Chapter 0200

A couple of really good kisses, my wolf counters, her eyes half shut and her tongue lolling from her

mouth. I swat her little rump, correcting her, because Luca is one hell of a kisser too.

So…what is different?

Has Luca just done all the hard work and Jackson’s here to reap the benefits? A little guilt twists in

me at the idea.

Or, my wolf suggests, lifting her head a little, curious, maybe you just have…a more sexual

connection with this mate. They don’t have to be the same. Luca brings his own particular set of

appealing characteristics to the table.

But as I consider that…well, that doesn’t quite fit either, does it? Because it’s not like Jackson’s just

some piece of meat with no personality, and it’s not like Luca doesn’t get me going.

They’re just…different.

I sigh, taking another bite of my apple, studying it, confused but…well, letting myself be confused, I

guess.

Nobody I know has ever done this whole two-mate thing before, at least not that I know of. This is

new territory for everyone involved, and I suppose I’m bound to feel this way.

Confusion wipes away, though, the moment Jackson walks quietly back onto our little plateau,

apparently having gotten control of myself.

Unfortunately, my confusion is replaced by an immediate and undeniable sense of lust. God, has he

seen himself? Does he know how insanely hot he is when he just…walks? The way his shoulders

shift, the grace with which he moves -

“Ari,” Jackson moans, stopping a few feet from me and dragging his hand down the length of his

face. “You have…you have got to stop doing that.”

I burst out laughing, suddenly terribly embarrassed, because I just sent every one of those emotions

right down the bond, didn’t I?

“Okay, okay,” I say, turning suddenly so that my back is to him now. “Here, this is better, I can’t see

you anymore –“

He laughs, coming to sit next to me again. “We have to be able to look at each other –“

“No, we don’t!” I squeak, turning away again as he tries to peer at my face, leaning my shoulders

back against him and facing the stone wall at the back of the tiny plateau. “I’ll just…stare at these

rocks. And pretend that you’re…very, very ugly.”

“Well, don’t tell yourself lies, Ari,” Jackson murmurs, wrapping an arm around me and tilting me

back so that when I open my eyes I can see his gorgeous face again, just…a little upside down

now. “Honesty with one’s self is really important –“

I burst out laughing, shaking my head and turning back to him, letting him wrap an arm around me

as I press my cheek to his chest. “You are very handsome,” I murmur, nuzzling a little and working

hard to scold my wolf when she urges me to climb back into his lap.

“I know,” he murmurs, kissing the top of my head. “You’re so lucky to be mated to such a looker, Ari,

honestly –“

I squeak in protest, whipping my head up at his vanity, but he’s ready for me, cupping my cheek in

his broad palm and pressing a sweet, chaste kiss to my mouth.

“Not as lucky as me, though,” he murmurs, shaking his head. “You’re the most precious thing in the

whole world. Do you know that?”

Everything in me just…melts at the insane sweetness of my big, scary Alpha mate. And I smile at

him, a little dazed.

“Now, will you please try to sleep?” he pleads, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb.

“How can I sleep?” I ask, shaking my head at him, baffled at the thought, “when I just got you?”

“I’ll just be really boring,” he murmurs with a shrug, making me grin.

“Impossible,” I say, but I lower my head to his chest, wanting to please him and, honestly, feeling a

little weak and tired after the insane day I’ve had, however short.

“Oh, very possible,” he replies, his voice soft and easy as he strokes his hand over my hair again

and again, comforting and steady. “If you want, I’ll recount the hundreds of ancient battles they

made us memorize for warrior track – that should put you out –“

I groan, shuddering at the prospect, which makes him huff a little laugh.

“Fine,” he sighs, continuing to pet me, his hand drifting over my shoulders, too, when it reaches the

ends of my hair. “Let’s just sit here and…be quiet.”

“You’ll wake me?” I whisper, feeling my eyes drift shut despite myself. “The moment the sun comes

up?”

“I will,” he promises. “The moment there’s light to see by, Ari, I’ll wake you. We have a lot to do

tomorrow. We need an early start.”

And so I shut my eyes, letting myself rest a little, trusting my mate to keep me warm and safe

through the short hours left in the night.