Tempest, page 18
Ronan – my mate.
I drew in a shaky breath. “We’ve touched dozens of times in training, and nothing happened. Why now?”
Ronan released my hands and sat on the sofa with me. “I don’t know. To be honest, I thought being what I am made it impossible for me to bond, and there was no one like me I could ask about it. I wasn’t sure I had bonded until I walked into the house and saw you.”
I stared out at the lake. “You were here by the lake last night.”
He nodded. “Did that upset you?”
“No. I couldn’t sleep, and I think it helped.” I adjusted my position so I was facing him with my legs tucked under me.
He angled his body toward me, and we looked at each other. I had seen him almost every day for over a month, but I was looking at him now through new eyes. In this moment, he wasn’t my trainer or my running companion. Of all the Mori demons in the world, Ronan’s was the one my Mori recognized as its mate.
My head was still spinning, and this all felt too surreal. Some people, like my father, went many years without finding their mate. Other people, like my mother, bonded young. I hadn’t thought much about it because it always felt like something that would take place years into my future.
“What happens now?” I asked, hating how young and uncertain I sounded.
Ronan’s gaze didn’t waver. “What do you want to happen?”
The question caught me off guard. He’d had a whole day to process this, and I expected him to have already made up his mind about what he wanted to do. He had never intended to stay long at Westhorne, and his future did not include a mate. He’d said as much a few minutes ago.
I wouldn’t delude myself about any feelings he might have for me. Running with me a few times a week was one thing. It was another thing to spend the rest of his life with me.
I didn’t have to examine my feelings for him to know they were more than friendly, but not enough to commit my life to someone I knew so little about. I also didn’t want to say goodbye to him.
“I understand if you want to end it here,” he said quietly when I took too long to answer. “This is life-changing, and it’s okay if you’re not ready for it.”
I swallowed dryly. “Can we…? Do we have to decide now?”
His eyes softened. “No.”
I smiled, but he wasn’t finished.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” He glanced away, and when his eyes returned to me, they were serious again. “I’m safe from your magic when I shift because my wolf shields my Mori. It’s like my Mori is dormant when I’m in wolf form, which means it can’t sense another Mori.”
“I thought that was the case,” I said, not sure where he was going with this.
He hesitated to speak as if he was trying to formulate the right words. “My wolf doesn’t know my Mori has bonded with yours, so it doesn’t recognize you as our mate.
I deflated when the meaning of his words sank in. “Your wolf hasn’t imprinted on me.”
“No.” Ronan scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know if it can imprint. A lone werewolf without a pack can’t imprint, but I’m also not a full wolf, so I don’t know if it applies to me.”
“I understand.” I looked down at my hands so he couldn’t see how much his words affected me.
“That doesn’t mean it won’t happen,” he said. “When you told me about the effect you and your mother have on animals, I thought it was why I’m drawn to you. But if that was the case, I would feel the same pull toward your mother. I don’t.”
Warmth invaded my chest, and I lifted my head. “You are?”
“Since the day you yelled at me for rescuing you from the river,” he said with a teasing note in his voice.
I blinked in surprise. That had happened only a week after he arrived at Westhorne. Until our conversation in the dining hall, I’d been sure he didn’t even like me.
“My wolf likes you and enjoys running with you, but I don’t know if it will go beyond that,” he admitted. “But I am willing to find out if you are.”
“I am.” It was far from a declaration of love, but it ignited a spark of hope inside me. Summer told me Uncle Roland’s wolf imprinted on Aunt Emma because he spent a lot of time with her in his wolf form. Maybe the same could be true for us.
He smiled and glanced up at the house. “First, I must speak to your parents.”
A rock landed in my stomach. Mom might be okay with this, but Dad wasn’t going to take it well. I was his little girl. He’d probably have a hard time with it if I was fifty.
“Your father will not scare me off,” Ronan said as if I’d voiced my fear aloud. “I believe he already knows about our bond.”
“What? How?” I swung my legs off the sofa and sat up straight.
“He is perceptive, and he saw how we reacted to each other when I arrived. A bonded male can see signs others will not.”
I remembered wondering why my father was angry at Ronan. It meant Mom knew, too. Did Dimitri? Soon all of Westhorne would know, including my friends. I pictured their shocked faces and everyone watching us together. How could Ronan and I be ourselves and get to know each other living under a microscope?
“Do you mind if we keep this between us and my family for now? And my grandfather?” I asked. “I think it will be easier that way.”
“We will do whatever is more comfortable for you.” He stood. “It might be best if I spoke to your parents alone, your father in particular.”
“Oh. You’re probably right.” I let my arms hang at my sides, unsure of what to do next. Were we supposed to hug? Kiss? My heart thumped. Why hadn’t anyone ever told me the etiquette for bonding?
Ronan stepped toward me and placed his hands on my arms. He leaned in and pressed a featherlight kiss to my forehead. “I will see you tomorrow.”
The tender gesture was so unexpected I forgot to reply until he was halfway up the steps. I sank down on the sofa and stared blankly at the lake as shock rolled over me again. I was bonded to Ronan. Ronan.
I loved the story of how my parents met, especially when Dad described the moment he had bonded with Mom. I had only seen the romantic side of it. I’d had no idea how complicated and emotional and all-consuming it was.
I walked down to the dock and paced back and forth before I sat cross-legged listening to water lap softly against the wood. That was where my mother found me. She sat beside me and waited for me to speak.
“At least, we know I’m not sick or dying,” I said in an attempt at humor. “How is Dad handling it?”
She played with my hair. “Like a father who’s realized he is no longer the most important male in his daughter’s life. He’ll need a few days – or weeks – to come to terms with it.”
I sighed. “And you?”
“I’m happy as long as you are happy,” she said. “Ronan told us you are going to get to know each other better before you decide what to do. Is that what you want?”
I answered without hesitation. “Yes.”
Her hand stopped. “Was there something between you and Ronan before you bonded?”
“No, at least, not what you think.” I turned my head to look at her. “I’ve been spending time with him outside of training, but there’s nothing romantic about it. We run together.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You run?”
“Remember the night I broke up with Kai? I was on my way home, and I met Ronan going for his nightly run. He shifted, and we ran to the lake. We’ve done it a few times since, but that’s it. We don’t even talk. I think he wishes he had a pack to run with.”
Compassion softened her eyes. “I forget sometimes he is as much a wolf as a Mohiri.”
I stared at the lake again. “And a wolf has to imprint on his mate.”
“Dani…”
“He doesn’t know if he can imprint without a pack,” I said around the tightness in my throat. “But he never expected his Mori to bond either.”
Mom put an arm around me, and I turned into her embrace. She stroked my hair, and I rested my head on her shoulder.
“You have feelings for him,” she said.
I nodded.
She inhaled deeply and let it out. “If he doesn’t imprint, he might decide to leave. The more time you spend together the more painful it will be to break the bond. You’re willing to take that risk?”
“Yes.” I knew a wolf could imprint on someone the male cared about because it had happened to Uncle Roland and Aunt Emma. The question was could Ronan imprint?
I pulled away from her and stood when I heard footsteps above us. Looking up, I met my father’s eyes as he descended the steps. His mouth was set in a straight line, but his eyes were tender when he reached us. I bit my lip waiting for him to speak.
He enveloped me in a tender hug. “It’s okay to say no if you aren’t ready for this.”
“I know. Ronan said the same thing.”
Dad held me at arm’s reach and searched my face. I didn’t know what he was looking for, but he must have found it. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this, but nothing is more important to me than your happiness.”
I hugged him tightly around the waist. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear those words from him.
“Are you guys going to tell me what is going on?” Dimitri called from the doorway.
I pulled away from Dad. “I want to tell him alone.”
“Go on. We’ll be up soon.”
I ran lightly up the stairs. At the top, I looked back and saw my parents exchange a loving kiss. That could be Ronan and me someday.
“What’s with the goofy look on your face?” Dimitri asked.
I smiled and pushed him into the house. “Come on. I’ll tell you all about it.”
* * *
The next day, Ronan and I learned it was harder than we’d thought to keep our bond a secret. I couldn’t stop staring at him in class, which didn’t go unnoticed by the other girls, who shot me sly looks. It didn’t help that my Mori kept doing the whole fluttery thing that apparently happened whenever its mate was nearby.
Ronan had more experience with hiding his emotions, but a few times he slipped, and I caught him scowling when one of the male trainees touched me during an exercise. Once, when Sean pinned me under him, Ronan looked ready to throw him off me. Dimitri saw it and asked Ronan a question to distract him. By noon, I was convinced my father had superhuman self-control to have hidden his bond from everyone for so long.
At lunch, all my friends could talk about was the accident, and the girls spent a large part of the conversation gushing over Ronan.
“When he stripped off his shirt to bandage you, my lady bits melted.” Elsie pretended to swoon, earning eye rolls from the boys at the table.
“And then he picked you up and carried you.” Victoria leaned across the table to whisper, “What was it like?”
Dimitri scoffed. “She had three broken ribs. How do you think it felt?”
I shot him a grateful look. He’d had my back all day, and I wasn’t sure I could have done this without him.
Elsie made a sound of appreciation, and I looked up to see Ronan over by the serving tables. I tapped my foot in irritation. When he turned to find a table, she did it again, and I’d had enough.
“Remember when Celine stepped in for Gavin last fall and all the boys were drooling over her?” I asked Elsie. “You told them to stop objectifying her. You’re doing the exact same thing with Ronan.”
“No. I’m just…” She looked around our table. The other girls said nothing, but a few of the boys nodded. Her cheeks turned pink. “You’re right. Sorry.”
I felt bad for calling her out, but I was one more Mmmm away from elbowing her. We’d been friends a long time, and the last thing I wanted was to start a fight with her over it.
I picked up my water glass to take a drink, and my eyes locked with Ronan’s. He sat on the far side of the room with Gavin, but even from that distance, his gaze set off butterflies in my stomach.
Dimitri nudged my foot with his, drawing my attention to him. He gave me a look that said Ronan and I were about to set tongues wagging if we didn’t cool it. I mouthed “Thanks” at him and kept my eyes off the other side of the room for the remainder of lunch. I was careful for the rest of our classes and avoided looking at Ronan unless I had to.
That night, I waited for Ronan near the woods. Though we hadn’t arranged it, I knew he’d be there like he had all the other times. Normally, we didn’t talk, but this was my first opportunity to be alone with him today.
“Hi.” I smiled, hoping I didn’t look as awkward as I felt.
He stopped two feet away from me. “Hi.”
All day, I’d thought of things I wanted to tell him and questions to ask, and I forgot every single one of them. This was starting off well.
“I was going to call you, and I realized I don’t have your number,” I said in a rush. “Do you have a phone?”
“Yes.” He took one from his back pocket and gave it to me. I stared at it until he said, “Put your number in it.”
I picked up a note of laughter in his voice, and it occurred to me I’d never heard him laugh. There was so much I didn’t know about him.
I entered my name and number into his phone and handed it back to him. Seconds later, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked it and saw a text from him. All it said was Hi. I hid a wry smile as I saved him to my contacts. He still wasn’t much for conversation. Getting to know him would be fun.
“We should probably do more than running.” I blushed at how that sounded and hurriedly said, “We should talk.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “We should.”
“If you and I start eating together, it’ll raise too many questions. We could eat in your cabin, but someone is bound to see me coming or going from there. I didn’t realize until today how little privacy there is at Westhorne. It was never an issue growing up at the lake.”
Ronan nodded. “I’m used to being alone, so it’s been an adjustment for me, too.”
He said it casually, but my heart constricted at his admission. He was a wolf without a pack and the only one of his kind he knew of. I had my mother to guide me and the love of a large extended family. I couldn’t imagine being on my own without them. How isolated and lonely that life would be.
“I guess we could go to town or go for a walk in the woods,” I mused.
“The pool,” he said, taking me by surprise. “Meet me there tomorrow evening.”
I immediately thought about the last time we were at the pool, and I hoped his night vision wasn’t good enough to see my flushed face. “What time?”
He thought for a moment. “Six.”
“Okay.” A thrill went through me, and my body vibrated with nervous energy. “Do you want to run tonight?”
“Yes.” He waved for me to enter the woods ahead of him. “I will give you a good head start.”
I glared at him in feigned indignation. “In your dreams. I go slow so you can keep up.”
He didn’t reply as he followed me into the trees, and I had a feeling he was going to make me eat those words. That didn’t mean I had to make it easy for him.
I glanced back to find him already reaching for the hem of his shirt. Adrenaline surged through me, and I took off. It wasn’t long until he closed in, and I dug into my reserves for more speed. I pulled ahead, and I had about ten seconds to celebrate my pending victory when a blur of brown fur blew past me.
When I reached our usual spot near the end of the lake, he was taking a leisurely drink. He lifted his head, and his amber eyes said, “What took you so long?”
I folded my arms. “You’ve been holding back this whole time.”
He chuffed a few times.
“Are you laughing at me?” I narrowed my eyes. “I think I liked you better when you were grumpy Ronan.”
He snorted and walked past me so closely his fur brushed my arm. I turned, and he stopped at the edge of the clearing to look back at me over his shoulder.
“Good night,” I called softly, already looking forward to tomorrow evening and our first date.
* * *
I glanced at my phone for the fifth time, and my shoulders sagged. I had been at the pool for fifteen minutes, and there was no sign of Ronan. He hadn’t called or texted, and he didn’t strike me as someone who would bail without a word. Five more minutes and I was going home.
Five minutes later, I swallowed back my disappointment and stood. There must be a good reason why he hadn’t shown up. He’d seemed so sincere last night when he asked me to meet him here.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” said a voice from behind me.
I spun to face Ronan, who stood a few yards away. He held a small cooler and a blanket, and he looked more than a little frustrated.
“Gavin stopped me to talk when I went to the dining hall for our food,” he said as he closed the distance between us. “I didn’t have my phone on me to send you a message.”
I smiled. “It’s okay.”
He set the cooler on the ground and spread out the blanket. My smile grew. He had planned a picnic for us.
We sat, and he produced a small battery-powered lantern, which he placed on the blanket. He opened the cooler and took out a basket of cold fried chicken, potato salad, and bottles of water.
I picked up a drumstick. “How did you know this is my favorite picnic meal?”
Ronan set out plates, forks, and napkins. “I asked your mother.”
My hand stopped halfway to my mouth. “My mother?” I hadn’t told anyone I was meeting him tonight. This was all so new, and it felt strange talking about it around my parents.
“She also said I should bring these.” He reached into the cooler and held up a container of chocolate fudge brownies. His teasing smile turned my insides to warm goo and caused me to drop the drumstick in my lap.
“She knows me so well,” I managed to say. I tried for an air of nonchalance as I picked up the piece of chicken, but the glint of mischief in his eyes told me I’d failed miserably. I cleared my throat. “This is perfect.”
