“That sounds great.”
We said goodbye to Tara and Ben who wanted to go home and get some sleep. Shanus, Prense, Phlann and Dodge followed after them, offering to stop by Fillian’s to fill them in on everything that had happened.
Melana’s guards went off into the woods in search of a place to rest. Only Matthew stayed behind.
Jasper and I sat on the floor. I leaned back against him, loving the feel of his arms wrapped around me.
Melana was laughing at Alex who was putting on a demonstration of me taking care of Nate after the abduction attempt.
Luke took over explaining when we entered the cave.
Melana’s eyes widened and she looked over at Kacey.
“So how did you do it, then,” she asked him.
“I’m not sure, really,” he answered, his eyes still down.
“It’s not just will power. Nate told me before he tried to take me, that if that was it, he would have done it,” I thought out loud. I looked up. “With Jasper we just assumed it was because he was fated to me. Luke because of Jasper and Mel because of Luke. With Dawn it was obviously because of Zane.”
I looked over at Alex. “What about you? Now that Melana is here, do you feel your bond again?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
I felt Jasper shrug. “Maybe there is no particular reason why it happens.”
I looked up at Zane. “Did you tell Jasper yet?”
“Not yet.”
“What?” Jasper glanced at his friend.
Zane grinned from ear to ear. “I’m going to be a daddy.”
Jasper laughed. “That’s great!”
“Can you tell how many you’re having?” I asked.
Dawn shook her head. “No, but foxes usually have two or three pups at a time.”
Zane looked over at her. “Panthers only have one.”
Jasper looked at them and laughed. “Well, however many you have, it will be interesting to see who they take after.”
“Maybe they will be red panthers!” Alex was grinning at the thought. Leslie gave him a playful slap to the shoulder.
I got up and gave them both a hug. “Whatever they look like, they’ll be perfect.”
I looked at Melana, suddenly curious. “Do you shift?”
She nodded. “I’m a tiger.”
“So are all the queens tigers? And is it always a queen?” Now that I had met her I could think of a million questions I hadn’t thought of asking Jasper.
“No.” She went on to explain. “Before me there was a king. He was a lion.”
“So how do you pick who gets to rule?”
“You’re just born to it. I’ll get to rule until the next in line reaches the age of twenty. Then I will step down. I’ve been queen for almost fifty years now. Most get to rule about thirty. It’s a little odd that another White One hasn’t been born yet.”
My jaw dropped. “How old are you? You look like you’re twenty five!”
Melana laughed along with everybody else. “I’m seventy three. When our rule starts, we stop aging until we are replaced.”
“So, White Ones. Explain that.”
She grinned. “I assume you noticed that I am a little pale.”
I laughed and nodded.
“That’s how all rulers are born. We also have a mark on our thumb.” She held hers up to me and I saw what looked like a wave. “When we step down, we actually change colors. I’ll never be very dark, mind you. I imagine I’ll turn blond with blue eyes.” She smiled. “It’s interesting to try and figure it out sometimes. When I shift I’ll never be orange like the other tigers, but I will darken up so that I’m not white anymore, probably more of a honey color.”
“Can I see?”
She stood and shifted.
“Wow!” I noticed I wasn’t the only one amazed. Everyone but Jasper, Alex and Matthew were staring.
Melana was beautiful. Her fur was the purest white and her stripes jet black. She blinked her almost white eyes and shifted back. She was blushing.
Dawn gave Zane a playful slap to the back of the head.
He pulled her to him and kissed her. “No worries, sweets. I’m more of a fox man myself!”
We all laughed.
We went on to tell Melana about everything that had happened with the humans.
“Well, isn’t that interesting. I need to get back to Pinsaber and discuss this with my generals.” She glanced at Jasper. “Is there any chance that you might be convinced to come back?”
He shook his head. “Not at this very moment.”
Tyler yawned and reminded everyone how tired we were.
We said goodbye to Zane, Dawn, Luke, Mel, and the twins, all of whom promised to come back later the next day.
“When you feel up to it, come visit the castle,” offered Melana as she started to walk away. There were still a few hours of daylight left and she wanted to get started home as well.
“We will,” I promised.
Matthew seemed to hesitate. He glanced towards Melana who was already shifted by the trees and frowned.
I gave him a hug. “Thanks again, Matthew.”
He nodded but didn’t move.
“Go,” I said. “We’ll still be here when you’re ready.”
“It’s the strangest feeling; like I’m being pulled in two directions. Is that how it was for you?” he asked Jasper.
My mate shook his head. “I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary until Hayden told me I would have to tie her up and drag her to the keep to get her there. That’s what I should have done, but I couldn’t.”
“Mine was different. I felt mine break the instant I stood in front of her in the clearing and I realized she was the one I was dreaming about.” Alex laughed at Matthew’s face and put a reassuring arm around Leslie. “We’re not fated. The only thing we can think of is that I’m one of her guardians, like Dodge.”
Kacey’s grey eyes were distant as he thought back. “I knew something was different when we left the keep. Every time I thought about the fact that we were going after Hayden I would question the order. I have never questioned an order. And when we were ordered to attack in the clearing, I couldn’t even move. I just stood there while everyone fought. Then the arrow got me and I fell, so I just lay there. I didn’t even try to get away when one of your cats came to finish me off.
“All I could think was that I would rather die than hurt her. But I don’t think I knew for sure until Nate tried to take her and I was positive that had Dodge not killed him I would have.” He blushed and looked back down. It was the most he had said in the past week and a half.
Matthew seemed to take in all of this information. He nodded to himself and shifted. The leopard bowed to me slightly then bounded off after the white tiger.
“Wow, Hayden,” Alex was grinning at me. “That’s two of the Queen’s best captains you steal from her.”
“I don’t steal anybody.” I turned and wrapped my arms around Jasper. “Except you; I would have stolen you if I’d had to.”
He smiled down at me. “Now, that would have been something to see.”
We made our way back into the house. Kacey hesitated at the door.
“Come in, Kacey,” Jasper smiled at him. “I’m sure we can spare the floor for you. Then you can move to the spare room when Alex and Leslie head home tomorrow.” He grabbed some extra blankets and passed them to Kacey.
“Kacey.”
He looked up from the floor, towards me.
“We have a few rules in our little group. Would you like to hear them?”
He nodded.
“We don’t kill unless we have to. We don’t fight if it can be avoided. We all help each other.” I smiled at him. “And most importantly, we aren’t an army, or a pack. We are a family.”
His grey eyes widened.
“You are a part of this family now. So, no more hesitating, no more looking at the ground. If you have an opinion, say it. There’s no right or wrong. You won
’t be punished. If you feel like leaving to do something, you don’t have to ask permission. Is that understood?”
He nodded.
Alex gave him a pat on the back. “You’ll like it here.”
Jasper squeezed my hand. My heart did a flip at the look in his eyes. He led me quietly to our bedroom and closed the door.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Exhausted.” I smiled at him.
“You had better get some sleep, then.” His eyes were watching me as I slowly undressed. I shrugged and wiggled my hips to get out of my pants.
He looked at me with a small smile on his lips and I smiled back. I made my way to him and untied the laces of his tunic, watching his muscles move under his skin as he reached back and pulled it off in one fluid motion over his head. A couple of curls fell down over his eyes.
I reached down and undid the ties on his pants, helping them down to his ankles. My fingers ran lightly along the inside of his thighs when I stood back up.
His shiver made me smile and I let my tongue play over his nipples as I stroked him with my hand. He moaned and pulled my face up to his, his lips crushing mine.
“By the moons, Hayden, I need you now!” He picked me up and placed me on the edge of the bed. He looked down at me, his eyes burning.
I put one leg up on his shoulder, hooked the other one behind him and reached down to guide him in. I closed my eyes and moaned as he filled me slowly then pulled back again.
His hands gripped my hips and held them steady. His thrusts were strong and deep. Every movement sent shivers through my entire body. All of our fear, stress and relief of the past weeks were being released with every stroke. I moved my hips up to meet him and he groaned.
He pulled out and my body screamed for him. Using his hands on my hips, he gently rolled me over. The way he did it was almost like a question. It occurred to me that we hadn’t tried this position since the night we had mated.
I spread my legs in answer, gasping as he entered me and stayed completely sheathed in me. He lay down over my back and kissed my neck softly where he had once drew blood with a bite.
I moaned as he started to move against me, softly pushing as deeply into me as he could. I pushed back against him and could hear his breathing come in faster, shorter breaths. I buried my face in the blankets as an electric current started deep inside of me and spread outward to every nerve in my body.
Jasper pulled me against him harder and I gasped as another shockwave went through me before the first one was done. I felt him swell inside of me, his thighs tensing against the back of mine. His arms went around me, his chest on my back and he kissed my neck and shoulders softly.
We stayed like that for a few minutes until our heartbeats had slowed back to normal.
Jasper let go of me and I lay down, watching him watching me.
I raised an eyebrow and smiled when it became obvious that he wasn’t done.
Without a word he lay down beside me and brought himself up on one elbow. His fingers traced the outline of my breasts. His lips found mine, the kiss so soft.
“And now I need to love you,” he whispered.
Every touch, every kiss was slow, soft. I ran my fingers through his hair and my hips reached up to meet him. His lips never left my skin. His hands never stopped touching me. His rhythm never faltered.
Jasper covered my mouth with his as I bucked under him. I clenched around him and sent him over the edge. He rolled onto his side and pulled me to his chest, his fingers running through my hair. I closed my eyes.
He pushed me back and looked at me in surprise as a tear fell onto his arm.
“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” He started to pull away from me.
I stopped him by hooking a leg over his hip. “No. You didn’t hurt me. Will you quit worrying about that?” I looked up into his worried eyes and smiled. “I’m just...I’m happy, and relieved, and so grateful to have you home again.”
He relaxed and pulled me tightly against him. “You saved me, even before you got there. I’m sure I should have died. I could feel my body wanting to give up. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Every time I thought of you it gave me the strength to hang on for another hour.”
I looked up at him with new tears in my eyes.
“Shush,” he whispered and wiped the tears away before kissing me softly. He pulled away slowly and looked into my eyes. His voice was thick as he continued. “When I was lying on the floor in the cave, I was thinking about how I would try to tell you how much I loved you when I saw you again.”
He shook his head a little. “There just isn’t any way that is accurate enough. I could tell you I loved you every minute of the day and it still wouldn’t come close to how much I do.”
I reached up and touched his face. He closed his eyes.
“I’ve thought about that too,” I whispered back to him. “I think I came up with a solution.”
He opened his eyes and I caught my breath at how beautiful they were. I was positive I would never get used to them.
“I think that maybe, just maybe, if we tell each other every day,” I kissed him softly. “And if we show each other every day for the rest of our lives, we might come close to letting each other know.”
He groaned and kissed me hard.
When I could catch my breath I looked up and lost myself in his eyes. “I love you so much,” I whispered.
We lay together, exhausted. I felt him smile into my hair and I looked up.
“What?”
His smile widened. “I was just thinking that after tonight, we’re off to a good start.”
I laughed and rolled so that my back was against his chest. He pulled me tightly to him.
“Oh, and Hayden,” he said with a yawn.
“Hmmm?”
He chuckled a little and I smiled at what I knew was coming.
“I still love you more.”
I snuggled closer to him. “And he calls me stubborn,” I mumbled as we fell asleep.
Chapter Six
Two months later, we were packed and ready to go. The sun was bright and a warm breeze ruffled the tall green grass.
“Did you lock the door?” I put my bag over my shoulder and readjusted my swords.
“Yes. Where’s Tiny? Did you forget her in the house?”
Tiny answered his question by running up his leg.
“Did I forget her inside the house?” I snorted. “And you want me to be the mother of your children?” I stopped short, shocked that I would say something like that. My throat tightened and I had to swallow a few times to loosen it. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”
Jasper had his arms around me in an instant. “Don’t. We’ve talked about this. It wasn’t meant to be.”
The fact that I hadn’t conceived after our mating weighed heavy on my heart.
“I want to try again,” I whispered.
He shook his head. “No. I won’t do that to you again.”
I took a few deep breaths. Here I was supposed to be able to save or destroy the world and I couldn’t give Jasper the one thing he really wanted; the one thing I had come to realize I really wanted.
“It was for the best, Shlova. With all the fighting coming in the near future, it’s not going to be a great place to raise little ones.”
“Then after. After this whole mess is done and over with.”
He took his own deep breath and tilted my head up with his fingers. He kissed me softly. “If this is all done and over with the next time you come into heat, we’ll see. God, Hayden. Why are you so willing to put yourself in that situation again?”
“Because I love you, Jasper. Because I want to be the mother of your children; a little person that’s just yours and mine.”
“It didn’t work the first time. What makes you think it would work a second time?” He closed his eyes and I knew he was remembering. “You were so scared, Hayden. I would touch you and you would cringe.” He brushed the hair back f
rom my neck and touched where he had bit me. “And I hurt you.” He put his forehead against mine and took a deep breath. “I won’t do that to you again. By the moons, Hayden, I can’t.”
We clung to each other. “I can’t,” he repeated, his voice a hoarse whisper.
I had to swallow a few times before my voice would work. “I know.” I held his face in my hands and kissed him softly. “I know.” I cleared my throat and tried to smile. “So instead, let’s go save the world.”
He kissed me just as softly. “Are you sure? About going to Pinsaber?”
I nodded. “It’s time.”
He pulled me to his chest and took a deep breath. “I hope this works.”
The plan was to go to Pinsaber and talk to Melana about what we should do about the humans. When we were done getting her opinion, we would head to Howel and try to talk with Rainen. We knew Damian was on our side. His second in command was a different story. From what Jasper had told me of his last encounter with Damian, he might not even be around anymore to put Rainen back in her place.
I wasn’t sure if it would work. All I knew was that I was tired of running, of hiding. If I had been born the Chosen One, it was time to start acting like it. I still wasn’t entirely sure what this would all entail, but uniting the Majs and the Namaels to take out Braw and his evil staff of Laif seemed like a good start. Of course, in my perfect world, no one died and the staff simply shattered or disappeared, though that wasn’t very likely to happen.
I smiled at him. “Of course it will work. I thought it up.”
He laughed. “I don’t doubt you at all, Shlova. And I know Melana won’t be hard to convince. The wellbeing of her people is what is most important to her. It’s Rainen I have no faith in. And if we do happen to find she is a reasonable woman…well, we’ll deal with Braw when we get to him, I suppose.”
“Are you guys ready to go?” Zane gave a wave as he left the cover of the woods. Dawn stayed in fox form until they had reached us.
She shifted and I gave her a hug, then knelt and put my ear to her belly. “Hello in there. I hope you’re being nice to your mama.”
Dawn giggled and stretched her back. “They’ll be nice to me when they come out. I’m the size of a house and move just as gracefully as one when I’m human.” Her belly bulged. It was still amazing that she had two months to go. She spent most of her time being a fox. In this form, she was much smaller and could still maneuver quickly.
Journey 'The Chosen One Trilogy: Book Two' Page 16
