Page 47 of Wolves Always Bite

Aftermy shower,Ilingered in the bathroom as long as possible, still not sure ifIcould faceJeremy.He’dgone to sleep expecting morning sex.HowdidItell himI’dchanged my mind while wanting nothing more than to still have sex with him?Icould easily picture spending the whole day in bed with him, but becoming intimate would complicate things, making our inevitable separation too difficult later.Itwasn’t likeIwas a stranger to one-night stands or even hook-ups that lasted as long as a week, butJeremywas different.Ididn’t know why but getting closer to him felt like a risk.Mywolfish instincts were already too possessive of him.Icouldn’t imagine what they’d be like onceItasted him, heard his erotic moans, or knew what he looked like when he came.

WhenIfinally opened the bathroom door,Jeremypopped out of bed and pushed into the bathroom.

“Ittook you long enough,” he grumbled.

“Howare you feeling today?”Iasked before he closed the door.

Ashe stretched his body this way and that, as if testing how it was doing, my gaze followed the lines of his body.Hisgroans made me think of thingsIwas trying not to think about.Likesex and orgasms and what his skin would feel like under my tongue. “I’ma little sore but feel better thanIexpected.”

“Let’sgo eat.I’mstarving.”Idarted for the door. “Whileyou get ready,I’llgo talk to the minotaur and see where we can grab breakfast.”

Assoon asJeremyappeared at the reception desk,Idragged him away from the motel, determined to find things to do the whole day that didn’t include sex.Wefound a tiny coffee shop that offered breakfast and light lunches.Afterwe ate, we went exploring.Imanaged to distract him for the rest of the morning.WillowLakewasn’t a very big place, but it had enough stores to explore for a few hours.Ihad no idea whatI’ddistract him with next, but so far my plan was working.

“Comehere,” he said, holding his phone in front of him.Hegrabbed me and snapped a picture of us in front of a statue of two wolves.

“Isthat a selfie?”

“Yes.”Helifted his eyebrow at me like he didn’t understand my question.

“That’smy first one.”

“Ever?”

Inodded.

Jeremylaughed in surprise and his whole face lit up. “Well, now thatIknow that, we need to take more!”

Hedragged me from spot to spot all through downtown, taking selfies in front of everything.Hislaughter made my chest feel light.Hissmile was infectious.Andhis endless curiosity about anything and everything, whether magical or mundane, was fascinating.EveryminuteIspent with him made my attraction grow exponentially.

Afancy gift shop calledSparkleandSpicedelighted him the most.

Jeremy’sgaze darted from one thing to the next to the next.Hisface was bright, and he laughed easily at each fantastical thing.Theshop had unique sculptures in various sizes like the ones we’d seen in the mechanic’s shop and downtown.Mixedin with the unique sculptures was an eclectic array of cheap and expensive items that were all very pretty in one way or another—some were sparkly, others shiny, and a few were elegantly beautiful.Simplemagical charms or well wishes had been woven into some.Itwas the kind of low-level magic that was acceptable to share with humans, so evenTeaguewould be okay with how magic was used here.

Giventhe shiny and sparkly merchandise, it was no surprise that the proprietor who followed us around the store, happily talking about everything in there, was a raven shifter.Hiswolf shifter mate watched us through a glass partition from an adjoining studio space.Thetwo had matching streaks of turquoise in their hair, andIsuspected that meant they were fated mates too.

I’dnever known anyone who’d found their fated mate before and nowI’dseen two in this little town.Whatwere the odds?

“Whatdo you think about this?”Jeremyheld up a glossy red ball with a bell in it.

“Oh, that’s a good one,” the raven said.Thesequins on his shirt glittered as he clapped his hands atJeremy’sdiscovery. “Eachtime you play with your cat with that ball, it’s supposed to strengthen the bond between you.”

“Adrian, what do you think?”Jeremyasked.

“Ifyou want it,I’llbuy it for you.”

“Youdon’t have to…”

Inodded to the raven and a few minutes later,I’dpurchased the toy.

Jeremygrinned and rolled the ball in his hand, listening to the bell.Ididn’t think the cat would care or notice about the magic, but what didIknow about domestic cats?Iwas a wolf shifter.Itmight feed into the stereotype about wolves and cats not getting along, but it was true that my kind didn’t usually have cats for pets.

“Thankyou.”WhenJeremypressed a kiss to my cheek,Ifroze.Iwanted to turn my head and meet his lips with mine, butIdidn’t.Icleared my throat. “Uh… lunch?”

Jeremy’scheeks darkened a little as he pulled away.Hetucked the ball away in his backpack before facing me again.Thesmile on his face wasn’t as natural as it had been earlier. “Sure.ItoldAshwe’d stop by the restaurant where he works.”

Ashort time later,Idecided it was the best pizzaI’dever eaten.SoIordered a second one and ate it too.Thefire mage knew exactly how to work that wood pizza oven.Itwas part way through lunch thatInoticedJeremy’ssmiles still weren’t back at their full wattage.Washe tired?Ifwe returned to the motel so he could take a nap, wouldIbe able to resist climbing into bed with him?

“So,”Jeremysaid as we exited the restaurant.