by Jae
“Hey, impressionable teenager here,” Danny said, using his voice to get their attention. Then he switched to signing. “Can you spray your pheromones when I’m not around?”
Rue jerked back from Kelsey and pressed the root beer bottle to her flushed cheek. “Sorry,” she said, more to Kelsey than to Danny.
Kelsey nodded. “I’ll be here all month. We’ve got time.”
Rue reached for Kelsey’s hand again, and they watched the rest of the documentary together.
Chapter 70
Amazing how many of Kelsey’s things had dispersed themselves around the house in the last six weeks. Her favorite pair of shoes had been left in Danny’s room after the last shifting lesson. A stack of her books balanced on the coffee table, and a photo of Garrick and her parents shared space on the mantle with photos of Rue’s grandfather and her parents.
The guest room had stopped being called “the guest room” weeks ago. Now it was just Kelsey’s room. Yeah, and that’s part of why you need to leave now. Since coming back to North Carolina, she and Rue hadn’t shared a room—or a bed. For the first few weeks, Kelsey had waited patiently, knowing Rue needed time. She had trusted Rue as her alpha to take the initiative whenever she was ready.
But week after week had gone by, and nothing had happened. Rue seemed to enjoy her company, and when they cuddled on the couch, her scent left no doubt that she wanted Kelsey. Yeah, but maybe she doesn’t want me enough to deal with being in a long-term relationship with a Wrasa.
Kelsey didn’t know what to make of the situation. In New York, they had come together when adrenaline and emotions had been running high. Maybe now that things had calmed down, the passion between them had been snuffed out—at least for Rue.
Maybe it’s better this way. Even if I wanted to stay, Madsen wouldn’t allow it. She kept repeating the words but couldn’t make herself believe them.
Tears gathered in her eyes as she walked around the room, picked up her things, and stuffed them into her suitcase. Finally, she zipped the suitcase closed and carried it downstairs. Now she needed to figure out a way to say good-bye to Danny without breaking down. She didn’t want to even think about saying good-bye to Rue.
Keys jingled outside, and then the front door swung open.
Kelsey set the suitcase down and greedily inhaled the scent of ocean air and pine trees sweeping into the house.
Rue grinned when she saw Kelsey standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Honey, I’m home,” she called teasingly.
Odo bounded over from the living room, whining and yodeling with joy, acting as if he hadn’t seen Rue in weeks. His tail went crazy as he licked her hands.
Kelsey wanted to greet her the same way—well, maybe not lick her hands, but she wanted to gaze at Rue with the same adoration and swear life-long loyalty. To a human. Even now that humans and Wrasa were living together more openly, it was crazy, but her heart had found peace with it.
Finally, Rue freed herself of Odo’s enthusiastic greeting and walked over to Kelsey.
In an open vest and a light blue blouse, its sleeves rolled halfway up her arms, she looked devastatingly beautiful. Her blond hair was mussed from the hard hat she must have worn at work, and Kelsey was tempted to run her fingers through Rue’s locks to straighten them. She curled her fingers into fists. Don’t make this even harder on yourself.
Frowning, Rue pointed at the suitcase. “What’s that?”
For a moment, Kelsey thought she wouldn’t be able to speak past the lump in her throat, but then she managed to say, “My suitcase.”
Rue swallowed audibly. She looked up from the suitcase and into Kelsey’s eyes. “But…”
Kelsey steeled herself not to react to the pain in Rue’s blue eyes. “I’m sorry, but the six weeks Madsen gave me are up.”
“What? No, that can’t be. It’s just been…” Rue counted on her fingers and then paled.
Kelsey bent down to pick up her suitcase, but Rue was faster.
She gripped the suitcase and pulled it out of Kelsey’s reach. “I don’t care about the six weeks. You can’t go. Danny needs you.”
Danny. Yeah, this is all about Danny, isn’t it? Not about me and you. Kelsey bit her lip. They both knew that Danny had learned a lot in the last six weeks and would be fine without her. Kelsey stepped around Rue and reached for the suitcase, but Rue didn’t let go.
Both gripping the suitcase’s handle, they wrestled for the piece of luggage until they were out of breath. Kelsey was stronger, but Rue was more determined and hung on. Sweat broke out all over Rue’s body. The tantalizing scent of it made Kelsey’s attempts to break free weaken.
Rue used the moment to snatch the suitcase away and threw it halfway across the foyer. “You can’t go,” she repeated.
As a nederi, Kelsey should have just bowed to Rue’s wishes, but she couldn’t. In this, she needed them to be equals. She looked into Rue’s eyes. “Why should I stay?”
“We agreed to raise Danny together.”
“Yes, but that was before…” Kelsey bit her lip. Before I fell in love with you. She didn’t want to be just a co-parent to Rue. If that was all Rue could give her, Kelsey needed some time and distance to deal with that. “Danny knows I’m just a phone call away whenever he needs me.”
“It’s not just because of Danny. It’s because…” Rue dragged her hands through her hair. “Well, because your place is here. Please, don’t run away.”
Kelsey slowly shook her head. “I’m not running. I’m protecting my heart by walking away from a situation that would hurt me in the long run. I made do with half-measures and compromises for most of my life, but I can’t do that with you.” With Rue, she wanted everything. “I’m sorry.” She forced herself to break contact with Rue’s intense blue eyes and turned to fetch her suitcase from the foyer.
Rue grabbed her arm before she could take even one step. “Don’t go. Stay. Please.”
Kelsey turned back around. “Why?”
Their gazes met. Rue’s eyes were the color of the ocean on a stormy day. “Because I need you. I want us to be together—as a couple.”
With the suitcase between them gone, they stood just inches from each other, breathing hard.
Kelsey stared into Rue’s face, which was flushed from their earlier struggle.
Rue stood still, as if shocked by her own words; only her chest was heaving.
Still keeping eye contact, Kelsey pressed forward until their bodies were flush against each other. Their heat and their scents mingled. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. Maybe that’s part of what’s scaring me so much.” Rue’s voice was rough with emotion. She cleared her throat and then switched to signing. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Kelsey signed back. She wove her fingers through Rue’s unruly hair, pulled her closer, and kissed her hungrily, for the first time in her life claiming what was hers instead of being the one claimed.
Rue parted her lips and passionately kissed her back.
The taste of her made Kelsey moan. Her fingers slid out of Rue’s hair and down her neck.
Rue wrapped her arms around Kelsey’s hips and pulled her even closer. Their breasts pressed against each other, making both of them groan. Rue took control of the kiss, sliding her tongue against Kelsey’s in a hot caress.
Minutes later, Kelsey found herself on the other side of the foyer, with her back against the door and Rue pressed against her.
“So you’ll stay?” Rue whispered against Kelsey’s stinging lips.
Kelsey drank in the scent of her breath and struggled to clear her head enough to have a rational conversation. “I might be court-martialed if I don’t show up in Boise.” The pressure of Rue’s leg between hers nearly made her forget why being court-martialed was not on her list of things to do.
Rue kissed her neck. “Quit your job. Being a Saru is not a good fit for you anyway.”
“But being here is?” Kelsey asked even thou
gh her heart already knew the answer.
“Yes, it is,” Rue said with the confidence of an alpha.
Kelsey sighed. “I wish it were that easy. Madsen won’t let me go. He wants to pull the strings on his public-relations puppet.”
“He can do that while you’re here too. We’ll get Jorie and your father to talk him into transferring you to North Carolina.”
“But that would mean having Saru around all the time, watching our every move.” Kelsey searched Rue’s face. She knew how hard that was for Rue. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
“Ready? No. I’ve been struggling with this for the past few weeks. I hate to feel so out of control, like I’m not the one running my own life.”
“I know.” Kelsey hung her head.
Rue touched Kelsey’s chin with her index finger and gently guided her head up. “But you know…” She gave Kelsey a crooked grin. “What good is having control when I don’t have you?”
With tears in her eyes, Kelsey pressed her lips against Rue’s, letting their connection and their mingling scent soothe away the pain, doubts, and confusion of the last few weeks.
Rue nibbled on her lips and then moved back a few inches. She placed her hands on Kelsey’s hips and spread her fingers as if wanting to touch as much of her as possible. “Does that mean you’ll stay?”
“I’ll stay,” Kelsey whispered.
“Good.” Rue kicked the suitcase out of the way and led Kelsey upstairs.
The guest room went back to being a guest room.
Epilogue
Kelsey opened the door and stuck her head into the woodshop. The scents of oak, birch, and cherry brushed over her nose, mixing with the spicy undertone of Rue’s scent. Kelsey stepped farther into the woodshop so she could breathe in more of that scent. “Where’s Danny? I thought he was helping you?”
“He was, but he went over to the house half an hour ago. Said he needed to practice for tonight.”
Kelsey swallowed. Tonight would be the first time they took Danny to the woodlot to shift in a more natural habitat. And they would try to get him to join the pack howl even though he couldn’t hear their chorus. She hoped the method they had used with Garrick would work for Danny too.
Rue put down her chisel and walked over to her. “You’re not nervous, are you? He’ll do just fine. You practiced shifting with him so often that I rarely got to see you in your human form in the last two weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I love your wolf form too, but there are some things that I’d rather do with you in human form.” She wrapped her arms around Kelsey and pressed their bodies together.
“You’ve seen plenty of my human form in all stages of undress,” Kelsey said.
“Are you complaining?”
“Great Hunter, no!” Kelsey cuddled closer.
Rue’s eyes fluttered shut. “Mmm. You feel good.”
Kelsey’s body instantly reacted to their closeness. She buried her face against Rue’s neck and pressed her lips against the soft skin. “And you smell good.”
“Do I?” Rue’s tone was teasing. “I might be convinced to let you sniff every inch of my body later tonight if you finally tell me what you said to Danny and his friends the first time you met them.” Her breath caressed Kelsey’s ear, making her shiver.
As always, Kelsey struggled not to just abandon every bit of control to Rue. “I could tell you, but I think I’d rather show you what we talked about.” She took one of Rue’s hands and slid it up her body until it rested on Kelsey’s breast.
The ringing of Rue’s cell phone made them both groan.
Rue let her head fall forward against Kelsey’s shoulder. “I need to take that. I bet it’s Stuart Weber from Weber Homes, wanting to talk about that business deal I was proposing.”
“It’s all right.” Kelsey stepped back and leaned against the workbench to watch Rue.
“Hello, Mr. Weber,” Rue said into the phone, clearly struggling to sound professional.
Kelsey grinned, but her smile slowly vanished as she listened to the conversation.
“Oh, you’re in town this week? Great, then let’s talk about it over dinner.”
“I’m only here until tomorrow,” the man on the other end of the line said. “So how about tonight?”
Rue pressed her lips together. Their gazes met.
No, Rue. Come on. Tonight is so important to Danny. Kelsey wanted to wrench the phone from Rue’s hand, but, of course, she didn’t. It was Rue’s decision to make.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Weber,” Rue said. “Tonight’s not a good time for me. I’m going to my son’s…concert.”
“Oh, I didn’t know your son’s a musician. What kind of instrument does he play?” Weber asked.
Rue smiled. “No instrument. He’s doing the vocals.”
Kelsey pressed her hands to her mouth to suppress a giggle. Vocals indeed. She just hoped Danny’s “concert” would be a success.
* * *
Kelsey held on to Rue’s hand while she balanced on one foot, then the other, to take off her shoes and socks. Hand in hand, they walked deeper into the forest. Moonlight filtered through the leafy canopy. She dug her bare toes into the damp earth and walked with her eyes closed, letting herself be guided by her ears and nose—and by Rue’s sure touch.
An owl screeched from its perch above them. A small animal rustled in the scrub, making Kelsey’s ears flex in a useless attempt to flick in that direction. She let the night air wash over her senses. Minty herbs, newly grown grass, and tree sap mingled with the aroma of peanuts, ocean, and pines. Her pack’s scent. Kelsey smiled.
Someone touched her arm.
Kelsey opened her eyes.
Danny was trotting next to her. His eyes glowed in the darkness. He waved her toward a moonlit spot between two trees, where she could see his signing.
Kelsey let go of Rue’s hand and followed him.
“I bet I can shift faster than you,” he signed.
“It’s not a contest, Danny. You’re still learning.”
“Yeah, still. You said I’m a quick learner.”
Kelsey smiled. “You are.” Just as competitive as his mother. And his father.
Danny’s gaze darted away from her signing hands. A whine rose from his chest when Rue moved too far ahead.
“Come on.” Kelsey raced side by side with him until they had caught up with Rue.
When they reached their clearing, Rue settled down on a moss-covered tree stump and waited while Danny and Kelsey undressed. “I feel like the leader of some weird cult,” Rue said, but her gaze never left Kelsey as one piece of clothing after the other landed on the forest floor.
Kelsey’s chuckles were drowned out by Danny’s groans. He grunted and shivered but couldn’t yet reach the speed of an adult’s transformation, so Kelsey kept the rising image of her own wolf at bay.
When finally the lanky black pup stood before her in the moonlight, eyes shining and ears perked, vibrating with eagerness, she dropped to her hands and knees in front of Rue and leaned up just as Rue leaned down.
Their lips met in a short, tender kiss.
Keeping eye contact, Kelsey let her wolf rise to the surface and shifted.
A barrage of scents and sounds rained down on her. Then one voice drowned out everything else. “Kelsey!”
Her ears flicked in the direction of her alpha’s voice. She sniffed her hand and gave it a few enthusiastic licks. The salty taste was addictive. When the alpha buried her fingers into the thick fur on her ruff, she placed her chin on the alpha’s knee and squeezed her eyes shut in contentment.
Leaves blew to all sides as the pup bounded up to them on gangly legs. Whining and yipping, he nudged the alpha with his black nose. He pounced at imaginary mice, then spray-marked the red oak next to the stump before he raced back to them. Tail wagging, he dropped to his forequarters and bounced back up again. With a sharp bark, he sprinted off.
Kelsey gave chase, and they raced through the forest, tumbling through piles of leaves,
splashing through puddles.
Finally, it was time to return, and she led the pup back to the clearing.
The pup pressed close to the alpha.
The alpha sat looking at them, waiting. She tipped back her head and indicated for the wolves to do the same. When they did, the alpha raised her human muzzle skyward and released a long howl.
Kelsey joined her mate immediately. An answering howl came from the edge of the forest, where two wolves guarded them.
After a moment, the pup lifted his nose too, but no howl erupted from his throat.
Kelsey pressed against his flank, letting him feel the vibrations.
Another howl joined the chorus, thin at first, then quickly becoming stronger, completing the pack’s song.
The pup!
Joy flowed through her as their voices wound around each other, each with a different pitch, rising and falling like the waves on a beach, bound together by the alpha’s scent of ocean and pines.
###
Glossary of Shape-shifter Terms
Arin: “heart.” Pet name, the Wrasa equivalent of “sweetheart.”
Kasari: “saffron-colored.” Lion shape-shifters.
Maharsi: “great seer.” Dream seer
Natak: “lord,” “master.” Title of a pride regent
Nederi: “under.” A subordinate, lower-ranking member of a pack or pride. Humans call it “omega.”
Puwar: “fire.” Tiger shape-shifters
Rtar: “red.” Fox shape-shifters
Saru: “hunter.” A shape-shifter law enforcement unit that guards their secret existence. Saru is also the rank of simple Saru soldiers.
Syak: “together.” Wolf shape-shifters
Wrasa: “living being,” “creature,” “men.” The species of shape-shifters
About Jae
Jae grew up amidst the vineyards of southern Germany. She spent her childhood with her nose buried in a book, earning her the nickname “professor.” The writing bug bit her at the age of eleven. For the last seven years, she has been writing mostly in English.