Jacque nodded. “Way too soon. Teach her the slang after she’s mated.”
“You’re no fun,” Jen whined.
“Yeah and you’re a flipping Ferris wheel of laughs.”
Bethany let out a growl, much to everyone’s surprise. “How can I become knowledgeable if you two keep arguing?”
Jen leaned back on the couch. She couldn’t help the sly smile. Bethany was like a shiny wrapped Christmas present with Jen’s name on the tag. “You really are too good to be true,” she purred. “Eager and you have a backbone? Now I finally get to impart my knowledge to someone who will appreciate it.”
“Jen, NO.” Jacque placed a hand on her arm as if to hold her back.
“Oh no, wolf-princess, you aren’t taking this from me. She needs my help,” Jen pointed to Bethany. “She is frustrated and she doesn’t even understand why. That’s just cruel. I won’t leave her ignorant. She has wants and needs that only her mate can fulfill, and her mate is being a coward.”
Jacque covered her face with a hand and groaned. “I don’t know if he’ll thank you or curse you.”
“Oh, he’ll definitely thank me, eventually.” She winked at Jacque and then turned back to Bethany. “If you can feel him, tell your mate to get out of your head and give you some privacy,” Jen said as she stood and walked over to a wall of bookshelves.
“Oh, he’s not there. I think he’s pretty ticked off actually.” She paused before adding, “I sort of told him that he wasn’t allowed to touch me and that maybe another male should be the one to, you know, well, yeah…” Bethany said, her hands fidgeting restlessly in her lap. “He got pretty upset at that point and broke a lamp. So, sorry about that,” she told Jen, who had a huge smile pasted on her face.
“Wait, put on the brakes and back the truck up. You told him that he wasn’t allowed to touch you? You used one of ourfoolproof, kick ya where it hurts and laugh, I am woman hear me roar, and I’m not fragile, dammit, cards?”
Bethany nodded, looking very unsure. “I think so. I said he’d lost the privilege.”
“Oh this is rich,” Jen laughed as she threw her head back. “I’m sure he was beyond ticked. He flipped his lid no doubt. Wait.” She sat up. “Did you say he broke a lamp?”
“I don’t get what the big deal is. He said something about me not understanding about your magic,” Bethany admitted.
“Pack magic is powerful. Words can be very powerful if fueled by the right emotion. He’s your mate and he’s bitten you. That bite created an even stronger bond than just the mental one that you two share. You are part Canis lupus. All of those things factor into your ability to wield pack magic. If you truly meant that you didn’t want his touch, that it is unwelcome, and you spoke those words to him, then he will not be able to touch you. Literally, he cannot touch you. We’ve, uh, had experience with that particular magic, isn’t that right, Red?”
Jacque snorted. “Oh yeah, we’ve been down that road. The fur balls were not happy.”
“Understatement,” Jen cooed.
“Truth,” Jacque agreed.
“What will happen if he tries to touch me?” Bethany asked with a raised brow.
“He’ll be thrown into next Saturday onto his overbearing backside.”
“Can a backside really be overbearing?” Jacque asked.
Jen snapped her fingers at her friend, though her eyes stayed on Bethany. “Nobody asked for your commentary.”
“Technically, it was a question, not a comment.”
“I think I liked you better when you were almost dead,” Jen huffed.
“The feeling might be mutual,” Jacque countered.
“Wait, what?” Bethany’s eyes widened. “You’vebothbeen almost dead?”
“I actually was dead,” Jen admitted. “Peri brought me back. It was no big thing.”
Jacque started to open her mouth but Jen threw her a look causing her to snap her mouth shut.
“Can we please get back to Tinker Bell?” She motioned to Bethany who frowned. “Well, you’re kind of small. Curvy, but small, like Tinker Bell. Have you seen that chick’s hips? She’s got this tiny waist and—”
“Jen!” Jacque growled.
