When Lilah appeared, Cora quickly snatched a pillow and thrust it over Jasper’s groin. A growl rattled her throat, possessive and sharp. Jasper made a small sound of pain before taking the pillow from her. Cheeks warm with embarrassment, Cora offered a small apology, but Jasper was looking at her with pride.
This was the first time she’d openly claimed him.
While everyone probably assumed that she and Jasper were getting along, Cora had shown no indication of wanting to be his mate. Until now.
He pulled her tight to his body and stole a long kiss. So long that the others were starting to make sounds of discomfort. They cleared their throats and wiggled in their seats. Cora didn’t care, though. All she knew was the heat of Jasper’s lips on her own.
“Okay,” Wyatt grumbled. “You didn’t call us over here this early in the morning to put on a show.”
Jasper pulled back, but didn’t turn to address his court, yet. He stole a moment to stare at her. Cora leaned into him, eating it up. This was her mate. Her man. Her love.
Her king.
He’d lost an eye for her and burned through a curse to save her the torment. She felt a sudden need to step up. What had she offered him in return? It wasn’t a whole lot.
You are enough, the demon whispered in her mind.
“It’s time we get rid of this nuisance once and for all,” Jasper announced.
Chapter Sixteen
He hadn’t told her the whole truth. A pang of guilt struck him, but it could do nothing to him. The little bits of the curse still clinging to him could, though. The things it did seemed inconsequential. Like how he’d reached for the milk and it’d been empty. Or the broken lock on the front door from his irritating family.
All those things could be chalked up to life, plain and simple, but now that he knew the curse was there, he could feel it working. Would it react when he faced Cal? Would it be able to do more than minor inconveniences?
There was no way of knowing. The demon was still working to burn it away, but the process was tiring. He felt the heat inside his head. It was nigh insufferable. At any second, he would keel over, his brain melted. But he couldn’t tell Cora. She believed the curse had been dealt with.
So, he stood beside her as they walked through town like nothing was wrong. The sun was high, and they could not bring the fight to Cal. Not when everyone in Colorado could see the dragons. It would happen at night, when they were hidden by shadows.
Everyone they passed tried not to stare at Jasper, and failed pathetically. He didn’t mind, though. He knew it was the dashing eye patch and scar combo that had people staring. He wished he could step aside and show off his Valkyrie of a mate. Her Nordic blond hair swayed in the cool wind. When she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was following, her pale eyes danced with delight.
It stopped his heart every time.
When she reached back for him to tug him forward, his breath rushed back in a wave of exhilaration. He reached into his pocket and touched the little box he’d swiped before leaving the house. This was a risk. It wasn’t even a calculated risk.
He could send the demon to brush against her mind, gauge what she might think, but then she would be onto him. Cora caught him every time. This wasn’t something he could mess up. He didn’t want to risk her finding out.
Are you finished? he asked his beast. His head was still on fire. He couldn’t chance the curse making a mess of this. Not even in the smallest way.
It needed to be perfect.
Just wait, the creature growled menacingly at him. The demon was doing it’s best, but that wasn’t enough.
So, Jasper continued to follow his mate through town. They checked out all the little shops along Main Street. He came across the mayor and shook hands. It felt weirdly like looking in a mirror. The way people watched, he suspected they felt the same way, as if they were looking at doubles. Jasper was to the shifter community what the mayor was to the government in town.
When they parted ways, Cora led him to a small park in the center square. Trees overhead were attempting to sprout buds, casting a haze of green over everything. People walked their dogs around the perimeter. The small animals would stop and stare at Jasper and Cora, as if they couldn’t decide if the dragon shifters were a threat.
“You’ve been acting distant all day,” Cora noted.
He worried she was on to him. Had he been a shakable man, a nervous sweat would have broken out along his forehead. Actually, he thought he felt a bit of perspiration beginning to bead on his skin. He only had once chance to get this right.
“Are you worried about tonight?”
He let out a breath, thankful that Cora didn’t know what he was about to do. Well, what he was going to do soon. When the conditions were just right.
He’d never been so nervous about anything in his life. Not even the idea of leading a clan of giant dragons frightened him as much as this did.
One chance.
Get it right.
Jasper stood. He turned toward Cora. When he thought she would look up, she looked down. His stomach turned. He followed her gaze and found the toe of his shoe placed in the middle of a pile of dog poop. She covered her mouth and muffled a laugh.
He groaned, the sound turning into a growl as he stepped away to clean his shoe. Part of him was thankful he hadn’t knelt in the pile of feces, but he was also irritated that the curse was still at work. He felt it flickering like a bunch of vicious fireflies in the back of his mind. They went off, filling his head with warning bells, moments too late.
Pulling the box from his pocket, he stared at it. The little, blue, velvet box had belonged to his mother. Before that, it belonged to his father’s mother. The family heirloom had been passed from wife to wife. He wanted to pass it to Cora, but no moment felt right.
Fear that he would screw this up haunted him. She could still say no. Cora could still decide to leave Grove. That was, perhaps, what terrified him most. He loved her already. She was a part of him that he would never be able to separate himself from. That he would never want to separate himself from.
But her thoughts and feelings were her own. His demon was busy with the last of the curse and could not read her mind to see if she felt the same way. There was a chance that he would go down on one knee and she would back away from him.
What would he do then? Jasper knew that the knowledge of her dismissal would break his heart. To face that kind of pain before heading into a fight with Cal would put him in danger. His head wouldn’t be in the right place.
Tucking the box back into his pocket, he wondered if now was even the right time.
***
Cora wondered what was wrong with her mate. He started the day with confidence, assuring her that the curse had been vanquished. He went on to devise a plan to rid the mountains of Cal once and for all. Now, in the middle of the day, he seemed troubled.
She reached out to him, trying to use the link that bound them together, but all she got from it was heat. A blinding and painful heat. It made her reel back, gasping for air. She shot up from her seat and turned back toward the shops lining the street, scanning for ice-cream.
Anything to ease this insufferable heat. Each step was shaky. The link fed more heat, burning down the bond. It was like the wildfire she’d started. It raged in every direction, devouring everything it possibly could.
There was a startled and confused sound behind her before Jasper’s footsteps caught up to her.
“Ice-cream,” was all Cora could manage.
His brows furrowed, but he didn’t deny her. He stayed by her side while she ordered the biggest cone available, taking out his wallet when it was time to pay for the monstrosity she’d obtained. The waffle cone was coated in cold chocolate, filled with cookie dough, pistachio, and salted caramel ice-cream.
On the way out, he leaned in and snuck a bite before she could pull it away from him.
“Get out of here!” she cried. “I need this. All of this.”
<
br /> He licked his lips before falling completely still. Her breath shuddered. The heat was still pouring in. It filled her lungs and made breathing impossible. Before she collapsed under the power of it, she took a big bite of her ice-cream. The cool cream trickled down her throat and pooled in her stomach, where it eased some of her pain.
“Oh, shit!” Jasper cried out.
She felt the bond wink out. The cold April air slapped her in the face, the heat cascading from Jasper suddenly gone. It was a relief, but now that she could think again, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. He’d told her everything was okay.
Had he lied?
He’d been shifty since his metallic dragons left. He’d snuck away from her, claiming he needed to grab something from the bedroom, but hadn’t come back with a jacket or a different pair of shoes. It hadn’t looked like he’d grabbed anything at all. That’d struck her as strange.
While she couldn’t claim to know him inside and out, she thought she understood Jasper. It seemed she’d been mistaken. The thought was unsettling.
“This is not going how I planned,” Jasper said as he scratched the back of his head.
“I have no idea what you have planned. What is wrong? Why won’t you talk to me?”
He scowled.
“Don’t act like a big tough man and keep everything to yourself. That’s how you develop heart disease.”
His scowl melted into disbelief. “I highly doubt that.”
She licked the trails of melting ice-cream threatening to run over her hand. The coolness was still a welcome treat, as was the bit of sugar. It perked her up after a long night.
His hand was buried in his pocket, closed around something. She regarded the gesture for a long while. This was strange. Everything about this afternoon was strange. All she wanted was the truth from Jasper.
Before she could look up to meet his eyes, he knelt before her. The honesty in his eye was staggering. She hadn’t expected it. After the shady way he’d acted all day, the expression was a relief. It reminded her that he was her mate.
But, addled as her mind was by the recent events, she took a long moment to realize what he held in his hands. The little blue box was open. Light behind her caught the gemstones and created a rainbow cascade on the nearby wall.
“Oh,” was all Cora could manage to say. “Oh!”
Jasper looked up, hopeful and cautious. His breath slid out between his lips as he watched her. When she didn’t move, didn’t speak, the hope began to fade. Cora realized she was supposed to say something.
So was Jasper.
“I think you’re supposed to ask me a question,” she whispered.
“Shit,” he muttered. He straightened and brought his chin back up. “Cora, will you marry me?”
She thought she was ready to answer, but hearing the words blew her mind all over again. Her heart threatened to burst, beating so fast she would have thought she was running a marathon and not standing still.
“You’re supposed to answer him!” someone shouted from across the street.
Cora’s cheeks heated and she let out a nervous laugh while fighting the urge to hide her face. “Yes! A million times yes!”
Jasper launched himself from the ground and enveloped her in his arms, swinging her wide. He wasn’t as hot as he’d been earlier, but his presence was still a warm comfort. She clung to him before remembering the ring in his hand.
She felt a little greedy about wanting to wear it, but Jasper said nothing when she snatched it from the box. He gently took it back and slid it onto her finger. Cora laughed and leaned in.
“That’s the wrong hand.”
“Why is this so hard?” Jasper whispered back.
In the end, he put it on the right hand, which was actually the left hand. The elegant collection of diamonds, a ring perhaps older than Grove itself, glittered on her hand. It was a small token of what they felt for one another, a physical representation of the bond that brought them together.
“And here you thought I’d be some beast you had to tame,” Jasper teased.
“Let’s be honest. You took a bit of taming. Your cousins no longer have to leash you.”
Jasper growled and captured her lips. Cora bent backwards from the force of his passion. People on the street whistled, shouted their congratulations, or told them to get a room. Sometimes all three. She grasped the front of his shirt and held on tight while his tongue explored her mouth.
When he pulled back, Cora saw the position of the sun, creeping ever lower. Darkness was starting to rise on the opposite horizon. If all had gone to plan, Ashton and Wyatt had sent the invitation to Cal. He would be right where they wanted him.
Cora wished they could retreat back to the manor and cozy up together for the night, but no night would be safe until they dealt with Cal. Jasper squeezed her hand, his mind brushing against hers. She could feel the promise in it. There would be many more nights to celebrate their love.
Perhaps a whole honeymoon, too.
That was not something she’d ever considered before, and she hoped the thought of it would get her through the night.
Chapter Seventeen
Just as they’d asked, Cal and his dragons gathered in Jasper’s lawn. It was a lot larger than the courtyard, leaving plenty of room for Cal’s inevitable display of power. The green dragon slithered out of the shadows behind him. Cora felt her skin crawl just being near him. He wasn’t a shifter she knew personally, but she felt she knew enough about him to understand that he meant trouble.
Other dragons appeared, including the red dragon who’d brought some of Cal’s clan members to them. Cora wanted to acknowledge him, but restrained herself. Any hint of betrayal would have Cal scrambling.
This needed to take Cal by surprise.
Cora stood beside her mate, on equal ground. Neither wore a crown, but they were king and queen of these mountains all the same. Cal watched her, almost confused. She tried not to shrink under his scrutiny.
Finally, Cal’s gaze cut away from her and moved to Jasper. Cal spread his arms wide and flashed a cocky smile. It was all the greeting he needed.
“Your territory is mine,” Jasper announced, unwavering.
Cal guffawed. “How do you plan to do that? You aren’t there. You can’t take over a place when you’re not there.”
Jasper’s grin spread wide, wicked in the light of the moon. “I think you’re forgetting where you’re standing, Cal. Aren’t you the leader of the clan?”
It was then that Cal’s face blanched. Understanding of the situation sank in and drained every ounce of blood from his face. He stepped back, between two dragons.
“Nothing can help you now,” Jasper informed him. “You have two options.”
Cal snarled.
“Fighting isn’t one of them, so shut up and listen.”
Cora gripped her mate’s hand, worried that Cal would attack them anyway. The only reason they could do this was because they could defeat Cal if it came down to a fight. Jasper had been holding back since her arrival, but he and his court were more than capable of stopping Cal.
It was the cost of such a fight that Cora worried about. She knew Jasper worried, too. He squeezed her hand, needing the touch as much as she did. It was the only hint that either of them were nervous. Thankfully, Cal was too angry to notice.
The green dragon stepped in front of Cal. Jasper sighed and shook his head. The gesture made Cal pause.
Two dragons dropped out of the sky. They fell on the green dragon, pinning his head and tail to the ground. He tried to thrash, but Mila and Lilah held him in place. They bared their teeth and met the gazes of the other dragons Cal had brought with him.
“So, you have a couple of women willing to fight for you,” Cal spat. “That’s nothing. I will take what belongs to me. You will learn your place in this world.”
Cora glanced at the sky. The metallic dragons were waiting, circling overhead. She turned to the horizon, unable to see past the dark
ness. Fear tried to take hold of her, but she shook it off. It was only a matter of time before it crept back. This could not go as planned. Only hope that all their work had paid off could keep her worry at bay.
Cal didn’t bother arguing any longer. His words fell away and became grunts. Cora’s attention dropped to the ground to find Cal shifting. His beast was huge, a brown scaled creature with bone colored spines all the way down it’s back. He tossed his head and let loose a roar.
Jasper shoved her aside the moment before Cal’s beast collided with him. She rolled away, over stones and snow. Her shoulders throbbed when she got back to her feet. The snow hadn’t chilled her, but when she realized Jasper hadn’t had time to shift, cold poured through her.
She looked to the sky once more, but could find nothing among the thin clouds and stars.
Her beast swam inside her head. It was her only option. She let it out, claws slamming into the snow and earth. Her tail swept snow into the air so that it rained down in a sparkling veil. The sight of her caused Cal to pause.
That was his mistake.
She leapt off the ground, claws out and jaws wide. He spun out of the way at the last moment. She didn’t care. It meant that Cal had released Jasper. Her mate’s anger burned so hot that it melted the snow around him. His head fell back and the roar that left his mouth was more beast than human. Barely a second later, his demon joined them.
The gold beast pressed its flank against hers, a soft reminder that they were in this together. No matter what happened.
She needed it, especially when it was beginning to look like their plan wasn’t going to pay off. Cal crouched low before them, his tail flicking in the air. It cracked against the naked tree branches, twigs raining down to surround him with evidence of his destructive nature. He’d never been right for their clan. He’d only gathered the power he had by taking it and putting it in the hands of those who were willing to do horrid things.
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