Chapter 32
CICELY
“No, they’re sleeping.”
That’s a female voice. Erica?
“I’ll wake them up.”
Riley? Yep. Smells like Riley and Erica.
“We’ll just hang out up there until they wake up, maybe.”
One of Erica’s sisters. Not the one that spoke to me last night.
“I’ll call Aunt Cat and tell her to bring the festivities over here,” Riley says.
“I’ll put coffee on in the trailer for them,” Erica says, voice further away.
I blink away the drowsiness. My head is on Jared’s chest. He’s awake, blinking. He scratches his neck where the mask ends. He must hate sleeping with that on. And the stupid rings around his neck and his middle. He must have put that waist one on after I fell asleep.
I sit up.
He stretches, a sexy, growly rumbling sound coming from him. And it makes me want to shut the outer door and climb on top of him again. Instead, I grab the key and undo the iron around his neck.
Oh my. There’s a mark there. My teeth marks. I bit his wolf’s neck when I was in wolf form. And it didn’t heal. Will it? Or will my mark be on his neck forever, too?
I hope so.
***
The Young sisters worked some magic. Grey and Riley are here with Erica, Vivi, and Ronnie.
I told them I heard a voice, telling me to shift.
It was Vivi who spoke into my head. That anklet Erica gave me in our honeymooning basket is filled with crystals that helped facilitate communication between us.
They could’ve cast a spell to do the same, but it eased that, making it like they had me on speed-dial.
Erica was “busy” with Riley. Apparently, I wasn’t the only female to go into heat last night. The spontaneous lunar event wasn’t orchestrated by the witches, though they did take advantage of it.
My next question was, “What about Bailey?”
Bailey and Jase still haven’t done the deed. But as of last night, Brody Savage and his mate Addy finally have. And that’s great news for the second couple, but based on how I was feeling last night, I have no idea how Bailey didn’t also succumb. I’ll be having a conversation with her.
The witches are still working on the portal for somewhere safe for Jared to run as well as a cloak. But after breakfast, they want to run a test with Jared’s wolf.
Before they told us they took advantage of the lunar event instead of orchestrating it, Jared was annoyed, Annoyed might be putting it mildly. The looks he was giving Grey and his cousins could peel paint.
Finally, he spoke up. “What if something went wrong? What if you were wrong?”
“A minute, Jared?” Grey pulled him aside and had a conversation with him.
While that took place, Erica explained what went down with the moon and told me they didn’t know how it’d go, but that Vivi and Ronnie were watching and ready to sound alarms with Gus and Sean if necessary.
They say they didn’t fix things, that Fate did, using the moon and their help, showing Jared’s wolf exactly who I am to him. And he accepted this, embraced it.
When Jared and Grey came back, Jared asked if they could cast a permanent spell over me to protect me from his wolf. Erica said that wasn’t an option, but that if his wolf was still looking to attack with the upcoming shift test, they’d go back to the drawing board to see what else could be done.
Cat and Stan along with Mitch and his mate Gloria turned up with patio chairs and breakfast. Neither Jared nor I could muster breakfast, both on edge about the coming test. Cat brought a spare coffee cake just for us, so we can eat that later.
Halfway through the rest of them eating, Jared jumped to his feet saying, “Can we just fuckin’ do this now please?”
“Erm… patience is not my mate’s strong suit,” I explained.
And I found myself highly amused, which made him a little growly. But I figure he must be hopeful rather than dreading it because up until now, his philosophy has been more of “don’t tempt fate” than “let’s see how this goes.”
Not only has Jared turned a corner, hopefully his wolf has, too.
***
We’re in the bunker and Jared is masked and restrained. The phone is on a shelf, so the other alphas won’t trigger Jared’s wolf, but allowing them to hear and come help, if needed.
I’m wearing another belt with the taser and stun gun. I have my bracelet on as well as the anklet. Erica is going to make more green crystals later for a top-up, but there are still five on my wrist.
“I love you,” I say.
“Love you, too,” he tells me.
“I love how you purr for me now,” I add.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
“I don’t know if I got pregnant last night but even if we are expecting a baby, I want to go on adventures,” I add. “Lots of them.”
He cracks a smile. “Gonna want to bring you out on jobs and test your lock-picking skills.”
I laugh, then add, “I do have skills.”
“Mm,” he voices and I’m turned on, but also feeling my feelings.
“If it’s a boy, we should name him Jeremiah, after your dad.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, but he’s not upset. He likes that.
I ask, “What were your mom’s and sister’s names?”
“Mom was Lauren. Sister’s was Ellery.”
“I really like Ellery for a little girl,” I tell him.
“What was your mother’s name?” he asks.
“Cassandra.”
“We have a girl, her name’ll be Cassandra. Cassie.”
“Then we’ll need two girls so we can have an Ellery and a Cassie.”
Jared laughs. “Fuck, woman. You’re such a brat.”
“And don’t you forget it,” I warn.
I hear a laugh through the phone.
“Oops,” I say.
“Don’t mind us,” Grey quips through the phone.
“Okay, let’s get on with it.” I straighten up.
Jared takes a deep breath, then another.
“Love you,” I whisper as he shifts.
I’m just inside the barred doorway.
His restrained and masked wolf does what it always does when it first shows up. His fur fluffs up, and he does an assessment of his surroundings, of threats. He’s growling almost immediately. He arrives in a fighting stance, which speaks volumes about how his mind works.
“Jared,” I call out.
He stops growling and sniffs before he locks on me with his eyes, blinking a few times.
And that feeling in my chest, that connection to him, it’s active. It was amped for a beat, but now it’s not.
“Hi,” I say.
He sits. And now his tail is thumping on the floor.
“Oh my goodness! You’re wagging your tail!”
I burst into tears.
He whines and pulls on the restraints.
He wants at me. He whines again. Because I’m upset?
“Sis?” I hear over the phone.
Linc. They patched him in from the village.
When I don’t immediately reply, he clips, “Should’ve moved the fuckin’ camera in there!”
Jared’s wolf starts growling, looking for where the voice is coming from.
“It’s okay. I’m okay. I’ll take the restraints off. Not the mask, just the restraints. See how he is.”
I hear Linc let out a frustrated growl through the phone.
Jared’s wolf growls in response, eyes now on the shelf where the phone is.
“Shush up on the phone. I’ll settle him first.”
“It’s okay,” I say and take a step closer, holding out my hand.
Jared’s wolf is sniffing the air while continuously emitting a low growl. I feel his unease in our connection.
“You’re not growling at me. You’re trying to figure out if someone else is here,” I say, for the benefit of those on the phone. “I can feel you in my chest. You’re protecting me. I’m okay.”
I get closer and closer until he’s sniffing my hand and his tail is wagging again. The feeling in my chest improves.
I slowly lift my hand to the top of his head and pet him.
His eyes close. He lies down.
I feel elated as I sit on the floor with him. He stretches to nuzzle my neck, near the mate mark, sniffing. I hug him, tears springing up in my eyes. He knows me. We’re going to be okay.
He puts his head on my lap, and his tail keeps thumping against the floor.
I’ve got the keys, so I get into a squat and undo the restraints, one by one.
When he’s free, other than his mask, he holds out his paw. I shake it with a laugh. He lifts it again, pawing at his face. He wants the mask off. He knows I can get it off him.
I search our connection, looking for signs it’s safe. I feel nothing but safe right now.
Jared told me not to take this off. Not this time. But if I don’t, I’m showing distrust and Jared’s wolf could feel that. It could hurt our budding connection.
I reach behind his head and undo the first of three straps.
He’s waiting. Nothing feels wrong in my chest. I undo the second strap, then the third.
The mask falls to the floor.
Jared’s wolf licks my face and knocks me on my backside.
“Ouch!”
He barks.
“I’m okay,” I say.
He nuzzles my mate mark and licks it.
“Whoa, buddy,” I whisper, sifting my hands through his fur and trying to ignore the tingling sensation at my neck.
He sniffs the air and now he’s nosing between my legs.
He barks.
Shit.
He barks again and noses between my legs again. Light flares in his amber eyes. Uh oh.
There’s intention and an unspoken command in our connection. It’s unspoken but I know exactly what he wants.
“Whoa, no. Not in this shape,” I tell him firmly. “No. Only when I’m shifted. Not like this. All this is for Jared. Not you.”
Unless I go into a lunar heat again, then I probably won’t care.
He barks.
And I could swear in my chest I’ve got the sense that he wants me to know he is Jared. But I know he’s only part of Jared.
“I’m fine,” I say for the benefit of those on the phone as well as for my mate’s wolf. “But I’m gonna have to shift. I’m hanging up for now.”
I hope they don’t speak and set him off again.
I take the utility belt off, pull the bracelet off, and set them both on the floor as I step out of my flipflops.
Jared’s wolf waits. Panting. Purring.
Light flares in his eyes again.
Holy shit. I’d better hurry. He’s not going to be patient for long.
I hurry out of my clothes and shift.