by Kat Bostick
Teal finished with a nostalgic smile. “One morning he just looked up from his breakfast plate and said ‘stranger danger!’ To this day he has not explained why those were his first words and what he meant by it.”
“He didn’t talk for nine months? Why?”
The air in the room suddenly felt heavy when she inhaled. All three wolves dropped their gazes to their drinks.
“Ain’t our place to tell you that, witch.” Said Cora.
“Has Jasper told you about his first pack?” Teal asked Mari.
“Nikolai’s pack? He’s mentioned it.” Actually, Clem mentioned it and Jasper occasionally filled in the gaps but now that she thought about it, it wasn’t really him doing the talking.
“You ought to ask him about it.” Teal said somberly. “Not all packs are built like ours and not all alphas are like Charlie.”
“God bless our Charlie.” Cora raised her glass and finished two fingers in one gulp.
Mari swallowed down the last of her glass too. She wasn’t even getting shivers anymore, having adjusted to the sharp bite of the scotch. How could Jasper go so long without talking? Well, she supposed he’d just gone the last year without talking but it wasn’t by choice. What she should be asking was why had he been silent for that long? A stone settled in her stomach and she intuitively knew there was immense pain behind that story. Given the way Clem described other packs, she shouldn’t be all that surprised.
Jasper was only fifteen when he was bitten and his life changed forever. She had no idea how long he was alone before finding Nikolai’s pack and then how long he was there before joining Charlie. Her heart ached for the young man he used to be. No wonder Jasper was so terrified at the prospect of her leaving. From the sound of it, he’d spent far too many years alone with no one to protect him like he protected her.
Well that was never going to happen again. Jasper had his pack and no witch was going to take him from them. And Jasper had Mari. She would protect him. She would never let Lyse and her coven have him.
“Now, little witch,” Cash slid Mari’s glass toward him and poured her a fourth—or was it fifth?—drink. “I want to know more about you.”
✽✽✽
Jasper
Running on two legs, especially with Mari, was great fun but it could never top the ecstasy of running on four. Not to mention the thrill that came with chasing down prey—rabbits tonight—and the satisfaction of marking territory as his own.
Jasper ran the perimeter with a newfound sense of purpose tonight. First he wanted to show his alpha that he was strong, stronger than any curse, and that he would always be more faithful to the pack than to witchcraft. He was also driven to make his territory safe and claim every inch of it so that his mate would always be protected within the hundreds of acres that the pack made their home on.
It felt so good to trace the perimeter fence with Charlie at his side that Jasper didn’t know how to put it into words. Charlie was his father, as he was the father of all members of the pack, and Jasper missed him most when he was lost. Even when the alpha’s face was a blur in his mind, Charlie’s words stuck with him.
Tonight Charlie doted on him; sharing a taste of rabbit, rubbing his scent into Jasper’s scruff, reminding him that he belonged to Charlie and the pack. When their duties were finally over and their changes made, Jasper lingered in the meadow as Deak dressed and left for the house.
“I always knew you’d come back to us.” Charlie put a hand on the back of Jasper’s neck and tugged him into a rough hug. The alpha was almost five inches shorter than him but his grip was strong and the power that emanated from him was fierce. “I knew you were out there somewhere, howling at the same moon as me.”
Jasper felt no shame when tears came to his eyes. Werewolves were emotional creatures, highly empathetic and prone to joyful, tearful, and heated outbursts. It was common for the pack to exchange intimate embraces and even to curl up together like pups in a pile. There was no sexual intent behind their touching, only the need for connection, somewhere to unburden themselves of excess emotion.
He still didn’t have words for his alpha but none were needed. Charlie understood. Jasper would never willfully leave his pack and no matter what happened, he would do whatever it took to come back to them. This was home.
“Now, you best go seek out that witch of yours.” Charlie gave him a hard pat on the back and pushed him in the direction of the house. “I heard my son say the words ‘scotch’ and ‘strip poker’ earlier so I imagine she would appreciate rescue from that lout.”
That certainly lit a fire under Jasper’s feet. If Mari was missing a single garment of clothing, he was going to kill Cash.
When Jasper charged through the patio door and into the kitchen, he wasn’t sure if the sight he was greeted with was better or worse than he expected. It wasn’t going to be Cash that he killed tonight. It would be Teal. Mari was leaning from her seat at the kitchen table, her arm propped on his shoulder as she whispered something in his ear, the two of them giggling like fools. The sticky scent of alcohol permeated the air.
“What are you doing?” Jasper snarled at his pack mates, crossing the kitchen in a threatening prowl.
“Ugh, sugar, notice the drinks. Ain’t it obvious what we’re doing?” Cora answered, a smug smile on her lips when she sipped from her glass.
“She can’t keep up with you and you very well know that.” He came around the table and put a hand on the back of Mari’s chair, scooting her a little too forcefully away from his brother.
“Why are you angry, Jas? They didn’t make me drink. I’m here on my own vol—volu—shoot, what is that word?” Mari said clumsily.
“I’m sure you are. And I’m sure you weren’t counting how many times Cash refilled your cup because I falsely gave you the impression that you were safe with him.” Jasper zeroed in on Cash and twitched his lips in a quick show of teeth.
“Simmer down. I’ve been keeping an eye on these two. You know you can trust me to look out for her.” Teal assured with a slap to his shoulder.
Oh, Teal was looking out for her alright. Far too eagerly and often, in Jasper’s opinion.
“We only wanted to get to know her better. Where’s the harm in that? If Mari is going to be pack then she should do what pack does. And this pack drinks together.” Cash tilted his glass, signature impish grin stretching his lips.
It took every drop of self-control for Jasper to avoid slapping that grin away. Cash could take a hit and usually enjoyed a good brawl but Jasper was in no mood for play fighting. If he hit his brother now, things would get ugly. Mari needed his full attention so he would save challenging Cash for another time.
“Don’t worry, Jas. They only wanted to get me drunk so I’d tell ‘em all my secrets. Have a drink with us and you can tell us your secrets too.” Mari smiled blearily at him.
“Not tonight. You could use some rest.” He pulled out her chair.
“I have to finish my drink!” She whined, reaching for the two fingers of scotch left in her glass.
Jasper pushed the glass into the middle of the table and hoisted her to her feet. “You’ve had more than enough. Even someone without a nose as good as mine could smell it on you.”
“Alrighty then, mister bossy paws. Goodnight little wolves!” Mari tilted her head up to let out a funny human howl. Satisfied with the laughter that followed her farewell, she threw herself into Jaspers arms and let him lead her out of the dining room, giggling all the while. Jasper shot a scornful look at his pack mates over his shoulder. They smiled innocently. Fiends.
Getting Mari up the stairs proved to be a challenge. After three steps, each of them taking thirty seconds and nearly sending her backwards, he gave up on and whisked her off her feet.
“How romantic.” She snickered.
And maybe it would be if she wasn’t so drunk her eyes were flagging. On instinct, Jasper brought her to his room. That was where she would be safest while she was unable to look after hers
elf. That was where he needed her to be in order to relax and not return to the dining room to tear into his pack mates.
A sliver of doubt had him hesitating in the doorway. Mari was clear that she wanted her own space and didn’t think it appropriate that they share a bed. Now he feared that she would perceive this as him taking advantage. He pushed past the hesitation and closed the door behind him. The only intention was to make Mari sleep off the alcohol. Perfectly harmless.
Besides, he knew Mari well enough to recognize it would be up to him to build the momentum in their relationship. She was as fearless as one could be without falling into the category of downright stupid but that bravery did not extend to intimacy.
“You don’t like it when I hang out with your family?” Mari gazed up at him with gilded eyes as he lowered her onto the mattress.
Jasper sat on the bed and rested a hand on her forearm. “I like it very much, when you’re sober. Why did you have so much to drink?”
“They kept offering.” She shrugged. “And it was kind of fun to feel like I didn’t have to care about my problems. I bet that’s why Veronica is an alcoholic. She has a lot of problems.”
“I’m sorry, Mari.”
“Why are you sorry?” She laughed. “You’re not one of my problems.”
“I think I’m your biggest problem.”
“Don’t get a big ego, Red. You can’t take that much credit. Everyone knows Mari is her own biggest problem.” She topped her head with a crown made of her own fingers and added “queen of self-sabotage and stupidity.” It was said with humor but Jasper hated the disparaging blade she verbally cut herself.
Mari rose from the mattress and sidled up beside him. She wobbled back and forth in a breeze only she could feel. Then, a drunken smile on her face, she took his hand and put her head on his shoulder.
“Actually,” Mari whispered. “You’re the opposite of a problem.” she paused, biting her lip. “You’re so pretty. And so strong. I’ve always thought that about you. Even the first time I saw you, when you were just a dream, I thought you were the most beautiful person to ever exist. Only you didn’t exist, because you were dream.” That made her giggle.
“When I look at you, my heart feels like it’s gonna explode.” She made an explosion noise with a hand gesture to demonstrate. Then she dropped her voice so low Jasper scarcely understood her question. “Can you fall in love in a dream?”
Father Above, he hoped so.
“Did you feel it when I stepped into that dream place? That feeling of finding something that you thought was lost forever? I saw you and I knew you. I’ve always known you. I can’t explain that but nothing has ever made more sense. Which totally doesn’t make sense.” She screwed up her face.
Jasper felt what she was describing the night they met. He—the part that was man—simply hadn’t understood what he was experiencing at the time. The part that was wolf understood. He had no words to explain it any better than Mari but he knew in the same way that she knew. The wolf wanted to lap up the sweet honeysuckle nectar from her skin. He wanted to flop onto his back and roll in it.
Mari held a space in his heart before he’d ever known that she existed.
“Mari…“ Jasper wanted to tell her as much but all coherency evaded him and he continued to stare at her stupidly.
“I’m sorry I left you hanging when you like, asked me be your wolf wife. You’re just so brave and wild. You deserve better than me and sooner or later you’re going to figure that out.” She put a finger to her lips. “Oh. I said that last part out loud, didn’t I? That’s embarrassing.”
Some invisible knot tied up in his chest came undone and it ceased restricting the air from filling his lungs. He took two deep breaths through his mouth, inhaling the relief. Jasper had been gritting his teeth and praying that he gave her enough reason to stay. Apparently, he wasn’t the problem.
“Oh no,” Mari covered her mouth and leapt from the bed with surprising agility for someone who couldn’t get up the stairs a moment ago. She rushed to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before she started vomiting. Jasper followed, bending to pull her soiled hair out of her face as she expelled everything she drank tonight. Mari put up a hand to shoo him out but he ignored her protest and rubbed a soothing hand on her back instead.
When she was finished being sick, he pinched the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. She trembled but it seemed to be from nausea rather than anything he was doing. Mari stayed quiet and calm when he stripped her down, set her in the tub, and tilted her head back to spray water through her hair, which she hadn’t pushed out of her face in time. Her eyes were heavy and distant and she avoided his gaze but she let him complete his task with no more objections.
“I’m sorry.” She murmured.
“You don’t need to be.”
Once she was clean he wrapped her in a towel and guided her back to the bed. She sat limply, eyes even more unfocused than before. Any leniency he’d planned to offer Cash was gone.
Jasper put her in one of the tanks tops he knew she liked to sleep in—one that he most certainly had not taken from her laundry basket so that he could smell it when she wasn’t around, because she had already informed him twice that it was “weird and stalkerish”—and a pair of his briefs. It pleased him to see her wearing his clothes and he enjoyed the way his scent lingered on her skin afterwards.
Covered and clean, Mari shimmied under the duvet and sighed mournfully. Her willingness to stay with him instead of returning to the guest room pleased him too. Jasper removed his jeans and joined her, careful to fill only one side of the mattress. Without coaxing she rolled to snuggle up against him, sighing again when their skin touched. Her hair was damp and cool but her breath warmed his neck.
“You can fall in love in a dream.” Jasper told her. “I’m in love with you and I’m sure I must be dreaming.”
Mari made an amused noise. “I won’t pinch you. This is a good dream.”
“It really is.”
Chapter 39
Jasper
Jasper had been awake for almost twenty minutes but he didn’t dare move lest he disturb the beautiful creature sleeping atop him. All night Mari murmured his name as she dreamt and left drowsy kisses on his neck and chin every time he moved. That, Jasper knew, was honest. That was how she felt about him.
So, though his left arm was falling asleep, Jasper stayed motionless on his stomach to appreciate the warmth of Mari’s body on his. He didn’t even mind the small trickle of drool that was pooling beneath her mouth where her face was smashed ungracefully between his shoulders. One of her arms slung loosely over his back, one leg stretched across his thighs, and, best of all, one plump breast had escaped the low neck of her tank top. The silky smooth round of her nipple gently brushed his ribs each time she took a breath.
“Oh,” Mari grunted, lifting her head from his back and wiping her mouth in the same motion. For a few seconds she was dazed, confused by her surroundings and the fact that there was a half-naked redhead in place of her pillow. Obviously she hadn’t been drunk enough not to remember him carrying her here because Jasper sensed no panic or discomfort.
With a raspy squeal, Mari rolled over and arched her back, stretching her arms over her head to tug the sleep from her muscles. The position revealed a throat too tempting for a wolf to resist. Jasper attacked without warning, leaping from his prone position and burrowing into the crook of her neck.
She squealed again, this time because his scratchy whiskers tickled her skin. Careful to stay beside her and not on top of her, Jasper pressed into her chest and aggressively kissed the thrumming vein that brought blood to her head. When she tried to wriggle away he cupped the back of her neck and clamped his teeth down just above her collar bone, right where he left a tiny purple mark the day before.
“Ow, too hard!” She whimpered.
Jasper fell for it this time. He released her and sat up to gauge the damage he’d inflicted only to end up flat on his
back with Mari’s knees slamming his hips into the mattress. A teasing grin lit her drowsy face as she hovered over him, gloating silently.
Awareness crept into her expression as she realized what she was doing and the way his body responded to her. Jasper held himself very still, cautiously waiting for her reaction. He longed to slip his hands under her tank top and cradle one of those plump breasts in his palm. Through the thin white fabric he could see two plum colored nipples blooming in the cool morning air, a tempting invitation to touch. That might send her scurrying off the bed and he was desperate to keep this from ending.
“Good morning to you too, beast.” She licked her lips. How such a simple act made his pulse jump was unbelievable.
“Sweet Mari,” he whispered, risking a gentle caress on the outside of her thigh. “Beautiful Mari,”
“Hey Jas,” She leaned down to give him a quick peck. When she pulled away there was a shy smile on her lips. Mari was a paradox; so brave in the face of danger and yet so shy and reluctant when facing intimacy or excess attention.
Jasper ran fingers through her hair, moving it from her face so he could get a better look at that smile. “The sun does not rise until you smile, honeysuckle witch.”
“You know, if anyone else said that, I’d tell them it was cheesy.” She kissed one of his earlobes then the space just beneath it. He liked where this was going.
“Not when I say it?”
“Nope.” He shivered as she continued her trail of kisses down his neck. He tilted his head to give her better access, submitting to her willingly. “You could say ‘do you want fries with that’ and make it sound romantic.”
“Perhaps you’re easily wooed.” He chanced a second hand, this time on her hip. When she didn’t tense, he let it glide up her ribs until his thumb outlined the bottom of her breast.
Mari leaned back, her hips grinding into his and drawing a quiet growl of satisfaction from Jasper. He couldn’t say if she did it on purpose but her expression told him that she liked the result. One rosy lip snagged between her teeth and the mouthwatering floral scent of her heightened. Before he could stop himself, Jasper sat up, a louder, hungrier growl resounding in his chest. That sound paired with the way he tugged her flush against him startled her. Too aggressive, too fast.