42

B E A U

✿

We were on a porch, in front of us - what else - a huge, greenish pond. A bridge led from us to a smaller temple placed in the middle of the pond.

"They're beautiful." Georgie leaned over the wooden railing and stared at the still surface of the water. Red koi fish glistened in the sunlight among the lily pads.

I went up behind her and grabbed her waist. My fingers gleefully ran through her midnight black hair, brushing it aside. Then I kissed her on the shoulder. "You're beautiful."

She turned around smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes. “You have to let me go with Reyna. It would be indecent to refuse her offer and in the same breath to accuse her of unworthy activities. We need shipment to them. It's bad enough that you hesitated to agree with her. Also, Rowtag seems to trust Reyna.”

I snorted. Rowtag. "Then he's even dumber than I thought."

Georgie looked at me puzzled.

I cocked my head. 'What, you thought I didn't see through her? Looked past that slimy fake smile and caught the underhandedness?”

She shook her head and her hair flew slightly through the air. "I..."

"What?" I urged, close to a growl.

"I thought you liked her."

"Please?" My eyebrows drew together. "You seriously thought I was interested in her?"

Georgie pressed her lips together and replied, slightly snippy: "Every man has eyes in his head."

"I can't believe it." I shook my head in disbelief. How did she come up with that bullshit? "You know what this means?" I put my hand on the mark, running my thumb over the bite site.

She put her hand over mine, pulling out the painful sting of insinuation from her words. "Yes, of course. You would never betray me. I trust you. Except that doesn't take away from the fact that Reyna is incredibly good-looking."

The vulnerability in her eyes caught me off guard. fuck. "I think you've forgotten who bit you because you don't seem to understand what it means." I kissed the scar on her temple, rubbing my nose against hers. "Shall I remind you?"

She nodded breathlessly and my heart broke when I saw the tears in her eyes. I captured her lips in a kiss, pouring all my feelings for her into it. Hoped she understood. I opened her mouth, thrusting my tongue in, slowly rubbing hers. 'Do you think I'd be that hungry with anyone else? The desire to rip your fucking clothes off and crouch over your knee? To sink into you and hear my name from your mouth? Watching you while you cum?” I whispered to her warm, wet lips, already beginning to swell from our kiss. I couldn't resist the temptation to trace them with my thumb. I looked into her big eyes, staring up at me, waiting for my next words.

'How can you think I'd even look at a girl other than you? Wasting even a second on someone who isn't you. I have to think of you all the time. You're on my mind, on my mind, in my fucking heart.” I slapped my chest. "Georgie, if you have the slightest doubt - I -" My voice cracked and I ran my fingers through my hair. “Tell me what I should do differently. How to fucking show you that you're the only one for me."

"Beau..." She cupped my face, stroking my stubble. Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed me. Soft. "I'm sorry. Forgive me.” she whispered. "I wasn't sure, I - I." She rested her forehead on my chest. I wasn't clear in my head."

I lifted her head so she was looking at me. So that she could see how serious I was. Never again should she have that shaken expression because of me. “You don't need to be unsure, you have no reason to be. Never. Damn you're fucking perfect!” I cupped her face like she'd cupped mine. As if she were the most precious thing in the whole world. Because she was. “I want you, do you hear, only you. I wanted you the first time I saw you. But damn you were too young. And when you turned eighteen, shit, do you know how much willpower and control it took not to put my fucking mark on you and let everyone know you were mine? That no one can have you but me? But I had to protect you. I wanted to protect you so bad.

"I'm yours," she said, then wrapped her arms tightly around me and pressed kisses to the spot above my heart. My chest burned and I wished I could dwell on this one moment forever. I hugged her, not wanting to think about how much time we had left. “Reyna is one of the few werewolves who managed to escape. She is the princess of the Fire Islands. Don't you think it would have brought in far more gold pieces? How did such a big prize-money loot manage to escape?”

Georgie stopped kissing and I wanted to hit myself for bringing up the subject. She rested her chin on my chest and thoughtfully chewed her pink bottom lip. “I haven't even thought about that. So you think she's hiding something?” When I nodded, she added, “Then it's even more important that I'm with her. I might find out if she's covering something up."

I grabbed her chin. "No. I may not always be here to take care of you, but as long as I'm still with you, I won't fucking let anything happen to you. You will stay with me. Basta!"

"Then she'll suspect something if you want to protect me from her like that!" she contradicted me.

“Wolves are notorious for their possessive behavior toward their wives. Besides, we are in uncharted territory here.”

“Maybe right. Nevertheless, it will have an impact on the negotiation. We must defeat Hades, Beau. Reyna won't hurt me. Besides, Arrow and Rowtag are there.”

I wanted to kill Hades, slit his throat. Rip out his guts. I didn't care how many times I had to rip his head off his body to keep him underground. Nonetheless, Georgie was right. We wouldn't defeat him without the support of Reyna and her people. "Okay."

"Thanks!" She reached up and kissed my chin.

I growled. “Doesn't mean I like it. I need you to promise to call me immediately if anything seems strange to you. You're not spying on her, nor are you up to any mischief. Not without me, okay?”

She nodded, grinning. "Agreed."

I playfully snapped at her and she dodged me, laughing. That damn girl, she knew full well that I was under her spell and she could twist me around her finger with no effort.

She slapped my chest and kissed me. She didn't care that my fangs were out and I couldn't retract them fast enough. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stop and control the transformation.

Georgie wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my neck. I hugged her tighter to me. She felt it too, knew about my decline, but she didn't let herself be dissuaded from nurturing hope. I saw it in her eyes every time. In her pretty gray purple eyes. I didn't remind her of the inevitable fact that nothing could save me, for what man would rob his mate of every last spark of hope?

I stroked her mark. "No reason, do you hear?"

"Okay," she whispered.

A little later I slammed the door and pointed at Rowtag and Arrow, Georgie was behind me. Damn I didn't want to share her right now, wanted her all to myself. "I'll rip your fucking heads off if you do anything, get it?"

Rowtag, just catching the chopstick he'd been balancing on his finger seconds earlier, raised his arms defensively. “And I'm not keen on that. Got it.”

Just one afternoon. It was only an afternoon. Then she would be in my arms again, I calmed myself as my wolf moved closer and closer to the surface.