“Mm-hmm, thank you.”
She was thanking him. His chest tightened. He was selfishly fulfilling his own desire, and she was thanking HIM, which meant she was okay with this, too. He smiled and grabbed a remote that was on the end table, turning the television on.
“What do you want to watch?”
She shook her head and smiled. “I don’t know. I’ve never really watched television. Not since I was little. Best you pick something.” She felt his fingers tug her closer into his side, and she glanced up to see a mixture of emotions on his face, his eyes soft and sad. His jaw was tense and clenched. “Hey,” she said softly, and watched his amazing chocolate gaze land on hers. She smiled up at him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to feel bad. That isn’t my life anymore.”
“Jin.” He wrapped his other arm around her and leaned his head onto hers. It might have been a bit much, but he needed to hold her. “That will never ever happen again. I promise. You are safe here. If anything ever happened, I would come for you. You’ll never have to live a life like that again.”
He felt something wet land on his arm and he glanced down to see her crying. He was forcing himself on her too much. “I’msorry, Jin. I shouldn’t—” He started to drop his arm away from her, but her hand landed on his.
“This is fine, Chasen. It’s comforting.” She moved her fingertips over his arm briefly. “I’m really touched by what you said. We hardly know each other, but I believe you. I do feel safe here, and with you.” She wiped her eyes and gave him a crooked smile. “I didn’t come here to be protected, though. I came here to help fight.”
Chasen settled into the couch, tugging her more into his side, feeling confident that she was comfortable like this. He leaned onto the arm of the couch at a slant while she laid at his side. He smiled as he flicked through the channels. “I know you came out here to fight, but I’m going to have to test out those fighting skills. I’ll need to evaluate you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, though.” She yawned, feeling a wave of content exhaustion wash over her. She closed her eyes, intending only to rest them for a second.
A deep chuckle ripped through his chest. “Hmm, I wonder if you can. I’m not just a regular werebear. I’m a guardian. I’m also a very quick healer. It’ll be fine, Jin. And I won’t feel comfortable until I see your strength for myself.”
The way she was resting against him felt right. It was enough that it calmed his feral animal down as he breathed in her scent. A smile spread across his face when he noticed she had fallen asleep, still clutching her bag of chocolate. He slowly removed the bag from her hand and placed it on the floor. Then, very delicately, he positioned her more comfortably. He looked at the tiny girl next to his large frame. Somehow, it was perfect. She fit perfectly next to him, as if her body was molded to fit there. He leaned his head down and brushed his lips against her forehead.I’ll always protect you, my Jin. My mate.
Chasen opened his eyes as sunlight crept across him. His arms were both asleep, but he dared not move. He didn’t wantto wake her. His emotions washed over him in adoration of the remarkably cheerful girl in his arms. He listened to her soft, rhythmic breathing, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. Her tiny mouth was slightly parted, and her head was nestled into his chest. It was the first time he’d ever wished a moment would never end.
Being this close to her all night had fastened his mate bond to her. What started out as a trickle now flooded inside him. Everything felt more intense. The feeling that he had always known her was now there. The desire to claim her and the need to love her. Yes, the feeling of falling in deep was already filling him up. He inwardly smiled at himself. He never understood the mate pull and how mates were instantly attached to one another, and how devastated they could be from instant rejection or betrayal. He saw Hunter go through it, but he couldn’t understand it. Now he understood it completely. If Jin ended up not wanting him, he wasn’t sure how he would recover. In such a short time, she had secured a place in his heart. This feeling would only get more intense once he marked her.
She was the piece of his life he never knew had been missing. Now that he knew what it felt like to find his other half, he could never go back to the way it was. He couldn’t go back to only being half of himself.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced up, meeting with the gray eyes of his brother who had sat up on his bed, an arrogant smirk resting on his lips. Chasen tilted his head to the side a bit and smiled. He glanced down at Jin, then back up to Hunter, who nodded his head, smiling genuinely now.
I’m happy for you, Chasen.
Thank you, Hunter. I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I’m figuring it out. Hunter … seriously, thank you.
Hunter grinned widely.You’re welcome.
Jin opened her eyes and peered around the room. The sun was shining, and she realized she was lying in Chasen’s arms. It was then that she realized she had slept like that all night. She saw Hunter sitting up on the bed. She lifted herself off Chasen and looked at him, smiling softly. “I guess I fell asleep. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Chasen smiled and rolled his shoulders, then stood up and moved his arms around to wake them back up again. He didn’t want her to apologize. That would mean it was a mistake. It wasn’t one to him, and he would love to fall asleep with her every night.
“Aww, look at you. You’re all stiff.” Jin frowned, and Chasen waved it off with his hand.
If she only knew how accurate that statement is,Hunter snickered in Chasen’s head.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Over the next few days, Chasen tried to build the relationship between him and Jin. Naturally. Without the mate pull on her end. He was hoping he could be a person she trusted and then build off of that. Today they were having another training session. This time, though, instead of her training Hunter, she would be sparring against Chasen. He wanted to test her skills, especially since she was so keen on fighting, too. How could he explain to her that he was ultra-protective over her and didn’t want her fighting? How could he justify this when she didn’t even know he was her mate? He couldn’t. All he could do was spar with her and tell her she wasn’t ready. So that was what he was doing. He was a guardian after all. He had extra resistances to magic and elements. No, he wasn’t immune, but he could tolerate it better.
Usually, he would have to change and only wear a pair of shorts during training, but thanks to his grandparents forcing him and Hunter to eat magical troll nail clippings, they could now shift into their animals and back into their human selves with clothes on. It was very convenient. So, even though he had to ingest something disgusting, he figured it was worth the trade in the end.
Jin was bouncing around the training field, leaping into the air and tiptoeing over the ground. Chasen walked out into the field and smiled as he watched her. She looked happy, and he hoped she was.
He was a bit excited. This was the first time he’d shifted in front of Jin. He wondered what she would think. She turned, and her green eyes sparkled as they met with his.
“Okay Jin, you ready?”
“I am, but how will I know if you need me to stop? I can’t hear you in my head, remember?” Jin frowned slightly. She didn’t want to hurt him.
A low, reverberating sound left his chest as he chuckled at her. “I think I’ll be just fine.” It was adorable how concerned she was about him. She was a wind demon, and while she could be tough, he was certain she wouldn’t be a match for him. A guardian’s strength was revered for a reason. It was also the same reason that only a handful of guardians existed at a time.
