Undeniable Craving

by Marisa Chenery

  “Go. Your sister will be fine with me. I don’t mind. You told me how you need the money.”

  Lynne gave Gage a hug. “You really are a great guy.” She turned to Jaimie. “I told you he was.” She leaned down and kissed her. “Call me after the doctor sees you.”

  Jaimie returned her sister’s kiss. “I promise. Now go before you’re late.”

  Lynne left after she promised to return once her shift was over. Now alone with Gage, Jaimie turned her gaze on him. He had that intense look in his eyes again. One that made her insides heat. She took a deep breath and had to stop herself from moaning. Damn, he smelled good. She remembered that from his first visit. It made her think of things she was in no condition to do, which would have them both naked.

  As the silence stretched between them, Jaimie decided now was as good a time as any to ask Gage the questions that had plagued her since she’d woken up and realized he wasn’t a figment of her drugged mind. She kept it direct and straight to the point.

  “What’s a mate brand, and what worked that would allow me to live? And why did you say you’re mine?”

  Chapter Three

  Gage sat in the chair next to the bed. His mate didn’t hold back any punches. She went right in for the kill. He didn’t know how best to answer her questions. He hadn’t prepared himself for that kind of discussion to be started so soon. He’d thought to gradually ease into it after they’d talked for a while.

  Actually, he hadn’t known what to expect when he’d arrived at the hospital. He’d hardly slept during the night, his mind swirling with worry that claiming Jaimie hadn’t healed her. When Gage had found some sleep, he’d ended up having a nightmare about his mate dying and leaving him behind.

  Once he’d seen Jaimie sitting up in bed and awake, looking a hundred percent better than she had the day before, Gage had just about sagged in relief. The gamble he’d taken had paid out. Biting her had given her body the weapon it needed to kick cancer’s butt.

  “So are you going to answer me?” Jaimie asked.

  Gage smiled. “I’m trying to think of a way to explain all that without you either not believing me or screaming loud enough to bring hospital security.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about me screaming down the place. For one, I’m not a screamer, and for another, I haven’t regained enough energy to do it. So why don’t you get it over with?”

  He couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “Are you always so to the point?”

  “Afraid so.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.”

  He studied Jaimie closer. Her cheeks held some color, which enhanced her beauty. He was more than pleased that he could no longer smell the sickness in her scent. The cancer was gone. He didn’t need a doctor to order tests to tell him that.

  “I definitely think you’re stalling,” Jaimie said.

  “Maybe a little. Why don’t you tell me about your sickness?”

  “There’s not that much. Over a year and a half ago I was diagnosed with cancer. They thought they’d caught it early enough. I went through chemo. I lost my hair and everything. After that, I went into remission. A year later the cancer was back, and had metastasized to other areas of my body. It was aggressive enough and had spread so much another round of chemo was out of the question. As of yesterday, I’d been well on my way to dying.” She met his gaze. “Your turn.”

  Gage was saved from answering with the arrival of a nurse, carrying a tray with a bowl of something on it. She pulled over a rolling table that fit over the bed and lowered it to the correct height for Jaimie before she placed what she held on it.

  “I talked to the doctor,” the nurse said. “He said you could have some broth. He’s finishing up with another patient and then will come to see you.”

  Jaimie nodded. “Thanks.”

  After the nurse left, Jaimie lifted the paper lid off the bowl and dipped the spoon that accompanied it into the broth. She blew on the steaming liquid before she put it into her mouth. She sighed once she swallowed.

  “Good?” Gage asked.

  “Yes. Really good, actually.” Jaimie had another mouthful. “You can talk while I eat this, you know.”

  Gage shook his head and smiled. He was going to have to tell Jaimie. He had a feeling she wouldn’t let it go. Maybe bringing Cyrus and Shyla along would have been a good idea, after all. They’d offered to come with him to the hospital when they’d talked to him before he’d left the hotel. Unsure of what he’d find, he’d said no.

  Jaimie blew on another spoonful of broth. “I thought at first I imagined it, but I’m pretty sure you bit me.”

  He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. “Okay. Here it goes. I am going to say that I wanted you to know me a little more before I brought this out in the open.” Gage paused. Jaimie continued to eat, but her gaze didn’t leave him. “I’m a wolf shifter, which means I’m a wolf who can take on human form. The males of my kind become mate branded at age thirty, and have three weeks to find their mates before they lose their humanity. Mine appeared two weeks ago. Then I saw Lynne yesterday. She had your scent on her clothes, which had a part of me reacting that let me know you’re the one meant for me. I didn’t want to lose you before I even knew you, so I came here and claimed you as my mate. Wolf shifters are long-lived. To around the age of a hundred and fifty. We also heal fast and never get sick. Two of my brothers have humans for mates, and after they became mated, their females seem to have the same ability when it comes to healing. So I bit you, claiming you, with the hopes your body would kill off the cancer and you’d survive.”

  Jaimie carefully put her spoon on the tray. “So you figure it worked. That you’ve claimed me as your mate, and that I should no longer have cancer.”

  “I don’t figure it did. I know it worked. Right after I bit you, the same mate brand I have appeared on your skin.” Gage tugged aside the collar of his t-shirt so Jaimie could see his. Her gaze flicked to it, then back to his face. “Where I broke the skin healed in a matter of seconds, leaving no scar behind. The cancer is gone. Wolf shifters can smell sickness in a human’s scent. You no longer have it in yours. Plus, you’re awake, and I have a feeling you’re no longer in pain since I can’t smell any drugs in your system either.”

  Jaimie continued to silently stare at Gage. Her face was void of any kind of expression. He couldn’t tell if she believed him or not. He was willing to give her the proof she’d need, but he didn’t think it’d be a good idea for him to shift into his wolf form there, especially when the doctor could arrive at any moment. He only wished she’d say something.

  *

  Jaimie wasn’t sure what to make of everything Gage had told her. Wolves that could take on human form. Him claiming her as his mate by biting her with the hopes of saving her life. It all sounded as if it were from sort of fairy tale. Maybe because she had been so close to death, she wanted to believe that last part in his make believe story. Desperately. It’d mean she had a second chance, and that her recovery wasn’t a temporary thing. That she’d have the opportunity to raise her son and watch him grow into a man.

  Before Jaimie could say anything to Gage about what he’d told her, the doctor came into the room. A nurse accompanied him. They came to stand on the opposite side of the bed from where Gage sat.

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you up like this,” the doctor said. He lifted her wrist and took her pulse before he looked at the readouts of the machines that were hooked up to her. “This is very encouraging. We’ll have to take some tests to confirm it, but it does look as if you’re getting better, which is very surprising. How do you feel? I see you managed all right with the broth.”

  “I feel great.”

  “I’ll take a quick listen to your heart, then see about getting those tests started. I’ll have them marked as urgent so I’ll get the results quickly.” The doctor pulled the front of the hospital gown she wore away from her neck before he placed his stethoscope down it to listen t
o her chest. He scowled. “I don’t remember you having that wolf tattoo, but I see so many patients it could have slipped my mind. Now take some deep breaths.”

  On the outside, Jaimie tried her best not to let her shock show. Inside, however, was another story. She had a tattoo? A wolf tattoo? Gage’s mate brand had two wolves with their heads thrown back on a howl as they faced each other. There was also some Celtic knot work in reds, blues and greens that surrounded the animals. He’d told her she had one as well. If the doctor saw it, then Gage had told the truth.

  The implications were a little mind-blowing, to say the least. If she had to accept that the mate brand was indeed real, then Gage was a wolf shifter. Did that mean the cancer was truly gone? To never return again?

  The doctor finished listening to her chest and straightened. “Everything sounds good. We’ll get the tests done and then make a decision about what will happen next.”

  “Will that mean I’ll be able to go home very soon?”

  “I’m going to wait for the results before I say for certain. I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

  The doctor left and the nurse set about taking some of Jaimie’s blood. Once she was finished, she disposed of the used needle and left with the filled glass tubes.

  Jaimie looked at Gage. “I want to see it.”

  Gage looked around. “I don’t see a mirror around, and I can’t take you into the washroom with all the machines you’re hooked up to.”

  “Do you have a cell phone?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Take a picture of the mark and show it to me.”

  Gage pulled out a phone from his front jeans pocket. He stood, then leaned over her. He gently tugged the left side of her hospital gown collar down and aimed the phone. It made a clicking sound as he took the picture. He sat on the bed beside her, touched his cell’s screen a few times, then turned it in her direction. She took it from him.

  She sucked in a breath. She did have a mate brand. It was identical to Gage’s right down to the colors and size. If he hadn’t told her what it was, she would have thought it was a tattoo.

  Jaimie handed Gage his cell. “You didn’t lie about that.”

  “I told you. And I didn’t lie about the rest of it either.” He paused. “I’m pretty sure those blood tests the doctor ordered are going to come back with some differences showing up. They’ll say the cancer is gone, but they’re not going to understand the other changes. They’ll want more tests done. We can’t let them. My kind has kept what we are hidden from humans. If they did know of our existence, they’d use us as test rats to figure out why we’re the way we are. We have to get you out of here.”

  She nodded, her mind racing with questions. Jaimie didn’t know which one to ask first. If the tests did pick up some differences in her blood, Gage was right. She had to leave the hospital before others could be done. The doctors would more than likely want to use her as a test subject to figure out the sudden change and then how her cancer had suddenly disappeared.

  “We need to talk to Lynne,” she said. “She’s the one who’s been signing all the consent forms. I gave her power of attorney. I think she’d have a better chance of getting me discharged than if it’s just me telling them.”

  “All right.” Gage handed her his cell phone again. “Call her. See if she can leave work now. The sooner she comes here the better.”

  Jaimie dialed Lynne’s cell number. Her sister answered after the third ring. “Lynne, it’s me.”

  “Whose phone are you using?” Lynne asked.

  “It’s Gage’s. Can you get the rest of the day off work?”

  “Yeah. My boss told me I could whenever I wanted. He knows you’re in the hospital.”

  “Good. I need you to come here.”

  “What’s the matter? What did the doctor say? Is it bad?”

  “It’s not like that. I’ll tell you more once you arrive.”

  “Okay. I just have to talk to my boss, then I’ll be on my way as soon as I can.”

  Jaimie disconnected the call. “Lynne’s coming.”

  “Great. Now all we have to do is wait.”

  “And since we’re alone, I have questions. A lot of questions.”

  Gage smiled. “I thought you would.”

  * * * *

  Forty minutes later, Jaimie’s mind was full of wolf shifter facts. After she took everything in, she found herself able to accept it all without thinking Gage was crazy or that she needed to fear him. Even the thought of some invisible link joining her for life to a man she hardly knew didn’t have her wanting to run screaming. She felt the opposite.

  The more Gage talked, the more Jaimie found herself drawn to him. She had a hard time tearing her gaze off his firm lips. She vaguely remembered how they’d felt against hers when he’d kissed her yesterday. Now that she was better, she wanted him to kiss her again as he held her in his arms.

  Gage had sat in the chair once more, but had pulled it closer to the bed. Sometimes he’d lean forward, putting himself within touching distance. All she had to do was reach out, but she didn’t. They were mated, and she had every right to touch him, but she didn’t want to be the one to make the first move. Plus, it wasn’t as if they could do much more than hold hands or exchange a quick kiss while she was still in the hospital.

  “If you keep staring at my mouth like that, I’m not going to be able to hold back from kissing you,” Gage said.

  Jaimie locked gazes with him and saw desire lurking in his eyes. She didn’t question if it was only lust he felt. Gage had explained how once he claimed her, the instant love he had for her had solidified. Talk about love at first sight. She had to admit she couldn’t say it hadn’t happened to her as well. Neither one of them had said those three little words yet, which suited her. She wasn’t ready to hear them from him, even though she knew he felt that way toward her.

  “Maybe a kiss wouldn’t be such a bad thing,” Jaimie said. “It’ll help me remember I’m still alive. That I came close to the end, but thanks to you, I’ve cheated death.”

  Gage sat on the bed next to her so fast Jaimie had a hard time tracking him. It definitely wasn’t something a human would have been able to do. Her breath caught in her lungs as he leaned closer until their lips were an inch apart. His delicious scent seemed to swirl around her, filling her nose and head, making her pussy ache to be filled. She hadn’t felt that sensation for a very long time.

  “That’s too good to ignore,” Gage said huskily. “You have no idea what I’ve been imagining doing to you, my mate. I’ll have one little taste. Something to savor until you’re ready for more.”

  He placed his hands on either side of her hips on the mattress and closed the distance between their mouths. Gage gently brushed his lips along hers before he latched on for a deeper kiss. Jaimie opened, and his tongue swept inside. The beeps of the heart monitor attached to her sped up as a rush of desire washed through her. She reached up and fisted the front of his t-shirt, tugging hard to get him even closer.

  As he tasted her, and their tongues met, Jaimie didn’t want it to end. She felt more alive than she had in months. Her heart beat at a rapid pace and her blood heated with arousal. For once, she didn’t feel as if she were disconnected from her body as it slowly lost the battle with cancer. Gage grounded her, gave her the pleasure she needed in a bad way.

  “You really must be feeling better.”

  The sound of Lynne’s voice had Gage breaking the kiss, but he didn’t move away from Jaimie, and she didn’t let go of his shirt. They both turned their heads in her sister’s direction at the same time.

  Lynn smiled. She looked down at Gage and a look of surprise flashed across her face. “Is that…”

  Her sister’s words trailed off as she tugged Gage’s collar down farther to reveal his mate brand. With her other hand, Lynne eased the one on Jaimie’s hospital gown to the side. She smiled so huge it could have lit up the room. What she did next was even more surprising. Lynne took Gage’s face in h
er hands and placed a loud, smacking kiss on his lips.

  “Ah, Lynne, why did you kiss Gage?” Jaimie asked as he sat straighter. He looked as shocked as she felt.

  Her sister set her gaze on Gage. “It was you. I didn’t know it was possible, but you’re the one who saved Jaimie. You claimed her. You made her your mate. I thought your kind couldn’t do that with humans.”

  “You know what Gage is? That he’s a wolf shifter?” Jaimie wouldn’t have guessed that in a million years.

  Lynne nodded. “I’ve known about them for quite some time.” She looked at Jaimie. “You know Sam, Rob’s best friend?”

  “Yes.” Rob was Lynne’s husband so Jaimie had been introduced to Sam whenever he got together with her brother-in-law.

  “Well, Sam is a wolf shifter. His pack is in Helena. That’s where Rob grew up. They’ve been friends since they were teenagers. Shortly after Rob and I married, they let me in on the secret, and I promised not to tell anyone. Now that you have a mate brand, I don’t have to keep it from you any longer.”

  Jaimie shook her head. “Sam is a wolf shifter?”

  “Yes. Actually, you saw him once in his wolf form.”

  “I did?”

  “Yup. It was a couple years ago. Do you remember seeing Rob walking a huge ‘dog’ on a leash? We told you it was one of the neighbors’ that we’d promised we’d look after for the weekend. You’d said it looked more like a giant wolf than a husky. You were right. Sam and Rob had made some kind of bet and Sam had lost. In doing so, he had to shift to wolf form, allow Rob to put a collar and leash on him and let him walk him like a dog once around the block.”

  Gage burst out laughing. “I’m so not telling my brothers that story or they’ll try it out on me.”

  Lynne turned her attention on Gage. “I truly thought wolf shifters couldn’t take humans as mates.”

  “It isn’t a case of couldn’t. I don’t think it happened before until recently. Kiel was the first of our litter to become mate branded since he was born first. If you know about wolf shifters then you know how we come to the conclusion of who our mate is supposed to be. It kind of surprised all of us that Neha, a human, had that certain part of his anatomy working again. Then Cyrus found Shyla, another human. So I’m not surprised it turned out Jaimie is mine.”