Page 58 of Jace

“You’ll stay close, and do exactly as I say?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said. “You have my word.”

“Let’s go then,” he said. “We can stop to eat along the way.”

23

Jace

Jace walked alongside his mate, wishing he could just pretend they were going for a nice stroll in the woods on a pretty morning.

The birds singing in the trees didn’t know that they were searching for trespassers. And the soft sunlight filtering through lush green leaves did not know that she had not agreed to be his mate.

But she was smiling at him again.

Even after last night, when she had come outside to find him with his dragon so close to his skin that he shivered with the power. He’d been worried she might be frightened, but it seemed just the opposite.

She wants us, the dragon hissed teasingly. Do not make her wait.

But the dragon was an ancient thing that had no respect for the rights of living beings. He wanted only to protect and pleasure and multiply. His confidence that the woman would be delighted to accept his domination was unshakable.

Jace, on the other hand, had no such easy confidence.

Until Bard’s visit, he rested in the knowledge that time was on his side. But the moment he saw the other man’s eyes on his mate, he knew he had been a fool.

However remote their living situation, men would find Susannah. She was beautiful, kind, and brave. If she didn’t accept his claim, she would accept someone else’s.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said softly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

She was looking around them at the towering trees of the old growth forest.

“It is,” he agreed.

He glanced down at her to see that she was frowning.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I hate to cut any of it down,” she said suddenly. “Now that I’ve seen it in person, it seems wrong to destroy it. The trees are so majestic, and there are animals living in the woods, too. Back on Terra-11, there is almost no unspoiled land like this.”

“It is sad to think of these trees being gone,” he agreed. “But I know you have to provide for Zeke.”

“My parents resold the land next door to a big developer once they got it looking nice,” she told him. “And then they used the money to start an industrial company that took up even more land. Then the company went public intergalactically. So, our family is responsible for more lost trees than you could ever imagine.”

“That’s not your fault,” he reminded her. “You are not your parents.”

“I know,” she said. “At least in my head. But in my heart, I still feel like I have a debt to pay to nature. I don’t want to knock down more trees. If anything, I want to preserve this forest, and maybe plant more trees near the house, too.”

“If that’s what you want, then maybe there’s a way,” he allowed. “We just have to get creative.”

Her smile was back now, and his chest ached at how happy he was to see it.

“Should we stop and eat?” he offered, pointing to a big rock with a rare ray of sunshine breaking through the trees to warm it.

“Looks like it was made for us,” she replied.

“Need help climbing up?” he offered.

“I’m fine,” she said, scrambling onto the rock without disturbing the baby.

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