If Jessica hadn’t been so on edge, she’d have found the scene rather comical.
“For the millionth time, we are fine.” Too bad her mates couldn’t see her eyes rolling from town.
“My love,” Reese added in the sappiest tone imaginable for telepathic communication, “we don’t have to be near you to sense an eye roll.”
Jessica sighed. Figured. But, seriously, it was the first time she’d been separated from them, and she found she missed them being close. Though she was loathe to admit it. Their heads were so large as it was it was a wonder they didn’t topple over from the added weight.
She wasn’t ovulating anymore, and she’d manage to escape getting pregnant in the last few days also. Without the added stress and worry of conception, she was free to enjoy herself. And she wanted them all the time. Now being no exception. “Just get back soon, okay?” She didn’t want to give them the impression she couldn’t be away from them, but in truth, she could barely tolerate the separation and hoped they were suffering too.
Kara and Lindsey had coached her. It was ironic since Jessica was the actual wolf of the three. But her best friends knew far more than she did about the days and weeks immediately following a mating. They’d just been through it and were extremely sympathetic to her plight. They didn’t hesitate to chuckle at her predicament, but they knew the intense cravings she was experiencing all too well.
“Jess?” Alyssa set a hand on Jessica’s coat sleeve.
Jess looked over to find a confused expression.
“You were a million miles away. You okay?”
“Uh, yes. Charles and Reese were checking on us. I don’t quite have the knack for communicating in my head while still pretending to be in the moment.”
Alyssa laughed. “That’s so cool. I can’t wait to experience it.”
“Oh, hon, you’re so young. Believe me. Give it a few years. Enjoy yourself now because, after you’re claimed, you’ll feel a bit like you’re having the life squished out of you.”
The girl gasped. “That bad? You look so happy.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been happier, but it’s life altering … and permanent. I’ll never be the carefree woman I was last week again.”
“That makes sense.” She giggled again. “Don’t think we have to worry about that. Mating is the furthest thing from my mind right now, and it seems the Masters are going to be so kind as to let me be a pseudo-member of their family. As long as I stay here at the farm, I’ll be safe from meeting a mate.”
Alyssa seemed so sure of herself. She had it all worked out. Too bad fate had a way of changing course on a person sometimes. Who knew though? Maybe she could escape that fate for at least a little while if she stayed here on the farm and took some correspondence classes online. For her sake, Jessica hoped so.
Alyssa was so young and innocent. She couldn’t even imagine her being married off against her will to an older man with several wives. It made Jessica cringe when she allowed herself to consider she’d have been in those exact same shoes if her parents hadn’t fled with her all those years ago. Perhaps she wouldn’t have fared as well as Alyssa.
It was a shame they’d had to die to save their daughter, but she had a new appreciation for the sacrifice they’d made and the resulting woman she’d become.
“Wanna go back inside? It’s cold out here.” Alyssa nodded toward the house. “And we’re making the entire family and their employees freakishly nervous by hanging around outside.” Alyssa giggled again and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Although, I secretly enjoy watching dozens of people flock around us on pins and needles. I’ve never felt so … loved.”
That last word stabbed Jess in the chest. How did a girl live eighteen years without feeling loved? That was a crime. Didn’t her parents love her? Even though they were misguided, Jessica hoped the couple had nurtured and cared for their daughter for the last eighteen years. The opposite was unimaginable. At least Jess had ten fantastic years with her own parents before they’d been murdered.
“Yeah, let’s go in the house and put them out of their misery.” Jess wrapped her arm around Alyssa’s and headed for the front door.
Chapter 15
“Good morning, baby. Merry Christmas.” Charles nibbled on her ear, shocking her with his words.
“Shit.” Jess wiggled in between her men, hoping to enjoy a few more minutes before they had to get up. “I completely forgot.” It was Christmas day. She’d been so busy worrying about mating and her cousin she’d not realized the date.