My hand lifts to cover my sternum, and he arches a furry brow. “If I pressed on this mark and called to someone else, would they hear it?”
“No.”His voice is firm.
“Why? What does it mean?”
He sits up, snout almost touching my nose as I tuck my knees under myself.“It means we’reimportantto each other.”His voice is pure gravel, and my fingernails pinch my thighs.“That’s all that matters right now. You are important to me, so if you need me, I will be here.”
Silence washes over the room. Somehow, his declaration sinks deeper than his carefully chosen words. There’s more to it, I’m certain, but he won’t tell me. It doesn’t stop me from askingmore questions, though. “But I won’t be able to call you after winter’s over?”
“I might hear you,”he says, voice lowering along with his snout,“but I won’t be able to come.”
“Why not?”
“For starters, our connection is…rare. I’m also limited where I’m permitted to travel during my earthside winters. Otherwise, I’m stuck in Nivea and cannot leave.”
“I see.” I think about it a moment, trying to figure out what he means byconnection. “Does it have to do with when you saved my life? The night of the accident?”
“It does.”Everything he says is handpicked before he parcels it out.
I’m not sure I’m ready for the full answers he has to give. My emotions are already jumbled up tonight. But I don’t want to always be left in the dark. “Will you ever explain it all to me?”
“Someday. I just don’t want to overwhelm you.”There’s a refreshing sincerity to his words, and his silver-and-blue stare gives me some quiet reassurance.
It’s understandable, considering how crazy I thought I was when I started sensing and seeing him. “Will I ever get to see you outside of your wolf form?”
“I hope so.”He settles onto the bed, resting his head between his paws.“I didn’t know if you’d ever hear me and you made that happen.”
“I did?” My curiosity piques. “How?”
“You believed you could.”
“So all I need to do is believe?”
“You make that sound easy, but look at how you took my first message and all the times you still doubt yourself.”
It’s true. First, I thought he was a ghost, then a figment of my imagination. Some moments I still question my sanity, even ashe sits here now. I reach out and stroke the silver swirl of fur on his forehead, then scratch behind his ears.
“Can I try to see you?” I have no clue how to make him appear, but I want to. As comforting as his wolfish form is, I’m curious what lies beneath.
“Right now?”
“Yes. Go into your other form,” I insist, nodding toward the space between us and the window.
He pounces off the bed, nails never scratching the floor before he disappears. I sit in the darkness, squinting into the space where he was. Reaching over, I flip on my bedside lamp, hoping to see a sign of him.
“Anything?”his voice whispers, snowflakes flitting in front of me for emphasis. He’s right there. Not even two feet away.
“No.” My gut sinks.
“It’s okay. It’s a lot to take in. I’m just glad we even have this,”Jax reassures, still invisible. I can’t explain it, but when he sayswe, it fills a hollow space within me. His tone brightens a smidge.“I really enjoyed getting a peek into your world tonight, Tempest.”
Is this his way of saying he’s leaving soon? I need more time. “Will you stay again?”
I stare into the silence, wondering if he’s already left. The room’s still cold, but there are no flecks of white, no wolf appearing before me.
“Is that what you want?”
“It is.” I nod for emphasis.
