Page 38 of Shifting Fate
Dallon
Every morning, I awoke to something new sitting on the doorstep. Brightly-colored packages in beautiful luxury paper, tied with pretty ribbon. Not to mention, my black rose collection was officially a bouquet. They sat in a vase on my vanity, where I could appreciate them while putting on my face for the day.
Every morning, I stole away to my bedroom and opened the gifts with a sense of wonder. Each and every present was something that suited me, in some way, shape or form. A signed album. Leather bracelets. A colorful array of lipsticks and nail polish. The video game I’d told Arias I wanted, once, in passing. He had remembered.
Hecared.
I hurried down the stairs, my bare feet slapping over the hardwood. Disabling the alarm, I pulled the front door open and peeked outside, my heart pitter-pattering like crazy. For a breathless moment, my hope sank.
There was no box sitting on the porch, no handwritten note to read to give me that burst of endorphins.
I bit my lip and looked down, and that’s when I saw the envelope tucked beneath the corner of the welcome mat.Yes!I snatched it up and split the seal with my fingernail. The card itself was encrusted with hot pink micro-glitter, which flecked off and rained down on the floor when I opened the card.
Only two words were written on the inside:Look up.
My breath catching, I glanced up, and there he was. He stood off to the side of the drive, nearest the woods. In his hand was a small, flat oblong box. When I didn’t immediately go to him, he tilted his head to one side and crooked a finger.
My heart leapt. Was I seriously doing this? Was I ready to forgive him? As if to answer my question, my wolf threw his head back on a warbling cry, pouring out his frustration and his yearning for our mate.
Arias was mymate.
I threw all hesitation out the window. Closing the door behind me, I ran across the lawn, the crunchy brown grass tickling my toes. I was probably a hot mess, still wearing my PJ pants and a ribbed tanktop, my toenail polish chipped, my hair mussed up and my eyelids still caked with yesterday’s makeup, but I couldn’t stop myself. Couldn’t deny myself this anymore.
I came to a stop in front of him, my pulsewooshingbetween my ears. Arias’s wintry scent touched my nose, sweet like berries and dry like wine. I drank it in. A whine built in my chest and I had to bite down on my bottom lip to keep myself from molesting him, right here and now.
“Hi,” I said, soft.
“Hey.” He seemed nervous, his blond hair tousled like he’d been running his fingers through it to calm himself down. He scanned my face and I didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered on my lips. His blue eyes filled with uncertainty and hope, he offered me the gift. “This is for you.”
It was a long, thin jewelry box tied shut with a black ribbon. The ribbon was loose, so I slid it off the end of the box and it fell to the ground, forgotten. I slowly removed the lid, unaware that I was even holding my breath until I saw what Arias had bought me.
It was a necklace, and it was absolutely breathtaking.
It was choker-length, if I had to guess, made of three different colors of braided leather, interwoven with a length of silvery chain. Hanging at the center was a pendant of a howling wolf, whittled out of marbled wood and polished to a shine. On either side of the charm were studded spikes.
My throat tightened, making it impossible to swallow. I rubbed my fingers over the intricately carved wolf. “Arias.”
“Do you like it?”
“I do, but…” Deep breath. “I don’t know what you want.” I fisted my hand around the supple leather, drawing the necklace to my chest as if afraid Arias might snatch it away at any given moment. The way he looked at me sent a bolt of lightning straight through my heart, electrifying me to my core.
“You. I wantyou,” he uttered, his voice rasping low. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, to tell you the truth. All I know is that I need to be here. I need to be close to you, because I feel like I’m going crazy the longer we’re apart. I can feel you. Here.” He placed a hand over his heart, and my own chest ached.
“I’m sorry. What I did was terrible and I regret it, but I was scared. Iamscared. This fucking terrifies me, because all I can think about is what if I hurt you?”
I swallowed and stepped closer, until my front was flush with his. “You already did.”
His body shuddered, sending a shockwave through mine. I placed a hand on his side, but he turned his face away from me, his eyes pinched shut. “I’m sorry, Dallon. I am. I-I should go.”
As he went to pull out of my grasp, a sudden blinding panic tore through me. Unable to stop myself, because I needed this—webothneeded this—I caught him by the back of the neck and crushed my lips to his.
He gasped into my mouth, and my tongue slid inside, tasting him. Savoring him. I crowded him, leaning up on my tip-toes, aching to be closer than what was physically possible. To my relief, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back, deeper than before.
And good god above, he tasted even better than I remembered.
When we broke apart, our breaths puffed out white in the cold. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, our hearts racing and souls afire.
I licked my lips and took a step back, giving him room to breathe. “Okay?”
