Chapter 344

When my eyes open in the morning, still far too early, I stifle a groan because I’m not sure I got a lick of sleep. I just dozed in and out of consciousness, anxiously waking every fifteen minutes or half an hour, scared I’m going to miss something.

I sigh, heartily disappointed, because I never even sunk deep enough into sleep to go into the dream state with Jackson, as planned.

My wolf huffs disappointedly. We could have gotten the mark, she mutters, angry.

It would have just been a dream mark anyway, I reply on a sigh, lifting up a finger and seeing my little mini mark glinting in what light is available in the nook with the curtain closed. My wolf steps forward, inspecting the little nipped cut on my finger, which seems to shine almost silver.

Yes, that’s a good start, she murmurs, approving.

I smile a bit, pleased that she’s pleased, but I let my hand drop to Jackson’s chest so that my chin is resting on him and I can peer up into his perfect face. I study him in peace, glad for his stoic nature that allows him to sleep through almost anything as well as the boundless energy that I know will wake him up fresh.

Jacks. He really is something special, isn’t he?

Yes, very good, my wolf says, prowling forward across the bond and inspecting Jackson’s gigantic wolf as he, too, sleeps. She trots around him like a pirate queen quite pleased with the hard-won booty that she’s captured, preening. And soon, she says, stopping at the wolf’s face and lowering her snout to give him a good sniff, we will have a mark and then we will be complete.

Two marks, I remind her, sighing and turning my head to look at the curtain that falls over the nook’s entrance.

But my wolf goes a little still before turning around and walking back across the bond, closing it as she goes.

What? I ask, frowning at her inwardly. What’s wrong with that idea?

She shakes her fur like she’s trying to get water out of her fur, uncomfortable. Luca’s wolf…she murmurs, turning in an anxious circle. He’s not ready for that – too skittish and wild. And Jackson’s…

My wolf looks longingly over the bond towards her mate, the one to whom she’s grown very close.

“It will kill him,” I whisper aloud, knowing that it’s the truth.

My wolf gives a sad little howl of confirmation, agreeing with me. Jackson’s mark first, she says, decided. It is what I want. And then…when Luca’s wolf is ready, we will get his too.

I hesitate at this, knowing as well as my wolf does that the Goddess put me on a timeline and that neither of us want to risk losing Luca – losing either of them. Still, she nips me inside.

Jackson’s first, she whispers, sure. It’s the only way.

I nod, agreeing to our little internal plan and sighing as I realize that I need to have a very real conversation with both of my mates. That it’s only fair to tell them what’s happening so that they can be prepared. As I exhale, Jackson starts.

“Who are you talking to?” he asks, gruff and confused.

“Just my wolf,” I say, frowning at him, suddenly anxious. “Can you…hear us?”

“I don’t know,” he murmurs, groggy and confused. “I don’t think so. You said you were going to kill someone?”

I grin, glad when I realized that he simply misheard when I murmured my thoughts aloud. “Yes, I discovered that Jesse’s been pilfering my snack collection. He’s marked for death.”

Jackson snarls at that, stroking a hand down over my hair, ever supportive even if he doesn’t quite think it’s a capital offense. I smile, snuggling closer to him, loving the little sense of humor that’s making itself known in its own way.

We’re quiet for a few minutes, both of us drifting off a bit, before Jackson’s deep voice wakes me again. “You ready for all of this, tiny?”

“No,” I say instantly, knowing that it’s the truth. “But I’m going to do it anyway. It’s our duty, and what we’ve been trained for.”

“Anything I can do to make it better?” he asks, peering down at me.

“Energy,” I sigh, quite dramatic, making him laugh as he immediately begins to pass me energy though our bond. “Also, a mark, please,” I say, tilting my head back and baring my neck to him.

This makes him laugh even harder, turning me over in the bed so that I’m pressed beneath him, just how I like. “Too little time and too many people in this room for that,” he murmurs.

“Oh, come on,” I sigh, grinning and snuggling close. “Just one little nip –“

“Not the way I’ve planned it, Princess,” he growls, wrapping his hand in my hair and baring my throat to him again, licking his tongue long up along the length of it just once in a way that makes me shudder, makes my knees go quite weak.

But we both sigh when we hear Rafe’s bed creak across the room, hear his blankets shift and then his feet hit the floor moments before footsteps begin to cross the room.

“Guess it’s time to go,” I whisper, looking up into Jacks’s eyes with a great deal of fear in mine.

“Just stick with me, trouble,” he murmurs, looking down into mine with a great deal of faith. “I’ll keep you safe.”

I lean in, kissing my mate and believing him utterly.

The day-long train across the south of Moon Valley was bad, but honestly, compared to this truck?

I groan as we hit yet another bump and I’m tossed against Luca’s side, hissing as my back again hits a spot on the wall that I know is going to leave a pretty purple bruise.

“You all right?” he murmurs, subtly putting an arm around me for support.

“I think they planned these stupid transports for big guys,” I say, glaring around at the fabric-covered truck that at least forty of us are shoved into.

“Yeah, well,” Tony murmurs from my other side, dipping his head so that only I can hear him. “I don’t think they anticipated the military being infiltrated by tiny magical women.”

I laugh, just a single huff, before we hit another hole and I’m jolted again. My laugh dies, immediately replaced with a scowl.

Jackson and Rafe are at the front of the truck where they can see out the windshield – because this is their little legion, apparently. They brought Jesse with them up there, wanting his opinion, but there’s another truck behind commanded by Blythe with a slightly smaller group, and then Ben and the rest of the Ambassadors have been sent to a different area of command.

“What are you even going to do here, Tony?” I ask, peering up at him with a frown. “How are you going to use your badass assassin skills if you’re on the front line?”

“Oh, I think I’ve been reallocated for the moment,” Tony says, looking down at me quite seriously. “We’ve got no access to the Atalaxian royalty for the time being, so all of my formidable skills are laying fallow. Until I can be put to use, I think my singular role is as your cooler.”

I grin up at him. “My cooler?”

“Yeah, hose you down when you get all hot –“

I burst out laughing, but Luca snarls, pulling me subtly closer.

“Oh, get over it, Grant,” Tony says, rolling his eyes, “or people are going to assume that I’m not kidding.” He glances down at where Luca’s hand has wrapped around my waist. Luca hesitates but then sighs and drops it, realizing that Tony’s right.

Luca, I say, turning to frown up at my mate. Why do you let him bug you? You know he’s kidding.

Is he kidding, Ari? Luca says, looking down at me kind of urgently. He hits on you all the time –

Yeah, I say, interrupting, my frown deepening, but…it’s Tony – he’s just saying it to make me laugh. There’s nothing happening there. He’s just my friend.

If he had any choice in the matter, Luca murmurs, raising an eyebrow at me. He wouldn’t be so thoroughly stuck in the friend zone.

But I just shake my head, scowling at Luca, not understanding him at all. I mean, he has direct access to my emotions – he’d know if I had any romantic feelings towards Tony at all. But then I shift my eyes to his chest, wondering if…

My wolf trots out, inspecting and…yup. His wall is up, the bond blocked.

“How can we talk?” I ask, tapping on his chest. “If you’ve got the wall up?”

“Ari,” Luca growls, glancing around anxiously. “Let’s not do this here.”

I scowl, kind of getting pissed at him for continuing to not let me in. My wolf growls, hackles raised, and moves quickly across the bond until she gets to the wall, where she rises up on her hind legs and starts to scratch at it vehemently with her claws, like she’s digging.

Luca gasps and spins to me, shocked.

“What are you two doing?” Tony murmurs, watching us with fascination.

I ignore Tony and flash my teeth at Luca, who scowls at me but takes down the wall.

My wolf turns as soon as he does, giving a little glare at his wolf on the other side, her meaning quite clear. Leave this down for your own good.

Before Luca can retort, though, we all notice a slight shift in the truck’s gear and the slowing of our pace.

“Finally,” Tony sighs, and I look up to see him shaking his head. “We’re here.”

“Thank god,” I murmur, settling my shoulders and looking forward to a stretch. Luca sends a warm pulse over the bond, and I feel it with a vividness that makes me both smile and realize just how guarded he’s been over the past few months. I turn to smile up at him, hoping he feels how much I love it when I get all of him – unblocked, uninterrupted.

He smiles down at me, feeling all of my joy. Subtly he traces a hand down my back, letting me know he gets it and he understands and is sorry. I lean into that hand subtly, loving the experience of sharing emotions with him – not just words.

Tony moves first off of the truck, turning to hold a hand out to help me down, which I readily accept.

The moment my foot hits the ground, though, my head snaps up, because a very, very familiar scent has just crossed my nose.

“Ari!” a deep voice calls, full of happiness and relief.

My face bursts in a grin as I turn towards the man who called my name.