chapter 14
Nick had hoped his impulsive bite would bring on telepathic communication. If it did, he’d have proof positive that Brandee was his mate. Since it didn’t, he was hoping he hadn’t made a horrible mistake. But how could it be a mistake when he loved her so deeply?
He’d waited so long for his true mate. Didn’t he deserve one?
As much as he thought he was right and wished it were true, wishing didn’t make it so.
“Would you mind if I invited Anthony over?” Nick handed Brandee a glass of white wine and sat next to her on the sofa. “I think I might need his help explaining this.” And his mind wipe might be necessary if you can’t handle what I have to say.
“Seriously?” She leaned away and scrutinized him. “You’re about to tell me something major, and I have to wait until my boss gets here?”
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important.” He waited an anxious moment or two while she hesitated.
Finally, she sighed and said, “Whatever you think is best.”
Nick located his cell phone and stepped into the kitchen to place the call.
After two rings, Anthony answered, “Hi, Nick.”
“How’d you know it was me?”
“I’m sitting here with Sadie. She said you might call. Or maybe it was the caller ID.”
Nick snorted. “I’m glad you’re nearby. Can you get to my place quickly?”
“Sure. Why? Is something wrong?”
“You could say that.” He lowered his voice so Brandee couldn’t hear him, but Anthony with his vampiric senses certainly could. “I marked Brandee. I didn’t mean to, but animal instinct took over. Now I have to explain it to her.”
“Crap. How much are you going to tell her?”
“Everything. That’s why I need you here. Just in case.”
“If it makes you feel any better, she’s already aware of one type of paranormal, and she swore not to tell anyone. If she hasn’t told you, that’s a good sign that she can be trusted,” Anthony said.
“Huh? What type?”
“Brownies. Apparently they’ve been cleaning the bar, but we didn’t discover it until the night of the full moon. Brandee was here when they showed themselves.”
“Holy shit. What was her reaction?”
“She fainted.”
Nick slapped a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes. “Terrific. So what happened when she came to?”
“Sadie and I explained who and what they were. I offered to mesmerize her and remove the memory, mostly so she wouldn’t accidentally slip and mention their existence to anyone, but she said no. She said she could keep the secret, and apparently she was right.”
“So she knows you can do mind wipes?”
“Yeah, but she thinks it’s hypnosis.”
“Gotcha. Okay, so she knows about the brownies and soon she’ll know about me…and you don’t think she’ll need your ‘hypnosis’?”
“I doubt it.”
Nick inhaled a deep breath and blew it out in a whoosh. “Okay. She wants an honest relationship, so I’ll give her the unvarnished truth.”
Brandee rounded the corner, holding her empty glass, and headed toward the wine fridge. “Something tells me I’m going to need another.”
“Crap. How much did she hear?” Anthony asked.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. Could you come over? She might need your…talents later. I’ll leave that up to her.”
Brandee poured a full glass and leaned against the counter. She didn’t look like she was going anywhere.
“Yeah,” Anthony said. “Just give me a bit of time.”
Well, this is it, Nick. You’re in too deep to back out now. “Thanks. See you in a bit.”
Nick set the phone on the counter and returned to Brandee. He stroked her arms gently and said, “It looks like I might not need Anthony’s help after all.”
“Oh? What changed?”
“You did.”
“Anthony told me you know about the existence of paranormals. And apparently you kept your word not to reveal the secret—even to me.”
“I don’t go back on a promise, and they made me promise.”
Nick placed a hand on the small of her back and escorted her to the living room. “In that case, I’m going to need you to promise again.”
“Promise what again? Are you a brownie too?”
Nick reared back and let out his booming laugh. “Do I look like a brownie?”
“Heck no. They were tiny and you’re…well, you’re huge. You don’t mind my describing you that way, do you? I mean, it’s not insulting, like saying my ass looks huge, is it?”
“Nope. It’s the truth. No offense taken.” He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Gods, but you’re cute—and your ass is perfect.”
She smiled and settled on the sofa, then took a sip of her wine. “So, what is it you have to tell me?”
“Promise you’ll never breathe a word of it—ever.”
“I promise.”
She sounded a little too cavalier for his taste. I have to make her understand. “I’m serious. You’ll have to take this secret to your grave. Do you still want to hear it?”
She set her wineglass on the coffee table. “More than ever.”
“Shit,” he muttered to himself. “How do I say this?”
“Just say it. And in case you’re thinking of holding anything back, don’t. Tell me all of it. I need to know you’re being completely honest with me.”
“I wish my sister-in-law were here. She could put it tactfully as well as truthfully.”
“Your sister-in-law? What does she have to do with it?”
“She went through the same thing. My brother had to tell her what I’m about to tell you.”
Brandee crossed her arms and looked as if she was getting frustrated. “So tell me already.”
Maybe if I tell her the good news first it’ll help. “Here’s the thing…I’m not exactly human. I’m part wolf, and wolves mate for life. The bite I just gave you marked you as my mate. You’ll never have to worry about my straying. My kind is completely monogamous once we’ve chosen our mate.”
She hadn’t reacted yet. No screaming. No fainting. No nothing. Did she hear me?
“A wolf, huh? Is that some kind of club, like the Lions or the Rotary Club?”
“Uh, not exactly.”
She let out a deep breath. “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad. At least you’re not a werewolf.” She chuckled loudly. “Imagine how weird that would be.”
Crap. Nick sucked in a sharp breath and sighed. He put his head in his hands and peeked at Brandee from the corner of his eye. “Brandee…” She didn’t respond to his telepathic thought. Damn.
Her eyes grew wide, and Nick reached out and took both of her hands in his. “Yeah. Things just got weird.”
Brandee yanked her away. “Are you telling me you’re a werewolf?”
Nick nodded slowly. He hoped the sad expression on his face would tell her he wasn’t thrilled about it.
She sat frozen. Palpable waves of fear radiated from her. Quick. Jump in before she faints. “It won’t change a thing between us, except once a month on the full moon I’ll be with my pack in Newton. You never have to see me shift into my wolf form if you don’t—”
To Nick’s surprise, Brandee burst out laughing.
“Oh, my monthly… You really had me going there for a minute.”
Puzzled, he sat back and stared at her. She was giggling so hard, tears were leaking from the outer corners of her eyes. Is that nervous laughter, or does she really not believe me?
Her giggles slowly subsided. She stared at him. “Nick, we said we were going to be honest with each other. Brownies are one thing, but c’mon. Werewolves? This isn’t funny anymore.”
“I’m not joking.”
Her jaw dropped. Eventually she said in a soft voice, “And you think I’m your mate?”
He nodded.
She stared at him for a full minute. “Let’s say I believe you. If it’s true, you can prove it, right?”
Nick mulled over the possibilities—and the consequences. His shift was a hideous thing to watch. Seeing cute little brownies was one thing, but witnessing a grown man pop and contort into a giant wolf was quite another. He had learned not to scream and howl during the transformation, but he couldn’t help grimacing in pain. If she truly loved him, she’d probably experience emotional pain for him.
“Nick?”
“Brandee, please don’t make me show you. It—it’s disturbing.”
“I need to know.”
Nick thought about the time she had seen him transform. She couldn’t have seen his pain from that distance. He had asked Anthony to erase it from her memory, but perhaps he could undo the memory wipe.
***
He gently touched the spot where he’d marked her. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not a lot.”
He gazed down at her with a sad-looking smile.
“What’s the matter?”
Sweeping her hair behind her ear, he said, “You’ve just learned I’m a monster. And you’re still here with me.”
“You’re not a monster. You’re Nick. I’ve known you as a person a lot longer than I’ve known you as a werewolf.” And I’m not convinced you’re not delusional yet.
“You might be in denial. I wouldn’t blame you if you were.”
A knock sounded at the door. Nick left to answer it, and Brandee was surprised to hear Anthony’s voice.
Nick brought Anthony to the living room and faced Brandee, who was still in the open kitchen. “I’ll give you a demonstration now that Anthony’s here.”
“Why does my boss need to be here?”
“I’m just here for emotional support,” Anthony said.
“Are you ready, sweetheart?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Her nerves were kicking in, big time, but she wanted to get this over with, so she joined the guys and sat next to Anthony on the sofa.
Anthony looked very serious. “Are you sure you want to see this, Brandee?”
“I’m sure, but first I want to ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
“When you said you had erased my memory before. Was it only the one time Nick mentioned—when, according to him, I saw him shift?”
“Yes. He and I felt it was best if you didn’t know about the existence of paranormals. I’m still not one hundred percent sure it’s a good idea to fill you in now.”
“Why not? Do you think I’ll break my promise and tell?”
“Not purposely. It could slip out, though.”
Brandee snorted. “How on earth would I let ‘My boyfriend is a werewolf’ slip into any conversation?”
Anthony smiled. “I guess you have a point.”
Nick began to strip. “Last chance to change your mind, hon.”
She sucked in a breath. “What are you doing?”
“If I’m dressed when I shift, I’ll tear my clothes.”
She turned to Anthony. “Have you seen him shift before?”
Anthony shook his head.
“What about Nick’s dignity? If he has to gear down to his birthday suit, maybe you should look away.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing dignified about this process, Brandee. In fact, I should warn you—it’s a little painful.”
“How painful?”
“I imagine it’s similar to childbirth. I’ll be fine afterward.”
“Really? It’s that bad?”
“Well, not quite. It only lasts a minute or so. Considering labor can go on for hours or days, in that way I’m lucky, I guess.”
He continued to undress, swiveling so his back was to them before removing his underwear. As soon as he was naked, Brandee heard some cracking sounds. He fell to his hands and knees. Nick’s spine seemed to rise, becoming more visible just under his skin.
Dear God! It’s just like a horror movie.
Hair sprouted all over, filling in slowly. A few popping noises accompanied a change to his legs and arms. He shivered.
“Stop!” It had to be painful. More painful than he had let on. She grabbed Anthony’s arm and shook it. “Stop him. I-I don’t want him to go through this anymore.”
“I don’t know if he can,” Anthony said.
A buff-colored tail sprouted from Nick’s coccyx. At last, he seemed fully formed. He turned to face them and sat on his haunches. A moment later, he sported what looked like a grin, with his tongue lolling out over one side of his powerful jaw, and he panted as if he’d just run around the block.
She’d never seen a wolf up close. He was magnificent. His coat was a beige color with dark brown markings on his head and around his eyes.
“Are you frickin’ kidding me?” Brandee whispered.
“He can hear you, you know. In fact, his hearing is better now than in his human form.”
Nick lifted himself to all fours and slowly approached her.
“He—he knows who I am, right?” Then she remembered Nick could hear everything she said and addressed him directly. “You won’t take a chunk out of me, will you, boy?”
He shook his head.
“Okay…”
The beautiful wolf moved closer. At last, Brandee reached out a shaky hand and patted his soft fur.
“I’m sure he knows you. You’re his mate.”
“Yeah, so I heard. He said he chose me.” But why didn’t I get a choice?
“Then you’re a lucky woman.”
The jury is still out on that.