He held it as he drove. “What is it?”
“Oh, those are vaginal suppositories for personal lubrication,” she said as she continued digging through her bag. “I made a fresh batch of them the other day and am going to give them to Poppy to give her mother-in-law.”
Jonathan cleared his throat and fought the urge to drop the jar, as if the act of holding it might very well cause him to grow a vagina. He wasn’t sure what his issue was. Everyone liked lubrication, right? “I’m fine, Marcy. Thank you though.”
“Are you sure? You look pale,” Marcy said as she continued looking through her bag, pulling out various items. He was starting to wonder just how much the bag could hold. “Did my driving make you sick? It made Austin puke. Wait. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone that. I’m not sure why he’s embarrassed. It’s a natural thing—getting sick.”
He held the jar out to her. “Here. I’m good. Really.”
She took the jar and shrugged as she began loading items back into her purse.
Jonathan glanced at her lap and did a double take. “Is that a wooden stake?”
She smiled and held it up. “It is. Isn’t it pretty? Dana gave it to me.”
“Does Bram know his daughter basically armed you against him?” asked Jonathan.
She nodded. “At first, he seemed concerned, but then I pointed out the fact that I’ve already had more than one run-in with a vampire who wasn’t friendly. Then he tried to get me to carry more stakes and holy water.”
That sounded like Bram.
She put the stake in her bag and then grinned, pulling out a bra-like top that looked to have been crocheted. Whatever it was, it couldn’t possibly cover much. “Oh, here. I made this for you a few weeks back.”
Jonathan nearly went off the road and decided it was best to pull over, so he did. He looked at her. Did the woman expect him to wear that? “I don’t want to come off as rude, but—”
She touched his arm lightly. “You could never come off as rude, Jonathan. I can barely contain my excitement. You’ve waited so long to be with her again.”
He tensed. “With whom?”
She nodded to the bra-like object. “Your mate, silly. This is for you to give to her. I think you’re going to love seeing her in it.”
Did she know the truth? That he was indeed mated but hadn’t seen his mate in eighteen years, and even then, he’d only seen her in wolf form? “Have you been talking to Dwayne?”
“Oh I talk to Dwayne all the time. I see him when I visit Kellan,” she said, warming his heart, knowing she cared about the wolf-shifter. “I made a batch of calming tea for Marjorie. She’s been having trouble sleeping since Kellan was hurt. I keep telling them both that he’ll be all right eventually. He just needs time.”
Jonathan licked his lips. “By chance, during one of your conversations with Dwayne, did he tell you about me? About what happened here in Grimm Cove eighteen years ago?”
“No. Dwayne hasn’t ever mentioned anything about your past. Why?” she asked softly.
“I just thought… Never mind.”
Marcy kept her hand on his arm. “Thought what?”
He shifted his gaze downward, wondering how much, if any, he should reveal. He didn’t want to be looked at with pity or for people to question his ability to lead. They would if they knew how close to the edge he was or how long he’d gone without seeing his mate. “It’s nothing.”
She snorted. “We should really work on your lying. Right now, it’s not so great.”
He offered the faintest of smiles. “Let’s get you to the Gallows Lane house.”
“Okay, but the goal is really gettingyouto the Gallows Lane house,” she stated evenly. “Not so much me.”
“Me? Why would I need to be there?” he asked.
She let out a sigh of frustration. “Because of your mate.”
“I don’t have a mate,” he said, his voice lacking conviction.
She quirked a brow. “Your lying hasn’t improved any in the last two minutes.”