Page 38 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

“More,” she whispers.

Around us, a fierce rumble echoes through the trees. Snow shakes up and down from the forest floor. The ground shudders so badly, we almost can’t keep our feet.

I hurry towards her, staggering on the slippery ground. When I get close, I tap her shoulder.

“Amanda, stop!”

She opens her eyes and looks around as if she doesn’t recognize where she is. “Sorry,” she mumbles. “I just… got carried away.”

“I don’t think we need to worry about the strength of your magic,” I say wryly, trying to lighten the situation.

“Not when I’m around you,” she answers, blushing.

When we turn back to the kids, their faces are a mixture of awe… and fear.

I should have thought of that. Scaring the kids is the last thing we want to do. What if they go home and tell their parents about the scary witch almost killed them?

I run the pups ahead of me while Amanda follows behind with the snowmobile. The afternoon is peaceful, and once Amanda gets the kids toasting marshmallows and eating smores, they seem to forget about her display of magic.

I sit on the ground, watching the firelight flicker across Amanda’s face as she sings songs with the kids.

Up here on the mountain, everything is so different, as if we truly have a fresh start.

Town is so full of bad memories. We both had it so hard as teenagers, in completely different ways. I know Amanda’s issues with her mother made her want to get out of town. All she wanted was that I would go with her.

I swallow down a lump of guilt. I worried about my parents ragging on me and getting teased by my jock friends while Amanda didn’t even know where her mother was most of the time, let alone if there was food in the cupboards or if the rent was paid.

We put the kids to bed, and I try to hide my eagerness. I know it’s too early to expect anything, but I’ve been waiting to get her alone all day.

“Hey, you,” she says, taking my hands.

“Yeah…” I say nervously. “Hey to you, too.”

“Sorry it got a bit hectic with my magical display. I just went with it. I wasn’t thinking too much.”

“It really does look like our bond has worked and your magic is back.”

“Yes, it does,” she says, though she looks a little troubled. “I’ll have to talk to the others to see how they’re going, but it seems like this is the solution.”

“Would that be so bad?”

“Only if there are witches and wolves that disagree but still match.”

“Oh, of course. I didn’t really think of that.”

She shrugs. “The Decker pack has a valid concern. Lucy did trap Peter, and it appears to have happened a lot in the past.”

“I didn’t see him complaining.”

She grins. “He complained—a lot. Lucy was keeping me updated on the situation, remember?”

“Yeah, I do,” I say. “But I also know that by the time you got here to help them break the spell, the two of them were joined at the hip by choice.”

“Yeah, that was pretty funny,” she giggles.

“And then, you just left,” I go on, unable to stop myself. “You came to town and ran off right away, before I could get a chance to see you.”

She shrugs. “That was kind of the point, yeah.” Her hands are still gently linked with mine, and she gives me a light squeeze. “I know you’ve explained and everything,” she whispers. “But I can’t just trust you yet. You know that, right?”

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