He gave a barely perceptible nod.
“Jasynta.” Blake gripped her arms. “I need you to be safe. You have to—”
“—come with you.”
Blake reeled back. “What?”
“I have to come with you,” Jasynta repeated firmly, her eyes flashing with conviction and command.
She was giving Blake what Melynda would describe as her take-no-prisoners, give-no-quarter, shrivel-your-balls-if-you-had-any look.
“You want me to take you...?”
“No. Yes. Yes!”
Blake looked stumped for a moment. He opened his mouth, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. She had to convince him to let her tag along. “The demons—they're taking witches. You said so yourself. I'm a witch. And I work long, late hours in the city. I...have to walk home alone, late at night, when the streets are deserted and demons are all about. It's very...dangerous, and rather scary, for a single lady like me. I never know who might be lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce on little ol' me. And um, sometimes, my pepper spells don't work. I ran into a thug once, and he almost got away with my handbag.” But I turned him into a mouse and set the alley cats on him.
She was exaggerating it and winging it, liberally editing her statement and testimony, but she had to go all out. If Blake was searching for the Moon Flower, he was her best bet. Blake always came through, always. But if he was looking for the Moon Flower to destroy it, then she had to get to it before him. She would just go along with him, and then—snatch it away from under his nose. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. She would have to think of a way to slow him down after she had gotten the whereabouts of the Moon Flower.
It was—deceit.
You're using him, then throwing him aside, a small voice on her right shoulder admonished. She recognized that disapproving, stern voice at once. It belonged to that small likeness of herself whose favorite accessories were white wings and a holier-than-thou halo and who was always tut-tutting in her right ear.
With an inward groan, Jasynta cocked her head to her left, and waited. As expected, she didn't have to wait long. Almost immediately, a snarky voice piped up. This was her other self speaking, the self who sported horns and a swishing tail and dressed skimpily in tight miniskirts. She felt her devilish self dig her stiletto heels into her left shoulder as she leaned seductively against her pitchfork.
Lighten up, prissy-pants, there's no need to get your panties in a wad. And speaking of panties, he did get your panties in a wad in his mouth, didn't he? The words were followed by cackling laughter.
You're twisting your words and lying to him, angelic Jasynta accused.
No, we're not. We're just twisting him around our little finger. And we have every intention of lying with him. We got ourselves a hunkalicious one here, big and ha-a-ard. I could just eat him up, horny Jasynta growled.
Slut!
Prude!
Take that back!
You take that back!
I'll teach you!
Jasynta shook her head to shut out the catfight that was taking place on her shoulders. Anita had always told her to listen to her inner voice, but that was kind of hard to do when her inner voices were constantly fighting and insulting each other. They would start squalling and squabbling at every opportunity, and scratch and pull each other's horns and halo.
Shut up, will ya? she told her two fighting selves. But since when did she ever listen to herself? Never, not even that one time when her voices were in complete agreement. They had warned her off Camron Quinn, but she had been too naive, stubborn and flattered to listen.
She blew out a sharp breath. No regrets, no distractions.
She had to concentrate on her mission. She had to find the Moon Flower, by hook or by crook.
By crook it was.
“It's not safe for me here.” She dropped her voice to a dramatic whisper. “The demons are taking witches, and I'm a witch. You said so yourself. They'll come after me next. And...you're not going to be around. It's better I come with you. You'll protect me, won't you? I feel...safe with you.”
Her last sentence wasn't a lie, and her breath caught at the realization.
She saw the conflict in Blake's eyes. “Where I'm going isn't safe...”
She pressed in. “But I'll have you. If you leave me here, alone, I'd have...”
Failed.
Jasynta swallowed. “Please, Blake.”
He stared at her for a long, long time. Finally, he said gruffly, “I'll take you with me.”
As he released a ragged breath, she heard him whisper, “I have to know you are safe.”
She felt a faint prickling at her neck. It was horny Jasynta nudging her with her pitchfork and smirking, That's right girl. You go get what you want. And get some for us all.
“I...I'll go grab my things,” she stammered, backing towards the house. “Wait for me. I won't be a minute.”
When she clattered down the stairs in her cut-off jeans, sleeveless t-shirt and hiking boots, she saw her mother and sister crowded round the front door in their pajamas. At her approach, they turned around with arched eyebrows and wide smiles.
“We heard a noise and came downstairs. And we met your friend. Why haven't you introduced him to us before?” Anita said reproachfully, but her face was relaxed. She looked pleased even.
“Blake will be taking you along?” Melynda asked. When Jasynta gave a quick nod, Melynda mouthed: To look for the Moon Flower?
Jasynta nodded again.
“That's great!” Melynda clapped her hands, mightily pleased at her choice of bodyguard. “He'll take wonderful care of you!”
“You will take good care of our Jasynta, won't you?” Anita asked, putting a hand on Blake's arm.
“I will, mam. And I'll contact the Council to ask them to assign a couple of Enforcers to keep an eye on you. It's a dangerous time for the witches in New Moon City. Stay home and keep your doors locked at night, mam.”
“Oh, we will. Thank you,” Anita beamed.
Jasynta saw the amusement in her mother's eyes. Locked doors didn't keep out the unwelcome warlocks last night.
“I suppose you two ought to get going,” Anita chirped. “Such a lovely young man. You have to bring him home for dinner, Jasynta. You must.”
Jasynta walked with Blake out the gate and turned to wave at her beaming mother and sister. From the upstairs window, she thought she saw her grandmother wink at her. But when she looked again, it was just the curtains fluttering in the open window.
Blake took her haversack from her and they walked in silence to where Blake had parked his black SUV. His car was a lot like him, solid, dependable, rugged. Blake helped Jasynta in and started the engine. Jasynta leaned back against the plush leather seats and looked out the window. As Blake drove, she squinted against the glint of the rising sun against the skyscrapers of New Moon City, and watched the city slowly awaken as they sped past.
As they neared the outskirts of the city, she turned to ask Blake quietly, “What will you do once you find the Moon Flower?” Will you really destroy it, and destroy my only hope of beating Camron Quinn and saving my coven?
There was a pause before Blake answered, “The first and most important thing we need to do is rescue the witches—hopefully before they are completely drained of their powers. I've just received a message from Zorath informing us of Deviazel's purpose in taking the witches. He's using them for demonic magick, to increase his powers in his war against Zorath's army. Deviazel has his sights on Zorath's kingdom, and I believe he's chosen to take witches from New Moon City to distract Zorath. Zorath is a PAC member, and he'll be torn between protecting his kingdom and protecting the city.”
Jasynta bit the inside of her cheek. And the Moon Flower?
“Once the witches are rescued, that cursed flower will be destroyed to close the Gateway,” Blake said through clenched teeth.
When she didn't respond, Blake shifted in his seat and asked, his tone soft, “Jasynta, is there.
..anything you want to tell me?”
“I...” She swallowed, then shook her head.
He reached over to take her hand in his large one as he drove. “Your hands are cold.” Gently, he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Don't worry about your family. I've contacted Lucas and Jett. They'll send some Enforcers over to protect your family. The PAC will make sure that they are safe. And I will make sure that you are safe.”
She winced. Being safe was the least of her worries right now.
Things were about to get complicated.
Just a single petal from the Moon Flower held immense power. All she needed was one petal.
But once the Moon Flower was destroyed, all the power would be destroyed with it. And she wouldn't be able to harness the power of the Moon Flower in her duel with Camron.
“How can I do this?” she whispered. Find the Moon Flower, save the witches and stop Blake from destroying the Moon Flower, her source of power and hope. Would she fight him, use her magick against him?
“Jasynta?”
She turned to see Blake studying her quietly.
“Jasynta, I promise that everything will be fine. Trust me.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away to press her forehead against the window. She did trust him. Blake would do the right thing. He always did.
But could she trust herself to do the same?
CHAPTER SEVEN
They had driven without stopping for the whole day and the whole night. While Jasynta dozed intermittently, Blake had kept his foot on the pedal, the wheels of his robust SUV spewing dirt and stones behind them as they sped out of the city and through rough, rocky terrain.
But this was as far as his car could take them. There was no way his heavy, sturdy vehicle could glide and pirouette between the trees. The rest of the journey would have to be made on foot.
Blake carefully parked his hardy SUV behind a bush, camouflaging it so that it was as inconspicuous as only a gleaming, polished, state-of-the-art SUV can be in the wild. Stepping back, he stared at the dense forest ahead.
He glanced back at Jasynta. She looked even smaller under her heavy haversack. He had offered to carry it for her, but she had waved him away. “I'll carry my own load,” she'd answered tersely.
She was shifting her weight nervously, her eyes anxious and searching as she tried to squint past the trees. As Blake led the way into the forest, she trudged silently and stoically after his long-legged strides. Usually gregarious and lively, Jasynta seemed occupied, her shoulders weighed down by something other than her haversack.
In the car, she had been unusually quiet and introspective, barely speaking and answering in distracted tones when spoken to. And when he tried to ask more about the Moon Flower, she had been—evasive.
During their short, strained conversation, Blake had detected the faint scent of a lie from Jasynta. If he could track a target for miles and miles, he could certainly smell a lie.
Living in New Moon City exposed Blake's acute sense of smell to all sorts of scents—some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Humans and paranormals had distinctly different scents, but the smell of greed, the smell of sin, the smell of love and lies were the same everywhere.
Why would his mate lie to him?
And what could she be lying to him about?
Blake tried to push his suspicion and troubling thoughts away. He had to focus on his task and complete his mission. He could smell it, that strange, distant scent that was so stark and so different from the myriad of surrounding scents.
Day and night smelled different to Blake's sharp, sensitive nose. The scene of a crime or an accident held vastly different smells from the scents emanating from a school, office or a loving home. Death and destruction had its own pungent, acrid stench. Even the same person emitted different smells at different times and in different situations. Anger had its own sharp smell. Happiness too had its own special scent. Even without seeing or hearing anything, Blake could tell if it was night or day simply by sniffing the air. He could certainly smell the difference between chaos and creation, night and day. Sunshine and moonlight had their own distinct smell as well. Both were powerful, but while one was crisp and straightforward, the other was quiet and insidious.
The smells of the city, of exhaust fumes, air-conditioning, greasy foods, electronics, sweat and stress were now far behind them. The scent of the wild now converged all around them, pushing back the heady scents of the city.
Blake could recognize the scents of the world around him. And this strange new scent was not of this world.
He looked back over his shoulder to check on Jasynta. She was walking with her head down, seemingly contemplating her steps and the forest floor.
He opened his mouth, then clamped it shut and continued walking. Why was he suspecting his mate of—what? Sabotage? Subterfuge? He was just being paranoid and ridiculous.
He shook his head angrily and continued pushing through the forest. She must be tired, that's all. She was a city gal, not used to the wild. She was just trying her best to be brave, and not let her discomfort show.
Snapping his mind back to his search, Blake increased his pace, never losing that strange, biting scent that was growing stronger with every step he took. He knew that there was a huge lake at the other side of the forest. And beyond that lake was a hulking, dormant volcano.
That was where his nose was leading him. Towards the volcano.
That stupid flower had better not be growing inside the volcano. Trekking up the sides of a dormant volcano was one thing. Climbing down into the crater was another thing altogether.
Blake swatted some pesky insects away from his face and neck. He reached for his bottle and drank deeply. He splashed some water on his face to cool himself down. Maybe swimming across the lake would be a welcome exercise. All shifters were comfortable with being naked, but in this heat, skinny dipping would be particularly refreshing.
An image of their sweaty, shed clothes in a pile, and Jasynta's naked, curvy body cooling off in the water flashed before his eyes.
Not helping, he growled at himself. Instead of cooling off, his body began to heat up, agitating and arousing his bear.
Keep moving, Blake. Focus! You're on the right track.
He was headed in the right direction. He was sure of it. He was an alpha bear, and he had supreme control over his animal prowess and his beast. His bear had been happy to cede control to the man—until recently.
Blake glanced back at Jasynta, and almost walked headlong into a tree. He sidestepped it just in time.
She was frowning as she trekked through the forest, swatting insects off her bare arms and legs. Her nearness, her heat, her scent was magnified in the wild. Away from the distracting, artificial smells and sounds of the city, every sound and movement she made, her entire being called to him, raw and pure. He growled at his earlier suspicion of her as he inhaled her exquisite scent. She was his mate. There was no doubt. How could he doubt his mate?
She was his honey, his sustenance, his strength and his weakness. She was his temptress and tormentor. Blake could smell the sweat on her skin, and a part of him hardened and throbbed at her unique, pulling scent. The bear had begun to pace within him and was fast losing patience. Claim her now! The bear swiped a massive paw at his insides.
As he struggled to keep walking as he grappled with his beast, she chose this time to speak, her sweet, seductive voice making him see stars. “Er, Blake?”
“Yeah?” he managed gruffly.
“Are we near...the Moon Flower?”
It was hard to think, talk and walk when the infuriating bear in him was urging him to throw her to the ground right now and mate with her, wildly, madly, repeatedly.
“Yeah.”
“Where is it?” she asked innocently.
“Beyond the lake. Near the top of the volcano.”
“So—we're not far from it.”
“No, just another day's hike.”
>
“Okay. Let's do it.”
His sex-addled animal brain did a happy dance at her words. She said let's do it! Come on, do it already!
He stopped walking suddenly to try to wrest back control of his senses. He spun round—and Jasynta walked right into him.
Jasynta gasped and staggered back. Before she lost her footing, he caught her and yanked her back to him. She didn't resist, but she didn't look at him either.
Blake held her and forced himself to see her, really see her and not just lust after her. He gingerly brushed away the leaves in her hair and looked down her fair, fleshy arms and legs, taking in the scratches and swollen insect bites. She was a city witch, a dedicated healer. She wasn't used to the wild, the rough and tumble. Here, she was sweaty, tired, uncomfortable. Yet she had insisted on coming with him. Why?
Blake's ragged breathing quietened down as he studied her. From the tempting, mouth-watering way she dressed, in her tiny shorts and clingy, sleeveless t-shirt, would he be wrong to assume that she had come out all this way—for him? He was after all her mate, and mates sought each other out. All the time. Was his voluptuous little witch in heat, but was too shy to tell him so?
He sniffed the air. No, she wasn't in heat. If she was, his bear would drive him out of his mind and body with undeniable need and uncontrollable hunger.
He regarded her intently for a long time, listening to her uneven breathing and watching her eyes dart everywhere. He breathed her in again, and this time, he scented her worry and her fear. His mate was highly stressed and troubled.
His grip tightened, and her heartbeat and breathing sped up even more.
“Jasynta,” he began slowly. “You didn't come all the way out here because you were scared of remaining in the city and being taken by the demons. What exactly are you looking for out here?” When her eyes widened, he knew that he had hit the nail on the head. “Just tell me, Jasynta. I'll help you look for it. You know you can trust me.”
Her shoulders slumped and for the first time since they left the city, she looked up at him and met his gaze unflinchingly. Her body was soft and yielding in his grip, but her eyes were steely. “I'm looking for a rare flower. It blooms just once every hundred years, each time in a different realm. It holds immense power, so much power that it can open a Gateway.”
Bear Mate: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Page 6