“I didn’t think you’d find me,” she said through her tears.
“I never would’ve stopped looking,” he replied. His lips lowered to hers and he kissed her deeply, all the while running his hands over her arms and down her back as if assuring himself that she was really there.
A shuffling noise broke their lips apart, but Quinn did not release her. Faelan, Kenyon, Ulric, and Caleb all stood in the doorway watching them. They were still looking at her with somewhat shocked expressions.
So much for their theories that girls can’t access the power before their first shift, she thought smugly.
“Let’s go home,” Kenyon said, reaching out to embrace his daughter.
Jaisey held on tight to Quinn’s hand while her father hugged her. She refused to let go of him just yet.
“What about the other one?” she asked, looking down at Draven’s lifeless body. Quinn pulled her back to him and turned her from the body on the floor, shielding her.
“He’ll be found and dealt with, don’t worry Jaisey,” Faelan said.
Quinn led them from the room, back through the hallways and down the staircases, right through the big wooden door. They left the castle without a backward glance.
Jaisey couldn’t stop looking at Quinn. They hadn’t been separated for long, but it had felt like a lifetime. He walked with his left arm draped protectively around her. She wanted nothing more than to get back to the security of the valley.
Her father had been right when he’d said she would feel the bond stronger after she shifted. She and Quinn not only had a link running heart to heart, but they also had one running mind to mind. When she focused, she could hear Quinn’s thoughts as easily as her own, and what he was thinking had her blushing ten different shades of red. He simply smiled and pulled her even closer.
Kenyon paused after exiting the canyon and then directed them back to the path where the truck had stopped before. There were two trucks waiting for them. Seff flew out of the back of one when they came into view.
Quinn reluctantly released her into Seff’s embrace.
“I was so afraid Jaisey,” Seff told her, hugging her tightly.
“I’m okay Seff,” she replied.
“You never should have followed me. They didn’t hurt you, did they?” he demanded, looking her over for damage.
“She’s fine Seff,” Quinn replied, pulling her back into his own embrace. “More than fine actually. She shifted.”
“That means… she’s safe from the Shroud now, right?” he asked.
Quinn just nodded.
The smile on Seff’s face was instant and his “whoop” echoed all around them.
Jaisey couldn’t help but chuckle, but that took the last of her energy. She needed to rest.
“Let’s get going, Jaisey needs to rest,” Quinn said.
He pulled her next to him into one of the trucks and Kenyon got behind the wheel to drive them back. The comfort of Quinn’s embrace helped her sink into peaceful darkness. The last thing she remembered was Quinn’s voice like a caress in her mind.
I love you Jaisey.
Thirty-two
Quinn
The sun was up by the time they made it back to the village. The rest of the youngsters were waiting anxiously for Jaisey and Seff. Quinn brushed past the boys, taking Jaisey to their home. Once she’d fallen asleep, she hadn’t even stirred the remainder of the trip.
Adrenaline was still flowing through his system, but having her curled up in his arms for the trip back, he’d finally felt it beginning to alleviate. She was safe now, and he would see to her continued protection.
He felt the exhaustion hitting him, and he knew Jaisey would be feeling it even more so. After the rush of his first shift, he’d slept for two days.
He headed back outside, once he tucked Jaisey into the bed. The level of excitement outside had died down, as the news was spread that there was still another Shroud alive. The council members quickly pulled him into a closed meeting.
The elders all took their places at the council table, even Kenyon. Quinn stood near Aatu as he related the events of Jaisey’s capture, rescue, and shift.
The elders only seemed mildly surprised that she had shifted so far from the valley. Aatu speculated that the fear and adrenaline-related to her situation had made her reach out for the power of the valley. It made sense, though there was no way to know for sure if that was the actual explanation.
Before he was allowed to leave, the Speaker approached him.
“When Jaisey has recovered, we can hold another avowal ceremony if you wish,” he said.
Quinn smiled but said he’d wait and see what Jaisey wanted. Technically they had completed the ceremony, but tradition would have had them together for their first night following the avowal, bound together. He really didn’t want to lose that experience, and he didn’t want their ceremony remembered with the details of the attack.
He headed back to his place. He would give her the time she needed to rest and recover, and then she would be his forever.
* * *
When Jaisey woke the next day, even though she wasn’t rested near enough to consider the ceremony, she insisted on it, telling Quinn she couldn’t bear to have him separated from her for another moment. Quinn was relieved to see that she was feeling that loss as much as he was.
They didn’t bother with the big formal gathering as they had before, though everyone in the pack showed up anyway. They wore simple comfortable clothing that somehow fit them better than the formal outfits they’d worn previously.
Again, the Speaker said some words about love and being cherished, but Quinn couldn’t find it in himself to pay any more attention this time around than he had the first time. He could only focus on the emerald eyes gazing back at him.
In Quinn’s mind, the ceremony was still more meaningful this time. The love flowing between them now far outweighed any words. The leather cord that bound them together was the perfect symbol. They were bound – heart, mind, and soul.
By the time everyone had given congratulations again, the sun had set and Jaisey looked like she was about to collapse. Quinn excused them and swiftly carried her back to their place.
“Let’s get some sleep, we can talk when you’re truly rested,” Quinn said.
Jaisey nodded, leaning into him as he carried her back to the bedroom. He pulled the covers back and then lowered her onto the bed with him, letting her curl up into his side. He draped his arm around her protectively. As he pulled the covers back over them, he realized he wouldn’t be able to tolerate any sort of separation from her anytime soon.
“Quinn,” Jaisey said quietly, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for coming and getting me,” she said.
“I could have done nothing else,” he replied, kissing the top of her head.
“Do you really think they’ll find him?” she asked. He could hear the weariness in her voice when she spoke.
“Yes, he’ll be dealt with. That kind of evil cannot be permitted to roam the earth. Don’t worry Jaisey, you’re safe now. Everything will work out fine.”
“There’s something else,” she said quietly. “Right before you came in, there was someone else there. Or at least, another presence. He was angry with the Shroud because right before that, Jareth had said something about my sister and I being a perfect match for the two of them. That made him furious. But I swear, it was like he had already claimed my sister.”
Quinn was thoughtful for a few moments and then said, “Perhaps it’s time for a family reunion. I’m sure you’ll feel better if your siblings were here, and I know your father wants to reconnect.”
He could feel Jaisey’s excitement at the idea of having all of her family with her.
A moment later, he heard a quiet sniff. He raised his head and saw a tear rolling down her cheek.
“What is it sweetheart?” he asked quietly.
“It’s just… I wish my mom coul
d have been here today. She would have loved you so much.”
“I’m sure she’s keeping an eye on you from wherever she is Jaisey,” he replied quietly.
“I know. I just miss her so much,” she said.
She sighed, relaxing back against him. She was quiet for so long, he thought she’d finally fallen asleep, but her quiet whisper broke the silence.
“Quinn?”
“Yes?” he replied.
“You haven’t marked me yet,” she mumbled in a sleepy voice.
A rush of emotion flooded him. It was true he hadn’t marked her yet. He would have taken care of that detail during the night after their first ceremony. He’d become so used to the constant push from his wolf to do just that, it had simply become second nature to ignore the impulse.
But now, unwilling to wait a moment longer, he leaned in close as the words of the binding came to him.
“I am yours, as you are mine,” he began, as he pulled her hair back from her neck and pressed his lips to her skin.
“I claim my mate,” he said, as his lips brushed past her ear, eliciting a sweet shiver from her.
“And claimed in turn,” he said softly, pulling her even closer.
“By my troth, my life is yours,” he continued. His lips and teeth moving back and forth along her neck, finding the perfect spot for the claiming mark.
“Our souls are bound, and fates secured.”
At the crook of her neck, he sucked gently to get her blood to pool beneath the skin.
“You are mine, as I am yours,” he finished.
He sank his teeth in as gently as he could and then pierced his tongue, holding it to the tiny punctures on her neck. His blood immediately began mixing and joining with hers.
For all time Jaisey.
It took only moments for her scent to begin the change, becoming an intoxicating blend of the two of them.
His wolf finally quieted, content that his mate was fully his. It was in that moment that Quinn realized exactly how much his wolf had been communicating – loudly – since he’d come across his mate.
Jaisey interrupted his musing when she spoke again quietly. “For all time. I love you.”
Emotions once again threatened to overwhelm him and his throat closed on his response, so instead, he placed the words directly in her mind.
I love you too, Jaisey.
In the morning, he would place her avowal gift on her wrist and have the leather cord tied onto his own to complete their ceremony.
He closed his eyes and let the darkness envelop him. There would be plenty of time to deal with everything else, but right then, all he could think about was the woman in his embrace.
Jaisey. His love. His life. His soulmate.
Acknowledgments
* * *
This book has been many years in the making. I cannot thank my family and friends enough for their support… but I’ll try.
To my sister Carol, thank you for holding me accountable and floating with me while I talked through the storyline. To my sister Danielle, thank you for having such an amazing, artistic talent. I could not have wished for a better design for my cover.
To my children, all of whom listened to or read Shift at some point. I hope you all find your passions and make them happen. I love you, Brianna, Ryan, Kyla, Cory, Mason, and Toby! And you too Melissa A.!
To my parents, thank you for the encouragement. Your faith in me has meant more than you know, in all parts of my life.
To Lindsay R., thank you for being so encouraging as my beta reader. You are always my go-to for new material.
To Kyra G., and all my other test readers, thank you for the time you spent reading my story and providing feedback.
Finally, I must mention the awesome band Within Temptation. In the summer of 2017, I heard a song that wove a story in my head as I listened. Of course, Shift took on a life of its own, but were it not for their song “The Howling,” this story would not exist.
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