Page 50 of Wolves & Watercolors
“Enough of that. Okay, so how often do you turn into a wolf?”
I can’t help the smile forming on my face. The matter of fact way she states it is so charming. Closing my eyes, I try to focus on my words and not the warmth of her body stretched out along my side.
“Whenever I want to. But honestly, I need to shift and go running every few days or I start to feel antsy. Pair that withsome major stress and accidents are possible, like what just happened.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Her voice is quiet. “I was freaking out. I didn’t mean to upset you so much.”
Shaking my head, I squeeze her briefly. “No, I should have been fine. It’s my fault for skipping so many runs and not managing my emotions. That shouldn’t have happened.”
“I’m really glad it did. I could sense there was something you guys were all hiding from me. It was driving me crazy.”
“You’re very intuitive.”
“Or you guys aren’t as discreet as you think.”
“Do you know how often I had to hide my eyes from you? Especially when we kissed.” The words tumble out without much thought.
Aurora pushes up, turning her head to stare at me. One eyebrow slowly rises as she studies my face. “Really?”
Despite the nagging suspicion that I will regret it, I nod.
Her eyes search my face, and slowly she lowers her mouth to mine. I have plenty of time to stop her or protest, but I’m hungry for it. She knows who I am now. There’s honesty between us.
Her warm mouth brushes mine, and she comes back for a second soft kiss. It’s tentative, and I can’t help grabbing her jaw and holding her still so I can kiss her harder and deeper. Her lips part with a small gasp. I take the opportunity to nip at her bottom lip and she makes another of those beautiful noises.
She pulls back, blinking until her eyes focus on mine. “Wow,” she says, admiring the glow of my eyes. I can see the brighter blue reflect back in her honey irises. “That’s pretty cool.”
The pads of my fingertips feel rough as I drag them down her cheek and over her jaw. “Glad you like it, because you get that reaction out of me pretty easily.”
“Is that your way of saying you like me?” she teases.
When I don’t reply, she quiets. The teasing and kisses are just a distraction when there is so much unsaid between us. Like the fact she’s ignoring her newly discovered status as a green witch. But she can take her time. No need to come to terms with that many supernatural revelations in the same afternoon.
Her tone darkens. “Can we wait to talk to my sister? I don’t think I can face her right now.”
“Sure.” I shouldn’t agree, but I’d probably do almost anything for Aurora at this point.
“Soon. I just want some time to process.”
Somehow time to process turns into soft kisses and whispered reassurances. She licks the corner of my jaw and right under my earlobe, making my eyes roll back in my head.
Leaning back, she smiles smugly.
“You know when we were making cheese?” The need to explain sits heavy like a weight on my chest. “I stopped us kissing because you said something, and you didn’t mean it like this, but I was startled.”
“What did I say?”
“You asked me to mark you,” I say somberly.
Her nose wrinkles as she frowns at me. “I meant a hickey.”
“For wolf shifters, when we commit to someone as our partner, we bite them to leave a mark. That’s why I reacted to what you said.”
She’s quiet for a moment, thinking. “Is that the marks I saw on your brother during the scavenger hunt?”
“What did you see?”
“A circle of scars. I’m thinking it was a bite mark? Did Ember do that to him?” She tilts her head, a wisp of curly brown hair falling over her face.
