“Have you talked to the female?” Cord asked. “If not, I can arrange a meeting. Her parents can be there if you’re worried about her age. Even if she’s too young to claim, it couldn’t hurt to get to know her now.”
“We met on one of my visits,” Jase admitted. “She’s more than a little skittish around me, but I figure that will change when she has her first heat cycle. She’s only around fifteen. I barely spoke to her, but she also recognized me as her mate.”
“I’m sure you’re right about her coming around when she has her first heat cycle,” Cord agreed. “Can we get to the part where any of this is a problem? Something tells me your problem has to do with the other female in the story.”
“It does,” Jase admitted. “When I was out for a run shortly after meeting my mate, I ran into a cougar. At first, I didn’t realize she was a shifter because of her size. She’s tiny, about the size of a normal cougar. When I caught her scent, I realized she was close to her heat cycle, and I had a very strong reaction to her.”
“That’s normal,” Cord assured him. “While I understand you might feel some obligation to your young mate, she wouldn’t feel betrayed by you taking another female. I know the cougar you’re referring to, and she’s an excellent choice. Your kittens would be strong.”
“There’s more,” Jase told him. “I chased her, and what happened makes no sense. I wanted to mark her. While I didn’t mark her, it was a challenge letting her leave. When I ran into her again yesterday, she was surrounded by jaguar shifters.”
“So, you saved the foolish female when she decided to go out alone near her heat cycle?” Cord practically growled, and Jase suddenly felt bad for getting the female in trouble with Cord. He hadn’t expected Cord to be angry about the female being out for a run alone, but he supposed Cord might have rules about that sort of thing while the jaguars were in their territory. It was even possible he had rules about females being out alone near their heat cycle, much like Max did.
“Yes,” Jase replied. “She was on her own, but she’s fine. I was out with my brother, Zane, and some other lynx. We managed to drive off the jaguars, and then we escorted her back to the cougar land.”
“I appreciate you looking out for her,” Cord said with sincerity. “She shouldn’t have been out alone near her heat cycle, especially with the danger we’re dealing with now. I’ve already spoken to her about this. Are you sure you really wanted to mark her and not just fuck her?”
“After I saw her that first time, I tried to convince myself it was just carryover from seeing my mate earlier that day and being unable to claim her, but I can’t stop thinking about this other cougar, and it killed me to let her walk away last time. Every instinct in me was telling me to go after her, and it wasn’t just her heat cycle. It’s like I have two mates.”
“I have a feeling that’s not the case,” Cord grumbled. “Tell me more about your young mate. What’s her name?”
“Vee,” Jase replied. “I saw her for the first time months ago, but I didn’t learn her name until recently. She’d done a good job of avoiding me up to that point. Whenever she sees me, she runs. This last time, I followed her.”
Cord looked more annoyed. “We don’t have a female here by that name. Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand her?”
Jase shook his head. “That’s definitely her name. Do you think she lied to me about her name?” He wasn’t sure why she’d lie to him, but he suspected Cord was like his father and knew the name of every member of his clan.
“Describe the young female.” Cord was trying to hide his annoyance, but his fists were clenched tightly at his sides as he studied Jase.
“She’s tiny, both her build and her height,” Jase began. “The top of her head barely reaches my shoulders.” Jase took a deep breath, remembering his mate and wondering how he could have such strong reactions to two totally different females. “She’s got the prettiest red hair, dark and rich. I’ve only met a handful of shifters with red hair, so she caught my attention right away, and that’s when I knew she was my mate. Her features are delicate, with a pointed chin that makes her look like some pixie. I felt like a dick the first time I saw her because I couldn’t stop staring, even though I was sure she was too young. It’s strange, but I can’t pick up her scent when she’s around. It gets stronger as a female gets older, but I’ve never met one who seemed to have no scent at all.”
Cord suddenly looked beyond pissed, and Jase began to wonder if Cord was going to attack him. “I was really hoping I was mistaken about this female’s identity,” he muttered. Standing, Cord walked past him and stormed to the door, where he shouted, “Vexx! Get your ass in here, now!” He apparently saw someone else because he spoke in a quieter tone. “Tell Vexx to get to my house,” he ordered before shutting the door and running a hand through his hair, clearly working to get his temper under control before Vexx arrived.
“Vexx?” Jase asked, not sure who Cord wanted to see so desperately or why he was angry. It was becoming clear his anger wasn’t directed at Jase.
“Yes,” Cord replied. “You’ll soon realize how appropriate that name is. That female has been vexing me since the day she was born.”
“What does she have to do with this?” Jase asked, suspecting he wasn’t going to like the direction this discussion took.
“My daughter is the female you met,” Cord explained.
“Your daughter?” Jase asked. “So, I chased your daughter in the woods? She’s the one I rescued from jaguars?”
“Yes,” Cord replied. “I apologize in advance for any games she’s been playing with you.”
“Games?” Jase asked, genuinely confused by the direction of their conversation. Catching the scent of the little cougar, he groaned. Just like that, her scent was gone, and he was left with the urge to hunt the female down. He was dying to see her in human form so he could slide his cock into her body while his teeth pierced the sensitive flesh just above her collar bone. Guilt washed over him when he realized the direction his thoughts were heading.
Vee entered the room, eyes downcast, looking like she was being led to her execution. Jase just stared at her, not sure what was going on. Cord had called Vexx, but she’d taken off, and now, his mate was here. He also felt like a huge asshole for having been fantasizing about marking Vexx just before Vee walked in.
“Explain yourself immediately!” Cord demanded of Vee.
“You’re scaring her,” Jase growled, putting himself between Vee and Cord.
Cord snorted. “I should be so lucky. The brat has never feared anything, have you, Vexx?”
“I was afraid when I met Jase,” she admitted without looking up.
“So, you lied to him?” Cord asked. “No, this is even worse than you lying to him. You played a childish game because you were afraid? What the hell do you have to be afraid of? You’re not some innocent young kit with her first male.”
Jase looked at the young female, completely baffled by the direction of their conversation.
His mate met his eyes for just a moment before looking away.
“I should probably explain that my daughter has a very unusual talent, thanks to her witch mother,” Cord explained. “She can mask her scent.”
Jase had the sinking feeling he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear. If she could mask her scent, she could prevent him from knowing when she was in heat, or guessing her age. It was then that he noticed her eyes. Even downcast, he couldn’t miss her stunning green eyes. “And her eye color?” he asked Cord. “She’s always had brown eyes, except for in the woods. Then they were green, just like this.”
“Her eyes are usually brown when she’s masking her scent. She’s upset, so the illusion is harder to hold.” Cord’s eyes rested on Vexx, and he no longer looked angry. “Stop hiding from him.”
Vexx took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded.
Cord seemed less angry, but Jase was bordering on furious.
“Look at me,” Jase commanded, half
-expecting her to refuse, not sure what he’d do if she tested his dominance when his emotions were running this hot. He wouldn’t hurt her, but he still needed to keep his hands off her until he calmed down. He wasn’t entirely certain he wouldn’t back her against a wall and fuck her. It was probably a good thing her scent wasn’t taunting him. Angry sex wasn’t what he wanted for his first time with his mate—if there was a first time.
Chapter Forty-Three
Vexx swallowed hard and looked at Jase, knowing she’d screwed up—more than screwed up. She should have told him the truth right away instead of hoping to avoid talking to him until after her heat cycle. The thing that bothered her most about her decision was she hadn’t done it for noble reasons. She’d been avoiding Jase for months, not because of her heat cycle but because she was afraid. Her father was right about her acting childish. Jase had every right to be mad at her, and she owed him an explanation. Still, the words stuck in the back of her throat, and she simply stared at him.
“You’re masking your scent now,” Jase stated, and even though it wasn’t a question, he still waited for a response.
Looking at Jase, he seemed both hurt and angry. The anger she could handle, the hurt made her flinch.
“Yes,” she admitted. “I’m masking my scent. I always do around my heat cycle.”
“How old are you?” Jase demanded. “You look young, but you definitely aren’t fifteen. This also isn’t your first heat cycle, is it?”
“No, it’s far from my first heat cycle,” she replied, not looking away. Even though Jase had a right to be angry, she wasn’t going to cower in front of him, probably a stupid decision. If she gave in to Jase’s dominance, his anger would lessen substantially. It was one of the things she really hated about shifter males. They might like strong females, but they still acted like asses when it came to proving they were alpha. The witch side of her had a harder time dealing with dominant males, wanting to fight them. She figured it proved fate had a sense of humor when it gave her Jase as a mate.
“I’m still waiting for the rest of your answer, Vexx,” Jase said slowly, moving closer to her until the heat from his body caressed her already fevered skin. Masking her scent was becoming harder the closer he got to her. His masculine scent wrapped around her body, enticing her sex-starved cougar.
Her mind raced with all the things she should say, but no words came out as she struggled to keep her power from slipping. It was insane that she still felt the need to mask her scent when Jase knew she was near her heat cycle. She seemed incapable of giving up that control.
“Tell him your age,” her father commanded.
“Four-hundred and seventeen,” she admitted.
Jase stepped closer, and she moved away until her back hit the wall. When his fingers slid up her arm in a feather-light caress, Vexx lost her focus and stopped masking her scent. A shudder ran through Jase’s body as he leaned into her, not quite touching her. She had to fight the urge to rub against him like a cougar in heat, which technically, she would be in the next couple days.
“You are the cougar from the woods.” It wasn’t a question, so she said nothing. “I thought I was going crazy when I wanted to mark two females, but there were never two. There’s just one cougar willing to do anything to avoid having me as her mate.”
“It’s not that,” she began helplessly, knowing she needed to tell him more, but terrified to admit everything she felt.
“Then why the games?” he asked, his hand sliding along her collar bone. It was hard to think with him touching her like that. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
“Yes,” she assured him. “I was planning to tell you after my heat cycle.”
“You saw me months ago, and you knew who I was to you. You masked your scent so I would think you were younger,” he accused.
“That wasn’t why I did it,” she insisted. “I was already masking my scent when I saw you the first time.”
“You continued even after you realized I was your mate,” he stated, demanding the entire truth. “Not only that, you ran from me. You did everything you could to avoid having me get anywhere near you.”
“I was afraid,” she admitted softly.
She waited breathlessly for him to say more or do something. For what seemed like forever, they just stayed in that position, with Jase’s fingers caressing her collar bone gently and his chest nearly pressed against hers.
With a nod, Jase pulled away from her and walked toward the door.
“Jase!” her father called after him. Jase stopped but didn’t speak. “Vexx is your mate. I don’t blame you for being angry with her for deceiving you, but I expect you to claim her.”
“No,” Jase replied. “Your daughter has the right to make her own choices. She does not want me to claim her, and I’m not going to force her to be with me. I’m not that much of an asshole.”
“Please, Jase,” she whispered, unable to let him leave thinking this was about her not wanting him. “It’s not that I don’t want you as my mate. I’m a half-breed. I was afraid you’d reject me. That’s no excuse for not being honest with you. I wasn’t lying when I said I was planning to tell you.”
Jase studied her for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh. “I believe that’s part of the reason you did this, Vexx, and I can understand your fears. Just for the record, I suspected you were half-shifter when I met you in cougar form, and it didn’t change how I felt.”
“Then why do you still look hurt?” she asked. “The anger I understand, and I deserve it, but why do you look hurt now that you know this isn’t about not wanting you?”
Jase started to take a step toward her but stopped himself, clenching his fists at his sides and taking several deep breaths before speaking. Her heat cycle was affecting his self-control. “You don’t know me well enough to know what I’m feeling.”
“You’re right,” she agreed.
Jase nodded and continued. “When you realized I was your mate, you weren’t happy about it. Don’t bother denying it. The truth is all over your face.”
Vexx opened her mouth to argue before deciding she’d lied to Jase enough and owed him the complete truth. “I didn’t want to find a mate, and when I first saw you, I was hoping you wouldn’t feel the connection with my scent masked. My father had already tried to get me to meet you, but I was avoiding it because I never wanted to have kittens.”
Jase didn’t wait for her to say more. He simply walked out the door.
“Jase,” she called out from the door, but he ignored her and continued walking. She felt a strange emptiness inside her. She was afraid she’d irreparably damaged what they might have had.
When she started to go after him, her father caught her arm. “Give him time, Vexx. You’ve injured his pride, and he needs space to think about all of this.”
“I really messed up,” she uttered. “He’s never going to believe I didn’t do this just to avoid being his mate. He’s going to think I wouldn’t have ever told him the truth.”
“Would you have told him the truth?” her father asked, sounding concerned. “While you said you were planning to tell him, it’s strange that you waited so many months.”
“Yes, I was going to tell him,” she assured her father. “You can ask Winn. We’ve been talking about this.”
“Winn knew about this game you’ve been playing?” her father demanded.
“She knew, but I made her promise not to tell you what was going on before I talked to her about it,” Vexx explained, cursing herself for telling him about Winn. The last thing she wanted was to create problems between her father and Winn. “She was only willing to keep this from you as long as I wasn’t in danger. Don’t be mad at her. I really needed someone to talk to, and she helped me realize what a mistake I’d made.”
Her father laughed. “I’d say you might be in danger of getting a good spanking.”
She scowled at her father. “I’m too old for you to start spanking me. Stop listening to Beck.”
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“That might be true, but I was seriously tempted to suggest Jase do it today,” he admitted, and Vexx shuddered at the image that put into her mind, even knowing her father wasn’t planning to suggest an erotic spanking with Jase. “Stop getting turned on thinking about Jase spanking you. It’s supposed to be a punishment, not a reward.”
Vexx’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. While being a shapeshifter meant she wasn’t shy about things related to sex, the fact that she was getting excited about Jase spanking her was a little embarrassing with her father standing right there.
“What were you thinking, Vexx?” he demanded. “I know you can be somewhat wild and immature at times, much like your mother. It was her youthful, carefree nature that drew me to her, so I don’t consider it an entirely bad thing. You had to know you couldn’t hide from your mate forever.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t trying to play a game,” she insisted. “I was afraid he’d reject me because I’m a half-breed. You’re the one who told me the lynx send half-breeds away. You also told me all about how hard things have been for Max since his other sons found mates who aren’t shifters.”
“They only send them away if they can’t shift,” he added with an exasperated sigh. “You knew, even if Jase allowed that to happen, your kittens would always have a home among the cougars. That’s only part of the reason you did it. You admitted as much to Jase. How is he supposed to feel about this?”
“I’m afraid of passing on my witch abilities,” she confessed, and her father’s eyes widened.
“Why? None of this makes sense to me.” His frustration was clear in his voice.
“I’ve always been afraid,” she replied. “It’s why I’ve always dealt with the pain of my heat cycle alone. The visions are awful, and we both know it’s why I act so irresponsibly most of the time. Among witches, that would be fine, but not among shapeshifters.”
Her father wrapped her in his arms. “You really do make me crazy, Vexx. Hundreds of heat cycles, and you’ve never told me. Jase needs to hear all this. He’s your mate, and you need to be honest with him.”
Untamed Winter Page 20
