Page 70 of Sigma
Linc got word to us yesterday that Mitch Blakely is coming to town. He had some stuff to do before he could leave again, but he’ll be here the day after tomorrow. The council have apparently rigged a cage up and the council made the decision to buy Cat some expensive lab equipment so tests can be done in-house. Linc says Mitch wasn’t forthcoming about any facts to dowith Jared’s past, his pack, or anything like that, so we’ll have to wait until he gets here.
Bailey dug and got contact information for Jared’s cousin Olivia and another pack member of Jared’s that he was friends with called Jonathan Briggs who, coincidentally, is a member of Joel’s ex-girlfriend’s pack. Joel said he’d call her mate and ask for information after we meet with Mitch and determine it’s safe to reach out to Jonathan.
That Joel agreed to do that surprised me. Bailey agreed that it’s a big deal. Maybe since Joel knows his mating is coming soon, he’s looking for closure with his ex, who was abruptly identified as the mate of a visiting alpha from another pack over a decade ago. The whole pack was heavily invested in the aftermath of all that. The council guys are eight years older than I am, but I often think of the Joel before that as a different, happier, more upbeat person than the serious, quieter Joel he seems to have become after he split with Susan.
“Listen…” Jared grabs my hands and kisses one, then the other, “It needs to run.”
I tilt my head curiously.
“My wolf. It’s been too long. I’m gonna go for a drive, let it run, then I’ll be back.”
“I’ll drive you.”
“No. You stay here.”
I jump to my feet. “Absolutely not!”
He grabs me and holds onto me, whispering in my ear, “Please, Cicely, don’t fight me on this.” He kisses the mate mark.
I remain stiff in his embrace, panic surging through me. I pull back and search his eyes while I try to sift through our connection to look for signs of whether or not he plans to comeback. Is he using this as an excuse to take off before Mitch gets here?
“If you don’t come back…” I warn, “I’ll hunt you down.”
He flinches and laughs before he runs his nose along my neck. “I just need to run. That’s all… I need to let it run and then I’ll be back.”
“When?”
“Whenever I find myself in this form again. It’s usually twelve hours or less. You can stay here, or you can go stay in your apartment. I’d rather you stay here since I’m not ready for you to be around other shifters without me, but I’ll deal if you feel the need to go spend time with your pack, check on your store, or see your girl.”
He's referring to Bailey, because I’ve expressed a few times how close we are and talked about what she’s going through right now with Jase.
When I don’t respond, he chuckles. “Fuck, you’re beautiful when you wanna rip my head off my shoulders, woman.”
I’m still getting used to seeing him smile and laugh. I think he’s still getting used to it, too. It lightens the load a little to see humor, which suggests he’s not trying to pull the wool over my eyes so he can leave me. I’m not entirely convinced, though.
“Back as soon as I can be.” He leans in and takes my mouth in a passionate kiss that I only partly participate in.
I stare at him as he backs away from me, grabbing his keys and his phone.
“Gimme your number?” he asks.
I ramble it off.
“Be back soon.” He grabs his mask before he kisses me again and leaves.
The fact that he acted so casual should make me feel better. He didn’t want to fuck me one more time, suggesting it was goodbye. Though, we did it a few hours ago so maybe that was the last time.
No, I don’t feel better.
25
JARED
The Following Day
I stop beside the two vehicles parked a mile up the old dirt road and wave.
One vehicle has two Arcana Falls pack members in it. I don’t know them, but they both wave.
