Page 89 of It's You
Lela turned around and grabbed the child, adroitly swinging her up on one hip with a bright smile.
“You know who this is,louveteau?”
Delphine shook her head no, looking from her aunt to eye Jack warily.
“This is your Uncle Jacques. Papa’s brother.”
“Uncle Jacques from the Southern Bloodlands?” she whispered.
Julien stepped up, peeking around Lela’s shoulders to wink at his daughter.
“The same.”
He smiled at Jack and put out one large paw of a hand, which Jack shook with a big smile.
“Good to see you,petit frère.”
“Petitmeans small,” declared Delphine with furrowed brows. “My papa ain’t small.”
Jack chuckled. “He’s small to me,louveteau.And so are you.”
“A course I am,” she replied with a very cross face. “I’m a little girl.”
Lela smiled at her half niece and put her down, telling her to go find herGrand’mèreTallis and tell her Jacques was home. The three siblings watched her scamper off toward the garden, and Jack turned back to Lela and Julien.
“Any news?”
Julien took a deep breath and shook his head.
“Mamanis crazy with worry.”
“In addition to beingjust crazy,” Lela added.
Jack gave her a warning look.
“Hoping you wouldn’t mind shifting and helping us search.” Julien inclined his head to Lela, then looked at Jack expectantly.
“Is Lela up for this?” he asked his brother.
Julien looked surprised at first, then grinned, and Jack saw the softness in his little brother’s eyes. “Have youmetLela?”
Jack flicked his eyes to Lela. Hers burned in indignation. She looked as fierce as a warrior, as fierce as his mother had looked in her prime.
“It’s going to be a hard run,” he said, deciding not to dwell on the quick tell of emotion he’d seen in Julien’s eyes, but wondering if there was something between him and Lela. Although half brother-half sister bindings weren’t necessarily encouraged, they weren’t prohibited by the pack either.
Lela smirked like a fox.
“Then try to keep up, boys.”
Jack,Julien, and Lela had no luck on their run, even though they covered a huge swath of forest fully shifted. By the time they returned to the cabin, the sun was setting, and they were dirty, tired, and hungry. Jack and Julien slipped back into the pants they’d left waiting at the side of the cabin.
When Jack rounded the corner of the house, Lela stood naked by the front door, clothes in her hand by her side.
“Good run,” she said to Jack, her voice deep and soft.
Jack stopped in his tracks, surprised, and couldn’t help but sweep his eyes quickly over her body. Black hair brushed the tops of her shoulders. He dropped his eyes and noticed her nipples standing at attention in the night air. Her waist was small and tight over small hips, and the junction of her thighs was covered in a triangle of dark, curly hair. He looked away, and his eyes unfocused, without a hint of interest or attraction as he thought of Darcy.
He missed her. He clenched his eyes shut to keep from going inside, to keep from finding her. He wanted to wait until later when he was alone. Then he’d try to connect with her, and hopefully she?—
