Page 50 of Entangled in the Woods
“You saw?” Kleio’s hand shot up to the puncture marks on her neck, and she rushed over to the mirror to examine them.
“Of course I saw the two red marks on your neck, Kleio! We need to tell Everett and let him take care of Jack.”
“They are a little red today.” She ran her hand over the holes in her neck, looking at them in the mirror and seeming strangely relaxed about the entire thing.
“Maybe you can stay at my cabin with me if you need to get out of the pack house. We can share a bed…”
“Take a breath, Elise,” Kleio cut me off. “I always tried to wear my hair down around you so you wouldn’t be able to see them.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Everett didn’t want you to see the marks,” she said.
I took a step back. Everett knew about the marks on her neck? Why were they hiding them from me?
“I know you don’t know a lot about Lycans,” she explained. “Every Lycan has a mate, somewhere in this world. Someone who balances you—your counterpart. Jack is my mate, and yes, he did this to me.”
I stared at her. “Kleio, even if he is your mate or boyfriend or whatever, he shouldn’t hurt you.”
“He did it to me because I asked him to.”
My body seized with her confession. Who would ask for someone to make a deep mark on their body like that?
“There is no escaping your mate. The pull between you is too strong.” Kleio walked forward and took my hands in hers. “Part of the mating process for Lycans is marking. There is sex, of course, but marking your mate solidifies the bond.”
I looked closer at the two small holes along her shoulder and tried to picture what object could have made them. “How did Jack mark you?” I asked, even though I could guess the answer.
“With his teeth, of course.” She flashed her sharp, elongated canines at me.
I shivered at the thought of someone—Everett—biting me on the neck. Surprisingly, the thought wasn’t as appalling as I thought it would be. I flashed back to him grazing his fangs alongmy neck during the harsh kissing, body-consuming, turn-me-to-liquid make-out sessions that I had become accustomed to. His teeth dragging along my skin had done nothing but further turn me on.
“He bit you.”
“Yeah, he did, and I bit him back.” Kleio winked at me and turned away, heading for the door. “This is becoming too much like the birds-and-the-bees conversation someone has with their parents. Ask Everett all the questions you have—I’m sure he’d love to answer them.”
I looked down at my feet, trying to process all this new information. Every time I hung out with Kleio, I learned something new that sent me for a loop. Her footsteps paused, and I lifted my head.
She turned around and walked back toward me, holding my hands again. “Thank you, Elise, for caring enough about me to say something. It means a lot.” She squeezed my hands and walked out of the bathroom, heading back to the table.
The door shut, and I leaned against the sink which dropped an inch, loosening itself from the wall. I quickly backed away with my hands in the air. Kleio hadn’t been lying about the broken sink in the bathroom.
I shook my head, laughing to myself. My eyes glanced back at the mirror above the sink. I felt…different. Ever since I met the Cedar Moon Pack, my thoughts about friendship and family had changed. They were friends who supported each other and had each other’s backs, even when one of them was in trouble. I had never experienced that before. Previously I’d had friends, probably more like acquaintances, but never had I felt that feeling of unwavering support. I liked Kleio, Gavrill, Jack, and even Kostas. They made me feel like I was a part of their pack.
Something had changed in the last two weeks, and I was starting to think it was me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I washedmy hands quickly and exited the bathroom. Stopping to look at our table, I saw Jenny was still talking to Gavrill and he was still sitting next to her. I wondered if he was even listening. Kleio had found her way back to Jack, and they sat as close as they could, whispering and cuddling each other. None other than the broody male I was trying to avoid occupied my seat. His dark, shaggy hair and broad shoulders gave him away. He was in a navy-blue T-shirt that heightened the color of the tattoos on his arms.
As if he sensed me, Everett turned around and slowly gazed up my body. He smiled at me as if he was being friendly. I knew it was nothing but a trick. Everett had left me against a tree in the woods today with nothing but excuses. I wasn’t about to overlook his actions. I lost my focus when I saw brown round glasses on his face. They made him look even sexier, in an intellectual type of way. Of course he would do that.
I took a deep breath to center myself before I walked over to the table. He patted the seat next to him, and finding the bar had suddenly filled up in the ten minutes I’d been in the bathroom, I had no choice but to sit at the table.
“Nice specs.” If I broke the ice and started the conversation, maybe I could take the reins and gain some control.
“They help me see clearly,” he said.
“I should’ve guessed you had vision problems. Your lack of insight and all,” I said.
