Page 7 of Marked
Fuck, she’s so damn beautiful. Every inch of her is utter perfection, from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes. I’m completely captivated, drinking in her appearance like I’m dying of thirst, eager eyes raking over her lithe form as I commit every detail to memory.
Long tan legs. Full, curvy hips. Perky tits that look like they’ll fit perfectly in my hands, with delicate little peach-tipped nipples. Golden hair, amber eyes. Full lips, parting on a stilted inhale.
The mark at the base of her throat isn’t her only scar. Parallel lines mar the skin of her left bicep, another deep line drawn up the inside of her left wrist. Though scars are rare on shifters, hers aren’t off-putting. They’re just as beautiful as the rest of her.
She slaps a palm over her wrist to cover the scar, pulling her hands together in front of her as I jerk my chin up to meet her gaze.
“Wanna run back?” I ask, sensing her discomfort and needing to alleviate it somehow.
“Yes,” she breathes, her head bobbing up and down in a frantic nod. “Back to the packhouse, or…”
“Yeah, the packhouse. Is that cool? Or did you…”
“Yep. Yeah,” she blurts with another sharp nod. “Let’s go.”
The air shimmers around her body as she calls her wolf forward, and I’m quick to do the same, seamlessly shifting back to my animal form. The two of us take off running in the direction of the packhouse, and thankfully our wolves are a hell of a lot less awkward together than we are as humans. We easilyfall into pace with one another, rubbing up against and nipping at each other playfully. That giddy sense of euphoria washes over me again as I run beneath the full moon with my fated mate for the first time.
When we break through the treeline at the packhouse, Chey and I briefly part ways to shift and collect our clothes. The second mine are on, I’m crossing the lawn toward her, driven by the primal instinct to be near my mate.
She’s got her head down as she works to fasten a cuff bracelet around her wrist, and I clear my throat as I approach so I don’t startle her. “Hey, do you wanna…”
Chey snaps her head up, amber eyes locking with mine. “I need a drink.”
“Yeah, I can do that,” I reply with an enthusiastic nod. “Just... uh, do you wanna…” I throw a thumb over my shoulder, looking and feeling awkward as fuck as she stares back at me blankly.
Shit, I’m usually way smoother than this.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, pivoting on a heel and trudging toward the packhouse. The bond between us strains harder with every foot of distance I gain, prompting me to up my pace. The faster I make this drink, the faster I can get back to her.
I’m only gone for five minutes tops, but when I reemerge from the packhouse the back lawn is abuzz with activity as the others return from their run. My mate is still right where I left her, except she’s now been joined by Lo and Javi. I grin like an idiot as I make a beeline toward them, blowing right past my sister and her mate to approach Chey.
“Vodka cranberry, right?” I ask, extending a hand to offer her the glass.
“Yeah, thanks,” she mumbles as she reaches for it. Our fingers brush when she takes the drink, pleasurable little sparks sizzling between our skin on contact. She jerks her hand back with a little gasp, my sister watching our interaction intently.
“Iver, please tell Chey that you don’t care about her mark,” Lo prompts.
I flinch back with a scowl, looking from her to Chey. “You think I give a shit about that?” I scoff, shaking my head as I turn my gaze back on my mate. “You’re literally my dream girl. I know we don’t know each other very well, but c’mon, you’ve gotta at least give me a chance.”
Chey lifts her drink to her lips, still looking profoundly uncomfortable. She downs half of it in two gulps while Javi slides in closer, murmuring something to her under his breath.
Lo’s fingers curl around my arm and I allow her to tug me aside, even as my inner wolf riots at being parted from our mate yet again.
“Do the two of them have history or something?” I ask suspiciously as soon as we’re out of earshot, eyeing the way Javi and Cheyenne are huddled closely together whispering to one another. “Like, romantically…?”
“What? No!” Lo snaps, scrunching her nose. “Cheyenne is like a sister to him.”
I snort in amusement as the irony strikes me.
“What’s so funny?” she asks, squinting.
I shake my head with a chuckle. “Fate just has a sense of humor, that’s all. A sister for a sister.”
Lo rolls her eyes, stepping in closer and dropping her voice low. “How are you feeling about all of this?” she asks, resting her hand on my arm and blinking up at me with concern. “Be honest.”
“Honestly?” I muse, pausing just to mess with her. The truth is, there’s nothing for me to even consider. I found mymate, and she’sperfect. My pulse skips as I glance over at Chey, the corner of my mouth lifting in a smirk when I turn back to my sister. “She’s hot as fuck, and she’s a total badass. What more could I want?”
Lo heaves a relieved sigh and throws her arms around my neck, squeezing me tight. I spill some of my drink on her shirt as I hug her back, but she doesn’t seem to mind. “Congratulations, little bro,” she whispers as she releases me from her embrace, glancing toward Chey and Javi. Her lips spread into a grin as she nudges me in encouragement. “Now go tellherthat.”
