“I can’t clear that branch in one go,” Charlie grumbled. “Not even in my lighter human form.”
“Me, neither,” Nico said, biting back a grin as she must have heard them and did it twice more.
“I would be going wild, too, if I had trouble shifting for years. I can’t begin to imagine how that would feel, considering it’s like getting cut off from your natural inclination…your other self.”
“Yeah.” Nico glanced at him. “You are pretty talkative today.”
“I have a date later. Talking a lot beforehand makes me calmer after.”
“Oh. And this date would be with…?”
“Not with Daria.” Charlie narrowed his eyes. “You need to quit it with that agenda.”
Nico shrugged, highly amused. “I didn’t say anything.”
“It’s with a human girl. Someone nice and uncomplicated.”
“Daria’s complicated?”
“Yes. Sometimes. She’s a great friend and thinks she’s some mother hen approving my dates left and right. I think she likes this one…and yes, we are going to remain friends.”
“Again, I didn’t say anything.”
Charlie smirked. “I can’t say the same about your brother and Peachy, though.”
Nico agreed with that but didn’t say anything, unsure how Michael and Peachy were navigating their complicated relationship now and how many people knew of its progress. When Charlie left, Nico sat on the grass to continue monitoring Anne’s progress, aware of how strictly she kept to their barrier while also avoiding venturing deeper in. The private corner remained private as no one noticed what she was up to other than him and Charlie, and that show of trust in them had him making sure they remained alone for the rest of her activity.
When her movements slowed, he was ready with her clothes, handing them over the moment she shifted back to human form. She shimmied in them, unashamed to face him naked. The confidence turned him on. At the same time, he was glad that Charlie had left, his beast already growling inside at the rumination of someone else seeing her in all her glory. The streak of possessiveness startled him, but he brushed it aside when her face lit up. The vibrant joy aroused a different part of him, his heart swelling.
“That was amazing,” he said, trying to sound casual.
“I thought I would feel rusty and uncoordinated, like how one feels when they haven’t exercised in a while. But it just feels so…”
“Freeing?”
“Yes. Liberating. Like things just clicked in place.”
A smile blossomed and captured her emotions. He couldn’t help moving closer until his face was inches away from hers and he could see himself reflected in her gaze: a figure who could only see her and no one else. This time, it was Anne who closed the remaining distance between them, pressing her lips against his. The kiss was already hungry, an aftermath of her adrenaline rush and pulsing excitement. There was no other path but to fall right into it—and on its way, to fall for her headlong without inhibitions and limitations.
It stunned him, but he should have seen it coming. It took the kiss to the next level, her hunger feeding his until he was devouring her. Her whimpered cry told him that she liked that and couldn’t help sinking into him, too, as lost in this kiss as she had been in his other kisses. His beast stayed inside, screaming at him that it had to mean something. It stayed inside, thrumming with a knowledge that filled his heart and soul.
Mate. You are my mate.
He broke the kiss first. She held on to him, swaying slightly, then grinned in delight before snuggling in contentment.
“That was nice,” she said. “Maybe I can shift during the full moon next time to see how I do. See my potential and how I will fare against future predator encounters.”
And that was what it boiled down to: that she was sure of those encounters and how she would be facing them alone, not with this clan. She would be long gone from here by then.
Nico gulped down the bitter pill that was stuck in his throat. Then he shoved down the selfish desire to lay it all out, understanding that she cared for him now—and with that care, Anne would be stuck with the dilemma of either hurting him or staying, both of which would hurt her heart, too.
“It was nice,” he agreed, not commenting on the latter. When she continued leaning against him, he savored the moment and decided to leave it all to fate. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” she blurted out.
He kissed her again. Then he let her guide him inside.
Chapter 16