those things too. It was a cute song, sweet and a little silly. Although, how someone could be blinded by science, she had no idea. When he got to the song title again, singing it this time, the tune was so ridiculous it almost made her laugh. But Boaz, all playful like this? It was adorable.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“No. There’s a girl in the video wearing a lab coat, and when I saw you that first time— Here, I’ll google it.”
He pulled a phone out of his back pocket—her phone, she noted, feeling her eyes narrow—and typed something into the screen. Sure enough, a music video came on with a woman in a white lab coat who looked a bit like Nina. She had her hair up in a French twist, and was wearing similar glasses to the ones Nina used in the lab.
“Boaz, you are full of surprises. I had no idea you liked 80s rock.”
He just smiled his little half-smile and passed over her phone. She took it silently, staring down at its sleek surface. The playful mood of the moment before was gone. This was it. Proof she really wasn’t a prisoner anymore.
“Thanks.” Her voice was quiet.
She gave Boaz a sideways glance, feeling awkward for the first time that morning. She didn’t regret last night. Not at all. And this morning had been glorious. Touching him. Running her hands all over him. It was hard to think of having Boaz at her side as a cross to bear. But becoming his mate had been the cost of her freedom, and having the evidence suddenly thrust in her face was disquieting.
“Call Eva. Tell her we’re coming.”
“Good idea.” She pressed Eva’s number and tried to push away her sudden change in mood. Fortunately, Eva answered on the first ring.
“Nina! How are you?”
She couldn’t help smiling at her sister’s enthusiastic greeting. “I’m fine, Eva. How are you?”
“I’m feeling great. Don’t you worry about me. I’m just so glad you’re finally taking some time for yourself for a change.”
“Well, that’s the thing, Eva. I’ve… um—” She glanced at Boaz. How to say this? “I’ve met someone.”
“Oh, Nina, I knew it! Is he the one who took that beautiful picture of you?”
“Yes. He did. And, um… well…” She cast another quick glance at Boaz, who looked just the teensiest bit concerned. A reluctant smile formed on her lips. “Well, he’s pretty special. And I’m bringing him to meet you.”
“You are? When? This is so great!”
Nina felt herself grinning. Her sister sounded a full decade younger than her thirty years. Nina could picture her dancing around the kitchen like a little kid. “We’re leaving soon. We’ll be there in a few hours.”
“Really?” Eva’s voice went up a full octave, making Nina laugh. It was going to be so good to see her.
“Really. I can’t wait to see you.”
She hung up a few moments later feeling much better. They had reached the bridge and Nina held up the phone enquiringly. But she was right. He gave her a little chin lift indicating she should keep it. As she tucked it into her back pocket, Boaz took her hand again. She smiled up at him. Somehow, everything seemed okay again.
When they reached the other side, instead of leading her towards the house as she’d expected, he led her around toward the back yard. She glanced up at him but his face gave nothing away, except for that tiny smile hovering just at the corner of his lips.
They rounded the house and Nina’s mouth dropped open. A baby blue convertible—a BMW—sat in the driveway, the back bumper festooned with streamers and paper cups tied to white ribbon. A large sign covered the trunk.
JUST MATED
She turned to Boaz. “Did you do this?”
He shook his head, gazing at the car. “Elizabeth. Had to be.”
As if he had conjured her, the entire pack came boiling out of the back d
oor, Elizabeth at the lead, closely followed by Cray and Lucas. Lyla, arm-in-arm with Mari, and Aaron were right behind them, but Nina noticed the rest of the pack seemed to hang back a bit. Beside her, Boaz tensed, but Elizabeth ignored him and came right over to Nina, pulling her into a hug.
“Welcome to the pack, Nina. I’m so sorry you have to leave right away. We were hoping to get to know you.” She released her. “But Aaron told us your sister is sick, so of course you have to go. I didn’t know what you would want to pack, so we packed everything.” She indicated Mari and Lyla as she said that, and the two women joined them. “Everything is in the trunk.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. “I let Aaron pack for Boaz, so I have no idea what he ended up with.”
Nina felt her eyes well. “Thank you. All of you. That was so nice. You’ve all been so good to me. You’ll never know how much that meant.”
“Oh, nonsense. We women stick together.” Elizabeth waved a hand. “So, I’m not sure what the protocol is, should we say congratulations?” She glanced at the other two women.
“I’ll say it.” Lyla came forward and hugged her, kissing her cheek. “Congratulations, Nina. Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you.” This time she barely got the words out around the lump in her throat. She was part of the family?
Elizabeth moved in as Lyla stepped back, pulling Mari with her and joining them all together in a little huddle. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “So, Nina, tell us. How was it? Was it okay? Are you okay? Cause if not, I think the four of us can take him.”
She glanced over at Boaz. “Well, maybe with Aaron and Cray,” she amended, and they all laughed.
“But really, was it okay? Do you have, I don’t know, questions or anything?”
Nina couldn’t hold back her smile. “It was lovely. Really lovely. Candlelight and rose petals, lovely.”
“Wow. Full service treatment. Go, Boaz.” Elizabeth glanced at Boaz and straightened.
“Rut roe. Boaz looks like he’s ready to blow a gasket.”
Nina glanced over, and sure enough Boaz was standing rigidly, his fist clenched at his sides. Behind him Aaron, Cray and Lucas stood in a line, and behind them the rest of the guys stood well back. The unmated males. That fact registered with a start.
“You guys better go,” Elizabeth continued, echoing her thoughts. “The guys don’t like their mates around other males for the honeymoon period. At least until the full moon.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “Makes them a little crazy.” She rolled her eyes.
“Make sure you remove the sign before you leave the territory. We just wanted to give you a good send off.” She shrugged. “Make it as normal as we could, I guess. Get my number from Boaz and call me anytime, okay?” She gave her another quick hug and stepped back.
And just that fast she was hugging the other women, and waving as she drove away with Boaz in the convertible. The cups and streamers trailed behind them, floating along in their wake, graceful and festive. Boaz noticed her gaze and glanced back.
“That’s what humans do when they’re married,” he said.
“Yes,” she agreed, touched that the women had done this for her, marked the occasion, and commemorated it in a way that would be familiar to her.
At the end of the driveway, Boaz stopped and waited there. A moment later, Jesse trotted out from the trees wearing nothing but running shorts. Wow. Long, and lanky, and golden brown. He was a sight to behold. She half-turned in her seat to get a better look.
“Nina.”
Whoops. Nina jerked her gaze forward at Boaz’s tone. Not a happy camper, apparently. His knuckles were white where they gripped the steering wheel.
“I promised I wouldn’t growl at you.” His voice was flat and even.
“Right. I was just… surprised…” She trailed off. Probably anything she could say at this point would make things worse.
“He’s taking the sign.”
“Oh.” She left it at that.
But when Boaz pressed the button on the remote and drove through the gate, Nina glanced in the rearview mirror and waved. No need to be rude, after all. Standing in the middle of the driveway, holding the sign in one hand, Jesse waved back. Boaz grunted but didn’t say anything.
They drove in silence for a long while before Boaz spoke.
“Do you want to be married? In the human way?”
She felt her heartbeat quicken. Was he really— proposing? That was not a proposal, right? She stared at him, but he stared resolutely ahead, not taking his eyes off the road.
“We can do that. If you want.” His jaw looked tight as he said it, but his tone was completely neutral. Nina watched in amazement as a slight flush crept across his cheeks.
He glanced at her then, out of the corner of his eye, and Nina would swear he looked nervous. He stared back at the road and continued. “It wouldn’t be legal. I can’t do that blood test thing. But we could have the ceremony.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Invite your friends. And Eva.”
“Boaz, are you asking me to marry you?”
“Um.” He swallowed again. “Yes?”
She felt a rush of tenderness for him. This strong, silent man who wanted so much to make her happy. “Boaz, I would love to marry you.”
He looked at her then, the new open, happy smile on his face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She held his gaze for another second, feeling her own smile spread across her face as a thrill of happiness coursed through her. “I would love that.”
Boaz turned back to road. “Good then.”
Nina smiled to herself, a little bubble of joy expanding in her chest. It looked like she was going to be planning a wedding. She rubbed a hand down the buttery soft leather of the interior, everything seeming fresh and new in the late morning light. The tops of the trees flashed by overhead and the whole world seemed to open around her.
“Boaz, this is a really nice car,” she said suddenly. “I didn’t know you drove a convertible.” She was learning all kinds of things about Boaz.
“Do you like it? I got it for our trip. Our… honeymoon.”
“Really?” She stroked the leather upholstery. “Wow. You know how to travel in style.”
He grinned at her. “Road trip.”
He reached for the radio dial and paused. “I got us a reservation for the honeymoon suite in downtown Syracuse too. I hope that’s okay. That’s near your sister, right?”
“That’s perfect, Boaz.” Her heart swelled. “Thank you.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand, that new, soft smile on his face. After that they drove in silence.
They entered the outskirts of Syracuse a few hours later. “Do you want to check in first, or go straight to your sister?” Boaz glanced at her, his gaze assessing.
Nina sucked in a breath. “I think I need to see Eva first. Is that okay?”
“Of course. The quicker you give her blood, the better.”
She stared at him. “What?”
“You need to give her blood, right? It’s a blood disease.”
“Boaz.” She paused, not sure what to say. “I need to give her stem cells. Ordinary blood is not going to save her.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. You should give her blood. Now. Today.”
Nina didn’t say anything. Just stared at him until he glanced over at her.
“Really. We’re bonded now. Your blood will help her. The bite that unites. From the old nursery rhyme.”
“The nursery rhyme?”
Boaz felt his own uncertainties rise at her obvious skepticism. It was only a nursery rhyme. But it just seemed so obvious to him. Maybe it wouldn’t cure her, but it should help until they could get her the stem cells. “Some of my essence traveled into you during the bonding process.”
“Yeah. I noticed that part.”
Boaz rolled his eyes, but he felt a smile tugging at his lips. “When I bit you,” he clarified. “Through the bite.”
He sighed
and sucked in a breath. And then feeling like an idiot, started reciting the old rhyme.
“For the People are sacred,
And follow the Law.
We share with our mates,
Our essence so raw,
With the bite that unites us,
Still, the bond holds us all.”
“There’s more,” he said, “but that’s the part about the transfer of essence. You can feel it happening. Well, I could feel it.”
He flushed slightly, not wanting to bring up the whole misunderstanding around the bite. But he had promised himself he would do anything he could for his mate, and helping her sister was on the top of that list.
He drew in a breath and tried again. “My body—my blood—People blood—can fight off just about any human disease out there. The only thing we are susceptible to is the Sickness. Which she doesn’t have. Right?”
“Right.” Nina didn’t look convinced, but she was listening.
“And now you have a little bit of my essence in your blood. Through the bite. I think it’s worth it to try.”
“Well, Boaz… that actually makes a little bit of sense. I think.” She shrugged. “I mean, it wouldn’t if I wasn’t her blood type. But I am, so—”
And then she gave him such a sweet smile, it made his chest feel tight. “But you’re right. It’s definitely worth a try.”
Boaz glanced down at her enticing cleavage, that delectable lace bra just peeking out under her tied shirt. “But maybe we should check in first. Clean up a little.”
Nina glanced down at herself. “Right.” She shook her head. “One day you are going to have to explain about that.”
Boaz just smiled.
Three days later, Nina laughed while Eva danced around the apartment.
“I can’t believe it! Look at these numbers! Look at my blood count!” She waved the printout of her latest lab results. “Nina! Can you believe it? That last marrow graft must have taken after all.”
“I think you’re right, Eva. It must have. This is such good news. We have to go out to dinner and celebrate.”
A Mating of Convenience Page 16