Chapter 853

"No, Jesse!" Midnight laughs, stumbling forward outside of her yurt and grabbing his shadow panther right out of the air, making it dissolve away to smoke and reeling it into herself. Jesse gasps as he loses control of it, letting it pass into Midnight's capable hands. "Why do you keep making animal shapes? You don't need to - that's a crutch. It's just a shadow - the edges are the only things that matter. The edges are the only things that exist."

Jesse scowls and frowns at his little mate as she very capably releases shadows from her own skin, sending them out in all directions, formless and yet powerful. "Well why can't I make animal shapes?" he asks, crossing his arms. "If it helps me? And I like it? And it's cool?"

"Because then you're limiting them, mentally," Midnight says, tapping her temple as she sends the shadows streaking for him. Everywhere they touch Jesse the shadows buzz dangerously and he shudders, realizing that Midnight is of course obliging the shadows to go easy on him. Should she wish it, they could cut or burn or slice.

"Can you...help me understand that?" Jesse asks with a sigh, impressed with her power and control but still not getting it.

"If you limit them to animals," Midnight says, pulling the shadows back and making a panther like Jesse usually favors - though, predictably, her panther is more detailed and refined than his ever are. "Then you're limited to what you think animals can do. A panther can bite and scratch, so his dangerous parts are his teeth and his claws." She shrugs. "If you just let the whole shadow be a weapon... then all of the shadow is a weapon."

Jesse sighs, pulling the shadow back from her and letting it take a nebulous shape, shifting and ephemeral. "I still think the panthers are cooler."

"Power is cooler," Midnight says, a bit cold, and he turns his head to her. "Control is cooler. The better weapon is cooler."

"Midnight," Jesse says, quietly studying her. "Against whom have you ever had to use a weapon?"

She shrugs. "When I have to, I'll be ready."

Another chill passes through Jesse.

But suddenly, Midnight snaps her head to the side and then tilts her ear up, as if listening.

"What's going on?" Jesse asks, stepping towards her. She holds a hand out towards him, begging him to stop, and he does.

When Midnight moves again, her eyes narrowing on Jesse. "I have to go somewhere. You stay here."

"No way!"

"Jesse," Midnight growls, stepping towards him, her eyes going dark. "I have a job to do."

"What job!?"

"My job," she snarls. But when Jesse doesn't back off, she sighs and gestures out into the night. "Darkness has sensed an intruder. He wants me to check on it for him."

Jesse's eyes fly wide. "Fine, but I'm coming with you."

"You're staying here! In this yurt!"

"Midnight," Jesse says, leaning far forward so their eyes are even, his voice low and dangerous. "If you leave me here alone here in the tent, I'm going to burn it to the ground."

"Jesse, no!" Midnight gasps, pressing her hands to her heart.

"I mean it,” he says, shaking his head. "Those are your choices. Take me with you, or no more house."

She glares at him, hard, and then scowls and reaches for his hand. "Fine. But don't interfere, or I'll let him smite you."

Jesse squeezes her hand and makes no promises as Midnight vanishes them away.

"Jackson!" I shout, scrambling to my feet and stumbling towards him. Jacks - I've only been away for a week, but he looks so different - and so hot -

He has about three days' worth of beard on his face, and he's slimmer than he was not that he was ever fat, just big. And now he's still by no means small but instead lean and muscled, like a winter wolf

"Ari!" he gasps, my name choked on his shocked lips.

He reaches for me through the bars and I throw myself against them, pressing asnoveldrama

much of my body to my mate's as I can as I burst into tears.

"Oh my god, Ariel," Jackson

whispers, wrapping his arms around me as best as he can and holding me close. I groan, pressing my face to hischest, taking in breath after breath of his wonderful scent

"Jacks, I missed you," I murmur, rubbing my face against him, my wolf howling in my soul as she dashes across the bridge of our bond and hurling herself against his wolf, pressing her body frantically all along his length. His wolf snarts with possessive joy, rubbing his face against her, pawing at her and trying to tuck her beneath him, though she keeps wriggling out of his way.