by Kat Bostick
“No.” Cash shrugged. “Maybe. He’ll be back. Deak’s a hot head.”
She looked hesitantly between Jasper and his alpha. “That’s it? You’re just going to let me stay? Even after that?”
“For now.” That was the only answer he gave before an unceremonious exit from the study. Charlie disappeared out the front door, leaving Mari alone with Cash and Clem.
She glanced down at Jasper. He flicked his tail and gnawed at her fist as she clenched her hand at her side. She forced a brief smile for him then turned to Clem and said “I should move my car. It’s blocking your gate.”
“Give Cash your keys. He’ll put it in the barn.” She waved at Cash, stood from her chair, and carefully brushed the wrinkles from her skirt. “I’ll show you to Trevor’s room. I imagine a shower is in order.” She eyed Jasper with scrutiny. “For both of you.”
Mari could hardly argue with that. Every time she smiled, she felt dry mud tugging at the skin of her cheek.
They followed Clem up the stairs and down a long hall. The décor on the second floor was more understated. The wood floor was bare as were most of the walls, except for a landscape painting here and there. They stopped at the second door from the stairway and Mari was a little disappointed she wouldn’t see the rest of the second floor. There seemed to be fifty rooms up here.
Clem smiled maternally at Jasper as she twisted the handle. “Here we are. It’s just as you left it, Trev. Well, except for some cleaning and organizing. Had to keep the dust bunnies from claiming your territory.”
“Thank you,” Mari drifted into the room at Jasper’s side. Clem gave a polite nod and pivoted on her heel to leave.
Just like that, they were trusting her alone in their home?
Once the door was shut, she spun in a slow circle to take in the new surroundings. Jasper’s “room” was more of a loft. The airy space was twice the size of her bedroom, maybe more. Two windows framed a heavy oak chest of drawers, offering a view of the sunlit forest beyond the house. Dark wood floors and walls gave the space a masculine feel but it was softened by a navy rug with intricate floral designs that Mari suspected was Clem’s touch.
Above a pair of bookshelves were two breathtaking paintings just like in the study. Majestic wolves prowled under a full moon and howled from rocky outcroppings in dark forests. She wanted to take more time to study the paintings but she was too overwhelmed to sit still long enough.
“This is your room?” She rested her middle three fingers on her lips. “I’m kind of embarrassed that you saw my house. Compared to this, it was a shack.”
She shifted her fingers to her chin, considering the space again. “It’s hard to picture you in here.” Then her eyes found the windows and she stepped closer to peer outside. “I bet you spend most of your time out there.”
“Yes.” He agreed.
“Will you show me around sometime? When you can talk, I mean? I want to see all of your secret places.” Mari caught herself grinning at the thought. She was already letting herself get a little too comfortable here.
Speaking of comfortable, hot dog did Jasper’s bed look nice. The king size mattress had a frame that matched the chest of drawers and enough pillows to make a sizeable fort. If not for the mud and Gods only knew what other debris coating her skin, Mari would have collapsed onto it and let herself die happy right then and there.
Wait, was she really going to sleep in his bed? Jasper might be human in the near future and as much as Mari had been looking forward to that, it changed everything. Especially if he and the rest of his pack were under the impression that Mari was his mate. That put some uncomfortable expectations on sharing the bed that she was not keen on dealing with.
“Y’know, you should really take a gal on at least one date before telling your pack that she’s your mate.” Mari rubbed her palms over her face and settled onto the floor.
Two seconds later she jumped to her feet when there was a loud bang on the door. Cash didn’t wait for a response before stepping in with her tote tucked under one arm. He briefly glanced at Mari, winked at Jasper, then promptly left after depositing the tote. Her muttered thanks didn’t make it past the door. Fighting off the urge to sleep and the persistent rumble in her stomach, Mari rifled through her stuff until she found a clean-ish outfit.
Seafoam green paint brightened the walls and white tiles reflected the sun through the airy window in the bathroom, making it livelier than the bedroom. Both rooms were equally lavish. In one corner, a bronze framed mirror stretched nearly from floor to ceiling. Adjacent to that was a claw foot tub that begged Mari to lounge in it. There was also a walk in shower with not one but two shower heads.
“Damn, I love you shower.” She moaned as hot water poured over her outstretched hand. Mari didn’t hesitate to turn both shower heads on because, why not?
The water turned brown as it ran down her body. She was covered in more mud than she thought possible. With no toiletries of her own, she reached for a bottle of soap propped on a shelf in the shower. The frothy white liquid smelled faintly of mint and made her skin tingle everywhere she rubbed it.
Mari wondered if this is what Jasper smelled like as a man. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the herbal mint concoction blending with his natural scent. A shimmering image of his human face drifted into her mind. Heat radiated off of him and his red hair seemed to be the flaming source of it. He did smell like mint, and spring rain, crisp new green leaves, and ocean spray too. She also smelled violets and wet grass and a mix of other wild flowers. There was something terribly familiar about all of those smells and sensations together.
Her eyes quickly snapped open when she realized she was sighing a little too contentedly at where her imagination was going.
Mari was no stranger to boy problems but this was far beyond anything she was equipped to handle. She finished washing the grime from her hair, willing her mind to dwell on any subject that was not Jasper. It worked until she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in the only towel she could find—a luxurious, fluffy thing that was barely long enough to cover all of her private places at the same time—and found him sitting just outside the door, watching her.
“How about some privacy?” Mari pulled her towel tighter around her chest.
Jasper continued his staring until she waved impatiently, finally shifting away at an unhurried pace. Just as she was dropping the towel to wrap around her dripping hair, he twisted to glance over his shoulder. The action felt very man-like.
“It’s not polite to stare.” Scolded Mari. He whipped around to show her that he had no intention of being polite. She was already dressed and wringing her hair out with the towel. “Clem was right, you need a bath. You’re filthy.” He huffed in disagreement. “At least let me rinse the mud out of your hair.”
It took almost ten minutes to talk him into it. This time Mari was clever and got him to step in the shower first. Then she turned both heads on and quickly ducked through the glass door. He stood in the twin streams with a thunderous look aimed at her until the water ran clear. Yeah, she was going to get a bite for that.
When she opened the door for him he shook his coat, spraying water all over her and the bathroom. Mari glared at him, which only made him do it again.
“Ungrateful beast,” she muttered under her breath.
✽✽✽
Jasper waited patiently for Mari to turn her back before lunging. His blow knocked her sideways onto the bed with a grunt. She twirled her wet towel, forming it into a deadly whip, but Jasper was too fast for her. He pounced, letting the mattress absorb the shock of his landing so he didn’t knock the wind out of her. Both of Mari’s arms were pinned beneath his heavy chest. She wiggled and growled in frustration when she couldn’t get free. He loved that silly growl.
Mari was a fierce creature.
With any luck, the pack would understand that, among many other reasons, was why Jasper chose her. It didn’t matter that she was a witch. She had a spirit as strong as a
ny wolf.
“Get off me, beast!” Mari writhed beneath him.
He ignored her cursing complaints and grazed her neck with his teeth, covering every inch of delicate skin with rough affection. She was feeling hesitant now that the word “mate” was being thrown around and he didn’t understand why. Being introduced to the pack as his mate was vital to her safety. Even her spiteful old grandmother understood that. Mari was his to protect and he brought her home with the understanding that the pack would protect her too.
That was what mate meant. She was his pack first, before any of the others, his family to guard over with his life.
Their relationship started on an odd foot, he’d give her that. There were plenty of words he couldn’t speak to her. Yet he couldn’t figure out her reluctance. She’d come all this way with him, hadn’t she? Dedicated herself completely to this mission of finding his pack because she knew where he belonged. And wherever he belonged, so did she.
“You’re going to crush me, Jas.” Mari fake coughed.
That was hardly true. Most of his weight was in his hind legs which were perched on the edge of the mattress. And between her sounds of feigned suffocation, she was giggling. Jasper’s tongue dipped around the back of her ear, a ticklish spot he’d discovered, and she was unable to resist the laughter that bubbled up from her chest. When her joyful noises really did start to sound strained, he clambered off and flopped onto the bed beside her.
She pulled the bottom of her shirt up to wipe her face, revealing a soft and tempting tummy. Jasper made another lunge for her and closed his mouth around her side, gently pressing his teeth into the flesh there. He couldn’t help himself.
“Cut that out!” Mari shoved his face away, though not hard enough that he was convinced that she really wanted him to cut it out. “What has gotten into you?”
Mari gave him another round of giggling before he released her and let her shimmy further up onto the bed. All of her wiggling had her sliding halfway off the mattress and she probably wouldn’t be having nearly as much fun if she fell onto the floor. She started a series of run on sentences about food, talking to Charlie, and calling her father but she didn’t make it through the last one. Her words trailed off into incoherent mumbles and just like that she was fast asleep. Poor Mari had been running herself into the ground.
Not for much longer. The pack would take care of her now.
My bed. He thought with a relaxed sigh. My home, my family. Finally. Then he looked over at the sun kissed girl in bed beside him and added my witch.
A tiny part of him was almost afraid this was a very long, very good dream. It seemed like a lifetime since he was last surrounded by pack and the euphoria brought on by their presence made him loopy. Even if he couldn’t put his feelings into words, he hoped they knew how much he missed them. He hoped Charlie understood that he would never simply run away. The pack was everything to Jasper.
Charlie gave him the building blocks to become the person he was. Without the alpha, Jasper might have spent his life as a half-crazed lone wolf. Or worse. There was a time when he was adamant that he would never trust again. The tormented young man turned werewolf was resigned to his fate as a lost and lonely monster.
How far he’d come since then.
An unhappy noise parted Mari’s lips and her brow creased in a tight frown. She was so brave but so fragile. Yet, if she wanted to be—or if she knew how—Mari would make a formidable opponent for even the alpha. Jasper wasn’t planning to divulge that until her safety in the pack was more secure.
Mari had the same plans, or else she had no good reason to lie to Charlie. It was more of an omission, really. Lying would imply that Charlie or the others knew what she was. If they could sense that unique, wild magic in her veins, they weren’t admitting it. Either way, Jasper thought it best that some information remain between him and her, at least until she helped Charlie break his curse. Then he could defend her with more than his bite. Words were sharper than teeth, sometimes.
Charlie wasn’t like most alphas. He wasn’t one to blindly accept werewolf laws and customs without tweaking them to include more humanity than many other packs did. Even when he struggled to remember Charlie’s face, he remembered the alpha’s ways. He trusted that Charlie would see the value in her. A witch as powerful as Mari on their side would send a strong message to the world of magic.
More important than her worth as an asset to the pack, however, was her status as Jasper’s chosen mate. Charlie should be pleased that he brought a mate home. The alpha played matchmaker for years in an attempt to grow the pack and quell the restlessness among his wolves. Yet, it all hinged on breaking this curse.
Jasper closed his eyes and tapped into the part that was man, whispering a prayer to Mother Moon. Please grant Mari the power to free me. Please guide me back to myself. Please let me be whole once more.
In answer to his silent plea, Mari twined her arms around his neck. Her face snuggled into his chest and she murmured softly. That made him feel whole, in a way.
No matter what it took, he would break free of the magic that fettered him. Jasper would shed his wolf skin and put himself back together. Then he would hold Mari, just hold her until his arms ached. Never had he been as desperate and consumed by longing as he was when she pressed against him and he had no arms to wrap around her, no hands to caress her skin.
Downstairs Jasper heard the quiet rumble of voices, Charlie and his oldest children deep in discussion. If he strained he might pick up what they were saying but he didn’t care to eavesdrop just now. Whatever it was, Charlie would talk to him about it in time. The tone of the conversation was light. They weren’t plotting Mari’s execution or planning to send her away.
Regardless, he should wake Mari soon. Jasper could have heard her stomach growling from a mile away. No harm in giving her a few more minutes of rest and solitude first. She was finally meeting his pack and he remembered from experience just how unruly they could be.
Chapter 25
Charlie
The witch was oblivious to the three sets of predatory eyes that tracked her through the parlor window. Standing in the sunlight, she twisted her damp brown locks into a thick braid and made faces at the wolf who continually slipped behind her to tug on the rope of hair. When she wasn’t contorting her face, the young woman had a striking appearance. Some might consider her beautiful, in a fierce, unusual way. Little about her sharp features was soft or lovely.
Most of her ferocity lived in those eyes. They reminded Charlie of the chipped amber eyes of their wolf brethren.
Unlike his witch, the red wolf was not unaware of their audience. With a haughty flick of his tail, he made it clear their scrutiny was noticed. And the cocky bastard was pleased about it, too. No doubt he was conscious of his pack’s skepticism and he was out to prove a point. So far, he and the little witch were putting on a convincing show.
The joy on both of their faces seemed genuine as the witch ran fearlessly after the wolf. This Mari was exuberant in a wolfish way. Charlie had to admit that she was a good match for his youngest charge, who had always been so playful and mischievous that the pack often joked he was more fox than wolf.
There was an undeniable connection between the two, one that shouldn’t exist given the circumstances. It had the alpha thoroughly intrigued but it also roused a curious suspicion in him that he hadn’t been able to settle.
“She knows how to play wolf.” Cash said with notable envy.
“Did I hear correctly? Are you eager to play with a witch?” Clem teased her older brother with a mockingly shocked gaze.
His black brows knitted together. “Look! She’s rough. I’ve always wanted to clamp my teeth down on a human and test how durable they are.” When he noticed a pointed look from his father, Cash cleared his throat and added “I wouldn’t break her. I’m only curious. Ooh, and I wouldn’t mind one of those belly rubs, either.”
Clem snorted her disapproval. “You realize neither of us is goin
g to intervene when Trevor rips your arm off for coming onto his mate, right? You are shameless, brother.”
