Page 16 of Nyctophilia

He smiled, brushing my lips with his thumb. “I know you can.”

I smiled back, his genuine emotions so refreshing. “Okay, but back to business. You said you wanted to explain, so start talking.” He confused me by standing up and slowly taking off his jacket. “Not that I’m minding the show, but don’t think you can distract me from the truth with your gorgeous body.”

He ignored my jab and looked at me seriously, his eyes tight with unspoken emotion. “I’m not going to talk to you, I’m going to show you something, so you need to watch carefully. And remember what I said.” He peeled off his shirt and it was all I could do not to run my hands up and over his chiselled abs. He looked like he was made out of stone, for God’s sakes. I really needed to start doing something other than running.

“Green. Are you watching closely?”

Was I ever. Jasper was undoing his belt buckle and sliding his black jeans over his hips, until he stood before me in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. I couldn’t see too much in the filtered moonlight, but I could imagine…

“Ava.”

“Yes, Jasper, I’m watching. But what exactly am I supposed to be watching besides your striptease?”

Jasper turned and walked out a few meters into a small clearing, throwing me a smouldering smile over one shoulder. “Don’t blink -- and remember I told you you’ll never be in any danger from me.”

What the hell was going on?

Jasper stood with his back to me in the clearing, his back muscles rippling under the moonlight. He stood there so long I was about to call out to him, but before I could he raised his head to face the sky and his whole body shuddered. A piercing howl escaped his mouth, and his body began to twist grotesquely. I didn’t know what was going on, but I clung desperately to the fact that he’d told me I wasn’t in danger. I wasn’t sure why he had told me not to blink, because I wouldn’t have been able to look away from the scene in front of me if I tried.

I pulled my knees up tight to my chest and watched as his body elongated, and fur started appearing from his skin. The night air was loud with Jasper’s deep moans and the sounds of bones popping. I was no longer sure how much time had passed. It could’ve been a minute or an hour. But as the moon came up overhead full and bright, a massive grey wolf turned to face me. It stood, unmoving, staring at me with Jasper’s brown eyes. I found myself moving towards the beast. “Jasper?” My voice was barely more than a whisper.

The wolf tipped its head, and I knew instantly it was Jasper.I’m not in any danger. I’m not in any danger, I repeated to myself. Hopefully. I gently reached my hand up to stroke the soft fur on his neck, as if to prove to myself this was really happening. Jasper leaned into my touch, allowing me to take the time I needed to grasp this new reality. He had told me werewolves were real, and I adjusted. But for your crush to actually be one? That was a different story.

“Is this why you couldn’t tell me? Because of the pack thing?”

He nodded his large head. At least he wasn’t lying for the hell of it. After a few more minutes, Jasper shifted back. The transformation back to human was quieter, and less shocking.

When he was human again, he pulled his jeans back on leaving them slung low on his hips. I tried to tell myself the tingles I felt must have been the adrenaline coursing through my veins, but from the look on Jasper’s face it was definitely something more than simple adrenaline.

He made his way back to me, never breaking eye contact. When he was close enough to touch me, he brought his hands to either side of my face again. “Ava, are you okay?”

I nodded, afraid if I spoke I would say something incriminating or embarrassing. Jasper looked at me, his gaze heavy. Calculating. My body clenched under his scrutiny, and I managed to choke out, “What?”

He skimmed his hands down my sides and clutched my hips tighter to him, his eyes full of wonder. “You really aren’t afraid, are you?”

His bare skin was so close to mine I couldn’t breathe. His woodsy scent was overwhelming my senses, and I wanted to rake my hands down his muscular back. “I’m not afraid of you. It’s a lot to take in, but I’m not scared. I don’t think you would hurt me.”

He breathed out heavily and bent so he could rest his forehead on mine. “Thank God. I was so worried you would run away.” He dipped his head further so he could kiss me, but for the second time that day I stopped him.

He looked at me, a question in his beautiful eyes. I tried to ignore his overwhelming presence and asked him the most important question on my mind. “You aren’t going to run away again, are you? I don’t think I could take that embarrassment twice.”

Jasper looked bewildered. “I’m not going to run away again, baby. I left last time because I didn’t think it was fair to go any further if you didn’t know about this side of me. And I’m pretty sure your cat sensed something was off about me.”

Oh. Well that made sense. And was oddly charming? Could a werewolf be charming? Could a cat be a mood killer?

He opened his mouth to say something else but I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him before he could. He stood still at first, and then crushed my body to his, groaning into my mouth. When we broke apart, his eyes were dark with lust. “The phasing, it affects me. It doesn’t make mewant, it makes meneed. I won’t have a lot of control around you, so you need to tell me now. Are you sure you’re okay with this? With me?”

I wound my arms around his neck and looked at him. “I’m not gonna lie, I still have a lot of questions. But I’m not going to question how right it feels when your hands are on my body.”

Jasper closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. His whole body was tense as he struggled to control himself. When he opened his eyes, I saw the wolf in them, and when he brought his lips to my neck I nearly melted right then and there. He nipped at the tender skin under my jaw and growled low. “Fuck it.”

* * *

I couldn’t believe this was real life. Jasper was actually in front of me, holding me so tight I could barely breathe. He swung me up into his arms as if I weighed no more than air and moved us both into the small cottage. He gently put me down on my feet in front of him on a faded rug.

“Not to ruin the moment or anything, but are we breaking and entering? I don’t really want to end up in jail tonight.”

He barked out a laugh and closed the distance between us. “No, Green. It’s a friend’s place. I have a key.”

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