by Kat Bostick
“Do other wolves know about Ina like you do? What about other witches? Am I the only person in the world who hasn’t heard the full story?” Mari took a gulp of her drink to avoid spilling frustrated tears. It was much too big a mouthful and she struggled to swallow the sharp alcohol taste. Jasper scooped the mug up and returned it to the table, filling the empty space in her hand with his and probably saving her from more embarrassment. Drunk was the last thing she needed to be.
“It’s safe to say all of the packs in the Midwest still tell the story of Ina and the moon song that called the wolf king to her. Many of our traditions came from Ina and her mate, even the words spoken during funerals and mating ceremonies. The territory where the Midwest packs meet every winter was consecrated by her. We abide by the rules she created for that sacred place just as generations before us did.” Clem glanced up from the book to explain. “You should be proud, Mari. Your family is an important part of history. Ina and Nagamo were the founders of the modern pack.”
“How can I be proud of something I didn’t even know about until now? That story might as well be a fairy tale.” Mari shrugged.
“But fairy tales aren’t true stories. This one is. You’re one of us whether you believe it or not.” Teal raised his mug to her.
“She’s not one of us.” Cora growled.
“She’s mine which means she is one of us.” Jasper disagreed with a glower in Cora’s direction.
“She isn’t anything. I wish you would stop acting like I’m a rare butterfly you caught in your net.” Mari’s brain was too fried to filter her words or emotions any longer.
“I think it best if we continue this conversation in the light of day. Even werewolves get grumpy when we stay up past our bedtime.” Charlie actually freaking winked like a father playing lighthearted tricks on his children. “Off to bed with you lot.” And just like that the alpha was waving them away. The meeting was over as abruptly and unexpectedly as it began.
“Mari, do you mind if I borrow this? I might be able to translate most of this if you give me time to study it.” Clem held up the legacy and smiled hopefully.
“Go ahead.” She nodded briskly.
Per Charlie’s command, Jasper rose and heaved Mari up from her chair with him. She let him lead her around stretching pack members, out of the study, and up the stairs. As soon as the bedroom door clicked shut, Mari wiggled out of her shorts, discarded her bra, and flopped onto the bed with a tired groan. She didn’t even care that she was in her underwear in front of Jasper.
She also didn’t care when Jasper peeled off his shirt and jeans too. Well, she wasn’t offended by his partial nudity. That didn’t mean she didn’t care. If her eyes weren’t half-lidded with sleep she might take a moment to stare at the man. He was leaner than he should be, certainly, but he hadn’t lost much muscle definition. His arms were sturdy and strong, his broad chest was firm, and those long legs of his were built for running. They would have fun running on two legs together.
Her eyes trailed up his chest until they met his. A languid grin tugged at his lips, roguish and sweet all at once. Father Above, what a smile. That look was going to get Mari in a lot of trouble if she wasn’t careful, as proven by her sudden insistent patting of the spot next to her in bed, beckoning him to join.
It was more than the smile that instigated the invitation. Truthfully, the bed was lonely without him. She stirred the first time they’d gone to sleep, missing the weight of him beside her. A frightening thought occurred to Mari, one she didn’t know how to handle. She didn’t know how to be alone anymore. Years of solitude, surfacing only to go to class, to work, or spend the finite amount of time with Aubrey that she could, and now being alone made her uneasy. Jasper had changed her life more in a few months than half a decade of education and independent living.
Some of it really was just the smile, though. He was so beautiful—his fair skin so smooth, his green eyes so intense, his red hair so vibrant—that she couldn’t resist the opportunity to touch him. This version of him was little more than a figment in a dream and she longed to know the heat of him.
That didn’t mean her heart rate didn’t increase by a thousand beats per minute when he collapsed onto the bed beside her. Or that she didn’t instinctively stiffen when unfamiliar arms slipped around her waist. Yet when she closed her eyes, there was something familiar. His misty rain and salt water scent, like a thunderstorm on the shore of the ocean, was burned into her lungs. The potent scent roused a hunger inside of her. Hunger for touch, hunger for skin on skin, hunger for another kiss like that life changing one he gave her this evening.
Would confessing that mean she was accepting the commitment of being his mate? Whatever that entailed, she wasn’t ready for it.
Or so she told herself as she rolled to face him, draping her arm over his side so that her fingertips could crest the hills of his back. As she tilted her head upward. As her lips found his on their own accord, brushing gently, so delicately they scarcely connected. Jasper met her kiss with a soft hum, deepening it enough for her to feel the scratch of his overgrown beard on her cheeks.
They stayed there, barely touching, for an eternity before Mari moved her lips again, gently drawing his bottom lip between hers. It became a slow dance, mouths moving back and forth, giving and taking equally, no desperate demands like the first kiss. This was tender, feelings being spoken not in words but with every feather light touch.
The moment fractured from time, fate and the divine and the entire world allowing them these brief minutes of connection, untainted by the outside forces that ruled their lives from the night they met.
The last waking vestige of Mari’s mind knew that she was playing with fire. No matter what Charlie said, she didn’t belong here. She wasn’t wanted. And even if Jasper wanted her for now, the feeling would pass. He was enchanted by an idea, by the version of Mari that was a pure-hearted innocent. That wasn’t the real her and when that image shattered and he looked upon the ragged remains of her—the liar, the broken soul, the witch with blood on her hands—it would end.
No one stayed when they realized what she really was. What she really wasn’t.
Tonight that could be forgotten. She could have this one kiss, this one stolen moment. There was shelter to be found in Jasper’s embrace, a safe place to wait out the chaotic storm. Finally their lips parted but they didn’t retreat. His breath became hers, hers became his, feeling as though they were made whole by their closeness.
“Whatever it is Mari,” Jasper whispered against her lips. “whatever you are frightened of, I’ll protect you from it.”
I’m frightened of you. She couldn’t say. I’m afraid that you’ll break my heart. Or I yours. Or both. I’m afraid I’ve walked into a dream and with my luck, it will become a nightmare.
“Rest, my honeysuckle. You’re safe now. I’ll watch over you.”
She was and so she did.
Chapter 30
Mari
The sun was high when Mari woke. Bright rays cut through the open window, washing her face in light. It was probably late morning, though the thick curtain of dark red hair covering her eyes made it hard to be sure. Jasper needed a haircut, she decided without moving away from the cascade of hair or the source of it. He was warm and his skin carried that alluring scent mingled with the mint of his soap.
As she roused, she gradually became aware of the discomfort from their tangle of body parts. Her cheek was smashed against Jasper’s shoulder blade. Though his back was to her, he had somehow twisted enough for one of his legs to rest between hers. That would have been fine if it didn’t leave his hipbone jammed into her bladder and his knee cutting off the circulation in one of her thighs. Wolf or man, Jasper made for a bony body pillow. Mari cautiously slid out from under his leg and propped herself up on her elbows.
There was a man in bed beside her. A half-naked man. This was a shocking first for her. Yet, this wasn’t the first time she’d woken up with Jasper next to her. Mari wa
s still struggling to wrap her mind around that.
Careful not to disturb the slumbering redhead, Mari leaned over to study his face. A spattering of faint freckles appeared just above his overgrown sideburns. He looked happy in his sleep. No frown marred his features and his pale lips were curved upward. For the most part, Mari had only ever seen him forlorn. It was nice to see him smile. He had a good one. Of course he did. Jasper was more than just handsome, he was heart-stopping gorgeous.
His playful personality and unshakeable confidence only aided in bringing his attractiveness to a level that was just unfair. How was a girl supposed to have a regular conversation when someone so perfect was boring into her with wild eyes? The luster of that green gaze alone could shove intelligible thoughts right out of Mari’s brain. She’d always thought him beautiful—both as man and wolf—but seeing the other half in person was putting her senses on the fritz.
How could this man be the same beast that chased her through the house and licked crumbs from her chin? How was it possible for the same soul to share two bodies, albeit not at one time?
What in the world was she going to do about him? It was bad enough that they showed up here and his first move was to tell his whole family that they were wolf married. Mari could admit that she had hardly been unfriendly over the last few months but it’s not like she was flirting with the guy. That would have been so wrong.
And then he had to go and kiss her. Oh yeah, he had to be drop dead gorgeous and a great kisser. How had she not understood that was what he wanted? They were close—closer than even Mari’s best friend in some ways—but not that close. Not kiss-each-other-in-front-of-family close. Yes, they did share a bed and eat together and spend the entire day in each other’s company and, apparently, she had accepted his marriage proposal under the full moon but still.
But still what?
Huh. Mari considered that for a moment, pretending Jasper was a man for the entire four months instead of a wolf. Alright, so maybe she couldn’t blame him for reading into their relationship. She wouldn’t have spent that kind of time with a guy if they were merely friends. And from his perspective, he was a guy.
A guy who had four legs and a tail but hey, that was only a temporary roadblock as far as he was concerned.
As far as Mari was concerned? Sure, she’d wondered what Jasper would be like when he finally broke the curse. Of course she wanted to know what his laugh sounded like or if her dumb jokes would provoke it. Who wouldn’t think about his smile and the way that he talked? Especially knowing how he looked when he was a man. She was curious about the way he felt about her but it wasn’t like she planned to pursue him or expected him to pursue her. She just wanted to know him.
Fine, and kiss him.
In some ways they were intimately acquainted and in others they were strangers. Mari really only knew the details about him that she could ask and he could answer. Their conversations were steered entirely by her.
Disregarding the complexities of their personal relationship, there was still the complication of his pack. In any scenario she might have imagined, none of Mari’s plans had her taking a permanent place with them. If she was being honest, she’d been too afraid to think of what came next. What if she showed up here, received a brusque thanks, and got sent on her way? Where was she supposed to go then? Mari was totally entangled in Jasper’s situation now.
That was as terrifying as the rest of it. She hadn’t relied on anyone since she was a small child.
If she left—assuming they would let her leave after the revelation of her heritage last night—Mari would be completely on her own if she encountered Lyse or any other less than friendly covens. She would be responsible for finding a new place to live and a job. She would essentially have to start over. There was no going back to Klein to stay with Dad or Aubrey, not while that could put them at risk. Samuel was always a possibility but somehow Mari suspected he wouldn’t be too eager to have her crash on his couch now that he was living with his girlfriend.
Being responsible for herself and her wellbeing wasn’t a new experience. Even before moving out of Dad’s house, Mari looked after herself. There was no other choice. Veronica and her daughter came first and Mari’s needs fell on the back burner. She was fine with that. She learned to live with it years ago. In fact, she enjoyed being alone. Solitary life gave her freedom and space to be herself.
Yet, the thought of going her own way now gave her an acute sense of dread. They’d barely spent a minute apart for months. She would feel strange if Jasper was suddenly gone. But wouldn’t she feel even stranger if she just accepted his apparent desire to keep her as his mate and agreed to move into a big house full of new people? Wolf people?
Now that she knew she was a capable witch with worthwhile power, shouldn’t she seek out a coven? It was a lifelong dream that could finally be realized. No one would bar her from finding other women just like her. Why wasn’t Mari more thrilled with the idea?
“Smoke is going to come out of your ears if you keep thinking that hard.” Mari yelped in surprise when Jasper spoke. His eyes were still closed and his breath deceptively even, the trickster.
She wriggled away from him until she bumped the wall. “I didn’t know you were awake.”
Jasper rolled over and blinked big emeralds at her. “With a beauty such as you in my bed I could still be dreaming.”
Add that to the list. Devilishly handsome, great kisser, and charming enough to talk a woman out of her pants. Not that Mari was wearing any pants. Oh damn, why had she taken her pants off last night? Sure, sleeping in cutoffs was uncomfortable but she could have put on pajamas! She was in her underwear. Jasper was in his underwear. The potential direction this morning could go immediately made sweat accumulate between her shoulders.
Mari’s entire upper body flushed and she quickly averted her gaze from his. The sheets rustled as he edged closer with an outstretched hand. She tensed in surprise when warm fingers slipped up her neck and cupped the corner of her jaw. With her eyes down Mari couldn’t see just how close Jasper had gotten until his breath ruffled the stray strands of hair that fell across her face.
“Good morning,” Her words quavered out.
“Good morning, sweet honeysuckle.” Now that his throat wasn’t so rough from lack of use he sounded more like himself and, wow, what a voice. It was so rich and silken it could be a delectable dessert. As if reading her mind, Jasper smirked. “You slept well.”
“That wasn’t a question.” She pointed out tartly. There was no reason for her to be snide with him but it seemed the only defense against that smug smile and the distractingly naked upper half of his body.
“I don’t have to ask. You were a stone in my arms all night.” He traced the line of her jaw with his thumb. When he reached her chin he tilted it up so that she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “I’ve waited a long time to hold you, Mari.”
“I bet it sucks not having hands.” That was the only reasonable thing she could think to say besides “why?” Mari wasn’t sure if she could handle the answer to that question.
Jasper chuckled. It was more like a throaty purr than laughter. The sound vibrated up through his arm and into the bones of her neck, making her shudder. “It can be frustrating at times. Other times it’s more frustrating to walk on two legs instead of four.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“You don’t have to be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous.” She lied.
The only other time her nerves had been this overloaded with anxiety was when she was forced to perform for a Shakespeare class in high school. Being on stage in front of that many people felt like being naked and exposed. Right now she was half naked and thus half exposed, which somehow felt twice as bad with an audience of only one. Mari wasn’t mistrustful of Jasper but she was afraid he thought they were on the same page with the whole mating thing. She wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from a werewolf relationship but the term “mating” was pretty cut
and dry.
There was absolutely no way she was going to mate with him right now, no matter how sexy his voice was.
While Mari was pondering how to explain that to him, Jasper scooted even closer and burrowed his face in the crook of her neck. She jumped when his lips pressed into her skin. The affectionate peck was like summer sunshine on chocolate. It was all she could do not to melt onto him in a heap. He continued leaving delicate kisses on her throat until an unbidden sigh broke Mari’s focus on those velvety lips.
Jasper let out another of those purring chuckles, probably because against her better judgement—and seemingly against her own freewill because her body was not listening to the demands of her mind—Mari relaxed back onto her pillow. His beard tickled her skin and his hair tumbled over her face. She reached up and wrapped a fistful of that lush mane around her fingers.
Okay, she could get used to this.
Her natural response to his attention triggered a tiny shift in her mind. It wasn’t approval of his mating claim but it was acknowledgement of how fiercely they were drawn to each other. She recalled seeing him on the full moon when she performed her rites and wishing with every ounce of her being that she could spend an eternity touching him.
That’s a little more dramatic than crushing on him because he’s pretty to look at.
Right, so she wasn’t strictly attracted to him because of his looks but rather because of who he was. The looks were just a bonus. A really great bonus. Plenty of relationships started that way, didn’t they? Of course that usually meant loving someone despite the extra fifteen pounds they carry or a nose that’s too big for their face, not loving the man on the inside of a wolf’s body.