by Vivian Wood
She shifted into her wolf form in a blink, and Jasper lost his breath just looking at her. Her coat was a stunning chestnut streaked with deep chocolate hues, with the delicately powerful features of a timber wolf. Strong, graceful, and swift; that was his incredible mate.
Maddie looked up at him, impatient. Jasper chuckled and crouched down, drawing on his wolf to shift forms. As quick as he thought his command, he felt the shift resonate through his bones. His paws hit the ground, snowy white with a few black highlights. He was always amazed that his pelt should be so clean at the start of every shift. By the time he was done, it was usually streaked with mud and who knew what else.
Maddie barked at him, waiting just long enough for him to look up before taking off into the trees. Jasper stretched and shook out his coat, giving her a brief head start before following. Maddie had started at a trot, so he could still hear her ahead. Soon that wasn’t enough for her, and Jasper instinctively broke into a full run when she did.
She was fast, but Jasper was more powerful. He couldn’t run abreast of her in such dense woods, so he satisfied himself with running just behind her. Maddie never glanced back at him, merely increasing her speed to an all-out sprint that had Jasper working hard to follow. Their surroundings were little more than a blur now, everything fading into the background and leaving Jasper focused on nothing but his breathing and his mate.
The tree line broke suddenly, falling away behind them as they ran. Tall grass rose up around them, slowing their run until they came out onto a vast green plain that stretched for more than a mile. Maddie slowed to a halt, and Jasper followed suit. They both stared for a long time, just taking in the verdant scenery.
To their right was a small lake, maybe half a mile long and a quarter mile wide. At the end Jasper could make out a huge but crumbling stone structure. In front of them was a seemingly endless stretch of gently rolling hills, their soft green only broken by dappled stones peeking out of the earth here and there. To the left a gray gravel road stood out in stark relief against the green, close to them now but vanishing behind a hill less than a quarter of a mile out.
Maddie came over to Jasper, brushing the length of her body against his own to get his attention. Jasper eyed her, already knowing what she would want. The castle beckoned him as it would her, but there was no point in exploring it in their wolf forms. They’d need to be able to climb over large stones, to balance themselves, to see things from higher than the ground. Their wolves couldn’t do that.
When Maddie turned and headed for the gravel road, Jasper trailed her. They followed the road back at a trot, in no particular hurry. The road twisted and turned a good bit to avoid the larger hills and skirt the wooded areas, but eventually it led back to the main gate where Jasper had parked the car. Maddie led the way back to the little clearing they’d found, and they both shifted.
“You always hear about the Highlands and how beautiful they are, but you never hear about the Lowlands,” Maddie commented as she tugged her shirt down over her head.
“I was thinking that it’s no wonder they used to think this place had fairies and Loch Ness monsters and whatever else. The place is so green and fresh and alive, it’s practically glowing with magic,” Jasper said. Lacing his shoes, he stood up.
Maddie was looking at him, a bemused expression on her face.
“What?” he asked, looking down and brushing off his jeans.
“Nothing,” she said, holding out a hand to him. Jasper took it, and they were quiet on the walk back to the car.
Once they reached their rental, Jasper pulled the car through the gate and onto the gravel road. It was only a few minutes’ drive to where they’d come out of the woods earlier. Following the gravel road for a bit longer, they found that it came around to the far side of the loch they’d seen earlier. Jasper found a nice, flat place to park the car about a quarter mile from the castle ruins and they got out, eyes feasting on the scenic view.
Jasper and Maddie grabbed the stuff they’d gathered during their errands. From their bed and breakfast, they’d brought backpacks and warmer clothing, plus a couple of travel pillows and light blankets. They’d even gotten a couple of down-filled sleeping bags from the reticent innkeeper.
Maddie had insisted that they stop at the Tesco grocery store in town and “pick up a few things”; they’d left with bags and bags of groceries which Maddie had spent half the car trip compacting into a large picnic basket.
“Gods, I can’t believe we’re even here,” Maddie breathed, shouldering her backpack. Jasper did the same, scooping up the picnic basket as well.
“I feel amazing right now. We waited too long between shifts,” Jasper admitted, following her as she started out along the rocky shoreline of the loch. Maddie was silent, pursing her lips.
“What?” he asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” she replied, looking out across the lake.
“Just say it.”
Maddie stopped and turned to look at him. Hip cocked, hands on the straps of her backpack, she made a tempting picture. After a moment, she took off toward the castle again.
“I need more time alone. We’re always around so many humans… airports, trains, hotels. It seems like there’s a meeting set every minute that we’re not traveling,” she said. She walked a little faster, and Jasper was right on her heels.
“You get a lot more alone time than I do,” he said, confused. “You have downtime while I’m conferring with Jace, or when I’m taking phone meetings.”
“That’s not really my point,” she said.
Maddie drifted closer to the shoreline as she walked, and the ground grew rockier as Jasper followed. They both focused on their footing for a few minutes, each thinking quietly as they went. The ruins loomed ahead, and as they came up to it their attention became absorbed by the castle.
The castle was maybe a thousand feet by a thousand feet, and several stories high on the far side from the loch. It was all dark gray stone, the same as they’d seen dotting the hillsides nearby. The front wall had come down almost completely, exposing the first few rooms. The place had been stripped of any old furnishings and cleaned out really well; a lack of broken stones and dried leaves or any other debris inside indicated that the place was actually well-maintained. A point of pride for the Edinburgh pack, if Jasper had to guess.
“Do you think the pack has blood ties to this castle?” Maddie wondered aloud, echoing Jasper’s thoughts.
“I would be willing to bet. Look how clean it’s kept,” he said, pointing to the front room.
They walked forward through a huge standing arch that must have marked the doorway to the great hall. Maddie began to move deeper into the back rooms, but Jasper hesitated.
“Madd,” he called her back. She turned, waiting.
“I don’t want to go too far in. This place is obviously well cared for, but we don’t know how structurally sound it is. There could also be some less than friendly animals in there and I don’t want to disturb them. Besides, if we pick a spot up here we’ll be able to see the stars later,” he finished, indicating one of the cleared front spaces.
Maddie nodded, reluctantly returning. Jasper moved to a large clear spot and set down the picnic basket and his backpack. Maddie dropped hers, heading back outside. Jasper took a few minutes to check the site thoroughly for animals or other vermin, then set the picnic basket up on a high free-standing boulder. When he was satisfied, he walked down to meet Maddie.
Maddie had removed her shoes and set them aside on a large rock. She stood on the edge of the loch, staring down into the water.
“Do you want alone time right now?” Jasper asked, coming to stand next to her. The last thing he wanted was to smother her, but his need to be close to her and touch her was overwhelming just this minute. Maybe that was what she’d meant, his perpetual desire for her company and her touch.
Maddie looked up at him, her brow wrinkling.
“No,” she said, not elaborating. Jasper fr
owned, frustrated.
“Here’s the thing, Madd. We’re mates now. While I’m working, you get time to go out and sightsee and shop and do whatever. You could spend that time any way you want, you know. But any time I’m not working, I want to be with you. I can’t help it.”
“Jas-“she started.
“Let me finish,” he said, cutting her off. “I’m always going to want you, to be with you. Always. We need to find a solution to this now, because we’re in this for life. And a shifter lifetime, well… that’s a century for us. So we’d better figure it out now.”
Maddie’s expression shifted from bewildered to mildly pissed, and Jasper gave her a stern look.
“Don’t even think of suggesting that we stop our mission. We need this coalition against the Legion, and you know it as well as I do. Your need for alone time comes after that,” he said, crossing his arms. It was probably the crossed arms that did him in.
“Shut up!” Maddie shouted, suddenly reaching out and pushing him off balance.
Jasper tipped over and went down like a stone, hitting the water with an undignified squawk and a huge splash. The water was cold as ice, and Jasper was flinging curses as he surfaced. Spluttering, he wiped the water from his face and gaped up at his furious mate.
“What the hell?” he shouted, rising and wading toward her.
“You haven’t been listening to me at all!” she said, pointing an accusatory finger.
“You just pushed me into the lake! And for what? Because I won’t leave you alone?” Jasper snapped, chest heaving.
“You are so thick sometimes, I swear!”
Jasper opened his mouth to argue, but Maddie stepped forward into the water and pushed at his chest again. He swayed a little this time, but didn’t come close to falling again.
“I want to be alone WITH you. Not by myself!” she said, exasperated.
It took a few seconds for Maddie’s words to pierce the wall of Jasper’s anger. When everything clicked, he was dumbstruck. She was right; he hadn’t been listening at all.
“You want to be alone with me,” Jasper repeated, feeling sheepish.
“Yes. I am tired of running at full spring from one airport to another. I know this mission is important, and I don’t want to stop. In fact, I want to help you more. I need us to take some more time for ourselves, though. No one works seven days a week,” she said.
“An alpha does,” Jasper said instantly, bitterness in his tone. The pain of giving up his alpha status was still fresh; the fact that it was his own decision and that it had been the best thing for the pack dulled but did not eliminate his suffering.
“Jas,“she said softly, her hand coming to rest on his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said, running a hand through his sopping-wet hair. “Except…”
“Except what?” Maddie asked softly, concerned.
“Except this!” Jasper said, swiftly scooping Maddie up in his arms. She barely had time to protest before he dropped her into the stinging-cold water of the loch. Maddie came up flailing and gasping, shocked by Jasper’s revenge.
“You!” she shouted, trying to gain her footing. Jasper looked on with a smirk, which only aggravated her more. She swiped her hand across the water’s surface, splashing him anew.
“Is that how you want to play it?” he asked, a grin spreading across his face. Maddie finally stood up, but Jasper tackled her at the waist and pushed her deeper into the water. She held onto him as she went down, pulling him into the water.
“Sonofa-“she said before her face was submerged again. They wrestled wildly, the coldness of the water fading away as their movements started to warm their blood. Jasper got Maddie around the waist again, raising her high and then dunking her into the water. She elbowed him in the back, satisfied when he released her with a grunt. They backed away from each other, glaring as they splashed each other with varying techniques.
Maddie made a break for the shore, but Jasper grabbed her and dragged her back. She pummeled him with her fists, the movement futile as he didn’t even seem to notice her protests. His arms went around her waist as if to dunk her again, but this time he reached up to her shoulder blades and pulled her against his chest.
“Let go!” Maddie insisted, but Jasper only tightened his hold.
“Maddie,” he said, leaning down to brush his lips over the sensitive pulse point on her neck.
Maddie tensed, but she stopped fighting him. Jasper leaned back, looking down into her face. His hands came up to cup her jaw, holding her as if some precious artifact. He tipped her chin up so that their gazes locked, his eyes searching hers intently.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he asked, his tone soft.
He expected her to squirm in his arms or crack a joke, but she didn’t. Her face reflected back the same seriousness and devotion that he felt, and seeing it knocked the wind from him. She reached up, slipping her arms around his neck.
“So much that sometimes you feel like it’s crushing you?” Maddie asked in a whisper.
Jasper furrowed his brow, worried.
“Do you regret taking me as a mate? I know I can be hard sometimes,” he said.
“Not for a second,” Maddie answered, her voice resolute.
“Not even when we fight?”
“Not when we fight. Not when we’re in our thousandth airport for the week. Not when we’re ages overdue for a shift. Never, one second, ever. My only regret is that we took so long to find our way back to one another. All those years we wasted,” she said, reaching up to press a kiss against the corner of his mouth.
Jasper gave a little growl as he turned her head, catching the end of her kiss and lengthening it. Her lips softened under his own, like the sweetest homecoming. Before he could deepen the kiss, though, Maddie shivered. It could have been passion, but with dusk settling all around them and the icy water lapping at their hips Jasper wasn’t willing to chance it.
“Let’s go up to the castle,” he rumbled, his voice husky with emotion and desire. Before Maddie could move, Jasper swept her up in his arms as if she were as light as a child.
As he turned to wade back to shore, his mind was full of plans to show his mate just how deep his love for her ran.
6
Chapter Six
It didn’t take long for them to get settled in at the castle. They stripped out of their freezing clothes first, changing into the warm pajamas they’d brought along for the night. Maddie immediately set about spreading out their blankets and sleeping bags. Jasper had gone to find some kindling and wood to make a fire, and while he was getting it going Maddie made herself useful by laying out their supper.
Maddie spread out cold leg of lamb, crackers and French bread with fig preserves, a selection of sliced fruit, cold roasted potatoes, a bottle of Madeira, bottled water, and a lemon curd tart. By the time she had the plates and cups and utensils set up, her mouth was watering. She hadn’t realized how hungry she’d become.
“This looks great,” Jasper said, stepping away from the growing fire and taking his spot on the blanket.
“I’m starved,” Maddie admitted, reaching for the potatoes. They started both stacked their plates high, Shifter metabolisms driving them to eat heartily.
“That’ll teach us to shift and not at least have a protein bar after,” Jasper said, spearing a huge slice of lamb. Popping it into his mouth, he groaned appreciatively as he chewed.
“Heaven,” he moaned.
They ate in silence for a while, the fire’s crackle enough to fill the air between them. Maddie opened two bottles of water and then poured two cups of wine. They ate in comfortable silence, each mulling over their own thoughts.
Once the edge was off her hunger, a warming sense of contentment, more than just the Madeira, spread through her body. Full, she sighed and set her plate down. Leaning back on her elbows, Maddie nursed her wine and watched her mate polish off the rest of the picnic fare.
Jasper sighed and pushed his plate away, then laid down on his back with his hands behind his head. Maddie admired his long, lean form as she sipped her Madeira. Jasper glanced over at her, catching her look and smirking.
“What?” he asked, teasing.
“Nothing. Just looking,” she admitted with a shrug. She packed up the rest of the food and tucked the picnic basket to the side, sighing quietly. Jasper looked over at her, calculating.
“Come here,” he said, extending a hand to her. Maddie took it, crawling closer. He drew her down beside his body, fitting her against his muscular chest and thighs. She sighed again, tucking herself into the crook of his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. He smelled so familiar, so wonderfully male. Sweet and smoky, with a hint of cedar. They’d been mated for half a year now and she still had no idea what he did to smell so incredible; he used no cologne or scented shower products.
Taking a deep breath of his scent, she nuzzled his neck. Jasper responded instantly, his hand coming up to trace the shape of her hip. Squeezing gently, he leaned closer and sought her mouth with his own. The merest brush of his lips had Maddie opening hers to him, her tongue seeking his. He knew exactly how to kiss her to breathlessness; slow, deep thrusts of his tongue against hers. When their mouths broke apart, he nipped her bottom lip.
Maddie’s breath left her in a rush, and she slid a hand behind his head for better leverage. Knotting her fingers in his short blond hair, she brushed her breasts against his chest in an open invitation. Her mate was already slipping his hand under her shirt, his fingers skimming her hip and ribs before settling over her breast.
Maddie slung her leg up over his hip, rolling him over onto his back and straddling his hips. Jasper growled, reaching up and pulling her down to his mouth. His kiss was harder now, no easy exploration but a direct demand. Maddie gave herself over to his lips, his hands. She could feel his erection hard against the seam of her flimsy flannel pajama pants, and it excited her.