twenty-six
My ears flicked as they picked up Jade talking. I leaned toward the back door like it would help me hear better. As if I couldn’t hear everything she said standing upright.
Nanna appeared in front of me and slapped my bicep. I rubbed at it automatically, shrinking back from the old woman.
“Don’t eavesdrop. She’ll tell you if she wants you to know.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her tiny fingers grabbed my wrist in a grip stronger than expected. She tugged, and I allowed her to lead me toward the front of the house. I could still hear Jade speaking, and if I focused, I could hear what she said.
Nanna pinched me. “Stop listening in!”
I drooped. “I can’t help it. She’s my focus.”
“You love her.”
My eyes flicked to hers. “She’s my mate.”
The older woman grabbed my muzzle and shook it. “That’s not what I said.”
My words garbled as they pushed through my trapped mouth. “Yes, I love her.”
Nanna nodded and released me. She sank into an armchair. Sized for me and my brothers, it swallowed her.
“Good, but she’ll need time. Just because she’s a kindergarten teacher doesn’t mean she easily swallows a bunch of mystical woo woo. She needs to come to her own conclusion about being your mate.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Jade’s screech of “What?” had both of us running for the back door. My claws flexed, and my lips pulled into a snarl as I scanned the backyard for threats. There were none. I turned toward Jade, who now clutched Nanna’s hand in her own, her eyes wide as she stared at nothing.
The man on the other end of the phone was telling her about an incident at her house. Her friend Emma had been attacked while feeding Jade’s cats.
I recognized his voice. He was the older detective who’d been at her house. He was trying to convince her to return to police protection. My chest rumbled and I shook my head.
She was safer with me.
“I appreciate your concern, Detective Chambers, but I assure you, I am safer right where I am.”
The man sighed, but relented, and Jade ended the call.
“Is she okay?” Nanna’s voice didn’t tremble, but her upset was clear to my senses.
As was Jade’s fear. Outwardly, she was calm and collected. But her heart raced, her breaths were shallow, and the scent of fear was strong.
“She’s shaken, her neck is sore, and she has a small cut on her neck. Apparently, they were waiting in the house. They grabbed her hair as she passed the kitchen door and yanked her head back. Put a knife to her throat, but stopped when they saw it wasn’t me. Then they ran off.”
She looked up at me.
“They want me to go into police custody.”
I shook my head again. My throat closed up at the idea of her not being with me. My hands fisted at my sides, claws cutting through their caps and into my palms.
She nodded. “I told them no. I feel safer with you.” She turned to Nanna. “I want you to stay here, too. It’s not a leap for them to go after you to get to me.”
“What about my friends at Sunset Springs?”
“I think that’s one degree of separation too many. They should be fine, but call them and tell them to be extra cautious.”
Nanna nodded and scurried back inside. I stepped forward, wrapping Jade in my arms. She sagged against me.
“I got my friend hurt.”
My teeth ground together. “No. Your attackers hurt your friend.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her breath warming my chest. “I want to go see her.” She pulled away and looked up at me. “And I need to figure out what to do about my cats.”
“Bring them here. I’ll get my brothers to help so we can get them all in one trip.”
Her mouth fell open. “You’d … you’d do that for me?”
I ran the back of my finger over her soft cheek. “I would do anything for you.”
She swallowed and we stood, stared into each other’s eyes, and the minutes ticked by. She shook her head and straightened her spine. Took a step back, and nodded.
I wasn’t sure what decision she’d made, but she seemed determined.
“Okay then. Let’s do it. We’ll need to hurry so we can get it done before dawn.”
It wasn’t hard to marshal my brothers. Even Kendal came, as an extra pair of hands. We made the trip to Jade’s house in good time. Once there, we showed her our military precision and obedience. She pointed and commanded. We did as she said. In short order, we had the cats in carriers, their food, dishes, and litter boxes packed. Kendal scooped as many toys as she could find into a bag. Quin put giant bags of litter on each shoulder. The rest of us grabbed two carriers a piece, and within forty-five minutes, we were on our way back to the compound.
Most of the cats were silent. The smallest of them, a kitten Jade said she’d adopted only a few weeks ago, screamed like it was being tortured. We winced every time the small ball of fur let out its meow. They seemed to rise in volume and duration.
It was the first one set free inside my house.
“Sorry about Cameow. She hasn’t fully adjusted and still thinks she’s going to starve if she doesn’t remind me of her presence. Loudly. And often.” Jade winced.
My brothers assured her it was fine and then beat hasty retreats. I watched as Jade set up the cat’s supplies around my house. Two water fountains and a bowl sat along one kitchen wall, twelve matching food bowls along another. She distributed litterboxes around the entire house, with cats following behind, eager to christen each one as soon as it was done.
I also followed as she moved through her tasks, not wanting to leave her for even a second. This crime organization was getting bolder. They didn’t know where she was, I was certain of that, but my nerves were on high alert.
“It’s very nice of you to house my cats like this. I know they’re a lot.”
She was turned away from me, stroking the back of a solid white cat. Her head was bent and she looked tiny and tired in that moment.
“I enjoy having them here.”
She jerked her eyes to mine, disbelief clear on her face.
“It’s true. They soothe you and make you happy. I welcome into my home anything that will make you feel…” Like it’s your home. Like it’s where you belong. Like it’s where you want to stay. With me. “Better,” I finished lamely.
It was true. I liked seeing her things here. I wanted her so deeply entrenched in my house, my life, my heart that she’d find it impossible to dig her way out. I wanted her to take ownership of all that I was.
I would never say it. I wanted her to choose me—not under pressure or because of anything I said—but because she wanted me.
“Thurl,” she whispered, “I want to bond with you.”
My immediate reaction was elation, followed by recoil. I shook my head even as my eyes blazed brighter. “It’s too soon.”
“It is soon, you’re right.” She inhaled sharply. “But I spoke to Bacon. I read the binder. Everything says the fates don’t make mistakes.”
I started to argue but she cut me off.
“I want you to bite me. I feel it, too, you know.”
My mouth watered and I locked my muscles to keep from falling on her, tearing her clothes off and sinking my fangs into the soft flesh of her thigh. My voice was low and strained. “Are you sure?”
She met my eyes with her own and nodded. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck.”