Chapter 655

She gives a desperate little cry, slipping her hands from around his neck to grip his shirt, like something might try to tear him away and she fucking dares it to try. Daphne yanks Jesse even tighter against her, making him stumble forward with the force of it, both of them laughing as Jesse catches his balance and then pulls her up into his arms, falling back against the stone wall and staring at her, awed.

"I love you too," Daphne whispers, smiling recklessly as she rests her forehead against his, laughing even as tears start in her eyes. "I'm sorry - I'm so sorry it took me so long -"

But Jesse just shakes his head - denying categorically any need for apology now that he's got her at last. He just pulls Daphne close, kissing her again and again.

Because this is it, as far as Jesse is concerned. A door shut, complete.

Jesse's shadows swirl out around them, gossamer and fervid, shielding the pair of them from the rest of the world and creating their own private space just for them, alone.

But there - in the corner of the hall, beyond the reach of his shadows.

Something darker lurks.

And is displeased.

I exhale slowly as I slip into our room, pressing the door shut quietly behind me and taking a second to lean against it and close my eyes. Because Jackson is waiting for me in my bed, and Luca is currently walking away down the hall, and I need a damn second to get my thoughts together...

So right here against the door is...kind of the only place to do it.

God, but that was intense. Luca - he makes so much more sense now, but honestly I'm a little freaked out by how much of his whole easy-going playboy persona was a fa?ade - built to purposely conceal the deeply restrained person he is beneath. And, really, I'm shocked at how ably he hid that from me for months - me, his mate! I mean, I know I was na?ve at the start and didn't even think to look for his wolf until my wolf connected so easily with Jackson's, but Luca really did a good job of keeping him tucked away. It explains a lot, honestly, about how Jackson and I were able to get so close so fast while Luca has, oddly, been the slower burn of my two relationships.

And god – god I could kill his uncle for making him muscle through that. Luca - he was clearly a kid with a ton of emotions who was told to just grit his teeth and force his way brutally through them, to express himself only in the ring, where his uncle recognized that he had the unique physicality and talents to be a champion. Where he -

"Ariel?"

My head snaps up when I hear Jackson's voice.

I glance over at Rafe's bed, where I see the shape of him sleeping, and then at Jesse's, which is oddly...flat. But I ignore that, pushing up from the door and moving to the nook.

"Hey," I whisper, peeking in at the

bed and smiling at Jackson even as

a yawn overtakes me. God, but I'm tired. "I'm fine - I'm sorry if you

were

worried. I'll just take a quick shower and-"

“Ariel,” Jackson says, sitting up and holding a hand out to me. “Just...come to bed. I don't care if you smell like him.”

"But," I say, glancing down at myself, knowing I must stink of Luca and feeling weird about it.

"You need your rest," Jackson says, holding his hand out further. "Just...come to bed. That's so much more important."

My heart instantly reaches for my sweetheart mate and I beam at him, completely touched. "Okay," I whisper, nodding to him. "Just... let me go brush my teeth, okay?"

"Whatever makes you feel good," he murmurs, sleepy, laying back down amongst the pillows.

I smile at him again and then hurry away into the bathroom, stripping off Daphne's clothes and leaving them in a pile on the floor, tossing the red wig on top. I splash water on my face and wash my hands, quickly brushing my teeth before skittering off to bed in my underwear, hoping that I got the majority of the scent off.

When I crawl into bed Jackson

reaches for me and I sigh, content, as I lay myself out over his chest. He gathers me to him, one hand wrapped warm around the back of my thigh, the other stroking softly down my back. "Seriously, tiny," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my hair. "Are you all right?"

"I'm okay,” I say with a sigh, letting my eyes drift shut. "Can I...tell you about it tomorrow? I'm so, so tired."noveldrama

"You got it,” he murmurs, still softly stroking my back. I fall asleep faster than I think I ever have in my life.