by Kat Bostick
“It’s okay.” Jasper snaked one hand around the back of her head and drew it to his face. He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Finally succumbing to her need to touch him, Mari wrapped tentative arms around Jasper’s waist. He joined her in the embrace, gently enfolding her in his heat. “Sweet Mari,”
Even gravelly and hoarse, his voice sent shivers through her. Mari hadn’t expected to enjoy the sound of her name on his lips quite so much, nor had she expected to feel quite so at home in his arms. And she definitely hadn’t expected him to kiss her the way he did. Now that the initial panic had subsided, Mari felt safe. Safer than she’d been in months.
Safer and more at home than she’d ever felt, really.
“Jasper?” she asked in the barest whisper.
“Mari?”
“Was I wrong to come here? Will Charlie kill me if he knows?” If he knows I have the power to curse a werewolf too.
“No.” His growl was a low vibration that she felt more than heard. “I will protect you from anyone that threatens you.”
“I didn’t know. I didn’t know I could fix it.” That was the worst of it. For two months he was miserable, trapped in his own body, and Mari could have freed him. She was so stupid. Everything she’d done for the last year was absolute stupidity.
Jasper pressed his lips to her forehead again. “Rest, little witch.” He whispered before leaving her standing alone and totally moonstruck. She almost let out a disappointed whimper when his arms released her.
The sound of the shower running snapped her out of her daze. Mari quickly slipped into her pajamas and slid under the covers. She hadn’t expected to be tired after sleeping most of the day away but concentrating so much power drained her. She only intended to get comfortable while she waited for Jasper but she was asleep before he made it out of the shower.
Mari had a dangerous amount of trust in him. It was either going to save her life or get her killed.
✽✽✽
Jasper
Jasper was desperately trying not to feel rejected. It wasn’t her fault. Of course Mari was nervous. They’d never had the opportunity to talk about their relationship, to talk about anything. That didn’t make the sting of her obvious discomfort around him any milder. He nearly crumpled at the sight of her tears. How could it be that hours earlier she was wrapped contentedly around him and now she was running away from him? Did the form that he took really make that much of a difference to her?
If it did, he would have thought things would change for the better when he was a man again. He was finally free—she had finally set him free. That was cause for celebration. Jasper could touch her with hands and kiss her breathless. They could twine their bodies together and complete their mating.
That hadn’t been his intention when he brought her back to his room. Jasper merely wanted to be alone with her, to speak her name, to feel her pressed against his skin. They’d have plenty of time for intimacy now that he wasn’t trapped. It disappointed him that Mari was suddenly so skittish. He understood her being afraid of the pack and wary of new surroundings. He couldn’t understand her being wary of him. Jasper wanted nothing more than to take care of her.
Why didn’t she recognize that?
Mari needed time to adjust. That was all. Fine, Jasper could be patient. Yes, he had spent months waiting for the moment he could finally hold her but he could wait a little longer. He would do his best not to push Mari. Too much grief weighed heavily on her soul and she needed a chance to heal.
He quietly stepped out of the bathroom to dress himself and retrieve spare bedding from the linen closet. Sleeping on the floor for her was nothing compared to sleeping in that damn car.
Seeing his mate curled up in his bed made his heart ache. It was a good ache. They were finally in pack territory, finally in his home, and she was finally tucked away under his sheets. If only he could join her, creating one more barrier between her and anything that frightened her.
Jasper arranged a blanket and pillow on the floor. Before settling down he carefully crept across the mattress and gently pressed his lips against hers, unable to resist the temptation to taste her once more.
“It’s you.” Mari’s eyelids fluttered open and she stretched her arm around his neck, taking a possessive fistful of his hair.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Kiss me.”
Jasper didn’t let his surprise keep him from obliging her. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply, only stopping when her movement softened and her breath slowed. When he pulled away Mari’s eyes were closed but her lips were curved contentedly.
“My honeysuckle,” he whispered to her, planting one more kiss on her cheek before disentangling her hand from his hair.
They would be alright. Mari was his and even in sleep, she knew that he was hers too. They would find their way. In the meantime, he would happily sleep on the floor, keeping watch so that she could rest.
Chapter 29
Mari
The delicate white petals of hawthorn flowers sparkled under a spray of azure moonlight. They sang to Mari in beautiful harmony, teaching her a song that wrapped her heart in peace like the loving arms of her mother. She had no true memory of being held by the woman who made her but in this perfect, blissful dream, she could almost believe it was real.
Then a harsh howl, guttural and agonized, shattered the sparkling blossoms into a million tiny stars that danced in her eyes. There was another howl, deeper and animalistic. Though it was a noise that should have sent chills down her spine, she rolled toward it, blinking to get a better look.
Jasper was crouched on all fours on the floor. His shoulder blades pressed up through his skin at an unnatural angle and there was a wet cracking sound as he jolted forward and cried out again. A heavy stampede in the hallway drew Mari’s attention away from him in time to see four men charge through the bedroom door, only half of whom wore any clothing. She didn’t have time to be alarmed by their nakedness because Jasper’s arms buckled beneath him and his chest hit the floor with a thud. Mari dove from the bed and huddled beside him.
“Don’t touch him!” Charlie’s voice came from the doorway.
Mari ignored him, instead planting both palms on Jasper’s back and vocalizing the soothing song given to her in the voice of flowers moments earlier. A rush of tingling warmth started in her toes and worked its way up to her heart. That was where she first heard the song, echoing deep in the hollow of her chest. The pitch was high coming from her throat and it resounded eerily through the room.
After Gran told her the true story of Ina, Mari researched Kulning extensively. She didn’t think she had the voice or the skill for it, especially because until then, she’d never even heard of it. Now, it came as naturally to her as it would if she’d always practiced this ancient call.
The men behind her settled into an uncanny stillness. Jasper’s jaw opened wide for another cry but all that came was the labored, throaty breathing of a wolf. There was a hard crack under her palms, joints returning to natural positions. The severe tension in his shoulders eased and he collapsed forward with his head on her thighs. She continued her song until his breath came slow and steady. The flesh beneath her fingers started out hot enough that she worried her skin would have welts but as she finished the final notes, Jasper was cool to the touch.
A sudden rush of half-remembered memories flooded her mind. Twice now Mari had sung that call for Jasper. It wasn’t quite the one from her rites but it felt similar on her tongue. It was magic like Ina’s magic. All of the events of that fateful full moon came back so rapidly that her head spun. She recalled her ancestors circled around her, Jasper changing instantly in front of her, and the words she spoke to him.
I carry your song in my heart. Was this what she meant?
Mari didn’t have time to figure it out. The sparkling stars from the end of her dream danced in her eyes again, dizzying this time, and she bent forward to rest her forehead on Jasper’s back. He groaned
quietly and wrapped his hands around her bare feet. They rested on each other as the pack looked on in shock. It was Charlie who finally broke the spell of silence.
“What are you?” Despite what she’d just done for Jasper, he snarled the words at her.
Jasper roused and tried to lift himself, his head barely rising an inch from Mari’s legs on the first attempt. The second time he sat up shakily, pulling Mari’s drained body into his lap and protectively shielding her with his arms. His cool skin was comforting to her light head, inviting her to nuzzle her face against it.
“Witch.” Jasper groaned.
“A witch that can stop a change?” Charlie hissed.
“The witch speaks and the wolf listens.” Mari wasn’t sure why that was what she chose to say because her family words would mean nothing to them. It was the first thing that came to mind. Cash and Charlie exchanged shadowed glances.
“What did you say?” Cash asked without his usual upbeat tone.
“The witch speaks and the wolf listens. They are family words from foremothers who carried powerful magic. I don’t really know why I said them.” Mari rubbed her face and sat up, regaining a bit of strength. Jasper let her steady herself but didn’t relinquish his firm hold.
“You and I need to have a very long talk, witch.” The alpha said coolly.
“Mari,” Jasper tugged her close to his chest and glared menacingly at Charlie.
“I won’t harm her, Trevor.” The feral glint in his eyes disagreed. “Teal, go make a hot toddy for everyone. Cash, go wake your sister. She’s like to know more about this than any of us.” Charlie instructed the men, then crouched in front of Jasper and Mari. Thankfully, he was one of the two wearing clothing, though not as much as Mari would have liked. He waited until the other men cleared the room before murmuring “If it was you who cursed him, I will kill you.”
Jasper whisked her behind his back, rising to his knees and baring his teeth. Mari didn’t think that a person showing their teeth could be nearly as scary as when a wolf did it. She was wrong. Jasper’s lean muscles tightened and a powerful force of energy rippled off of him. Charlie might be the alpha, but even in his weakened state, Jasper had more power than him. Mari could feel his magic like a living entity inside of him. How had she not noticed the strength of it before?
“Kill Mari, kill me.” He said hoarsely.
“And if she doesn’t accept your claim as mate? You would fight me to the death for a witch who won’t be yours, Trev?” Charlie almost sounded amused.
“Jasper.” He corrected. “Yes. She is pure. She is honeysuckle.” Whatever that was supposed to mean.
“Jasper? Naming a wolf certainly makes him more tractable.”
“I didn’t curse him. I don’t even know how to cast curses. Gran claimed some of my evil witch relatives could make vines grow out of people’s guts but I’ve never done that either. Maybe I could if I really concentrate but I don’t think I want to know what that looks like.” Mari babbled, trying not to sound like she was lying and probably failing miserably.
“I see.” The alpha said curtly. “Get dressed and meet us downstairs with your witch, Jasper.”
As soon as Charlie shut the door Jasper gripped her upper arms with too rough hands. Startled by his expression of fear, Mari fell back on her butt trying to wiggle out of his grasp.
“Mari,” he panted, anxiety overtaking any ferocity he’d displayed a moment ago. “We have to leave.”
“Leave?” Her blood ran cold when she understood. “You think Charlie will kill me? He won’t believe I didn’t do this to you?”
“Can’t risk it.” Jasper squeezed even tighter and hauled her against his chest, his rapid breathing slowing slightly when their skin made contact. “I will kill to protect you but I can’t kill my pack.”
“Jasper, calm down.” Mari pleaded, though she wasn’t feeling particularly calm herself. “You told me that we weren’t wrong to come here, that I would be safe. You said that because you trust Charlie.”
“Yes.”
“So we have to continue to trust him to make the right decision. Charlie only threatened me because he would kill to protect you. You’re pack. I’m not.” It all sounded very reasonable. Mari even managed to keep her voice steady, though she was gritting her teeth from the painful way Jasper clung to her.
“You’re my pack.” He growled.
“Okay, right, but until three days ago, they didn’t know that. Do you think Charlie will give us a chance to explain?”
“Yes.” He agreed finally, breath easing to a normal rhythm.
“Will you let go now? You’re hurting me.”
Jasper released her so fast that she toppled over. A look of horror crossed his face when he saw twin red marks bloom on her biceps where he’d held her. It would probably take him time to adjust to having hands again.
“You didn’t mean to.” Mari tried to reassure him. He made a wolfish whimpering sound that was wrong coming from a grown man. She scooted forward and put a tentative hand on one of his shoulders. She needed him to be steady. Mari had no idea what she’d just done but she knew it didn’t look good for her. It would help her case if she hadn’t withheld information from them. Hindsight. “It’s okay. Put your clothes on. Charlie is waiting.”
It wasn’t okay, really. None of it was. Not being threatened with death or having a confused man who was a wolf hours earlier relying on her to keep him under control when she was barely keeping herself together. Mari was in way over her head, as usual.
The only option now was to face this squarely and hope for the best. She quickly slipped on a pair of shorts and a bra, made sure that Jasper was dressed, grabbed her family legacy because it was all she had to prove she didn’t cast curses, and steeled herself for a meeting with a pack of angry werewolves.
✽✽✽
Nothing was quite as unsettling as stepping into the study and feeling the predatory eyes of every pack member on her. Charlie sat in the same chair he’d occupied when he first introduced himself to Mari with Cash at his back. A sleepy looking Clem took the chair beside him while Teal and Deak filled the leather sofa with Cora squished between them.
Two wingback armchairs from the parlor had been moved against the fireplace, the furthest spot from the door, and flanked by the rest of the seating area. Mari didn’t think Jasper missed the positioning any more than she did.
They crossed the study without a word. Jasper kept one hand on her shoulder and walked so close to her back that she almost tripped on his foot twice. When they finished their silent journey and Mari took a seat, Jasper lowered himself to the ground and tried to squirm into the same place he used to take between her legs when he was wolf. She swiftly crossed one leg over the other to avoid being put in that awkward position. He lifted both of her legs and draped them over his right shoulder instead.
It was too casual for the current situation but Mari didn’t think this was the time to argue with him. Cora narrowed her eyes at Jasper on the floor, her lip curled in a disapproving snarl. Jasper returned the snarl with much more ferocity. The tension in the room was quickly becoming oppressive.
Despite his threat, Charlie was the only one who didn’t appear perturbed. While the rest of the pack sat with tight muscles and expressions ranging from wary to hostile, Charlie leaned forward to scoop up a glass mug filled with amber liquid and sighed mildly.
“Hot toddy?” He motioned to the tray of drinks on the coffee table and sipped from his own with an encouraging smile.
“Thanks but I don’t drink alcohol.” Mari swallowed the dry fear on the back of her tongue. Was she making it worse by turning the drink down? Offending Charlie right now seemed dangerous so she shook her head and reached around Jasper for a mug of the spicy smelling drink. At the very least it would give her something for her hands to focus on. “On second thought, I’ll try one.”
There was another long minute of uncomfortable silence before the rest of the pack reached for their own drinks. On
e lone glass mug, decorated with a slice of lemon and a cinnamon stick, sat untouched. Jasper wasn’t going to be drinking tonight. A short glance at the redhead showed a rather blasé appearance. He didn’t seem nearly as worried as she was. Then again, calm was an easy illusion for Jasper.
“You were not fully forthcoming when you told us how you came to be here and what you are.” Charlie’s words were even but he finished the sentence with a toothy smile that was more feral than friendly. “Now that I know what you can do, I see only one reason for you to have lied your way into a wolf pack. And that, little witch, does not bode well for you.”
Mari swallowed again, this time nearly choking. This was her fault. If only she’d been smart enough to explain Gran’s last message to her. “Tell the pack what you are and ask for their protection.”
Nice going, Mari. “I don’t know what I am. Until two mornings ago, I didn’t even have a word to describe myself other than witch.”
“Do not lie to me.” Charlie growled softly. It was a warning, not a threat, but Mari flinched at the gurgling sound regardless.
“I don’t know what I am!” She repeated.
“A werewolf can develop control over his change. What you might not know—or what you might know very well—is that once the change has begun, we have no power to stop it.” Charlie cocked his head. “Trevor was in the beginning of a change. You stopped him. How?”
“She stopped his change?” That was Clem. Until then she’d looked as composed as always. Now, she slid to the edge of her seat and gaped at Mari. “Are you sure?”
Cash shifted to face his sister and asked “Your heard her howling? That anchored him.” Howling? She knew she didn’t have a voice for performance but she would hardly have called that howling.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” Clem murmured. “She’s…a Wolfseggner?”
“A what-sigler?” Now Mari was the one cocking her head. The rest of the pack looked about as shocked as Clem.