Page 13 of Jacked-up Mate
“It’s extremely heavy. But I’m more or less used to it. I do tend to go to bed early though. And I avoid mirrors because it’s too depressing to look like this. And the smell.”
I leaned in and sniffed. “It’s really pleasant, autumn spices mostly.”
“Sure, at first, it’s not bad, but this is not just an autumn curse. I smell like this in winter, spring, and summer, too, andall that cinnamon and ginger and clove loses its charm pretty quickly.”
I could imagine. “Oh, yeah. I can see that. If there is no way to get the pumpkin off, then we’ll just need to deal with it. Can I get you something to drink? Maybe with a straw?”
“You’re too nice. A straw really does help. I have a whole box of them in the top drawer next to the stove.” He leaned his head back, and my heart ached for him. He said it wasn’t bad, but I suspected he just didn’t like to complain.
Standing, I moved into the kitchen and found the straws then filled a glass with iced tea from a pitcher in the refrigerator, added a few cubes of ice, and returned to the alpha’s side. “Here you are. Take a sip.” I held it up to his jagged pumpkin smile. “Good?”
“Very. I get thirsty with this danged thing. Not sure why because it’s pretty soggy inside here.”
“Oh, alpha!”
“Please no pity. But the drink is appreciated.” He moved to lean forward then sank back. “It’s a creative curse, isn’t it?”
“I’d say so.” Trying to think of a way to help, I asked, “Would it help to massage your shoulders maybe?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t ever had anyone touch me, so nobody has ever tried.”
“Well, I would like to, but I am not sure how best to have to you sit, maybe lean forward?”
Huge mistake, since when he tried, he almost pitched onto the floor. I stopped him just in time and in the end, we had him rest his head on the arm of the sofa and I sat behind him and adjusted his position before resting my hands on his shoulders. “Relax, alpha, and let me try to help.”
“You sure you’re not repulsed?” He tried to turn his head then gave up and let it drop again.
“No. What I am is concerned for how you feel. Tell me if I hurt you, okay?” Placing my palms on his shoulder blades, I went to work to try to ease the tension that had his upper body almost locked. Nobody should have to feel like that every night. “Is this all right?”
He moaned. “It kind of hurts, but in a really good way. So good.”
I dug deeper, unknotting him as best I could. “This good?”
“Omega, you have magic hands.”
I worked up and down his back, spending more time with the shoulders but quickly realizing that there was no part of his back that was not suffering from the weight of the pumpkin head. Even his arms, all the way down to the fingers, were stiff. “Alpha, you have a lot of muscle tension.”
“I know.”
Of course he knew. “If you’ll roll over, I can work on your front.”
I had to help him, but his breathing seemed easier now, and I trailed my fingers over his chest. He had a lot of muscle there, and I wondered if it was natural or built up from carrying the pumpkin head around every night.
It was hard to tell, but I thought his eyes were closed behind those triangular holes, and his long, soft breaths might indicate sleep. I kept on stroking, caressing, and working into the muscles, just considering quitting and letting him sleep when he said, “Is there anything I should know about you?”
I hesitated. I’d never considered that my mate might not be a wolf, but once I met Jack, it didn’t even seem odd. To me. What would it seem like to him to be with someone who could shift into a four-legged predator? A pumpkin head and a wolf shifter were a mixed match for sure. But he’d have to know eventually,
“Instead of telling you, maybe I should show you. Do you ever go outside at night?”
“I try not to, but sometimes in the backyard.”
Not every human was comfortable with shifters. Many didn’t even believe in them. In this town, I’d run into some odd characters, but had Jack? He was cursed, something we might be able to find a cure for or a solution to one day, but my wolf and I were a pair that was not going to be undone. Ever. Nor would I want it to be.
Helping Jack to his feet, I stepped back and let him lead me to the kitchen door and outside. “I have to admit, I’m intrigued,” he said. “And a little scared.”
“There’s nothing to be frightened of,” I reassured. “But if you’d rather wait until another time to see my secret in action, I will fully understand.”
“No. I’m brave.” He made that sniffling sound again, from the phone, but I knew now it was not a cold. No more than the muffled voice was the result of a bad phone connection. “Go ahead.”
