My Perfect Mate (3 page)

“Unfortunately,” Ujarak said quietly
to himself.

JP heard the comment clearly with his
heightened Fae senses. Susan gasped. She must have heard his mutter
as well. Jean-Paul decided not to react and waited for the polar
bear shifter to speak.

“So my brother said you’re a witch
with magical powers.”

“I am a member of the witches’ council
here in Canada,” JP admitted. He couldn’t tell them the full truth.
He was a Fae, one of the legendary Averys who could control all
four elements. And one of the few allowed on Earth. Most people,
including Mathis, thought he was a human witch who controlled only
one element. Jean-Paul helped to foster that misconception since
Fae were here secretly. Only their pointed ears gave them
away.

JP added, “Turning into a wolf or
polar bear could be considered magical.”

“From a human viewpoint it is.” Susan
nodded. Jean-Paul pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms
around her. She smelled like peaches on a summer day.

“What happened that you think you need
the help of a magic user?” JP asked Ujarak, hard pressed to turn
his attention from the woman on his lap.

“We were hunting on Hudson Bay for
seal,” Ujarak began. Jean-Paul motioned him to a chair at the
table. Ujarak sat with a disgruntled huff. “My uncle, Itigaituk,
found something in the ice. He dug it out and slipped it into his
pack. No one thought much of his actions. After that, strange
things started happening.

“My father fell through the ice into
the water. We had to fish him out so he wouldn’t freeze. The ice
should have been over a foot thick where he was standing. Then the
meat we caught went bad, as if it had been exposed to heat.
Remember we are in the Arctic Circle. It should have been
impossible for those things to happen.

“We made our way back to land. One of
the dog sleds started to slip through the ice. We were all pretty
spooked by then. My uncle started spouting strange words. A golden
light surrounded him. My father went up and shook him and Itigaituk
woke up like he’d been in a trance. After that, my uncle wouldn’t
speak to any of us. He took his sled and went home leaving us with
the rest of the hunting gear and the small amount of meat that
wasn’t ruined.”

“So you think whatever he found in the
ice caused the accidents and spoiled meat?” Susan asked.

“Something caused it. Now that we’re
home, there’s been no snow. The wind is warm and the ice is melting
on the bay. I don’t think its global warming,” Ujarak
said.

“He’s right,” JP said. “Your uncle
found a powerful magic ring called the Gryphon’s Eye. I met with
the former owner and she has requested I find and return it to her.
That’s where I’ve been for the last few weeks, Susan. I’m sorry you
couldn’t get in touch with me.” JP liked having her in his arms
where she belonged. His Destined One was a gift and all soft woman.
He gave her a little squeeze.

“I’m glad you’re okay. Mathis said you
wouldn’t have left me if you’d known of the consequences. I’m so
glad you’re back.”

The most beautiful emerald colored
eyes gazed at him. His chest warmed, it must be the lycan mating
bond. “I won’t leave you again, Susan. I promise.”

“This is all very sweet,” Ujarak said
with a sneer. “What’re we going to do about this magic ring before
it melts the Arctic?”

“We’re going to convince your uncle to
give it to us and I’m going to return it to where it can’t hurt
anyone.”

Ujarak laughed and hit the wooden
table with the flat of his hand. “You don’t know my uncle. He’ll
never willingly give us something he thinks is
valuable.”

“Then we’ll find a way to steal it,”
Jean-Paul suggested.

§

“The ring is very dangerous in the
wrong hands,” Jean-Paul said. “It could melt the polar ice cap and
flood all low lying areas, not to mention the global damage that
would result. It could cause the extinction of the human
race.”

Susan leaned into JP’s arms; her wolf
loved the feel of her mate holding her. For some reason, Susan
wanted to turn her head and sink her teeth into Jean-Paul’s neck
where it met his shoulder. Her mouth watered and her canines grew
sharper. The prickly sensation of fur running under her skin warned
that she was close to shifting. Her mate’s scent flooded her
senses. He smelled like green growing things and she really wanted
a taste.

“Susan, did you hear me?” Ujarak’s
voice intruded into her thoughts. “Susan! Are you all
right?”

She sighed and pulled back from where
she nuzzled JP’s neck. “What did you say?” She turned around to
look at her friend and blinked.

“I asked if you were up to making a
trip into the Arctic,” Ujarak said. “It’s freezing and right now
the farther north we travel, the less daylight there will be. Plus,
there is the danger of taking you to the polar bear village. There
are still those who think the lycans want to steal our territories,
my uncle included. They could try to kill you. I think you should
stay here out of harm’s way.”

“I can’t stay here. I’m afraid of what
might happen. Where JP goes, I go. I need to be with him.” Susan
knew she sounded pitiful, but her wolf rode her hard. She couldn’t
lose Jean-Paul again after finding him.

“She comes,” JP said.

Susan was glad he backed her up. Esme,
her lycan sister, waited six months for her mate. Susan didn’t
think she could do it.

“I can’t guarantee her safety,” Ujarak
protested.

Susan winced. There was no telepathic
bond between her and JP. The last three weeks had felt like he was
dead.

“She said she needs to be with me.
Mathis told me the same thing,” JP explained.

Susan squeezed his knee in thanks. The
lycan mating bond that ran from her heart to Jean-Paul’s, a thin
thread of golden light, was the only thing connecting them. It
wouldn’t grow into the rope like thickness until it was cemented
into place. Susan would drag JP to bed if she must. The bond would
be completed.

“Ujarak, please,” Susan
begged.

“Suzy-Q, I want you to be
safe. I don’t know what will happen when we confront my uncle. He’s
a bitter, paranoid man and there are several other
Nanuk
shifters that
follow him.”

Susan smiled, happy that Ujarak
worried about her, but she couldn’t let him convince Jean-Paul to
leave her behind. “If you don’t take me with you, I’ll follow
you.”

Ujarak swore and rose from his chair
so quickly it crashed to the ground. “This isn’t a game. I’m trying
to protect you!”

Susan flinched. Jean-Paul stiffened
beneath her, his arms holding her tightly. “I believe it is my
privilege to protect Susan. She needs to go with us and she will.
Let’s stop arguing about it and make our plans to leave. If the
ring is causing the bay to melt, we need to get it away from your
uncle. It’s his anger and hatred that feed the magic and causes the
heat.”

“Is everything all right in there?” a
musical voice called from down the hall.

Susan turned toward the sound and
watched a tall willowy woman walk into the room. She was
astoundingly beautiful, her skin a flawless porcelain, her dark
hair falling to her waist. She wore a long silver velvet
dress.

Susan rose from Jean-Paul’s lap and
brushed her hands down her sweater and jeans. This woman made her
feel totally inferior. No wonder JP hadn’t answered any of her
calls. Susan ground her teeth when Ujarak stared in fascinated
rapture at the woman. Susan placed her hands on JP’s shoulders. Her
wolf would fight to keep her mate. It was bad enough Ujarak acted
like a besotted fool. A low growl of warning rumbled in Susan’s
throat. Jean-Paul patted her hand and then rose from the chair. He
wrapped his arm around Susan and pulled her close.

“Susan, this is my half-sister,
Marguerite.”

“My father met his Destined One when
he came here to Quebec thirty years ago. My mother gave me to my
father to raise and wished him well.” Jean-Paul said. “Marguerite,
this is Susan, my Destined One and her friend, Ujarak. He’s a polar
bear shifter.”

“We call ourselves
Nanuk
.” Ujarak offered
his hand to the young woman with a winning smile.

Susan rolled her eyes. Ujarak was
certainly a lady’s man. At least she didn’t have to worry about JP.
She grimaced about her jealous reaction. Did Jean-Paul know? He
hadn’t said anything.

Marguerite smiled and walked to them.
She took Susan’s hands in hers. “I’m so happy to meet you, Susan.
We’ll be sisters-in-law. Jean-Paul has told me so much about you.”
Susan smiled, but was afraid it came out a grimace. Why did JP’s
sister have to be so nice?

“I’m sorry about growling earlier,”
Susan whispered.

Marguerite leaned forward. “It’s
okay,” she whispered back and squeezed Susan’s hands. “Why don’t I
put on water for tea? My parents will be returning shortly and
they’ll be delighted to meet you and Ujarak.”

Marguerite moved to the sink and
picked up a teakettle. Ujarak got up and fetched cups and saucers
from the cupboard. Susan sighed. Now she had to meet Jean-Paul’s
family. She wasn’t really prepared for this. A small part of her
thought she’d find JP had left town to get away from her. He gave
her waist a squeeze like he knew what she thought.

“Can you read my mind?” she
asked.

“Not yet, that will come with the
bonding, right? Mathis tried to explain it to me.”

“Then how do you know what’s going on
in my head?”

“You’ve a very expressive face,
sweetheart. You’re not that hard to figure out.”

“Oh,” Susan said
disappointed.

“Don’t feel bad. Now that I know about
the lycan reaction to separation, I won’t leave you. We’ll work
everything out.”

“Okay.” Susan tried not to give in and
hoped he was right. Her life didn’t work that way. Something bad
always seemed to happen. Her inner wolf gave a little wiggle, happy
to be in Jean-Paul’s arms.

Ujarak’s phone rang and he reached
into his pocket to dig it out. Looking at the caller ID he frowned
and answered.

“Hey, is everything all right?” Ujarak
asked.

Susan could hear a woman’s voice
talking quickly over the phone, but couldn’t quite understand what
she said.

“Right. We’ll leave as soon as
possible,” Ujarak said, finishing the call.

“What’s going on?” Susan asked. Why
did they need to leave now?

“There’s been several fires in the
village. My uncle’s house was destroyed. Instead of helping to
fight the fire and get his young wife out of the house, my uncle
took off. My father fears Itagaituk somehow started the fires. He’s
headed north into the Arctic.”

“That’s terrible,” Marguerite said.
She patted Ujarak’s arm.

“Your uncle’s anger started the
fires,” JP said. “He must be wearing the Gryphon’s Eye. He may not
have done it on purpose. We’ll need to go after him. I’m sorry,
Susan, looks like our bonding will have to wait.”

“As long as I stay with you, I should
be okay,” Susan said.

“Now that we’re in Quebec City, it’ll
take us hours to get to my village. Mathis said your kind has a way
to travel faster. Can you help us out?” Ujarak asked.

“I can port us to Mathis’s house. I’ve
been there several times, but I’ve never been to the polar bear
village, so I can’t use magic to take us there,” JP
said.

Being mated to a witch would be
interesting, Susan thought.

“Well, getting back to Mathis’s house
will cut off one hour. I guess that’ll help,” Ujarak
grumbled.

“What about the pack’s Jeep?” Susan
asked.

“I can take it to the Quebec City
pack’s alpha. I’ve been dating one of his men. He’ll make sure it
gets back to Mathis,” Marguerite suggested.

“That would be a big help. Thank you,
Marguerite,” Ujarak said.

“I’ll be right back. There’s something
I need to get.” JP rushed from the room leaving Susan feeling
abandoned again. She stiffened, fighting her wolf from wanting to
run after him. It was ridiculous to be so sensitive to a man’s
every move.

Jean-Paul hurried back into the room,
reached for Susan’s hand, and knelt on one knee. “Susan, you’re my
Destined One, or heartmate as the lycan’s call it. Will you marry
me and be my bride?” Susan looked around the room.

Marguerite squealed and clasped her
hands.

“It’s about time,” Ujarak muttered
before bowing his head.

This is what she wanted. What her wolf
wanted. So why did she hesitate? JP was handsome, smart, and a
trusted friend of the pack. She should be jumping at this chance.
But her human heart wasn’t sure. She didn’t know JP well enough to
say yes to forever. Still, this was the expected outcome of magic
picking your mate. It wasn’t like she had a choice.

“Yes, I’ll be your wife,” Susan
struggled to say.