by P. Jameson
Doc chewed her lip, thinking. “It’s possible, but… she carries Magic’s scent.”
Like the flick of a light switch, Owyn’s gaze turned furious.
“What?” Beth squeaked, her fists balling at her sides. “How is that possible?”
“You broke the pact?” Ryan murmured in disbelief.
Magic shook his head, still reeling with everything that had happened. All of them looking at him with suspicion wasn’t helping him focus.
And it wasn’t helping Josie.
“I didn’t break anything,” Magic growled. “I don’t know how she carries my scent. But for now, we need to see that she’s okay, yeah?”
Doc nodded. “He’s right. Let’s get her into bed. Owyn, I’m going to need some things from my office. Can you make a list?”
He didn’t answer, and Magic tossed him a glance as he bent to lift Josie into his arms. Owyn glared at him, his eyes flashing with the hint of his panther.
“Owyn,” Doc snapped, and his gaze jerked to her. “Please,” she whispered.
His eyes softened a fraction under his ball cap, and then he stalked to the desk to grab the pen and stationery the lodge provided for guests.
Doc rattled off her list while Magic carried Josie to the bed and gently laid her down.
The next few hours passed with Doc tending to Josie and making her comfortable. There wasn’t much they could do but wait. If there was a cat inside her, it would take care of any necessary healing.
But it didn’t keep Magic from pacing like a motherfucker.
“Magic, please,” Bethany pleaded.
The sun was rising in the sky, but not yet high enough to peek over the mountains. Renner was there with his arm secured around her waist, looking just as suspicious as all the others.
“Just tell me what is happening to her. Clearly, you were with her.” She gestured to his shirtless state, but it wasn’t what it seemed. “What did you do?”
Magic stopped his pacing to face Bethany, breathing hard. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t cause any of this.”
“You’re lying,” Renner ground out. “What are you hiding?”
He stared hard at Renner. He wasn’t going to tell them how his panther felt about Josie. No one would know about that but him. Ever. Because the fact was, even if his cat was somehow able to mate another female besides Mandi, he would never do it.
Magic’s part of their pact would hold. His brothers and sisters might cave, but he never would.
“This isn’t my fault.”
“Not exactly true.” A raspy voice had them all turning toward the bed. “You bonded with me,” Josie croaked, her eyelids drooping with her effort to wake.
Magic shook his head in denial. The mating bond that threaded between them was barely there. Weak at best.
“You bastard,” Renner breathed. “After all the hell you put people through this past month. Digging your feet in, and refusing to bend.”
Ryan came to stand by Magic. “Ren, calm down. This doesn’t explain what happened to Josie, how she has an animal in her.”
“This is bullshit,” Magic fumed. “I didn’t break the goddamn pact, got it?”
He turned to find Doc Davis helping Josie drink some water and got even angrier.
That should be me helping her.
Doc pulled the glass away and Josie’s head fell back to the pillow. Her sleepy eyes found his and one side of her mouth hitched up.
Even like this she was so fucking beautiful.
“Suck it up, buttercup,” she slurred. “You’re my mate.”
Chapter Eight
Josie had to pee. There was no avoiding it anymore. Her eyeballs would be swimming if she didn’t make it happen soon.
It seemed like forever before Doc finally convinced everyone to leave. Except for Magic. He’d put up a fight. But it was just as well. They had things to discuss.
He closed the door to her room, shutting them in, and then just stared at it.
Oh, she knew this was going to be hell for the both of them.
Being inundated with so many pieces of information had left her with a mountain of questions. Questions that she could answer herself, which was just weird. As if someone’s life file had been downloaded into her brain. All she had to do was run a search for the information and boom bang bam, there it was.
And it was some crazy shit, too.
Shifters. Clans, tribes, packs. Rules and regulations. Bonds and marks.
And the no-mating pact that only the Ouachita clan followed.
Yeah, her and Magic had a lot to talk about, but first, the bathroom.
Josie pushed the heavy quilt aside and struggled to sit. Her body felt odd. Weak, like she needed to be plugged in to the nearest outlet. But also, there were things she’d never noticed before. The sensation of the crisp sheet against her legs. It was almost… abrasive. The scents in the room, they swirled in the air and she felt like if she tried hard enough, she could pick each one out and name it.
She dropped back to the bed, breathing hard from the effort of moving.
Suddenly Magic was there, his frowning face hovering over her.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to sit.”
His gaze softened a touch. “You need to rest.”
“I need to use the big girl potty.”
His eyebrows shot up and the result made her want to giggle. He was easy to surprise, and she got a kick out of doing it.
She bit her cheek.
He was in for some nasty surprises. Those wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
“Let me help you,” he murmured, unsure.
His questioning gaze was so sweet, she tried to smile, but it took too much energy. Magic, unsure. Big bad Magic who no one could break. Grumpy Cat extraordinaire. Who relentlessly glared and snapped like an injured animal. He was exactly that, she realized. He’d had a chip on his shoulder for so long he wouldn’t know what to do when it fell off.
“No, it’s fine. I can handle it,” she said, giving it another go. But still, she struggled.
With a growl, Magic held out his hand.
Lifting her eyes to his, she saw his chocolate brown had lightened. His brows were drawn tight and his jaw ticked.
“I don’t like you telling me no,” he said, darkly.
And like that, his words did something to her. Of course she was aware their whole dynamic had changed. Sorting out what had happened and what they were now would take some getting used to, but his dominant words made that instinct inside her, the force that had always been drawn to him, jerk to attention. It turned her body warm and melty. Made her want to… purr?
Well, hell. She was a cat. Guess she’d have to get used to that at some point. Was the urge to purr normal?
She quirked an eyebrow at Magic. “You might as well get used to the word no. Sir.” But her insubordination had a limit since she really did need to get to a toilet quicklike. Taking his hand, she let him pull her up.
He moved slowly, taking care to be gentle with her aching body. It reminded her of how Eagan was with Clara. How Renner was with Beth. It made the hole in her chest clench with longing. To have someone care for her like that seemed an impossibility. Her distrust of men made even more sense now, with what she knew about herself.
But here he was caring for her even though he was so reluctant to mate, so bitter about the past.
Mandi was her name. The beast from the storm. Although she wasn’t a beast at all. Just a sad person full of remorse, and now, full of hope.
On shaking legs, and with Magic’s arm secure around her waist, Josie made it to the bathroom. The small room was mostly taken up by the jacuzzi tub, and with the two of them, there was no extra space to move. When he let go, Josie used the counter to support herself.
“I got it now. Thanks.”
“I’ll stand right here. In case you need me.”
She looked over, expecting him to go outside the door, but he remained no more than a foot away.
&nbs
p; “Oh, hell no,” she argued. “I can pee on my own, thank you very much.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and she realized he was still shirtless. “I’m not taking any chances with you. Woman.” He raised an eyebrow in challenge.
“Wait, seriously? You’re going to stand there while I pee?”
“That’s right.”
Josie nearly whimpered. She didn’t have time to argue. Her bladder was on hands and knees begging.
“God. This is a low moment, right here, Josie,” she grumbled, squeezing her thighs together. “Will you at least turn around?”
With an annoyed sigh, he gave her his back.
“And maybe move toward the door a little?”
He took a half step.
It would have to do.
She let out a frustrated sound and shoved her shorts down, squatting on the stool just before the dam burst. She tried to close her eyes and ignore him, but it was just too damn embarrassing.
When she was done, she stood, her legs trembling with the effort, flushed, and leaned against the sink to wash her hands.
“Finished?” Magic asked.
“Obviously.” She barely got the word past her throat as she dried her hands on the towel hanging next to the sink.
“Are you…”
She couldn’t meet his eyes and it pissed her off.
“Are you angry?” His tone was bewildered.
“Yes,” she snapped. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back in bed.”
“You’re red as fucking Rudolph’s nose right now. It’s cute as hell.”
Josie rolled her eyes, but she could feel the blush that crept past her cheeks and down her neck.
“Bed.”
He didn’t make any move to help her, so she took a step on her own.
But in a careful move, Magic tucked one arm around her shoulders and the other behind her legs, lifting her as easy as if she was a ball of cotton.
Josie gasped.
He cradled her close against his solid chest and there was nowhere for her arms to go except around his neck.
“You’ve done enough walking.”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to—”
“Hush,” he whispered, staring intently at her lips. “Just hush.”
He was ordering her around again, but there was something different about his tone. Gentle. He wasn’t telling her to shut up. He was urging her to allow this moment between them, this soft connection.
He didn’t move toward the bed. He didn’t move at all except to breath. In his arms, her embarrassment faded, and she felt something wonderful take its place. Their bond, it was growing. She knew it would with every minute they spent together, with every give and take they exchanged, every thing that they shared. It was the way the mating bond worked.
To a human like her—or could she even think of herself like that anymore?—it seemed miraculous. The bond could be used to heal, physically or otherwise. It could be used to sense danger, to provide needs to one another. It could be used to… give pleasure.
And apparently, it could bring back the dead.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Mandi wasn’t back. Just her animal that she’d passed on to Josie ten years ago. Her animal that was mated to Magic’s, and would do anything to save him from his downward spiral, even circumvent death.
Magic drew in a breath. “Your cat scent is strengthening,” he murmured.
She nodded, holding his gaze. “It will, the more we bond.” She knew it was how she would become fully merged with the animal.
She should be scared. Terrified of being something other. A mutant, not born into this as the other shifters were. Except she wasn’t afraid at all. In fact, everything about it felt right. Like this was her purpose. The thing she’d been searching for all those years when she was floundering.
“Josie…” A crease formed between his dark brows, and the shadows she normally saw in his gaze returned.
Seeing them made her sad. So sad, her stomach cramped. He’d been through so much pain. Fought through it alone. Ached inside, with no reprieve. Lashed out at those who loved him. And through a bond as thin as an angel’s whisper, Mandi had experienced it all along with him. Stuck in a place between death and the afterlife, unable to pass on with her mate so deeply hurt, there’d been no sense of years passing. No linear movement of time, and she was able to see Magic’s life from any point in the past, present, or future. She’d seen it all.
Only Mandi knew what inner turmoil Magic endured.
And now, Josie.
She knew how guilty he felt over his mate’s suicide. How much he mourned never having young. How dedicated he was to remaining faithful to her even in death. How utterly alone he felt in the midst of his people and the bustling lodge. How jealous he was that Renner could be so certain about staying faithful to Bethany. But most of all, she knew how badly he wanted to keep what happened to Mandi from ever happening again.
What he didn’t know was Mandi chose to leave the way she did because she’d thought it would save him. He wasn’t agreeing with the mating, wasn’t thriving. And her demands weren’t something he was willing to meet. She was sad and hopeless, and wanted to give him a do-over. Except there was only one way to un-mate.
But she’d underestimated his love for her, underestimated their bond. When she died, the play-hard part of Magic died with her, and in death, he’d given her what he couldn’t give her in life.
His commitment.
He’d proven himself, and now all Mandi wanted was for him to move on, to be happy and to help his clan be happy. So she could finally move on.
What they had was over, and it was time for him to try again.
It was Josie’s job to make him see that.
“I don’t understand,” he breathed. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“I know.” Her voice came out strained, emotions that were both hers and the cat’s wrecking her. “I’m still figuring it out myself.”
She rubbed absently at the back of his neck, and his eyes closed.
“You’ve always felt like you were mine,” he croaked. “And now you smell like mine, and I can’t figure out how, when I’ve been so careful to stay away from you. But damn it all, maybe I don’t want to know. Maybe I just want to feel this with you. It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything other than… lost.” He let out a shuddering breath, his eyes opening. “Goddamn it.”
“Then do that,” she whispered, somehow drawing closer to him without even trying. “Just feel something good.”
She shook within the strength of his arms, and it was all about the way he looked at her. He didn’t know her connection to Mandi yet. He didn’t realize she knew things about him even he probably didn’t know. Still, he looked at her like she was the only woman on earth. Like she was the last drink of water in a parched desert.
Josie is important.
And she felt the truth of that in his powerful gaze. It settled her nerves, knowing that she meant something to him even without her connection to his past mate.
Slowly, and with his breath heaving between them, he closed the distance between their lips. Soft at first, like he was just remembering how to do it. Then more urgent. His mouth seared hers with just that tender brush, and made her burn all the way down to her toes.
Magic let out a little growl that had her spine tingling with excitement before licking at the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. Her gasp allowed him in, and then it was all tongues dancing and teeth clashing, breath swapping and soul wrenching. Every delicious sweep of his hot tongue seemed to claim her. He tasted so good, so right.
This was hers now. Magic was hers according to their shifter laws.
Strength came from somewhere and Josie tunneled her fingers through his thick hair, pulling him closer.
Mine. All mine.
She kissed him with a fervor she’d never known before, needing more of him than was even possible. She wanted to crawl inside his
heart and live there for the rest of her life. She’d be safe with him, somehow she knew. She wouldn’t have to worry with Magic. No expecting him to turn into an asshole. No wondering if he wanted another, even counting the instincts of a male cat.
Because she knew what the others were slowly learning: remaining faithful was a choice.
In the wild, big cats didn’t keep a designated mate. For the shifters, that animal side of them simply didn’t require monogamy. But as Magic said, they were part human. And humans have choices. Magic had never chosen wrong. He’d only failed to realize he had an alternative to the big cat way of life. And he wouldn’t make that mistake again, she knew it.
His throat rumbled with a purr. The sound echoed in the room and turned her insides to jelly. He took her lower lip between his and sucked hard, nipping it as he broke their connection.
“Slow down, sexy cat.” His voice was husky with pent up passion and reeked of warning. “Slow down. We aren’t ready for this.”
“I’m ready,” she insisted, placing kisses along his tight jaw line.
Yes, it was her style to rush into things, but this wasn’t rushing. She’d known him all these years, and knew everything now. Most of all, she knew what she wanted, had found what she’d been searching for. She wouldn’t put the brakes on now.
Still holding her, he stalked from the bathroom to the bed while she dragged her tongue along the day’s growth covering his jaw. He followed her down to the bed, pressing his weight into her. She felt the hardness at his hips and a wonderful fragrance bloomed in the room, mixing with her own. The scent of their arousal was heady and made her squirm beneath him.
Her senses were getting stronger.
Magic kissed frantically along her collar bone, stopping at the spot just below her ear. He inhaled, taking in so much air his broad chest expanded to full capacity, brushing against her hardened nipples through her shirt.
“I belonged to another, Josie.”
“I know.”
One more deep inhale.
“Males die with their mates. I didn’t. I chose to stay and help my friends.”
“I know.”
He ran his nose along her heated skin.
“This shouldn’t be possible. We only get one chance at mating. There shouldn’t be this bond between us. But fuck… it’s powerful.”
