have to get used to seeing her and Jesse together.
“I’m stealing my girl for a minute.” His voice sounded strange. More gravelly than usual. “I promise I’ll get her right back here to help, but I need a word.”
“A word?” Reese asked. “Mmm hmm.”
Rae’s cheeks were burning, but she couldn’t help the elated smile on her face any more than she could control the weather. “I’ll be right back,” she murmured, taking Jesse’s offered hand.
He pulled her along a winding trail through the woods, all the way to a felled log covered with moss. When he turned around, his eyes were churning silver.
Frowning, she touched the short whiskers along his jawline. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to tell you something, but I don’t feel like now is the right time.”
“Is it bad? Is it about me?”
He clasped her hand and pressed it against his cheek, as if he didn’t want her to take it away. “I don’t know. I just feel… Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night? I want to take you out somewhere nice, and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Jesse Hayes, did you really just pull me out here to tell me you have something to tell me but not until later?”
“No. I pulled you out here to steady me.”
Her breath froze in her throat as she realized he was shaking, and his hands were clenched at his side. He was angry.
She searched his eyes as the silver color clouded over the green until there was none of the happy color left. Standing on tiptoes, she reached around his neck and hugged him close.
“It’s okay,” she whispered against his neck. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.”
He clutched the fabric of her shirt until it lifted in the back and exposed her skin to the cool evening air. A soft rumble rattled from his throat, but she hugged him tighter and rocked back and forth in a slow cadence. “Do you need to change?”
“No. And when I do, it won’t be around you.”
“Why?”
Jesse brushed his fingers down her arm and lifted the bandaged wrist. “Because I can’t trust myself not to hurt you. You can’t heal like the rest of us. Look.” He eased her back, then pulled at the neck of his shirt until he exposed angry, red claw marks across his shoulder. It was already half-healed. Her injury, on the other hand, probably looked like a crime scene and felt like it was stuck to the bandages.
“You shouldn’t feel bad about this.” Rae pulled him to the fallen tree and sat down. “I don’t regret this mark.”
“Mark,” he repeated low, as he took a seat beside her.
“Yes. Your bear marked me the day he chose me. Muriel said it would scar, and I was sad. I don’t have scars. I always took pride in my skin being unblemished. But she said that this flaw would mean something really important to me one day. I didn’t know what she meant, but I’ve been thinking about it all day.” She clutched her injured wrist closer. “Now I love it because you gave it to me. You had to change to fight that bear and protect me and those kids, and this was all I got out of that horrifying experience. I’m alive. Those kids are alive. And now every time I look at this mark, from now until the end of my life, I’ll remember the night you bonded with me.”
Jesse’s shoulders sagged, and he leaned forward on locked elbows. “Jesus, woman.” He closed his eyes tightly shut, and when he opened them again, they were a brilliant green once again. Plucking her arm from her chest, he kissed the bandage and held her hand in his lap. “I won’t ever hurt you again.”
“I know you won’t. You wouldn’t have last night if we weren’t handcuffed together. I was just too close. Your bear has protected me twice. He’s saved my life twice. You won’t hurt me, Jesse. Not really. Has that been bothering you?”
“Yeah. I can’t keep my eyes off the bandage. Sometimes, I start to think you are too fragile for this life I’m asking you to be a part of—that you’re too fragile for me. But then
“I’m stealing my girl for a minute.” His voice sounded strange. More gravelly than usual. “I promise I’ll get her right back here to help, but I need a word.”
“A word?” Reese asked. “Mmm hmm.”
Rae’s cheeks were burning, but she couldn’t help the elated smile on her face any more than she could control the weather. “I’ll be right back,” she murmured, taking Jesse’s offered hand.
He pulled her along a winding trail through the woods, all the way to a felled log covered with moss. When he turned around, his eyes were churning silver.
Frowning, she touched the short whiskers along his jawline. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to tell you something, but I don’t feel like now is the right time.”
“Is it bad? Is it about me?”
He clasped her hand and pressed it against his cheek, as if he didn’t want her to take it away. “I don’t know. I just feel… Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow night? I want to take you out somewhere nice, and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Jesse Hayes, did you really just pull me out here to tell me you have something to tell me but not until later?”
“No. I pulled you out here to steady me.”
Her breath froze in her throat as she realized he was shaking, and his hands were clenched at his side. He was angry.
She searched his eyes as the silver color clouded over the green until there was none of the happy color left. Standing on tiptoes, she reached around his neck and hugged him close.
“It’s okay,” she whispered against his neck. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.”
He clutched the fabric of her shirt until it lifted in the back and exposed her skin to the cool evening air. A soft rumble rattled from his throat, but she hugged him tighter and rocked back and forth in a slow cadence. “Do you need to change?”
“No. And when I do, it won’t be around you.”
“Why?”
Jesse brushed his fingers down her arm and lifted the bandaged wrist. “Because I can’t trust myself not to hurt you. You can’t heal like the rest of us. Look.” He eased her back, then pulled at the neck of his shirt until he exposed angry, red claw marks across his shoulder. It was already half-healed. Her injury, on the other hand, probably looked like a crime scene and felt like it was stuck to the bandages.
“You shouldn’t feel bad about this.” Rae pulled him to the fallen tree and sat down. “I don’t regret this mark.”
“Mark,” he repeated low, as he took a seat beside her.
“Yes. Your bear marked me the day he chose me. Muriel said it would scar, and I was sad. I don’t have scars. I always took pride in my skin being unblemished. But she said that this flaw would mean something really important to me one day. I didn’t know what she meant, but I’ve been thinking about it all day.” She clutched her injured wrist closer. “Now I love it because you gave it to me. You had to change to fight that bear and protect me and those kids, and this was all I got out of that horrifying experience. I’m alive. Those kids are alive. And now every time I look at this mark, from now until the end of my life, I’ll remember the night you bonded with me.”
Jesse’s shoulders sagged, and he leaned forward on locked elbows. “Jesus, woman.” He closed his eyes tightly shut, and when he opened them again, they were a brilliant green once again. Plucking her arm from her chest, he kissed the bandage and held her hand in his lap. “I won’t ever hurt you again.”
“I know you won’t. You wouldn’t have last night if we weren’t handcuffed together. I was just too close. Your bear has protected me twice. He’s saved my life twice. You won’t hurt me, Jesse. Not really. Has that been bothering you?”
“Yeah. I can’t keep my eyes off the bandage. Sometimes, I start to think you are too fragile for this life I’m asking you to be a part of—that you’re too fragile for me. But then
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