Page 54 of Mates: Posy

It isn't true, but let him think what he wants.

If I hadanystrength, it came from him, and I both dreaded and anticipated the day he found his mate. Dreaded it because I would lose him, but anticipated it because he so deserved to have someone love and care for him. He was a good man; I hoped the Moon Goddess was kind with her choice for him.

Again Luke seemed to be on my wavelength, because he said, "We'll find our mates soon, ladybug. Rain says he can sense ours, and she's tied to yours. When Kestrel wakes up, I bet she'll agree."

I dropped my eyes, shaking my head in denial.

"Don't give up on yourself, sister," he murmured. "It's not over—"

"—until you're underground," I finished.

It was his favorite saying and life motto. He even had it tattooed inside his left wrist.

With a grin, he rolled off the bed and pulled me up and onto my feet.

"We're leaving in twenty minutes, so get going." He gave me a little push. "Crew brought some bags of clothes, too. I put it all in your closet."

"Did he bring any make-up? At least some concealer?"

"No, but no one will say anything about your bruises," he assured me. "Pick something pretty to wear."

I nodded, but my stomach twisted.

You can coat pot metal in gold, but it's still garbage underneath.

Then I chided myself, ashamed of my despondency. Luke had sacrificed so much to get us this far. I owed it to him to try harder, to take this chance to start over. I'd be foolish not to.

#

Posy

"Do you like to grill?" I asked Mason.

"Yep."

I had my head in the fridge, assessing what we had to work with. There was a ton of beef, a standard in most wolves' diet, but I also spotted some lovely red and yellow peppers in the produce drawer.

"Do you have any red onions and cherry tomatoes?"

"Yep."

"What about marinades?"

"Ah, that's probably going to be a no, but let me look."

I grabbed two packs of stew beef and put it on the counter, then went back for the peppers. Bending over, I scooped up several of each color, straightened up, and turned around only to see Mason's eyes flick up from where my bum had been a moment ago.

"Were you looking at my bum?"

"Am I in trouble if I say yes?"

I blushed and spun away, laying the peppers next to the beef.

Next thing I knew, a hand gripped the counter on either side of me and a hard body crowded against my shoulders. Warm breath tickled my skin as Mason brushed my neck with his nose, and I shivered.

"Am I, little flower?" he murmured.

Shyly, I shook my head. From the corner of my eye, I saw his ear was level with my mouth and a little imp of mischief stirred inside me.

---