Asanni Read online

  The tinkle of chimes in a gentle, spring breeze, crossed Jack’s mind, that’s how her laugh sounds... And now the damn bond is turning me into a poet. Great!

  “Hey, you took a wrong turn!” Astrid said when she saw him heading towards downtown.

  “I’m taking you out to lunch. You don’t have any decent food at home.”

  “That’s why I took the afternoon off. I’m planning to go to grocery shopping. I don’t want to starve you.”

  “We’ll do that later together,” Jack said, and pulled into the parking lot of Palatine Hill, a small, cozy Italian restaurant. “This will do just fine.”

  IT WAS early afternoon and the restaurant was almost empty. They were seated beside the window. Astrid immediately buried her head in the menu, pretending to study it carefully.

  “May I order for you?” Jack said, just to see her reaction.

  She kept her eyes on the menu. ”You may not.”

  Fiercely independent, Jack recollected Tristan’s words. “Can I make a suggestion?”

  She lifted her head. “You can if you explain first why you think you’re qualified to make a recommendation in a restaurant you’ve never been to before.”

  “I wanted to see if you were going to let me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay. So what am I eating?”

  The waitress came to take the order. “We’ll take Parma ham with melon, as an appetizer. Caprese salad—”

  “No basil, please,” Astrid said.

  “No basil, then. If you could sprinkle it with parsley... Is parsley okay?”

  Astrid nodded.

  “Grilled scallops on a spinach bed—”

  “No garlic, please.”

  Assuming that the waitress acknowledged it, Jack ignored Astrid’s last remark. “With scalloped potatoes .” He looked at her. “No adjustments to that?”

  “No, sounds good.”

  “Are we related?” she said while they waited for the food to be served. The question seemed to come out of the blue. She’d been looking through the window for a while, deep in her own thoughts, before she asked it. “I know that my uncle James married your mother. Her name’s Elizabeth, right?”

  “Yes, we call her Betty.”

  “Which makes their children my cousins. But what about you? Are you my cousin too, throughout a different family branch?”

  The waitress came back with the appetizer. Jack waited until she withdrew. “We are step-cousins, but that doesn’t count. We are also very distant blood kin. Several generations in the past, we had had a common relative. Our people aren’t numerous and most of us are loosely related. But for you and me that won’t be a roadblock...”

  Shit.

  He couldn’t believe he’d actually said aloud what was—he thought—only in his mind.

  Astrid didn’t say anything and he hoped that she’d overlooked his gaff. She absent-mindedly picked up a piece of melon with her fork.

  “A roadblock to what?” she said quietly and lifted her head.

  I didn’t expect you’d miss such a big one. “Never mind that now,” Jack said, annoyed with his lapse. “Why didn’t you tell me that your changing is painful?”

  “We didn’t come to that point last night. Can you tell me why it’s painful?”

  “No, not yet. I have to see it. I have to know more. I hope we can change that, though.”

  “Tristan says you’re not married.” Another unexpected question. The same one Tristan had already answered. Jack felt strangely happy he could confirm it.

  “No, I’m not married.” Not yet. I’ll be soon, though. To you.

  “I apologize for the personal questions,” Astrid said.

  “I don’t mind them.” Jack quickly reassured her. “I’m just wondering where my double negative answer puts me then.”

  “That’s a good question. Unless you can explain why I have a funny feeling that everything’s different since you’ve popped up, let’s say I was just curious.”

  “May I be curious?”

  Astrid smiled. “I’m not your close blood relative and I’m not married,” she said and closed the subject.

  THEIR FOOD arrived. Jack didn’t want to pursue any further personal topics. Instead, he asked her about her studies, her job, books she liked, her little pleasures. He could feel how she relaxed and soon Jack fell under the spell of her soft, velvety voice. She was smart and interesting, but he would have been equally delighted had she read to him from the White Pages. As long as she didn’t stop.

  “Astrid, eat, please. Your food is getting cold,” Jack reminded her gently, although his plate was also almost full. It seemed they had both forgotten about the food.

  To his surprise, she obeyed and quickly finished her meal. “That was so good. Thank you. I’m not good at reading menus. Except when I go to a steak house. I’m rather a meat-and-potatoes girl.”

  “Are you working tomorrow?”

  “No. I need to be back on Friday night, and after that I’ll have one more week before I flip-flop back and forth. Then I’ll need a day or two to recover.”

  “My God, Astrid, how long does it take before you feel normal again?”

  “About a week. What about you? Tell me how you feel it. What do you do? What are you going through during the change? I need to know.”

  Her fingers touched Jack forearm and the energy flew between them. She held her hand there for a moment, then lifted it up, and placed it back. “I normally don’t touch people if I’m not sure they want it, and I apologize. But you have to tell me about this. I thought if we were relatives that would explain it. But you said we aren’t. Is it a werewolf thing, then?”

  “I don’t mind if you touch me. How do you feel it?” Jack said and took her hands between his. Her skin was warm and smooth.

  “Like a warm current that starts at the point of contact and spreads into my… being. I want to say all over my body, but it actually goes deeper than that. It’s gentle and pleasant, but very potent.”

  Silently, hoping that she wouldn’t hear it, he let out a deep breath. Into my being. What a beautiful way to describe it. Into my soul, that’s how he felt it.

  “Is that the way we recognize each other? You feel it too, do you? Is that because we’re werewolves?” she repeated her question. She didn’t try to pull her hands away, letting it rest peacefully in his—big, warm, slightly calloused.

  “You’re close.”

  She didn’t remove her blue gaze from him, expecting more answers. He took a deep breath. “Okay, this is a simplified version: It is because you and I are who we are. And yes, this is the way we know each other.” I didn’t lie, he thought. “It’s a bit complex, and I’ll tell you more about it down the road.”

  “Oh, I can comprehend complex concepts. Try me.”

  “I know you can, Miss Spock, but this can wait,” Jack said. You’ll know as soon as you touch another wolf and feel nothing. I’ll see your ability to accept new concepts then. “We have to leave it for another time. What you feel is good, trust me. That’s all you need to know now. First we have to find a way to help you with your flip-flopping.” He smiled and gently stroked the hands he still held. “We can go hiking tomorrow, if you like.”

  She laughed. “Miss Spock? I like it. It suits me, at least a good part of me. And yes, I’d love to go.”

  For a moment her eyes rested on their hands before she reluctantly pulled hers back and placed them in her lap.

  “Shall we go?” she whispered and busied herself with her handbag. Jack paid the bill and helped her with her coat. His hands briefly brushed her shoulders, triggering the already familiar sensation.

  The butterflies in his stomach were something completely new.

  “Jack,” she said as she buckled up the seatbelt, “Tristan asked if we would like to visit them tonight.”

  “Sure. When?”

  “Around six.”

  “Let’s go buy some food first.” He started the car. “Where is the nearest grocery sto
re?”

  “I’ll need to buy new hiking gear. Mine is in Seattle. I didn’t bring it here.”

  “Then let’s do that first. Any sports equipment store around?”

  “Yeah. Go to the next intersection and turn right.”

  LESS THAN five minutes later, Jack parked in front of the store. Astrid looked a bit out of place in her blue Kashmir dress, three-inch heeled shoes and beige camelhair coat.

  Jack talked to the salesperson, a young boy in his late teens, and he came back with several boxes of hiking shoes.

  Astrid sat on the bench and took her right shoe off.

  The moment the boy opened the first box and crouched down to help Astrid, Jack snatched it from his hands. “That won’t be necessary,” he said in a voice polite yet firm.

  The boy nodded and, looking down at his empty hands, took a few steps back. “Of course, sir. Let me know if you need my help,” he said and retreated behind the counter.

  “That wasn’t necessary. You’ve scared him for no reason,” Astrid said in a low voice. She wasn’t angry. It usually took more than that to make her angry. Annoyed, perhaps, or better, amused by Jack’s instinctive display of possessiveness. “This is his job, Jack.”

  “Well, then I’ve just made it easier for him,” he said and crouched down in front of her on one knee. His hand enclosed Astrid’s ankle as he guided her foot into the boot. “Stand up, please. Is it okay?”

  When Jack tried to pay the bill twenty minutes later, Astrid stopped him. “I have no problem if you pay for me in a restaurant, but you’re not paying for my hiking gear. And now we’re going grocery shopping and I’m going to pay for the food, okay?”

  “No, it’s not. And don’t roll your eyes. How can I let a woman feed me?”

  Astrid rolled her eyes anyway.

  Chapter Seven

  WHO’S GOING to cook all that food?” Astrid said, watching Jack expertly choosing meat cuts, fish, vegetables, cans, bottles and all sorts of different packages.

  “I will. You clean, I cook, everybody’s happy. I don’t mind if you cheat with some of your witch skills.”

  “Where did you learn to cook?”

  He shrugged. “Here and there.”

  When Jack came to the cash register, Astrid simply waited on the other side until Jack had paid for the groceries, politely thanked the clerk for the offered help, and pushed the trolley to the car.

  “You prefer doing everything yourself?”

  “Mostly.” He closed the trunk and opened the door for her. “Like you.” He came around, got in and turned the ignition on. “Tell me about the music.”

  Astrid quickly glanced at his handsome profile, clearly outlined in spite of the semidarkness in the car. His eyes were fixed on the road. His left hand was on the steering wheel, the right hand was down on the transmission. Beautiful, big, strong hands. The urge to touch him, to press her hand against his, just to feel the warm flood again was so powerful she had to clench her hands into fists and place them on her lap.

  “You all right?” Jack said, without moving his eyes from the road.

  Astrid turned her head, looking through the side window. “I’ve always liked to sing,” she said quietly. “I have an exceptional voice and perfect pitch. I wanted to be a singer.”

  “What sort of singer?”

  She moved her eyes to Jack. “Opera singer. Or a rock singer, doesn’t matter. I’m a soprano, although I can easily sing mezzo-soprano parts, too. Wizards usually aren’t musical, this is not our field. I’m different. I knew I couldn’t be a singer, but took voice lessons for years nonetheless. My teachers never understood why I didn’t want to be a professional singer. Well, we couldn’t afford any potential publicity, that’s why. Ella always said that I would’ve been the best singer the world ever had. She was exaggerating a bit, of course.”

  “What role would you love to sing the most?”

  “Oh, that’s an easy question,” Astrid said. “The Queen of the Night, from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.”

  “Makes sense. The Queen of the Night is one of the most challenging soprano roles, therefore probably a perfect match for your voice.” Jack’s fingers gently ran along her cheek. “Where would you like to sing?”

  “Teatro ala Scala in Milan.”

  “Do you know that La Scala’s premiere performance was Antonio Salieri’s Europa riconosciuta in 1778?”

  Astrid smiled. “I didn’t know. And I’m impressed.”

  THEY ARRIVED at the front of Astrid’s house. Jack parked the car, but when Astrid touched the lock to open the door, he leaned toward her and stopped her hand.

  “Will you sing it to me some day? The Queen of the Night aria?”

  Astrid swallowed hard. Her eyes burned with tears, and she tried hard to push them back. Sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she could be more like her rational, emotion-controlled kin. “Are you going to stick around long enough?” she whispered and opened the door.

  He stretched his arm and closed it again. “I am.”

  He opened his door, walked around the car and then opened Astrid’s side. He held out his hand. Astrid took it and stepped out.

  Sharp night air cleared her thoughts. “Ridiculous,” she murmured to herself, walking toward the main door.

  “What’s ridiculous?” The voice came from behind. He was unpacking the trunk.

  She turned sharply. “You came yesterday. Today you... you...!” She let out a frustrated sound, and stepped into the hallway.

  “Don’t be so surprised. You’re not a stranger to things out of the ordinary, asanni.”

  She turned toward Jack, arms braced on her hips. “And you better hurry up, blaidd. I don’t want to let Liv and Tristan wait.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, laughing.

  Astrid disappeared into the house, slamming the door behind.

  ONCE INSIDE, she angrily kicked her shoes off and threw her coat over the chair. What was going on? Everything had been out of the ordinary since last night, she thought, confused, as she proceeded toward the bathroom. She didn’t know what to think about Jack and his unexpected visit. He was bossy and that pissed her off. He’d made her pretend she was his girlfriend, and she even sort of liked it. Now he’d made her almost cry. Tonight she had to sleep with him under the same roof. A total emotional chaos. “‘Tell me about music,’ she mocked Jack’s voice. “You know the right questions to ask, don’t you?” She continued with her quiet tirade until the hot water from the shower soothed her enough to face him again.

  JACK WAS sitting on the sofa in her living room, relaxed as if he’d always belonged here.

  “The bathroom’s yours. Hurry up.”

  “Hmm, a bit bossy tonight, aren’t we?” he said with a wry grin and stood up. “Give me ten minutes.”

  Astrid sat in the same spot he’d been sitting a minute before, still warm from his body. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on the back of the sofa. His scent was trapped in the fabric, and she inhaled it deeply. “This is insane,” she whispered and then winced—she still didn’t know how sharp his hearing was. All she could hear, however, was the sound of the shower. Until Jack’s voice interrupted the flow of pleasant thoughts.

  “Astrid, can you please bring me my shampoo? It’s in my room.”

  Your room, my ass, she thought, glad that he couldn’t read her thoughts. Well, she hoped he couldn’t. “Use mine,” she yelled.

  “I’ll smell like a bowl of strawberries.” His voice didn’t sound loud yet she could hear him clearly.

  “There must be an old bottle with wolfsbane extract,” she said. “Try that.”

  Astrid heard him laughing, and couldn’t suppress a smile.

  She sighed and walked toward his room.

  “Too late, but thanks anyway,” he said at the same moment she passed the bathroom. “And you don’t need to yell, I can hear you fine if you use your normal voice.”

  Astrid rolled her eyes and proceeded to her room to dress. The moment she st
epped out, Jack appeared from the bathroom in a cloud of steam. He only had his jeans on. Caught in the narrow hallway, Astrid took a step back to make more room for him.

  Jack just smiled at her and went to his room. Through half-closed eyes, Astrid looked at his back, strong, muscular and broad. “Show-off,” she murmured.

  “I heard ya!”

  “I counted on it!”

  WHEN HE came out, he smelled of strawberries indeed. But it wasn’t the smell of her shampoo in his hair that made her legs weak. His body radiated an inviting, disturbing and arousing scent of a healthy male in his prime. Astrid didn’t know where that specific description came from, but she seriously considered asking Tristan and Livia if she could stay at their place overnight.

  She was ready, dressed in jeans and a dusty-pink angora sweater. “Let’s go,” she said and grabbed her handbag. “We don’t need the car; it’s two blocks from here. For safety reasons,” she added.

  “Put a coat on. It’s fresh outside.”

  Astrid took a deep breath. “I’ve had enough of your assistance for one day, Jack Canagan. I do not need a jacket. I’m almost never cold. Tristan and Liv live three houses from here. You’ll give me your jacket if necessary, and you won’t even mention you warned me to take mine,” Astrid said slowly and looked straight into his eyes.

  JACK SMILED, amused. Most people would never lock eyes with him on purpose, or at least not for long. Astrid had, of course, a refreshingly different approach to werewolf hierarchy, at least in her human form. She was neither submissive nor dominant, Tristan had told him. Well, he’d absolutely agree about the submissive part. She might not be an openly dominant person, but she sure displayed a healthy measure of natural authority. Her werewolf nature was still a bit of a puzzle—he hadn’t seen Astrid in her alternative form—but the wolf characteristics usually mirrored human attributes, only they were more prominent.