Forever Changed (The Mystic Wolves) (5 page)

Letting him know which one was available, we parted ways, leaving whatever hostility there was behind in the gardens. Mason’s fingers brushed up and down over my shoulder, his touch sending shivers across my skin as I anticipated
what would come next. Images were already playing in my mind about what taking a shower with Mason now meant. It was everything I could do not to run there as quickly as possible.

“Impatient, are we?” he whispered in my ear.

“Always. We’ve had a busy morning.”

“Then let me show the perfect way to relax.”

With a silly grin, I let him lead me toward my old room—ready to enjoy some alone time with my new husband.

Chapter 5

Our shower together was just what the doctor ordered. With all the drama from this morning, it was nice to be alone—no words needed as we comforted each other with soft kisses and caresses. The moment seemed beyond right because now I could show him exactly how I felt, without having to pull myself back. There was no prophecy or needing to wait. We were mated, our spirits and lives tightly entwined
, our bodies now able to do the same.

I loved the man in my arms
—the considerate way he cared for me and made sure that everything was okay with my heart. Gone was the angry and betrayed display he’d shown Devlin. As the water cascaded over us, the heated shower soothed away all cares and worries. He was attentive to every nuance and I wanted to melt into him. There was nothing I wouldn’t do or give to him. He was mine in every sense of the word and, as I helped him clean up, I savored the new role between us.

Husband and wife. Mated forever. We were best friends, lovers, and soul mates.
In spite of the drama that had unfolded this morning with Devlin’s life-altering revelation, I knew that together, we could conquer anything that came our way. It wasn’t just because we’d survived the Heart or Death. It was because I knew that regardless of what my future held, Mason would always be there for me. That knowledge gave me a strength I didn’t think possible and, if anything, made me love him even more fiercely than before.

“We need to get out before the water grows cold,” I murmured against his chest. I was perfectly content standing there, the sound of his heartbeat echoing in my ear. Dragging my fingers up and down his back, Mason’s muscles twitched beneath my touch and he tilted my chin upward so I could look at him.

“We should, but I don’t want to let go of you just yet.” He brushed his lips over my forehead and I nodded with agreement over his sentiment. Something told me that with this morning’s news, there wouldn’t be the fun getaway we’d planned for our honeymoon. Trouble always seemed to find us. For just once, I wished we could run and hide, stealing private moments away from the drama. A soft flutter through our connection told me Mason felt the same way.

Unfortunately, being responsible
—being who we were  . . . who we chose to be, wasn’t always the most convenient. Sometimes it really sucked. But I knew, deep in my heart, that as much as we’d like to lock ourselves away in a love cocoon and ignore the world, we needed to deal with this new situation. I let out another long sigh and dropped my arms, reaching around Mason to turn off the shower.

“There’s always later,” I promised, sending him images of us soaking in a luxurious bath with scented candles surrounding us.

“I’m going to hold you to it, sweetheart.” He kissed my bare shoulder before nipping at my chin.

We took our time
getting dressed; the thrill of being able to show our affections causing us to get distracted. My skin flushed as he took the thick towel from my hand and began drying me off, pausing long enough to feather light kisses on my body before returning to the task. That was one thing that still amazed me about Mason. It didn’t matter what was happening around us, he always took the time to make me feel truly cherished. I felt adored—beloved.

“That feels good,” I whispered as he finished up. Taking the towel from him, I returned the favor, using slow
, steady strokes as I enjoyed the way his muscles rippled and tensed under my touch. Mason was magnificent and he was all mine.

“Thanks.” He kissed my cheek and I laughed as his scruff tickled me. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just used to you clean-shaven.” Cupping his cheek and rubbing my thumb over the bristles, I grinned. “Am I going to have to worry about whisker burn now?” The idea made me blush. Just thinking about his kisses and what they did to me was enough to heat my face.

“Say no more
.” He quickly slipped into a pair of dark denim jeans, leaving his chest bare. He glanced about as if looking for something and frowned. “Give me a second. I’ll be right back.”

Not questioning him, I finished dressing. I didn’t know what the day would
hold, so jeans and my favorite pink t-shirt seemed like a safe bet and appropriate. We still needed to talk about what to do about this Julian character and I was sure Vivien would want to test my new powers. If worse came to worse, I could quickly change, but for right now, I just wanted to be comfortable. I needed it.

Mason was whistling when he entered the room again, his shaving kit in his hand. My gaze instantly dropped to his feet to check that they weren’t all cut up. The last time I’d seen the bathroom in our
master suite, the floor had been covered in broken tile and glass. The thought of him hurt because of me made my heart race and I sagged a little with relief. He brushed his hand over my arm, letting me know he knew where my mind had been and that he was okay. It was amazing how our connection worked; it had grown so much stronger and added closeness to our bond.

Setting everything up on the counter, I leaned my hip against the basin so I could watch him. He lathered up the shaving cream and began smoothing it over his face, covering his jawline with the fresh-scented soap. When he picked up the razor, it gave me an idea.

“Can I do that?” I asked, holding my hand out, palm up.

There was a flash of surprise before Mason nodded and
stepped away so I could stand in front of him, giving me the razor. It was my turn to be shocked as he gripped my hips and lifted me up onto the counter, my back against the mirror, spreading my thighs so he could fit between them. It was such an intimate position, but that wasn’t what warmed my heart. I knew he trusted me, and letting me take a blade to his skin was simply further proof of that. I wanted to kiss him right there and then—shaving cream and all.

“Sure I have a steady hand?” I teased, staring into his beautiful blue eyes. There was no fear reflecting back—just total confidence and
the love that was always there.

He grabbed my empty hand and brushed his lips over the center of my palm before kissing it. “I would trust you blindfolded, Darcy.”

“You’re not scared I’ll get a sudden power surge?” What had started as a simple joke evolved into genuine worry. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him; and the memory of what I’d done earlier was still fresh in my mind. Even though I was feeling relaxed at the moment, it didn’t mean that a second later it wouldn’t all change.

“You worry too much. It’s okay.” Mason gently took my wrist and raised the razor to his cheek. “Just take your time and if you started feeling weird, stop. It’s that simple.” He touched the end of my nose and smiled. “Don’t over think it.”

I returned his grin and pushed aside my fear. Mason was right—there was no need to start being afraid. We’d enjoyed our time in the shower without any repercussions; our emotions swelling and boiling over hadn’t triggered another attack. “You always were the sensible one in this relationship,” I replied, making the first stroke over his lathered skin. I’d watched him do this countless times, so I mimicked his movements.

Mason remained silent, his hands still resting on my hips, his touch radiating heat through my clothes. His focus never shifted from mine as I bit my bottom lip with total concentration.

“You know if you keep doing that, we might be even later meeting Daniel and Devlin.”

“Doing what?” I puffed at a strand of hair that fell across my forehead.

“Looking so damn adorable and sexy.” Mason raised his arm and tucked the hair behind my ear.

“Pfft, what do you want, Mr. O’Connor
?” I chuckled.

“Well . . .”

“We don’t have time for that again.” I didn’t bother hiding the fact I rolled my eyes.

“I know.” He had the audacity to act forlorn.

“Then, what?” I dipped the razor into the warm water Mason had filled in the basin. Tapping the instrument on the edge of the sink, I continued.

“You mentioned Devlin.”

“And?” Stopping what I was doing, I tilted my head to study him. Something was on his mind, something that had turned him from playful to quiet to serious.

“I was an ass.”

“And?”

“You’re not going to tell me I
wasn’t?” He cocked his eyebrow at me and I shook my head in response.

“No, but I’m interested to know why you think so.”

It was his turn to let out a heavy sigh as he glanced down. Whatever he was about to say was difficult for him and although I could sneak a look through our mental link, I gave him his privacy. Trust between us was so important; and just because our mating had fixed the problem, it didn’t give me free rein to invade his personal thoughts. Our relationship had developed and grown strong without it—I’d learned to read his body language on my own. What he needed right now was the space to gather his courage and share what he was pensive over.

“You kn
ew I heard your conversation with Devlin. You didn’t resist when I tested the pathway, so I listened in. Daniel and I had talked before shifting for our run. He’d pretty much said the same thing I was feeling. Yes, I hated being kept in the dark about you and the threat Devlin’s been protecting you from. But, I understood why. He had your best interest at heart and he worried that somehow, if I knew, you’d find out through our connection. He didn’t want to risk it, so he kept quiet. As angry as it made me, I could kind of respect it also. I would’ve done the same thing. I hate burdening those I love and would rather carry the weight alone.”

“So
, then why the macho display out there?” Mason was a reasonable man. If he’d already come to this conclusion, it made no sense he’d felt the need to offload his aggression on his friend.

“Because the more he spoke about this Julian and what he’d planned for his own child,
the more I realized that Julian wants to do the same thing to you. Do you know how crazed that makes me? This sick, psychotic blast from Devlin’s past was thwarted, but is now probably gunning for you. I heard what Devlin said. Julian’s plans will be to remove your soul and replace it with his own. He wants to take you away from me and . . .” Mason’s voice caught with thick emotion. He looked stricken and resting my hand on his chest, I could feel him struggling to control his wolf. They sensed the impending danger—both man and beast. Rubbing my hand over his heart, I desperately tried to soothe that fear.

“But you know now,” I quietly responded.

“Yeah, now. But Devlin knew the entire time that this threat was out there. The moment you became a part of my life, the very second you became an essential part of my world, he should’ve told me. There’s someone out there who is determined to take what’s mine and I would’ve been blind to it all. How can I keep you safe if I don’t know what I’m protecting you from?” There was a wild desperation in his voice—a maddening urgency to destroy what disturbed his peace and confidence.

“What would you have done if you had known? Keep
me under lock and key?”

“
Yes. For starters,” he retorted, a sharp exhale accenting his answer. “I know you hate that; and heaven knows I don’t like the idea of heavily controlling your every move, but at least it would’ve been something. I would’ve been prepared. I could’ve watched, and had a plan in motion, for if and when the guy surfaced. I know this morning wouldn’t have been such a surprise.”

“It would’ve been for me, though,” I reminded him.

“I just couldn’t think straight once I heard him tell you. All those times you’ve gone out alone or I haven’t been as vigilant with your security. It showed me how lax I’ve been in my care of you.”

I placed my finger of his lips, softly shushing him. “You have done an amazing job.” He went to argue but I shook my head. “Yes, I know things have happened recently, but here I am, in your arms
, as your wife. We’re together and I’m in one piece—perfectly happy and content. It’s not your job to be my guard and jailer, Mason. It’s your job to love me. Plain and simple.”

“I do love you, Darcy. More than I ever thought possible. It’s everything I can do to contain the fury I feel that someone
out there wants to take you from me.”

“We’ll deal with it like we always do
, with the help of our friends and the Pack. We’ll handle it one step at a time, with cool heads, and faith in each other. That’s all we can do and it’ll be enough. I plan on growing old with you, giving you lots of babies, and driving you crazy with all my adorable quirks. Yes, Julian is a threat; but taking your frustration out on Devlin isn’t going to make it go away. Even if it felt good.”

“I felt like I was doing something about it.”

“I know. But, again, the real enemy isn’t Devlin. It’s Julian.” Dropping a washcloth into the cooling water, I squeezed it out before wiping away the left over shaving cream. Mason was back to his handsome self, his cheeks smooth and whisker-free.

“You always were the smarter one
.” He chuckled, accepting the towel to dry his face. “You’re right. I know it. I just needed to get it out of my system.”

“And is it?”

“Yes; and when we meet up with the others, I’ll make sure Devlin knows it, too.” Mason helped me down off the counter and emptied the sink. “So, how does it feel to know you’re married to a man who isn’t always level headed and lets his emotions get the better of him?”