With a knowing smile, Artemis nodded. “I thought so. But if you do decide it’s something more, remember this isn’t a prison. You can leave if you want to.”
Selene lifted a stack of clothes from her bag and laid them out on the bed. “But there’s no coming back,” she said.
Artemis cleared her throat. “No. There’s no coming back.”
19
Jason’s thoughts refused to stay in the present as he wandered through the garden at Rivergate Manor under a canopy of silvery sunset and slowly emerging stars. He’d tried to stop thinking about Selene and to focus on his business, which was sorely in need of his attention. But he’d failed miserably. His scout, Andrew, informed him that the Spackles deal was officially dead because of his neglect. But as much as he would have liked to return to business as usual, his mind bounced right back to Selene.
It wasn’t just his wolf’s innate desire to mark her as his own, although that part was surely there. His heart ached for her. He’d spent the day pacing an empty apartment, remembering how full it felt with her in it. Like a real home.
“Welcome back, brother.” Silas broke into Jason’s thoughts with a pat on his shoulder as he sidled up next to him. “Selene gave me a glowing review of your willpower and constraint this morning.”
Jason adjusted his watch on his wrist, remembering how little restraint he’d shown when he was shoving his tongue down her throat the night before. “It’s good to be back,” he said mechanically.
“You’ve certainly put on some weight. Jesus, you’re going to pop a button with all the muscle going on under there.”
“Funny how a few weeks locked in one’s home revives their love of physical activity.” Based on his brother’s expression, the note of bitterness in his words wasn’t lost on Silas.
“It was necessary. I know it wasn’t easy, but now you’re ready to face Nickelova if she comes for you. That’s what’s important.”
“So, when can we try to find her and kill her?”
“After the shift. I’ve rounded up three wolves, all with military experience. Gerty has agreed to go too. Grateful can’t leave her son but has promised to provide magical protection in the form of potions and spells. Do you think you can remember where to go?”
He nodded. “I remember.” Jason couldn’t wait to destroy the dragon fae who had started all this, made him suffer, only to find true happiness with Selene and experience true suffering all over again when she left. He wanted the dragon bitch to die slowly, but he’d take her death however he could get it. He hoped he was the one to do it, preferably by crushing her heart between his own two hands.
They arrived at the tent where the pack was shedding clothes in preparation for the shift.
“See you on the other side of the moon.” Silas crossed to the opposite side of the tent to strip.
Jason removed his tailored shirt and pants, toed off his leather loafers, and folded everything in a neat pile in the corner. He left the tent completely naked, his blood bubbling under the surface of his skin. The change was close at hand.
That’s when he saw her. Selene locked eyes with him across the sparsely wooded lawn, her beautiful skin gleaming in the moonlight. From the moment he’d met her, he’d admired the way she carried herself, like she lived above the fray, and now was no exception. Her hair was down. Goddess, he loved her hair. The delicate bones of her face added to the long stretch of her body, giving her the look of a ballerina, graceful even in the face of impending pain, an angel in their midst.
The din of the older members of the pack starting to shift filled the space: groans and growls and breaking bones. Jason pitched forward, the tawny fur of his underside breaking out along his abdomen. Human thought was difficult in this state as his wolf mind started taking over, but the last clear thought he had before he changed was a raging need to claim Selene as his.Mine,his wolf whispered.Mine.
And then he surrendered completely to the animal within.
The next morning,light poured over Selene’s body, the scent of new grass filling her lungs. Spring signified new life. Tiny hatching eggs deep within fresh earth. Budding green things. Blooming moss. Fresh dew. But it was another smell that made her spine stiffen. The warm spicy scent of male, musky cloves and chicory, a male whose arm draped across her stomach.
She might have turned in her half slumber to confirm who it was, but with a sleepy grunt the owner of the arm pulled her against a wide muscled chest. Glancing down at the hand between her naked breasts, she didn’t need to see his face. Dark hair dappled thick cords of muscle in the forearm. Strong hands held her. She knew this man. Knew his scent. It was Jason.
A werewolf was not responsible for what he or she did in wolf form. It was commonly accepted that a person’s wolf had a mind of its own. But lying here in Jason’s arms, every second brought her deeper into the realization that it wasn’t just her wolf who’d enjoyed Jason’s company. She could hardly bring herself to move from the pleasure of his closeness.
Moving only her eyes, she glanced around them. They were inside a closely set group of trees, and they were alone. She pretended to be asleep and snuggled in closer, closing her eyes as the feel of his breath on her hair sent tiny sparks of longing down the length of her neck and across the surface of her skin.
His hand coasted over her nipple, along the flat length of her torso and rounded the curve of her hip. Goddess, it was delectable. A warm ache ignited in her core, her need opening like a flower. She crossed her legs against the feeling, suppressing the moan his touch elicited.
She felt the moment he woke, the realization of her closeness causing his body to tense. He removed his hand from her hip and whispered, “Sorry” into the back of her head. As he rolled away from her, she knew she should act as though she were sorry too, cover up, move away. But she didn’t.
Instead, she rolled onto her back and looked up at him, naked, vulnerable. He was balanced on his elbow beside her, hovering but not touching. When their gazes met, her longing was so intense, her body began to tremble. Tears streamed down her face.
“Oh goddess, I’m so sorry. Did my wolf hurt you? Should I get help?” Jason whispered.
Selene shook her head. She wiped under her eyes. “It’s not you or your wolf,” she said softly. “It’s me. Lying here next to you, I can’t pretend…”
He frowned, his eyes narrowing. “Can’t pretend what?”
