Page 23 of Caligo

Jasper growled low in his throat. “No. No. It’ll be quicker with the two of us in wolf form.”

I hesitated, not wanting to make things worse. “Jasper, I don’t want to add fuel to the fire, but shouldn’t we, like, call your mom?”

“I’ll call her later. Don’t worry. She’ll understand. It’s not the first time I’ve had to cancel because of work, and unfortunately it probably won’t be the last.” He made a dismissive motion with his hand, and I knew he didn’t want to discuss the matter further.

We arrived at the pack lands in record time, even with the slick roads. Adrian was waiting for us outside the main doors of the pack house as we pulled up. I wasn’t even sure if Jasper put the car into park before he jumped out.

“You ready?” Adrian greeted Jasper, his attitude subdued compared to normal.

Jasper gripped my shoulders. “Wait inside. Please. Until we do a quick lap to make sure this isn’t a trap.”

I held my hands up, conceding. “Okay, okay.”

He breathed out heavily. “Thank you. We’ll be back in five minutes tops. Keep your blades close.” Jasper kissed the top of my head and tore his clothes off. I sighed as I watched him carelessly rip his beautiful new shirt over his head and toss it to me. I folded it as he shifted, his pale grey wolf taking off through the warm lights of the parking lot. Adrian followed suit, and they split up, each heading to the woods in opposite directions. I went inside the unlocked doors and closed them firmly behind me, staring into the dark woods. I hoped they would be quick. Being alone and tracking was one thing. But being alone, waiting for people to return was nerve racking.

I watched the clock tick for one minute, and then two. The time passing felt like years. I needed something to do to keep myself occupied. Otherwise, I was sure five minutes would be long enough to drive me certifiably insane. I headed down the corridor to where I knew the equipment room was. My blades were securely strapped under my shirt, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to be overly prepared. Surely a bunch of werewolves would have an extra knife or two I could shove into my boot. I lost myself in the supplies and finally stopped paying attention to the ticking clock. They would be fine. It would be a quick run, something they did all the time. Besides, their noses were way better than mine. I was so caught up in the disorganized storage room I didn’t feel someone come in behind me until a hand grabbed my shoulder firmly. My breath caught in my throat, and I tried to focus on my breathing so I wouldn’t scream. I prepared myself to get out of any situation, counting to five.

Before I could reach five, Jasper breathed into my ear, sounding irritated. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”

Instantly relaxed, I twisted to face him. “Oh, it’s you.” He had found a pair of athletic shorts that draped low on his hips, and his eyes were the dark colour I had come to anticipate after his runs.

“Who else would it be?” He still sounded annoyed, but he looked calm. “I thought you would be waiting by the door. I was worried when you weren’t there.”

I held up a small knife triumphantly. “I was looking for extra gear. As a precaution, you know.”

Jasper made a strangled noise deep in his throat. “You don’t have to do this, you know. You can still go home.”

I huffed. “Jasper. You trained me. I know what I’m doing, and I can handle myself.”

“I know. You’re ready, and you’re capable. It’s only…” he hesitated. “If you get hurt, it’ll be my fault because I didn’t train you properly.”

Jasper’s gaze was clouded with worry and I squeezed his hand tightly. “You trained me perfectly. I can do this.”

He closed his eyes tightly and nodded. “I know. I can’t let my own fears hold you back.”

I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him, trying to reassure him the best way I knew how. I would be okay. I was scared out of my mind, but at this point I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. He kissed me back greedily, letting his tongue part my lips. I pushed him away, laughing. “I’m not sure we have time for this. Don’t we have a wolf to hunt?”

Jasper held my face in place with his large hands. “The wolf is still close. Adrian is on his trail. He knows the signals.” He kissed me again deeply. “Please, Ava, I need you.” He trailed his hand down my spine to toy with the bottom of my shirt as he kissed under my jaw, and I shivered against his touch. He had me, and he knew it. Jasper scratched his nail along the plane of my stomach, licking my neck. “Come on. It’ll be good for both of us.”

Jasper pressed his mouth back on mine, and I sighed into the kiss. He dropped both hands to the button of my jeans, undoing it and sliding the denim over my hips. “Do you trust me?”

Of course, I did. But I had no idea what trust had to do with our current situation.He snatched an old blanket off of one shelf, laying it down on the floor, and me on top of it. He knelt over me, hooking his fingers into either side of my underwear.

“Yes. But if we don’t have time to fuck around, we really don’t have time to have an intimate conversation,” I told him, focusing instead on the taunting way he was brushing his fingers over me.

“I want you to tell me something.”

Jasper took his fingers away and I protested lightly, until I saw him taking his own shorts off, releasing his cock. He settled back between my legs, pressing against me but not making any move to enter me. I tried to move against him, but he held me firm in his strong grasp. “Tell me you love me, Ava.”

Shocked, I pushed myself up on my elbows. “Excuse me?”

His tone was level, but his dark gaze was pleading. “Tell me you love me. I know you do. And I think you know it, too.”

I did love him, so I wasn’t sure what was stopping me. I laid back down, and he reached his hand under my sweater, playing with my breasts. “Jasper, I…” I couldn’t focus on what he was asking me when he was teasing me, so I stopped trying to speak. He took his hands away and I tried to bring them back.

“Ava.” He was waiting. Anxious.

I had been fighting it, but I had known I loved him since the first moment I had met him, since I had first laid eyes on him. My denial of this fact had forced him to beg. “I love you.”

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