The Bear's Forbidden Wolf: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 4) (20 page)

Kalan sobered. “Did she turn you down, bro?”

“Hell, no.” Surely, his brother didn’t think that little of him. “We decided it was better to wait. “Did
you
bite Elana the first time you were with her?” He knew the answer to that question was no. He then glanced to Rye and Kip. “How about you two?” They shook their heads, and the tension between his shoulder blades released.

Kip leaned back and sipped his beer. “Did her blue aura envelope you though?”

Jackson sat up straighter. This was one of the things he wanted to learn about. “I’m not sure, but I can tell you there was a shit-storm of blue sparks flying off her. Hell, I thought she might be allergic to me or something.” They all laughed. “If you’re laughing, you must know what it means, so tell me.”

Kip set down his bottle. “Ainsley is part Wendayan.” He went on to explain how the blue sparks meant she was excited, and that eventually, there would be so many sparks that it would appear as a blue glow. “When Teagan and I mated, it was incredible. Mind you, we are both pure Wendayan, so it will be different for you, but our blue auras encompassed each other, and a white light connected us. That was when we passed our talents to each other.”

Jackson stilled. He’d completely forgotten about their abilities being transferred—albeit to a lesser degree. “Are you saying that if, or rather when, Ainsley and I mate, that I might inherit her talent of invisibility?”

“Invisibility?” they said in unison.

Oh, shit. She’d had no reason to tell anyone. He had to think back to the last time he’d spoken with Connor. After those Changelings had attacked him—and Ainsley had saved his ass—he’d returned to the office the next day, but Connor hadn’t been there. The next time he saw his boss was at his parents’ house, and his and Connor’s fathers had dropped the bomb that they’d purchased the Donaldson property. Ainsley having the ability to disappear at will had slipped his mind.
Be honest
. He was still embarrassed at having a woman come to his rescue.

“I need to start from the beginning.” Jackson told them about visiting James and how he’d said if they wanted to find out who killed Shamus, they should find where he was killed. “So we went on a run that night.”

“You took Ainsley with you?” Kalan asked, sounding as if he would never have asked Elana to join him on a potentially dangerous mission.

Jackson held up his hand. “Just wait. I thought that too, but James said not to underestimate her talents. At the time, I didn’t know what that meant.”

He described how he was attacked, and then, all of a sudden, two wolves flew off his body.

“Ainsley did that?” Kip asked.

“Yes. Being invisible has its advantages, but the girl can fight. She tore out their throats once she took them to the ground.”

Pride swelled at their wide eyes. “Holy shit,” Connor said. “If she is ever open to doing some consulting work, I’d hire her in a heartbeat. We could use someone with her talent.”

Jackson bristled, his protective side flaring. If she couldn’t be seen, how much danger could she really be in? Regardless, he wasn’t sure he wanted her to take the risk. “I’m not sure how long she can remain invisible.” That was the truth. He’d never asked her.

Connor nodded. “I’m still interested.”

He wasn’t ready to talk about it. Besides, it would be up to Ainsley to make that call. Knowing her, however, she’d jump at the chance. The woman seemed to have this inner need to prove herself.

“Back to my story: after the Changelings attacked me, I was disoriented and really weak. I can’t even tell you how I made it back to the truck. All I remember is collapsing onto the front seat. I do know I was in human form at that point. I then woke up in my bed in my bear form.”

Rye pointed the tip of his bottle at him. “I say mate with her as fast as you can.” The whole group smiled and held up their bottles in a show of unity.

When the time was right, he would. Kip had partially explained about her blue glow, but perhaps Rye could add something. After all, he was a shifter and Izzy was a Wendayan. “Rye, when you and Izzy mated, did you bite her and she just glowed blue to indicate the mating process was complete?”

He nodded. “Kind of. Her aura totally encompassed both of us. That was her signal that she was accepting my bite.”

“Do you think Ainsley has to both encompass me and bite me? After all, she is part wolf, and part Wendayan.”

Rye glanced away. “Let’s just say, Izzy now does both.”

From the way his Alpha’s voice had trailed off, Jackson didn’t need to be asking any more questions. That was okay. He now understood what to expect.

Kalan propped his feet onto the coffee table that sat between them all. “Do you know where you’ll be staying in Scotland?”

“With Ainsley.”

*

It was around
eight p.m. when Ainsley picked Blair up to drive over to the shifter compound to meet with some of the Clan women. Ainsley still couldn’t believe that her life had made a one hundred and eighty degree turn in such a short period of time.

“Have you packed for the trip?” Blair asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes, as we leave tomorrow. I only have to pack for two days, but since it might be much colder there than here, I have to wear a lot of layers.”

“I’m chilled just thinking about it.” Blair pointed to the next street. “Elana lives down that road.”

The homes, most of them brick, sat on large lots. Personally, she liked Jackson’s log cabin better, but she’d keep that opinion to herself.

Four cars took up the driveway, so Ainsley parked on the street. Excited, she exited the car. Before she could raise her hand to knock on the front door, Elana pulled it open. “Hey, come on in.”

There wasn’t a reason to be nervous, but she was. Her whole life, Ainsley had stayed away from groups, fearing she’d let something slip. For the first time ever, she had no secrets. After all, beside Blair, Elana, Teagan, and Izzy had been at her cleansing ceremony.

Four women were seated on both of the leather sofas. The two women she hadn’t met had to be Missy, Izzy’s sister, and Chelsea, Rye’s sister. Ainsley could definitely see the family resemblance between Missy and Izzy—both had auburn hair and a creamy complexion. Chelsea was a pretty brunette with bright blue eyes and a turned up nose.

“Have a seat,” Elana said.

As soon as she and Blair were seated, Izzy began asking Blair what she did for a living and when she’d returned to Silver Lake. While Blair told them a little about what she’d been up to since high school, Elana stepped into the kitchen then returned with two wine glasses. Several bottles were already on the coffee table. “Help yourselves,” she said.

Izzy picked up a tray of oatmeal raisin cookies. “I made these. They’re delish, if I do say so myself.”

They looked divine, and the first bite of sweetness managed to lower Ainsley’s anxiety level. “These are amazing. I’d love your recipe. I bet Jackson could eat the whole batch in one sitting.” Not that she’d been with him often enough to know that fact, but she had a feeling he liked his sweets.

“I can guarantee you Kalan can.” Elana sat down. “So you and Jackson seemed rather cozy at the lake.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

He’d carried her from the water and then never left her side. As much as Ainsley didn’t want to share the intimate details, she did have questions—questions that only another Wendayan could answer. “We’re taking it slow.”

She poured a glass of white wine while Blair went with the red.

“Slow is good,” Teagan said.

The women snatched more of the cookies. Aw, what the hell. Ainsley just needed to ask about her blue sparks. “Can I pick your brains?”

As if their cookies no longer held any appeal, they all turned toward her. Surprisingly, she was most embarrassed talking in front of Blair. After all, Jackson was her brother. “When, um, Jackson and I
made love
, I had this really strange reaction.”

“Did you glow blue?” Izzy asked with a glint in her eyes.

“Yes! And sparks kept shooting off my skin. Is that normal? I mean, when I’ve had sex before I’d see some random blue sparks, but nothing this intense.”

“Totally.” Izzy laughed, and then explained that anything blue was a good thing. “Have you mated?”

“No.” That comment came out so fast they might not think she intended to. “But soon.”

Izzy smiled. “If it’s the right time, your blue aura will totally encompass Jackson. Because you are a wolf—like me now—you will also have this intense desire to bite him.”

It was a relief to know the details, even though the idea of biting anyone didn’t sit well with her. Bites were for killing. “I appreciate the info.”

“Any other questions?” Izzy asked.

Three of the women were mated, so one of them should be able to help. “Any pointers for when Jackson and I do mate?”

The three of them looked at each other, probably trying to decide who should talk.

“Since I’m mated to a bear, I’ll start,” Elana said. “Mind you, I didn’t even know bear shifters existed when I first met Kalan; I just thought he was über hot.”

Learning about what Jackson’s brother was like in bed might be too much information. “I agree he’s good looking,” but not as attractive as Jackson.

“Thanks. Even before we mated, Kalan had to work hard not to shift whenever he was around me. He was so clumsy that I thought he didn’t like me.”

“Jackson’s not clumsy.”

Izzy waved a hand. “No, he’s not, but what Elana is trying to say is that if you think the attraction is bad now, wait until you mate. It’s ten times worse. You won’t be able to last even a few hours without ripping off each other’s clothes.” Izzy stopped and glanced around. “Too much information, right?”

Everyone nodded. Holy hell. Ainsley was already in need of him, and they hadn’t mated. It would be best to divert the conversation away from sex, now that she’d learned the facts of mating. “As you might know, tomorrow Jackson and I are headed to Scotland to return his cousin’s ashes. While it will be sad, I’m looking forward to seeing Shamus’s father again and showing Jackson a town I know quite well. Any suggestions on how I should handle this kind of situation? I’m not really good with death.”

Missy smiled. “That’s totally understandable. Just be yourself. Show Jackson that you’re there for him. Help him heal, but make sure you take time for yourself too. I imagine it will hit you harder when you’re in Scotland. That’s where your relationship with Shamus began, so don’t be afraid to express what you’re feeling. Grieving is a natural and necessary process to healing.”

“That’s good advice. Thank you.” This was going to be harder than she thought.

Teagan lifted her hand. “I agree with Missy, but may I suggest you do something crazy and fun to boost both of your spirits. Keep in mind that the most important thing is being honest about what you are feeling and what you want. If you’re unsure or don’t want to do something, tell Jackson. If I had been truthful with Kip, our relationship would have been a lot smoother.”

Ainsley felt immeasurably better. “I can do crazy and fun. I really appreciate all the advice.”

Blair reached out and clasped her hand. “Jackson can be a fun-loving guy, but he’s also driven to be the best. When he gets something in his head, he doesn’t want to let it go—like that treasure map of his. So just be flexible if his needs become single-minded but don’t hesitate to try and redirect him.”

His dedication and ambition were two of the things she found most appealing about him.
Okay,
his cute smile, sense of humor, and protective nature, all made for a complete package. She was pretty sure both their needs became single-minded as soon as they were together. Ainsley needed to quit thinking about Jackson because her thoughts were waking up her wolf, and she was yearning to find him for a repeat of last night.

For the next hour, as she sipped her wine, she learned more about these brave, wonderful women. Ainsley even surprised herself at enjoying her time with them—and what a delight that was.

Once she and Jackson returned from Scotland, she was determined to work hard at keeping her new friends close.

‡