Behind those words, I sense his terrible confusion—the desperate need to know his family, understand his mother, and heal from everything in his past.
The poor man is torn in so many directions. To his pack, his mother, his father… and me.
“Listen to me, Jenks,” I say, holding his hands as tightly as I can. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what you choose, I’m going to be beside you. That’s the one thing in this world you don’t have to be scared of.”
“I keep asking myself if my father and brother would have attacked you, if they knew you were my mate,” he says. “They had no way of knowing that we were married, and all they did was come looking for me. Since their whole pack hates witches, they probably attacked you on instinct.”
“I was flexing pretty hard,” I allow. “My powers were really strong that day, and my magic would have been strong enough for anyone to feel it.”
“Maybe they were just scared,” Jenks whispers. “I don’t know.”
The turmoil in him is too strong for me to deal with, so I shake him out of it the only way I know how.
I wrap my arms around his slender waist, pressing my body up against his as I get up on my toes and kiss him on the lips. He smiles, putting his hands on my hips as I kiss him again, and again.
“Are you trying to start something?” he asks.
I nod, giving him a cheeky grin. “Always. I believe you said something about examining every inch of me and attempting to find out why I look hot in everything I wear?”
“Ah, yes,” he says, nodding. “A study must be conducted, for the purpose of science. This may be the most important question in the entire cosmos.”
“I’d better get ready, then,” I say somberly. “I’ll go and take a bath so I’m ready for your careful study. I’m sure it will be thorough.”
“Incredibly so,” he replies. “It may take hours.”
“Hours, huh? For the most important question in the cosmos?”
“You’re right. How stupid of me.” Jenks slaps his forehead. “It might take days. Weeks, even.”
“Well, I’ll get the bath ready, then,” I say, getting up on my tiptoes again to give him another brief, teasing kiss.
“I’ll order some food,” he answers. “We are bound to get hungry.”
“I concur. For such serious business, we have to be well-nourished.”
“More champagne?”
“Ah, no. Not for me, thanks. Feel free to order something for yourself, though.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, still just recovering from the other day,” I say, turning to head for the bathroom.
Definitely recovering from the last hangover… and there is something else…
I shake the thought away and get the bath running. It’s a huge, wide tub with pressure jets so it fills up fast. I put in a generous dollop of bubbles and strip off my clothes, getting in while the tub is still filling up.
As the warm water closes over my shoulders, I sigh with pleasure, letting the hot water soothe me. The hike today made me a bit sore, but I needed a walk outside to loosen my muscles.
For the last week, I’ve only used a very specific skill set, and it sure as hell didn’t involve walking.
I giggle to myself as I scoop up a handful of bubbles and blow them towards the ceiling. Even though we’ve had so much trouble, and it’s far from over, there is still a sense of triumph and fulfillment in my heart that I am finally with Jenks, and it’s everything I dreamed it would be.
When we’re together, it feels like our energy dances. We aren’t the same, but we are in perfect harmony. Between us, there is magic. I always knew it would be like that.
When I lived in the canyon with the other witches, we were strong. No one could ever say we were incomplete or that we were lacking anything. Even though that remains true, we have been enriched by our faith in love and strengthened by our partners.
“Dinner is on its way,” Jenks announces, knocking lightly on the door as he comes in.