The Burning Claw
Page 81
Something soft running across her lips and up her jaw line drew Bethany away from her dreams. Her eyes opened and she blinked several times to clear the sleep. Drake’s handsome face was staring down at her and a crooked smile drew her gaze to his lips. She licked her own and felt butterflies in her stomach as his eyes followed the movement.
“Good morning,” she rasped out.
“Morning, beautiful,” he responded gently.
“Did you sleep well?”
His smile widened and his eyes sparkled with a contagious joy. “Best three hours of sleep I’ve ever had.”
“Ever?” Her eyes widened at the declaration.
“I was allowed to hold my mate while I slept. It’s hard to beat that.”
Bethany smiled. “I liked it too. I wasn’t able to sleep before you came in either. Something inside me was restless.”
“Sounds like it could be your wolf,” Drake offered. “She wants her mate. I’ve actually been thinking about it. My wolf is so possessive of you. The bond between wolf and wolf makes the true mate bond stronger. I wonder if he senses your dormant wolf. Even though you’re a dormant, your wolf will eventually come out. Sometimes, going through a painful experience can make the wolf come to the surface, and you’ve certainly been through something traumatic.
“Will the wolf ever be a part of me the way yours is a part of you, I mean, with the fur and stuff?” she asked, slightly unsettled at the thought.
“Yes. You can even phase. There’s a ceremony to pull the wolf forward if you want. It takes fae magic and the blood of your mate. It might be something that has to wait until after Peri isn’t dealing with a bunch of vampires, though. But I’m sure as soon as she’s able, she’d be willing to do the ceremony.”
Bethany didn’t know what to say to that. She’d never even considered the possibility of changing into a wolf. She thought that dormant meant that she just had some werewolf blood and that nothing other than the true mate thing would come out of it. The true mate thing was certainly weird enough, but transforming into a wolf, being part of a wolf pack, that was something else entirely.
“What do you want to do today?” Drake asked her as he wrapped strands of her hair around his fingers.
Bethany thought about it, but every time she considered something they could do, all she could think about was how Jen, Jacque, and the others were all doing things that put them in danger. She felt like she was on some vacation while they were risking their lives.
“Maybe we should,” she began but Drake was already shaking his head.
“There is no way I’m letting you put yourself in danger.” Drake tugged gently on her hair. “I just got you.”
“I just feel awful that they—”
Drake held up his hand stopping her. He climbed out of bed and jogged out of the room. Bethany frowned.
He was back in less than a minute with his cell phone up to his ear. “One sec,” he said into the phone. He reached out his arm, offering the cell phone to Bethany. She looked at him and then back to the offered phone.
“It’s for you,” he said.
“Who is it?” she asked him.
“Someone who can ease your guilt.”
Bethany took the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hey my little protégé,” Jen’s voice chirped through the speaker.
“Jen?”
“The one and only,” she cooed.
“Are you awake?”
“Well, seeing as how it’s a little after one in the afternoon here, yes I’m awake.”
“Where are you?” Bethany asked, confused by Jen’s words.
“I’m in South Carolina making new friends.” Her words were upbeat, but Bethany could hear the weariness beneath it. “That’s neither here nor there. Your fur ball says you’re feeling bad that you’re shacked up, getting it on with him, instead of out here playing with the rest of us.”
“He said that?” Bethany couldn’t help but laugh. Drake was rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he climbed back into bed beside her.
“Yep, those exact words. Hold on a sec,” she said.
Bethany could hear arguing going on and then someone, she thought it was Jacque, yelped.
“Sorry about that. Jacque was just getting a little too big for her breeches. I had to knock her down a couple of sizes. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, don’t feel guilty, Beth. You’ve been through hell and back. And you may not realize it, but now that you’re the mate of a Canis lupus, you’re about to go through hell again.” Jen paused. “It’s not all bad. You won’t ever have to worry about him cheating on you or leaving you. Although the not leaving you thing can get old because they kind of mean that literally. Like they never. Ever. Leave.”
Bethany laughed. “He does like to stay close.” Drake had wiggled his arm underneath her and pulled her body snuggly against his. He growled at her.
“Is that butthead growling at you?” Jen asked. “See, you can’t come help us save the world because you’ve got to get him trained. Try a kennel. I hear those are pretty effective. I’ve got some shock collars stashed in our suite. If you get desperate, by all means, zap his ass.”
“I think you’ve given Jen enough of your attention,” Drake told her through their bond.
“Drake says I have to go,” Bethany told her and then laughed when Drake poked her in the side.
“Tell Drakey poo that I’ll let that slide this time, but only because I’m like three thousand miles away or something, and sleep deprived. Oh, and don’t tell my mate you talked to me if you happen to see him. I don’t think you will because they’re hunting down Costin right now, but I like to cover all my bases.”
“The Alpha doesn’t know that you’re in South Carolina?” Drake asked.
“Drake, go back to ogling your mate and stay out of this convo. Bethany,” Jen said.
“Yes?”
“Give him hell, girl. It’s in the book.”
“There is no book.” Bethany heard Jacque say.
“What book?” Bethany asked.
“The handbook,” Jen answered, not clarifying anything at all.
“Oh, are you writing a handbook for dormants on the healthy transition of living with a new mate?” Bethany asked. “Brilliant idea.”
“Good morning,” she rasped out.
“Morning, beautiful,” he responded gently.
“Did you sleep well?”
His smile widened and his eyes sparkled with a contagious joy. “Best three hours of sleep I’ve ever had.”
“Ever?” Her eyes widened at the declaration.
“I was allowed to hold my mate while I slept. It’s hard to beat that.”
Bethany smiled. “I liked it too. I wasn’t able to sleep before you came in either. Something inside me was restless.”
“Sounds like it could be your wolf,” Drake offered. “She wants her mate. I’ve actually been thinking about it. My wolf is so possessive of you. The bond between wolf and wolf makes the true mate bond stronger. I wonder if he senses your dormant wolf. Even though you’re a dormant, your wolf will eventually come out. Sometimes, going through a painful experience can make the wolf come to the surface, and you’ve certainly been through something traumatic.
“Will the wolf ever be a part of me the way yours is a part of you, I mean, with the fur and stuff?” she asked, slightly unsettled at the thought.
“Yes. You can even phase. There’s a ceremony to pull the wolf forward if you want. It takes fae magic and the blood of your mate. It might be something that has to wait until after Peri isn’t dealing with a bunch of vampires, though. But I’m sure as soon as she’s able, she’d be willing to do the ceremony.”
Bethany didn’t know what to say to that. She’d never even considered the possibility of changing into a wolf. She thought that dormant meant that she just had some werewolf blood and that nothing other than the true mate thing would come out of it. The true mate thing was certainly weird enough, but transforming into a wolf, being part of a wolf pack, that was something else entirely.
“What do you want to do today?” Drake asked her as he wrapped strands of her hair around his fingers.
Bethany thought about it, but every time she considered something they could do, all she could think about was how Jen, Jacque, and the others were all doing things that put them in danger. She felt like she was on some vacation while they were risking their lives.
“Maybe we should,” she began but Drake was already shaking his head.
“There is no way I’m letting you put yourself in danger.” Drake tugged gently on her hair. “I just got you.”
“I just feel awful that they—”
Drake held up his hand stopping her. He climbed out of bed and jogged out of the room. Bethany frowned.
He was back in less than a minute with his cell phone up to his ear. “One sec,” he said into the phone. He reached out his arm, offering the cell phone to Bethany. She looked at him and then back to the offered phone.
“It’s for you,” he said.
“Who is it?” she asked him.
“Someone who can ease your guilt.”
Bethany took the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hey my little protégé,” Jen’s voice chirped through the speaker.
“Jen?”
“The one and only,” she cooed.
“Are you awake?”
“Well, seeing as how it’s a little after one in the afternoon here, yes I’m awake.”
“Where are you?” Bethany asked, confused by Jen’s words.
“I’m in South Carolina making new friends.” Her words were upbeat, but Bethany could hear the weariness beneath it. “That’s neither here nor there. Your fur ball says you’re feeling bad that you’re shacked up, getting it on with him, instead of out here playing with the rest of us.”
“He said that?” Bethany couldn’t help but laugh. Drake was rolling his eyes and shaking his head as he climbed back into bed beside her.
“Yep, those exact words. Hold on a sec,” she said.
Bethany could hear arguing going on and then someone, she thought it was Jacque, yelped.
“Sorry about that. Jacque was just getting a little too big for her breeches. I had to knock her down a couple of sizes. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, don’t feel guilty, Beth. You’ve been through hell and back. And you may not realize it, but now that you’re the mate of a Canis lupus, you’re about to go through hell again.” Jen paused. “It’s not all bad. You won’t ever have to worry about him cheating on you or leaving you. Although the not leaving you thing can get old because they kind of mean that literally. Like they never. Ever. Leave.”
Bethany laughed. “He does like to stay close.” Drake had wiggled his arm underneath her and pulled her body snuggly against his. He growled at her.
“Is that butthead growling at you?” Jen asked. “See, you can’t come help us save the world because you’ve got to get him trained. Try a kennel. I hear those are pretty effective. I’ve got some shock collars stashed in our suite. If you get desperate, by all means, zap his ass.”
“I think you’ve given Jen enough of your attention,” Drake told her through their bond.
“Drake says I have to go,” Bethany told her and then laughed when Drake poked her in the side.
“Tell Drakey poo that I’ll let that slide this time, but only because I’m like three thousand miles away or something, and sleep deprived. Oh, and don’t tell my mate you talked to me if you happen to see him. I don’t think you will because they’re hunting down Costin right now, but I like to cover all my bases.”
“The Alpha doesn’t know that you’re in South Carolina?” Drake asked.
“Drake, go back to ogling your mate and stay out of this convo. Bethany,” Jen said.
“Yes?”
“Give him hell, girl. It’s in the book.”
“There is no book.” Bethany heard Jacque say.
“What book?” Bethany asked.
“The handbook,” Jen answered, not clarifying anything at all.
“Oh, are you writing a handbook for dormants on the healthy transition of living with a new mate?” Bethany asked. “Brilliant idea.”
