Page 11 of Nighted

“I don’t want to be yours.” His eyes narrowed at me as I continued. “I want to be each other’s. Equals. And the only way that works is if I mark you too.”

His expression softened immediately. “I understand completely.”

How could I have ever thought Jasper, with his cocky attitude and dark clothing, would be cold and cruel? Those memories seemed like a different life.

Jasper cradled my face between his large hands. “So, how’s Monday night then -- after I meet with the Alpha?”

Too soon. Too far away. I was half ready to tell him to mark me before he left tonight and half expecting myself to run out the door. “Perfect.”

He kissed me deeply, moving his firm lips against my own. I knew the time apart was only a weekend, but my heart was acting like the time was going to be an eternity. I didn’t want to let him go.

But too quickly he held me at arm’s length. “I should go. I don’t want to, but I should. And you should too. Duke and Lucy are expecting you for dinner.”

Jasper picked up his backpack off the bed. “Call me when you get there, okay? And make sure you double check all of the locks on the apartment before you leave.”

“Got it.”

He pulled me close for one last embrace. “I’ll see you Sunday. And I mean it. If anything weird happens, you call me.”

I smirked. “You mean, if I don’t take care of them myself first.”

Jasper pointed his finger at me, trying to look menacing as he walked out the door but his expression only made me laugh. “Be good, Green.”

His laugh echoed down the stairwell with his footsteps, and I moved to the window to watch his bike roar out of the parking lot. I sighed, looking at the microwave clock. Only forty-seven hours and thirty-four minutes to go. I triple checked all of the windows and doors and swung my bag over my shoulder as I headed out.

The drive to the pack lands was quiet. There was no Jasper next to me cracking jokes or using every conceivable moment as a coaching opportunity. But there was no point in moping -- it was only a weekend. I was being ridiculous. I turned on the radio, flipping through the stations until a band Jasper couldn’t stand came on. There were some perks to a solo drive. Smiling, I sang along with the radio, my mood brightening with every mile I drove. I could deal with a weekend apart. God knows, I had dealt with worse shit than a bit of loneliness. Besides, I could handle myself if anything happened. Everything would be fine.

I pulled up outside of Duke’s cosy house and shot Jasper a quick text to let him know I had made it to the pack safely -- no funny business involved. I grabbed my bag off the back seat and walked up to the front door. Everything about Duke’s house screamed Lucy’s delicate touch, from the artfully arranged wreath on the front door to the perfectly landscaped flower beds encasing the wide windows. Before I could figure out where to knock without damaging the large wreath, the door swung open under my fist.

“Ava. Hi!” Lucy’s voice was warm and excited. I liked Lucy. She was kind and had a great sense of humour. But her excitement didn’t stop her from peeking behind me before she closed the screen. “You didn’t see anything weird on your way here, did you?”

She pulled me into a quick hug and I laughed. “No, nothing weird. A normal everyday drive. You’re as bad as Jasper!”

Lucy’s smile lit up her delicate features. “I know. Don’t tell Duke. I told him I wasn’t the slightest bit nervous about any of this.”

“Don’t tell Duke what?” Duke walked out into the living room, slinging an arm around Lucy’s slim shoulders. She bit her cheek, looking at me conspiratorially.

“Don’t tell Duke how crazy Jasper is being about this whole break-in thing,” I replied smoothly, eliciting a grateful glance from Lucy.

Duke was naturally reserved and cautious. But around Lucy his personality was a lot more easy-going, and he was quicker to laugh. I wondered if the differences in my personality were as apparent around Jasper. His laugh now was full of life. “Yeah, I don’t doubt Jasp is being a little paranoid. I probably would be the same. Thankfully, Lucy has no interest in twirling knives or actively hunting down creatures in the night.”

He playfully squeezed Lucy, who wrinkled her nose in return. “I’ll stick with gardening, thanks. No danger involved. Speaking of, how is Jasper handling this weekend?”

She lifted Duke’s arm easily off her body, motioning me to follow her into the kitchen. I took a seat at one of their barstools, and she slid me over a glass of red wine, taking a sip of her own glass as she waited for my answer.

I shrugged. “As okay as I am, I guess. It’s not ideal. Thanks for letting me stay here by the way. I know it’s not how you were probably hoping to spend your weekend.”

“Ava, you’re always welcome here. Seriously. I don’t know why you guys continue to pay for two places when you can just stay here.” She put her glass down and turned to stir a bubbling pot on the stove, muttering to herself the whole time. I smiled. Something all the wolves had in common was their stubbornness. Even those of them who didn’t appreciate everything that came along with being a wolf, like Lucy. Jasper had explained to me that even for those who grew up in the environment, sometimes people struggled with their wolf half. Lucy was one of them. She played her part in the pack. She participated when called upon and shifted when necessary. But she avoided doing any more than the minimum, and Duke respected her wishes.

My phone started ringing in my pocket, and I held the speaker up to my ear without checking the caller I.D.

“Hey, baby.” Jasper’s smooth voice washed over me, and I instantly felt better. Not as great as when we were together physically, but a hell of a lot better than I had five minutes ago. And then I remembered everything else going on.

“Hey! Everything okay?” I asked.

“Of course everything is okay. I wanted to hear your voice.” I immediately relaxed. But he sounded like I felt. Tired, lonely, and on edge.

I curled my knees up into my chest, balancing my toes on the edge of the leather barstool. “Is it stupid that I miss you already?”

Jasper chuckled. “Not in the slightest. I’m not looking forward to my lonely bed tonight either. Only thing getting me through this weekend is knowing I have Monday to look forward to.”

Monday. Maybe I should add our marking to my list of things to stress over this weekend. I sighed. “This sucks.”

“I know, baby. But I’ll tell you what, if you get super lonely you can give me a call and tell me all the naughty things you want to do to me when I get home.” Despite myself I laughed. I could picture him lying on the new bed I had forced him to buy and knew exactly what I wanted to do to him. “I should probably go. I have an early morning. Call me if anything happens. I love you, Ava.”

“I love you too,” I mumbled, and shoved the phone in my pocket. Stupid Chicago. Stupid Alpha.

I looked back up to see Lucy smiling sadly at me. She was a mate too, and she understood how I was feeling. How the time apart felt like I was being ripped in two, even for such a temporary time. I sighed and buried my head into my knees and let the smell of Lucy’s pasta sauce fill my senses.

Only forty-five hours and fifteen minutes to go.

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