Page 52 of Secrets & Spells
A twig snaps. Jared glares over my head, and I feel his rumbling growl.Dammit, Huxley. I almost had him.
“Mine.”
Before I know it, my feet leave the floor.
A yelp of surprise escapes me as Jared scoops me into his arms, and I instinctively wrap my legs around him to keep myself from falling. A sensible person would be afraid, and if this were anyone other than Jared, I would be. But this is my fated mate. The man I love. Sure, the Jared I know is buried beneath his overpowering demon instincts right now, but he’s still in there. He won’t hurt me.
Cupping his cheeks, I do my best to get Jared’s attention off Huxley and back on me before he murders his friend. “Hey, Jared. Look at me. Eyes on me.”
Hazel eyes that glow a little greener than usual meet mine.
“That’s it.” I continue to stroke his face and hair, careful to avoid the dagger-sharp horns he’s currently rocking amidst his golden locks. “Keep looking at me. I’m your mate. You don’t need to look anywhere else.”
A taloned hand tangles in my hair, startling a gasp from me as Jared pulls my mouth down to meet his.
Oh, fuck. Should have seen that coming. Human Jared isn’t home right now, and all demon Jared’s interested in is claiming his mate. Whoops.
His forked tongue tangles with mine and it’s… different. Still hot though. My back hits a nearby tree-trunk and suddenly I’m glad I have my coat to protect me from the rough bark. My legs are still wound tightly around Jared’s waist, and he uses his free hand to push my plum-purple skirt even further up my thighs.
A tearing sound fills the air, the tights I’m wearing falling victim to Jared’s sharp claws. Worth it.
A throat clears. “Right. Well, it seems like you’re all good here, so I’ll see myself out,” Huxley says, the words laden with amusement.
Jared turns his head to growl at the lust demon—after I get Jared through this, I need to talk to Huxley about his apparent death wish—but I reach up to stroke the base of one of his horns causing my mate to make a very different sound. Looks like what I heard about horns being an erogenous zone for demons was true. Noted.
Intrigued by the texture, I run my fingers over the obsidian-black horn again. Jared moans long and low.Oh, we are so going to play around with these in the future.Shit. Not the time.
“Jared. Jared, stop, you need to shift back,” I say between open-mouthed kisses. He reaches for the button on his jeans, and I capture his wrist. “No. You need to change back.”
He growls, then goes back to kissing along my exposed collarbone.
“We can’t. You’ll hurt me like this.”
Jared freezes.
“You don’t want to hurt me, right?”
He pulls back a fraction to look at me, the green glow of his irises dimming infinitesimally.This is how I get through to him. “I need you to shift back so you don’t hurt me. Do you understand?” A nod. “I know it’s hard—just focus on my voice. Let me help you come back.”
Slowly, Jared releases his grip on my hips, and I slide down the front of his body until my chunky black boots hit the ground. I’m still backed against a tree within the cage of his arms, but this is progress.
Fascinated, I watch as his body returns to its usual size, his claws retract, and the green glow in his eyes fades completelyuntil I’m looking into the familiar hazel eyes I often get lost in. He’s panting with the effort, and the horns are still present—he’s only managed a partial shift—but I can tell the Jared I know and love is back in the driver’s seat.
“There you are.” Smiling, I reach out to take his hand, but he jerks away from my touch like it burned him. “What’s wrong?”
“God, Selene, I’m so sorry,” he croaks, not meeting my eyes.
“It’s fine. Huxley warned us your first shift might get a little… intense.”
He rears back like I’ve slapped him. “How can you say that? It’s not fucking fine, Selene. None of this is OK.”
I look down, half expecting to see a gaping wound in my chest where my heart’s been ripped out. I expected him to be upset I didn’t tell him the truth about us being mates, but I never imagined he’d go so far as to reject our bond.
“Jared, don’t do this.” Shaking my head, I reach for him. “I’m sorry, OK? I should have?—”
“Why are you sorry? I hurt you, Selene. That’s unforgivable,” his voice cracks.
Wait. He’s not rejecting me? Hope blooms in my chest.
