11. Jean Louise （okay, maybe in this lifetime）
He goes absolutely still. “What did you say?”
I should make him sweat, but I can’t bring myself to do that. Regardless of who’s really to blame for the last three months, we’re both really at fault. If he’d talked to me, or I got off my high horse and tried again, we could’ve been together all this time instead of silently suffering.
This is my chance. I’m going to be vulnerable again, offer myself up to him, and if he decides I’m not what he wants… then fine. That’s it. I tried, but now that I know how he really feels… I have to take this chance.
I use my claw to tickle the patch of skin between his nipples. A golden-furred wolf, like most shifters he’s pretty hairless in his human form, though I feel a few soft strands of chest hair that were too light for me to ever notice before.
“Mates mate, Tristan. And you.. me… we haven’t done that yet, have we?”
The rush of relief pouring off of him is only replaced by the renewed lust as he realizes what it is I actually meant.
He drops his head, using his fangs to trail along the length of my right shoulder as he whispers, “No. We haven’t. Yet.”
“I mean… if you want to call me your mate, shouldn’t we do that first?” With his lips kissing my shoulder, I press mine to his temple before murmuring in his ear, “Shouldn’t we fuck?”
“Luna yes,” he breathes out.
That’s just what I was hoping to hear—and exactly why I climb up off of his lap.
He reaches for me, but I’m already gone.
“Jeannie… come back here.”
The dominance in his voice goes straight to my pussy. Lifting my hands, I cup my tits. They’re heavy and sensitive, and I’m suddenly viscerally aware that I’m naked, he’s naked, and from the way he’s risen up to a crouch, his erection bobbing against his inner thigh, this male is seconds away from pouncing on me.
I hold up one finger, hoping he can see me in the darkness. Then, giving him my back, knowing he would never jump me from behind—unless he wants to find out what it’s like to get claws to the crotch like Claude did—I lower myself to my knees.
Falling forward, I land on my hands. Only then, when I’m on all fours, do I turn to look over my shoulder at my intended mate.
His eyes flash. My sight’s good enough to see that his cock is in his hand. He’s stroking it, chest heaving just enough to echo the amount of excitement fluttering down our bond.
I give my ass an enticing shake. “Well? What are you waiting for? If you want to be my mate, mount me. Take me.” My voice goes husky with just a hint of a dare. “Hotshot.”
Was it the nickname that did it, or the dominance my wolf is giving off right now? No way to tell, but it doesn’t matter because Tristan’s on his knees behind me, body bowed over mine as he slides his cock through all the moisture gathered in my pussy.
He hisses when the cock finds my entrance, though he doesn’t put the head inside. Instead, he pauses, and I have half a mind to kick his ankle to get him started.
Until he mutters, “I want to do this right. Like the other night. But I’ve never?—”
I know. “I was teasing, Tris. Trust me. You can’t get this wrong. Follow your instincts. Do what your body tells you to do and, I promise, it’ll be perfect because the Luna picked us out for each other.”
Okay. So maybe that’s a little bit of an exaggeration. Most virgins fumble around in the dark, and we have the added bonus of mating in a fucking cave. But the thought’s there. He could pump once and nut and I’ll never say a bad word about it because this is my mate.
I’ll have forever to teach him what I like. To show him how to make me come. For now, I just want to get this first mating done and over with so that he’s not nervous, and I don’t have to worry about being rejected again.
The bond won’t be finalized. I know that. But if he treats me like his mate, maybe I’ll finally get it through my thick skull that he’s mine, and holy shit, his instincts fucking rock because in one fluid thrust, my anxious virgin just railed me.
Yes!
I mean, I can’t see over my shoulder or anything, but it’s like he bottomed out, giving me every inch he has. I’m a she-wolf. I can take it, and he knows it. He doesn’t even check to see if I’m okay because he has absolute faith that I would be.
Nope. It was his own abilities he was doubting. I don’t know why. As he pulls back before thrusting back in, building a rhythm that starts out shaky before becoming more confident, he seems to have a pretty good idea what he’s supposed to do.
Me? I’m just holding on for the ride.
His hands are holding onto my hips, pinning me in place as he moves. I manage to free one hand of mine before snagging his, moving it so that he can squeeze my tit at the same time as he’s rocking into me.
Keeping his claws short, he kneads my flesh with his fingertips. “Jeannie, my Jeannie?—”
“Jean Louise,” I gasp out, my own claws scratching the craggy rock beneath us.
He buries his face in the side of my neck. When he repeats the three syllables, it’s against my skin. The vibrations of his mouth are almost as delicious as the way he’s covering my back with his body.
I knew he wouldn’t last. I didn’t expect him to. I should’ve giving him a handjob or a blowie to get the first nervous load out of the way, but I was so eager to have him claim me that I went right to the actual mating. I don’t regret it one back, and when he lifts his head, panting my name—Jean, Jean, Jean Louise—I do him the favor of moaning his back at him.
Not ‘hotshot’. Not anymore.
He’s Tristan. He’s mine.
And as he echoes the sentiment in a sharp roar as he starts to fill me up with his come, I smile into the darkness with the irrevocable satisfaction that I’m finally his.
“Jeannie? Jeannie! Are you in there?”
Oh my Luna. Seriously, Fallon. The dorm is the size of a fucking shoebox. I know she can’t use her sniffer the way other shifters can, but she has eyes, right? How does she not see me?
I’m so comfy. Cozy. The delicious ache down below makes me think I got laid last night which would explain why I’m using a very warm, hard body as a pillow right now. My ass is freezing though, and the last thing I need is Fallon’s ‘human’-ness squealing at me because I’m naked in bed.
Still keeping my eyes closed because I don’t want to get up yet, I grope around for my blanket.
My claws scratch against rock.
What the?—
My eyes snap open. Whoa. What was up with that freaky dream? I could’ve sworn I was back at Frelinghuysen, sharing a dorm with my twin and our assignment. Like, I heard Fallon, but as I peer down at my pillow, my lips curve into a satisfied smile when I see Tristan passed out beneath me, his mouth open, a soft snore blowing through his nose.
Poor guy is exhausted. This is the first time I woke up before him since we’ve been trapped in the cave. He’s always up past the time I knock out, awake before I come to, and it’s actually kind of amazing to watch my mate sleep.
I should be exhausted, too. After our first round of mating, I discovered just how different it is, being with a shifter male instead of a human. So many guys I would’ve thought were good lovers turned out to be two-minute-men, but Tristan? He might have finished soon due to inexperience and a despite to mark me as his in some way, but just because he spurted inside of me once, that didn’t mean he was done.
Oh, no. Letting him take me from behind was only the beginning. Despite being a dominant male, he welcomed me pushing him to his back so that I could climb onto his lap again, riding him until he was begging me for mercy.
Luna, I love to hear this male beg.
I thought I would regret it in the morning. I mean, our first time was in a cave, but we’re shifters. Who cares? If we ever get out of here, we can always use a bed next ti?—
“Jeannie! Don’t tell me I worked my ass off to break that stupid ward and you went and died on me before I could get you out! I swear, if you’re dead in there, I’ll kill you. Then I’ll send a telegram to Lorelei, and she’ll kill you for dying on us, too!”
Holy shit. That… Fallon wasn’t in my dream. I heard her voice because she’s calling to me from outside the cave!
Break that stupid ward…
“Fallon? Fal!” Scrambling to my feet, I cup my mouth so that my voice will carry out through the crevice. “I fucking love you, bitch!”
“Oh thank God. You’re alive. I really didn’t have to be the one to tell Lorelei that I killed Jeannie Lipton. What about Tris? Is he in there? ‘Cause… well, Luc says he can smell him and… yeah. Is our Beta alive or do I have to figure out a way to break the news to my mate?”
Swallowing my laugh, I glance down at Tristan. He’s still dozing, completely oblivious to the screaming match going on over his head.
I get it. With the blood ward keeping us locked in here for the fifth straight morning, it’s not like he has to be alert to any dangers. He can finally sleep soundly… but, yeah. That’s gonna have to a no since I want out.
Crouching down, I grab his arm and give it a big shake.
His eyes shoot open. “Jeannie? Are you okay? What’s going on?”
I’ve been careful to conserve my energy once I realized that, if I used too much of it, Tristan really would insist I eat worms. As much as it would’ve been nice to use my Luna glow to brighten up the cave again, we both agreed it was better to remain in the dark than burn out even quicker.
Now? I think I can spare a little juice.
Lighting up my face, I want to Tristan to see that I’m not fucking around when I tell him, “It’s Fallon. She’s here. We’re getting out.”
Tristan’s face falls. Not for long. A split second at most. If I hadn’t had my glow on, I never would’ve seen it, he pulls a smile on his face that quickly.
But I did see it. I cock my head. “Tristan?”
He rises up, reaching for my hand. He taps the top of it. “How hungry are you?”
What does that have anything to do with his strange reaction? “I?—”
As if on cue, my traitorous stomach decides it’s the perfect time to grumble. “Okay. I’m starving.”
“We need to shower. Rest. Feed. I gotta talk to the Alpha and find out what happened. Fallon’s probably worrying about you?—”
I shrug. “She threatened to kill me if I died.”
His mouth falls open as he stares at me for a second before he shakes his head. “Right. Anyway, let’s go. We can talk again later. At the pack house. Okay?”
Sure. If that’s what he wants.
Shifting on my heel, I cup my hands over my mouth again. “Fal? Heads up. We’re naked. I’d shift to my wolf, but with fur, I don’t think I can squeeze my way out of the cave.”
“Yeah. Luc figured it would be something like that. Okay. Change of plan. So my mate doesn’t decide to gut his Beta for coming out here naked where, heaven forbid, I can see, you come out first. I’ve got a cloak for you.”
Of course she does. “What about Tristan?”
“We’ll get him some sweatpants. Sound good?”
I glance at him. He nods.
“Whatever. Just get us the fuck out of here.”
I plannedon waiting for Tristan, but Fallon was antsy about getting an eyeful of his penis with Lucas prowling around behind her, one hell of a scowl on his face.
He’s not mad at us. When I glance at the Alpha, then throw a look Fallon’s way, she shakes her head and mutters, “He’s been like this since we walked back on pack land and realized something was wrong. It’s like he knew something went down with the witches. He came right here, and we found this mangled witch floating in the lake. Not pretty, I’ll tell you that.”
That’s all she tells me. At least, until she throws a blue cloak—my favorite color, and one that obviously belongs to Eleanor—over my shoulder before gesturing at me to start moving with her chin.
“Come on, babe. Come with me. I’ll lead you back to the house.”
With Fallon and her sense of direction, I’d be better off walking with my eyes closed until I got my sight fully back over following her. After five days in the doom and gloom in the caves, I have to keep blinking just because it’s so Luna damn bright out.
After we’ve gotten far enough away, I bump her shoulder and tease, “Babe? Don’t let your mate hear you call me that.”
“Afraid of my big, bad wolf?”
“Afraid for you maybe. I can take him down.”
Fallon sighs. It’s a sound of pure relief. “You’re okay, Jeannie. You’re really okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
She pauses for a moment. “Know what? You’re right. If there’s anyone I know who could survive close to a week in a damp, dirty cave, it’s Jeannie fucking Lipton.”
Damn right.
“Well, it wasn’t a trip to the day spa or anything, but I did have good company.”
She doesn’t comment on that. Instead, she just gives me a side-eye as she looks me up and down.
I’ll give Fallon credit. She doesn’t say anything about my wild hair, the dirt on my skin, the scent of sex that clings to me, or the mildew that’s probably seeped into my fucking pores at this point. I mean, the look on her face says everything for her, but she magnanimously keeps her trap shut about my appearance.
She does, thankfully, tell me about everything that happened while I was trapped in the cave as we walk.
From finding Claude’s body to Lucas’s alpha wolf sniffing out the blood ward that was keeping us trapped, Fallon and her mate weren’t sure that Tristan and I were in there, but it was a pretty safe bet that we were. Why else would the witch’s last dying act be to curse some random cave unless he was keeping something inside?
A patrol over the entire pack territory revealed no sign of the Beta or me, though they did stumble upon Gabriel’s remains. At that point, they knew it wasn’t just one witch who attacked the pack, but two—and Lucas ran right back to the Coven House with Fallon to confront the others.
On the plus side, it really was just the two of them gunning for me because I killed Remy. On the other, it turns out it’s really, really hard to break a death curse like the blood ward.
It took eight different witches, four days, and Fallon finally conceding that she would lead the coven while also being a member of the pack before the blood ward shattered about two minutes before she started screaming my name.
Of the three of us, it was Lorelei who was always the mother hen figure. Tell that to Fallon. As she spoke, she confidently—and surprisingly—led me to the pack house with only one wrong turn. Then, once we were facing the back of the house, she shuffles me in inside, refusing to let me say a word about what happened in the cave until I shower and change into one of my spare outfits.
While we were talking during our trek to the house, I was able to get a couple of words in edgewise. She knows my side of what happened with Gabriel and Claude, from their ambush to the way that Tristan appeared just in time to throw his weight into the fight. I explained how he’s the one who told me to go to the waterfall, and that we never expected that Claude would follow us or cast that final spell until it was too late.
After that, I’m sure she can guess what happened, especially since I kept looking over my shoulder, searching for Tristan and Lucas. If he left the cave right after I did, he should be close on my heels… but he isn’t.
Where is he?
I don’t know, but I tell myself that he’ll be waiting at the pack house after I get clean… only he isn’t. As I head down the stairs, moving toward the kitchen where Fallon told me to meet her when I was done, I search for Tristan through our bond. It’s there, but only just, and it’s so stretched, it’s easy to tell that he’s nowhere near the house.
What’s going on?
Where is my mate?