Dane was taken aback by the magnitude of her words and the heartfelt way she’d responded to him declaring his heart to her. He’d never known love before and it was deeply satisfying to experience it. The only drawback was it made him fiercely protective of her, even more than before. He couldn’t chance losing her.
“What’s going to happen next? Will I stop breathing and then come back to life?”
“No, nothing like that.” He snorted. “The change isn’t instantaneous. It’ll probably take at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours for you to fully transform. You’ll also need to drink from me to consummate our bonding.”
“I have to drink blood?” She scrunched her nose.
“When the time comes you’ll have to in order to complete the process. We can wait until then if you’d like. There’s no rush.” He tried to assure her. Maybe ease her into it so it wasn’t so traumatizing.
“I have one more question.”
“Boy, you’re full of them. What is it?” He tickled her side.
“Will transforming into a vampire be painful?”
“It isn’t pleasant but I’ll make sure you don’t suffer. We’ll make love during that part so all you’ll experience is pleasure instead of pain.”
“When you bit me I had an orgasm. Wow, that was weird. It felt amazing though.” She grinned, rubbing her tender nipple where he’d bitten her.
“Are you complaining?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m definitely not complaining. It surprised me because I wasn’t expecting it. Those love bites are going to become addicting.” She grinned.
“Shall I bite you again?” He playfully raised an eyebrow.
“Not right now. I’m actually kind of sleepy all of a sudden.” She yawned.
“It’s part of the change. Rest, my love,” he murmured.
“Stay with me.” She reached for him.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He settled against her.
“I should put another tampon in and clean up before I go to sleep.”
“Lie there. I will take care of you.” He smiled as he climbed out of bed.
Her limbs felt heavy and she was suddenly so tired that she didn’t argue with him. The last thing she remembered was him wiping her off with a wet washcloth before she fell asleep.
* * * * *
“Marley!” Jenny screamed, her fingers clawing at the air.
“Shh—it’s okay, Jenny. Wake up. It’s a dream.” Dane tried to rouse her.
“It wasn’t a dream!” She pushed him away and tried to crawl out of bed.
“Where do you think you’re going? Come back here!” He seized her around the waist, holding her against him. She struggled, trying to get away. Her eyes were wild with fear.
“Let me go. I have to talk to Marley.” She tried to wiggle out of his strong grasp.
“Who the hell is Marley?” He held her firmly against him.
“She’s my best friend. I need to speak to her right now.” Her mind seemed frazzled to him. Maybe it was because she wasn’t completely awake.
“You’re not making any sense, my love. Did you have a bad dream that something happened to someone you know?” Her agitation was alarming.
“Maybe. I don’t know. It felt real, like I was there.”
“You understand that it was only a dream, right?”
“Please, Dane—I need to talk to her to be sure.”
“I can’t let you go back to New York right now. It’s still not safe.”
“Then you have to give me a phone so I can call her.”
“No contact right now with the outside world and that includes phones.”
“Shit. She might’ve already come and if she encountered those vampires. Oh God, I have to make sure she’s safe.” Jenny started to struggle against him again.
“Talk to me. You need to tell me about your dream before I consider your request.”
She was obviously frightened but that wasn’t enough for him to risk her safety.
“I woke up in Central Park and it was dark. I came to this bridge and there was a tunnel underneath it. When I entered the tunnel, Marley was there with a man, whom she was embracing. He was a big guy like you and dressed in all black. They were kissing each other passionately. At first I thought, cool, Marley’s met someone. She finally noticed me but didn’t say anything. That’s when I saw what she was holding behind her back and I froze.” Jenny covered her mouth and closed her eyes.
“What did you see?” he asked. Maybe this wasn’t a nightmare but perhaps a vision of the future.
“She held a small child, maybe a year old. I’m not sure. It wasn’t moving,” Jenny whispered. “At first I thought it was a doll until I noticed the blood. There was also a female, probably the mom, lying a few feet away. Marley grinned as if she was proud of what she’d done to them and gore spilled from her lips.”
“Let me see if I can get a secure link and then I’ll let you place a call.” He was concerned by her vivid dream. What did it mean? Was it a premonition of something to come? Some vampires had gifts. Was she a gifted one?
“Okay, you need to go right now.” She pushed him anxiously out of the bed.
“I’m not leaving you until you have transformed,” he replied.
“You have to. Besides, I feel fine,” she argued.
“You’re not going to be when the pain begins. I need to be here to help you through it.”
“Then you better hurry,” she growled at him.
“Damn it, Jenny.” He threw on his clothes. “This is not how I planned to spend our morning.”
“You said you loved me.”
Great, she’s pulled that card from her deck—low blow.
“I do love you.”
“Then do this for me.”
“Let me get some of the pack here to guard the house.”
“What about my heat cycle?”
“I’ve claimed you. They won’t touch you now. You’re safe.”
Dane traced to Dmitri’s and walked inside the cabin. Several family members were in the kitchen eating breakfast and beginning their day.
“Hi, Dane, how’s Jenny?” Mischa asked as she came to greet him.
“She’s okay. How’s Ivanna doing?”
“She’s healing quite nicely. Dmitri is with her now. Did you need me to give him a message or something?”
“Actually I came to ask if a few of you could go over and guard the cabin while I’m away for about an hour or so.”
“Inga and I can go over and keep an eye on her,” Mischa offered.
Dmitri entered the room. “I don’t want you there alone. More nomads have been spotted on our borders. It’s too dangerous. I’m sorry, Dane.”
“Then can you spare a few males to go with them?”
“What about your mate? Isn’t she in heat?”
“I’ve claimed her. It shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”
“So she’s transformed?” Dmitri asked.
“Not yet. I still need to ease her into drinking from me. I sense she’s not ready to take that step yet.”
“Then she’s still susceptible to my pack. Bring her here and I’ll watch over her while you’re gone. She can keep my wife company.”
“Thank you, Dmitri.” This wasn’t a good idea. He could sense it.
Dane traced back to the cabin and found Jenny sitting up in bed, waiting for him.
“Were you able to get a secure line?” she asked.
“Get dressed. You’re going to stay with Dmitri and Ivanna while I’m gone. I need to retrieve a cell phone that you can use from my place.”
“Okay.” She climbed out of bed and stumbled. “Whoa!”
“I don’t like this.” He scowled. “You’re close. I shouldn’t leave you.”
“I’ll be fine. Please,” she begged.
“Here, let me help you get dressed. Stay there.”
“Thank you,” she whispered as he helped her change.
His heart felt as if it would burst. He’d never known that caring so deeply for a woman could be so gratifying. It worried him that she was sending him away. He didn’t want to go. Not when she was in a weakened state. But he understood how important this was to her so he decided to give in. Wasn’t that what you did when you cared about someone?
He knew that loving someone could lead to heartache and disaster—that’s why he had avoided it.
But with Jenny there was simply no avoiding it.
“I want to stand.” She slowly rose to her feet.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine.” Stepping into his embrace, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against his chest, her fingers trailing along his spine. “Thank you for doing this for me.” She squeezed him tighter.
“I’m doing this against my better judgment. Let’s go.” He scooped her up into his arms and traced to Dmitri’s cabin, where Mischa greeted them at the door.
“Hello, Jenny.” Mischa reached out to hug her.
“Mischa, I’m so glad to see you. How’s Ivanna doing?”
“I’m healing. Come inside and take a seat over here with me on the couch,” Ivanna replied.
“How are you?” Jenny asked as Dane went over to the couch and placed her next to her friend. The two women hugged.
“I’m healing. Don’t fret.”
“That’s a relief. I was really worried. Sorry I didn’t come to check on you.”
“I’m told you had a perfectly good excuse.” Ivanna smiled knowingly.
“I did.” She blushed.
“I still smell your heat. Why?” Ivanna glanced at Dane.
“We’ve mated but she hasn’t transformed yet.” He gave Jenny a pained expression.
“She’ll be safe while you’re gone. My mate is the Alpha of this pack, no one will challenge him.”
“I won’t be gone very long—an hour at most.”
Jenny noticeably trembled as he waited for her to respond. “I-it’s o-okay. We’ll be fine.”
He could tell she was trying to act normal but the tremors were starting. “You’re too close. This is madness, I shouldn’t leave,” he said.
“I’ll be fine. I can handle some pain. Please go.”
“I don’t like this.” He bent forward to give her a brief kiss.
“Hurry, I’m worried about Marley.”
Dane nodded and disappeared.
* * * * *
Dane traced to Jenny’s apartment and scanned the room. He tried not to obsess about what his mate had given up for him. Her life would never be the same. The humans she knew could no longer be a part of her life. He felt a pang of guilt as he lifted a picture of her and the girl she claimed was her dear friend. He was filled with such affection for his woman and couldn’t believe fate had given her to him.
Mine.
He liked not having to deny it anymore. Jenny was his. He wanted to shout to the world that he had placed his mark on her so everyone would know it. Very soon they would finish the process.
“Someone’s been in here going through her things.” He inhaled deeply. Fury overwhelmed him as curses fell from his mouth.
Dane went over to her dresser. Son of a bitch. Why would a Hunter go through her things? What would he be hoping to find? He followed the scent trail, opened her dresser drawer and found her cell phone and froze.
Dane lifted the phone to his ear and pressed the voicemail button and listened to the messages. They were all from Marley. She had left several messages telling Jenny to call her. On the last message, Jenny’s friend said she was in New York and was going to stop by.
Damn it. I don’t scent that another human’s been here.
An ominous sense swept through him. Something wasn’t right about this situation but at least he didn’t scent Rogue.
He traced to Scotland in the next instant to see if anyone else besides Ta’breyian had been assigned to watch Jenny’s apartment. The scent was familiar but he couldn’t place the male it belonged to.
It was raining hard outside when the Sentinels let him through the iron gates. “Blast this rain!” He reached the door and Ta’breyian opened it before he knocked.
“Dane, what are you doing here? Where’s the girl?”
“Never mind that. What was a Hunter doing, searching through my mate’s belongings?” Dane spat, pushing past him.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about. No one’s been inside her apartment. I should know since I’m the one who’s been watching it.” Ta’breyian’s expression was puzzled.
“Wrong. A Hunter was inside Jenny’s apartment searching for something. His goddamn scent is all over the place. It’s familiar too but I can’t place it.”
“That’s not possible but I’ll go and see if I recognize the scent. Then I’ll have a talk with those responsible.” Ta’breyian immediately traced from the room.
“Where’s Ta’breyian going?” Marcus asked
“Someone’s been inside Jenny’s apartment. One of our Hunters went through her things. He was searching for something. Ta’breyian is checking it out. Did you send another to watch her place?”
“Ta’breyian was handling it. If he didn’t know then the Hunter acted on his own, without authority, which is troubling to me.” Marcus rubbed his chin.
“I’m concerned; he also listened to her voicemail messages.”
“There wouldn’t be any reason for whoever it was to be digging. Are you sure?”