Fane decided not to torture her any more with questions about her physical affections for him. Instead he reminded her that the blood rite still wasn’t complete. “Are you ready, Luna?”
Jacque took his hand and led him over to the bed. She pushed him down to sit on the edge. With him sitting and her standing, her face was level with his neck. Jacque watched as Fane undid the buttons on his white dress shirt until they were all open and then shrugged the shirt off. She looked at him and although she had already done this twice, this time it felt different, more intimate. Fane turned and exposed his neck as she had done for him. Something deep inside Jacque stirred at the sight of the bared neck. She felt a desire to mark it, claim it, to claim him. She leaned towards Fane and placed her arm around his strong shoulders. She kissed his cheek and down his jaw to his neck just as he had done. She kissed him down to where his neck met his shoulder. At that point instinct took over, the wolf blood in Jacque came forward to claim their mate. Once again, as she had felt the first two times she took Fane's blood, Jacque felt her teeth lengthen just a little and when she ran her tongue across them she realized they felt much sharper. Before she could stop to think about it she opened her mouth and sunk her teeth deep into Fane’s flesh. She heard a groan coming from Fane’s chest and then the low growl she had become accustomed to. Fane wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Jacque closed her eyes as she tasted Fane's blood. She felt something, like her very soul was being knitted into Fane's. The bond, she thought, the bond was complete.
After a couple of minutes she felt Fane pulling her away, reluctantly she relented. Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Jacque kept her eyes closed as her breathing slowed. When she opened her eyes to look at Fane she saw the blood running down his neck. Just as he had done, she wet one of the towels and gently wiped the blood away. Fane sat there quietly, watching every move she made. Finally Jacque couldn’t handle the silence anymore. “What are you thinking?” she asked him.
“You don’t have to ask, Luna, you could just look.”
“I know, but I want you to tell me. I want you to share your thoughts with me without me invading your privacy,” Jacque explained.
“I am your mate, Jacquelyn. We are bonded. You have every right to invade my mind, but if you want me to talk then that’s what you shall get.” He grinned at her and grabbed her hand to pull her on to the bed next to him. Fane scooted until his back was against the headboard of the bed.
When he reached to pull Jacque up against him she started to resist. “I want to be able to look at you while we talk.”
“In a moment, Luna. First let me hold you. I can feel our bond growing stronger now that we have shared our blood. My blood is in you now and you will always carry my scent. Let me and my wolf hold you and enjoy our scent being all over you.”
Jacque rolled her eyes but acquiesced to his wishes. “Your mom was right when she said you were possessive, overbearing barbarians.”
“I never claimed otherwise, my love,” Fane teased her.
He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest, her legs tucked up against his side. Jacque felt a rumble in his chest and a smile quirked her lips as she thought about her telling him he purred.
“I do not purr, mate, I rumble.”
Jacque glanced up at Fan., “Your wolf is doing that more and more you know?”
“The bond is strong now. You will feel him and hear him more easily now. He is very smitten with you, you know?” Fane told her. Jacque laid her head back on his chest and enjoyed Fane’s hand rubbing up and down her arm.
“You were supposed to tell me what you are thinking, remember?” Jacque asked.
“I’m thinking about how in awe I am of you, of your ability to take all that has happened since we met and still smile, tease, take me as your husband and mate. You could have turned away from me, running for your life.” Fane paused for a moment and Jacque just waited patiently to see if he would say more. “I’m thinking that I am the luckiest wolf in the world to have found such an amazing mate.”
“Funny that,” Jacque said. “I was thinking the same thing about you.” She felt Fane kiss the top of her head and she snuggled closer.
Jacque held out her left hand and studied the writing on the band. She remembered the words that Fane had said were engraved on it and she felt warmth fill her. “It’s the most precious thing I have ever received, Fane.” Jacque’s voice was filled with awe at the beautiful gift he had given her. She remembered then that he had told his father that the second offering was something he wanted to give her in private. “So where is my second offering, oh wolf of mine?” Jacque asked him in the haughtiest voice she could muster as she sat up and turned to look at him.
“Oh yeah, about that,” he began.
Jacque interrupted him quickly. “Don’t you even try to act like you don’t have something, fur ball.” She slapped his leg playfully.
“Have I ever told you that you are a violent little thing?” Fane asked her as he reached to open the bedside table drawer. He handed her a box wrapped in purple paper with a simple ribbon tied around it. Jacque untied the ribbon and unwrapped the package to find a shoe box. “Um, shoes. Great, thank you,” Jacque said, trying hard to keep the confusion out of her voice, knowing she was failing miserably. Fane’s face was blank. Jacque could read no emotion on it nor could she pick anything up from their bond.
“The shoes represent my ability to provide foot coverings for you and maybe one day our children.” Fane cleared his throat and continued, fumbling along as he went. “You see, it is important that you know that you won’t be without something on your feet, so-”
Jacque held up her hand to stop Fane from going any further. “There are no shoes in this box, are there?”
Fane shook his head once. “Not one.”
As Jacque began to open the box Fane heard her mutter under her breath, “Furry little liar.” He started to say something in response but stopped when he saw Jacque’s face light up as brilliant as the sun breaking through the early morning dew. “Fane! I can’t believe you remembered!” Jacque pulled out the first edition copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstien. She held it so reverently and ran her hand across the cover.
“Open it,” she heard Fane tell her. When she pulled open the cover she could feel the binding bending for the first time, the newness of the book apparent. If it was possible her face got even brighter as she saw the hand written autograph on the cover page.
“This is so freaking awesome,” Jacque told him as she closed the book and flung herself into his arms. Fane was surprised by the motion but caught her easily and held her tight. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he heard her whisper.
“If I had known you would react this way to a book I would have proposed with it instead of a ring,” he teased.
“The book is amazing, no doubt. But that you remembered something so random, yet so important to me means so much to me. You got skills, wolf-man. Serious, mad skills.”
Fane kissed her gently on the lips and then let her pull away from him. She sat flipping through the book and he was content to just watch her. Jacque finally looked up from the book when she felt Fane begin to rub her back. She couldn’t help the big grin that spread across her face. He was hers; she could feel the mate bond growing stronger now that the blood rites had been completed.
“Will it continue to grow stronger?” Jacque asked him.
Fane's brow furrowed as he thought and was quiet for a moment. “From what my father has told me it will be stronger because of the blood rites, but once we consummate our mating it will be its strongest.”
Jacque's eyes widened at his words, and Fane realized how that had sounded. “Jacquelyn, I’m not trying to rush you. I know you said we would make love once we were married but if you aren't ready I will wait for as long as you need. I will never pressure you. Do you believe me?” Fane asked her and desperation coated his voice.
Jacque l
ooked up at him. “I believe you and I love you all the more for your patience. But it's not necessary. I'm ready, Fane. I'm ready to be yours in every possible way.”
Fane sat frozen at her words, then a slow grin stretched across his face. Jacque felt that grin from the bottom of her feet to the tips of her red hair. He stood up and Jacque watched as he began blowing candles out until there were only four left burning, one in each corner of the room. Fane stepped close to Jacque. She tilted her head back to look up at him as the candle light danced shadows across his face. Jacque's breath caught as she saw Fane's eyes glowing wolf blue.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her gently, then whispered to her, "I can't believe you're here, and you're mine." His body shook with emotion as he stared into her eyes. "I love you, Jacquelyn Lupei. I will love you until my last breath."
She took a shuddering breath as she felt him untie the robe and slowly push it off her shoulders until it fell in a gentle heap on the floor at her feet.
Fane never took his eyes off hers as he pulled her into his arms. As his lips met hers Jacque trembled at the skin to skin contact. She felt his hands on her back, his fingertips lightly moving over her skin. Fane pulled back and they were both breathing hard as he continued to torture her with his gentle caresses.
Fane chuckled at her thoughts. "It's not meant to be torture, love," he told her gently. He pulled her closer to the bed and then tilted her chin up with his fingers to look him in the eyes.
"I would make love to you now, Luna." Fane's eyes continued to glow as he stared intently at her. And as Jacque felt his love pouring through their bond, wrapping around her and filling her up, she knew she was ready, ready to be Fane's mate. Finally.
"Then why are we still talking?" Jacque whispered. He pulled her onto the bed with him and into his arms, arms that would always hold her, always protect her, and always wrap her in love.
Epilogue
Jen and Sally sat at one of the tables in the gathering room, the celebration slowly coming to an end. After Fane and Jacque had left, Alina and Vasile had thrown one hell of a party in honor of their son's mating. Jen had danced until there were blisters on her feet. She had eventually taken off the ridiculous sweater that Decebel had demanded she wear but she had felt the weight of his stare on her all night. Even now as she listened to Sally ramble about all the pack members she had met she could feel his eyes on her.
Jen looked around the room for what felt like the hundredth time trying to find the gold eyes that she knew kept her in their view. But just like the other ninety nine times she could not see him.
"Are you listening to me, Jen?" she heard Sally ask her. Jen turned back to her friend and saw her eyes narrow. "Who ya looking for, chicka?"
"No one," Jen lied.
"Uh-huh, sure. And I'm your freaking fairy-god mother."
"Well, I wish you would get on a couple of my requests then instead of sitting around here yapping," Jen teased, hoping Sally would just drop it.
"He's awfully protective of you, and possessive," Sally continued, ignoring Jen's attempt to change the subject.
"Sally, it's not going to happen, okay? In case you've forgotten he happens to be a werewolf and I am human. So," Jen didn't get to finish as she was interrupted by a voice from behind her.
"That's not completely true." Dr. Cynthia Steele pulled out one of the chairs at their table and sat down.
"What's not completely true?" Jen asked cautiously.
"You aren't human…"
###
Look for the third book in the Grey Wolves Series,
Just One Drop
To be released February 2012
Note from the Author:
I just want to once again say thank you so much for reading Blood Rites. I truly hoped that you felt like it was worth your while. Come check out my other titles on my website at www.quinnloftisbooks.com.
Sincerely,
Quinn Loftis
Quinn Loftis, Blood Rites
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