6. Chapter 6
Cody
Time blurred into a haze of hot sex and stolen moments with Jian.
My body ached in the most delicious ways, marked with bruises and bites that told the story of his possession.
I traced the deepest bite on my shoulder as I walked the stone path that wound through the retreat grounds, wondering if I could call in sick just one more day as my mind swirled with worry about the job I was probably losing and the rent I couldn’t pay.
None of it mattered when Jian was touching me, inside me, whispering filthy promises against my skin. But in the bright light of a crisp November afternoon, all the worries came hurtling back.
“Cody! What a wonderful surprise!”
I jumped at the booming voice, spinning to find Jian’s father emerging from a small garden shed, pruning shears in hand. Guo’s smile was wide and genuine, so unlike his son’s carefully guarded expressions. Where Jian was all tension and control, his father radiated an easy warmth.
“Good morning, Mr. Wei,” I said.
“Please, Guo,” he insisted, setting down the shears. “You are family now.”
My chest tightened at the word “family.” It seemed so soon, so permanent, but the way he said it made it sound like the most natural thing in the world.
“I want to thank you,” he continued, placing a warm hand on my shoulder. “For bringing such joy to my son.”
I blushed, images of the precise ways I’d been bringing joy to Jian flashing through my mind. “I haven’t done anything special.”
“Ah, but you have!” Guo patted my cheek affectionately. “I have not seen my son so alive in years. He smiles now!” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Do you know how long it’s been since he embraced his panda?”
I didn’t, but the pride in Guo’s voice made it clear this was significant.
“I think he’s been lonely,” Guo said, his voice softening. “Needing to find his place in our community. Already I see changes. He taught the children’s class yesterday without complaining and showed them his favorite form from when he was young.”
My heart swelled at the image of Jian surrounded by delighted children. “That’s... really sweet.”
“Thanks to you,” he insisted. “You spend so much time with him. Every night, yes?”
The implication made me blush harder. “I mean, I don’t really mind except...” I hesitated. “I might get fired from my job, actually. And it’s hard to be upset by that because my job is kind of shitty. All I do is make coffee for the guys who get to do all the actual art.”
Guo’s eyebrows shot up, but before he could respond, a jingle of bracelets announced Marissa’s approach. She floated toward us, colorful scarves trailing behind her.
“Cody!” she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug that smelled of jasmine and spices. “I was just thinking about you. The energy between you and Jian—it’s so perfectly balanced. Yin and yang in harmony.”
I returned her hug awkwardly, still not used to the Wei family’s easy physicality. “Thanks, I think?”
“Cody was just telling me about his job. He’s an artist.” There was something tense in Guo’s voice now, and I wondered if I’d upset him.
“Your job is in art?” Marissa asked. “May I see some of your work?”
“Oh, um. Well, I studied animation and illustration in school. My dream is to do character design. For video games and stuff.” I shifted from foot to foot. “I don’t have any here due to the, er, kidnapping.”
I’d meant it as a joke, but the word hung in the air like a live grenade. Marissa and Guo’s faces froze, identical expressions of horror blooming.
“Kidnapping?” Marissa’s voice rose an octave. “What do you mean, kidnapping?”
“It’s not—I didn’t mean—”
“Our son has been holding you against your will?” Guo’s jovial demeanor vanished, replaced by stern concern. “For four days?”
“No! Well, kind of, but I wanted to—”
“This is unacceptable!” Marissa said. “The mating bond should never be forced! It must be freely given, or it becomes toxic!”
Before I could explain that I was perfectly happy being “kidnapped” by their son, they were each grabbing one of my arms, hustling me down the path toward Jian’s cabin.
“We raised him better than this,” Guo muttered. “Keeping a human hostage. What was he thinking?”
“I’m really fine—” I tried again, but they weren’t listening, their parental outrage drowning out my protests.
We covered the quarter-mile to Jian’s cabin in record time. They burst through the door without knocking, dragging me along like evidence at a crime scene. I tried to protest and insist I hadn’t been kidnapped, but they were having none of it.
Jian stood in the kitchen, wearing nothing but low-hanging sweatpants. His hair was loose around his shoulders, damp and dark against his golden skin. If we were alone, I’d be on my knees, holding him in my mouth in an instant, but his meddling parents were in the way.
His expression shifted from surprise to confusion as he took in the tableau—his parents flanking me like guards escorting a prisoner.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, eyes locking with mine.
“You cannot keep him here against his will!” Marissa said.
“What? I’m not—”
“He says you kidnapped him,” Guo interrupted. “This is not how we raised you, son.”
Jian’s eyes widened, a flash of hurt crossing his face before his features settled into that carefully blank mask.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I was joking. I didn’t mean—”
But Jian was already nodding, his jaw tight. “I wouldn’t call it kidnapping, but I’ve been selfish.” He looked directly at me. “You can go home, Cody. Whenever you want. I’ll drive you back to Reno today.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. Go home? Leave Jian? The thought made something primal and panicky claw at my throat.
Jian stood frozen by the kitchen counter, his expression carefully neutral except for the muscle ticking in his jaw—a tell I’d already learned meant he was fighting for control.
Four days together, and I could read his body like a favorite book. I knew how his eyes darkened just before he came, how his fingers flexed when he wanted to touch me but was holding back. Like now.
“How much would it hurt you if I left?” I asked.
Jian’s eyes flickered to mine, then away. He shrugged, trying for nonchalance but missing by a mile. “I’d handle it.”
“That’s not what I asked.” I moved closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his bare chest. “I asked how much it would hurt.”
His jaw clenched tighter. “What do you want me to say, Cody? That I’d fall apart? That I’d—” He cut himself off, running a hand through his damp hair. “It’s fine. I don’t own you. You can go whenever you want.”
I pressed my palm against his chest, feeling his heart thundering beneath my touch. “Tell me the truth.”
Something cracked in his expression. “Fine. A few hours? I’d be okay. A day? Uncomfortable. But nights...” He swallowed hard. “I don’t think I can sleep without you anymore.”
I couldn’t help it—I laughed. The sound burst from me, bright and unexpected, and Jian’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What’s so funny?”
“Am I your mate?” I asked. “Was this whole pretend game bullshit?”
Guo cleared his throat. “Of course, you’re his mate. You told us that on the first day.”
“That was all a lie, an elaborate story he invented to get you off his back,” I said, watching Jian’s jaw tense. “Until maybe it wasn’t.”
“Why would you lie about finding your fated mate?” Marissa asked, turning to her son with a frown.
Jian tugged his hair. “I don’t know. I just knew Darla wasn’t for me, knew it was a waste of time. I was desperate to get out of that restaurant, and I wasn’t making rational decisions.”
His father made a quiet sound. “Ah, so you were inexplicably desperate to get outside, to where you found Cody.”
“She kept showing me panda videos,” Jian said. “Or you sensed he was near.” “Oh, come on,” Jian said. “My panda couldn’t have known my mate was outside. He couldn’t have forced me to lie to drive me towards Cody.”
Guo frowned. “Fate is a mysterious thing. There was no need to lie, but I understand the drive to be close to your fated. And I understand that it can cause you to do things you shouldn’t.”
“I wasn’t…” He crossed his arms over his chest and paced across the room, eyeing his parents. “You don’t think I really knew he was nearby, do you?”
“It’s hard to know, sweetheart. Some things are too strange to be coincidences,” Marissa said. “And some things truly are just strange coincidences. But you didn’t need to lie. You could have told Darla the truth.”
“I was afraid Dad would be upset that Darla wasn’t for me. And her father really wanted it all to work. And he’s terrifying.”
“You can’t live your life in fear of how others will respond to you, Jian,” Guo said firmly. “You can’t lie to slip out of consequences. I understand that when your panda senses his mate is near, your judgement is clouded, so I’m not angry, but I still think you need a consequence.”
“A consequence?” I yelped. “But he didn’t really mean anything bad by it!”
“One month of 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday Tai Chi,” Guo said firmly.
“That should remind you to listen to your inner voice instead of making up lies to cover what it wants.” Marissa nodded.
“Now figure things out with Cody in a way that allows him free will.” “He does have free will,” Jian insisted, eyes darting to me.
“He wanted to stay.” “Figure it out, Jian. You can’t uproot his entire life.
You need to blend him into yours without forcing him to change. ”
His parents both gave him a stern look and bustled out of the cabin, leaving us alone again. I stared up at him for a long moment, trying to figure out what I really wanted. But all roads always led back to him—to learning every little thing about him. I had so many questions.
“The dire consequences you did all of this to avoid were morning Tai Chi classes?”
“At six a.m.!”
I burst out laughing. “You’re an idiot.”
“Six in the morning,” he repeated. “With cheerful old people.”
I stepped in closer, wrapping my arms around his waist. “And the dangerous truths of being around shifters?”
“I mean, we can’t let humans find out that we exist. It’s dangerous. There’s a council that monitors our secrecy, and humans who try to tell people about us usually end up committed as crazy. It’s a real danger.”
I kissed the spot below his ear, the one that made Jian squirm. “I think I’ll stay and risk the consequences. I could even help you out at morning tai chi.”
“I don’t want to ruin your life.”
I nibbled his earlobe. “Why would you ruin my life? I like you. I’m having fun.”
“I don’t know. This place… don’t you want more from life?”
“More from life than a super hot boyfriend who dumped a sexy date and lied to his parents just because his heart sensed I was near?”
“That’s not proven.”
“Just admit that I’m your fated mate.”
“Fine. You’re my fated mate.”
“I am.” I beamed up at him, heart swelling.
“Don’t look so smug. It’s tough, because you have a life you need to get back to, and you’re human, and humans are fickle little assholes who take forever to fall in love.”
“Well, I mean, it’s only been four days, but I’m fucking addicted. You’re right that I can’t drop everything for you. I have a life and a job, and I can’t lose that, as much as I hate it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t spend as much time together as possible, getting to know each other.”
The hope that flashed across his face was quickly masked, but not before I caught it. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I do.” I slid my hands down his stomach, exploring his body, imagining it was mine. “Tell me what you want, Jian.”
“I want you to stay,” he murmured against my lips. “Not because I’m keeping you here. Not because of a shifter bond. Not even because of the sex. Just because you want to. Because you… like me.”
The quiet vulnerability in his voice broke my heart, and I leaned in and kissed him.
“Of course I like you.” “Even when I’m a grumpy asshole?
” I laughed. “You’re always a grumpy asshole.
” I smiled against his mouth, feeling something settle deep in my chest. “But like, in a cute way. What would I do without your complaining and snarky comments?”
“Fuck off.” His voice was gruff and strained as I let my hands roam lower, beneath the waistband of his pants.
“No, I don’t think I will. I like it here, with you cuddling me close. Wild pandas couldn’t drag me away.”
“You’re such a dork.”
“It must be so disappointing to have a dork as your fated mate,” I said.
“Super disappointing,” he said, smiling down at me. “Hate having such a pretty boy making me laugh and obsessing over sucking my cock.”
“So it’s settled. I’ll work when I need to, but I’ll come back here for nights and weekends. And for now, I desperately need to check in with work. Maybe pick up some clothes that fit me. I have the cutest pink jeans that hug my ass just right.”
A grin spread across his face. “Mm. I like that.”