Claws

Chapter Fifty-Nine

After breakfast, I took my inhibitor and immediately began to feel better. Zale suggested we continue my studies for a while until noon when he had to leave to attend a security board meeting and review patrol reports.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay for lunch," Zale sighed, playing with the tips of my hair when we walked out to my front porch. "I wanted to take you out to eat."

"It's not a big deal. We ate breakfast together, anyway," I shrugged. "Plus, I was going to go visit your mom. It's been a while since I went over to see her."

"That's good. My mom's going to like that," Zale smiled, sliding his hands down my arms to take my hands. "I don't think I've ever told you, but I'm glad she has you. I think she's always secretly wanted a daughter." Zale suddenly tugged me to his chest with a flirtatious smirk, pressing his mouth to my ear. "It'll make her even happier if you become her daughter-in-law. How about it?"

"Down, boy," I scoffed, pressing my hands against his chest to squirm away from his grasp. "Behave yourself."

When I attempted to pull away from Zale, he just tugged me closer to his chest. "I'll behave if you give me a goodbye kiss."

Before I could respond, Zale had leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. His hands slid behind my neck as my mouth responded. I lifted myself on my toes and hooked my arms around his neck, giving up on all rationality. This wasn't good. I was getting addicted to the feeling of him. The feeling of Zale's large hands against my waist, his lips gently moving against mine, getting rougher and more desperate with every kiss. I felt his tongue brush against mine and sighed. He even tasted incredible. Why did he have to be so good at this?

That feeling only lasted for a moment until a familiar voice, spitting out an extensive string of curse words, made us pull apart in shock. I turned towards the frozen figure standing on the path leading up to where we stood.

Jade stood in place, covering her mouth, and stared at the two of us with disbelief in her eyes.

"Ah. Jade." Zale cleared his throat and let go of me, casually tugging me behind him so I was left to cower behind his back in humiliation. How did he recover from embarrassment so fast? "What brings you here?"

"W-well, I just came by to see if Mae needed anything. I was planning to go out on a blind date that some of my friends talked me into, but I think I came at the wrong time. Sorry." I could tell that Jade had a smug grin plastered on her face.

I clenched my jaw, took a deep breath, and then emerged from behind Zale. I was right. Jade had almost pulled off one of Zale's signature smirks.

I glanced up at Zale with wide, embarrassed eyes and gently nudged him forward, gesturing towards the woods. "Go on to your meeting. I'll talk to her."

Zale took my wrist, grazing his thumb across my skin. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

To my humiliation, Zale brushed his lips against my cheek and quickly rushed away before I could hit him. I rolled my eyes as he nodded at Jade, then disappeared from my sight in seconds, bolting into the woods after shifting into his wolf form. Why did he have to humiliate me like that?

I took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose, when Jade burst into a fit of giggles and rushed up to me. "Mae Astor, did I just see what I thought I saw?" I rolled my eyes as Jade grabbed me by my shoulders, her eyes screaming for answers. "I'm not hallucinating, am I?"

"Jade, let go," I rolled my eyes, steadying her with my hands. I'll tell you what's going on. But you can only stay for a little bit. I was about to go visit Linda, and I was planning on going out tonight."

Jade was the one to drag me inside my house, demanding answers before we reached the living room.

................................................................................................................................................................

I was basically forced to tell Jade almost everything that had happened between Zale and me. I told her about how Zale found out about our pheromone compatibility, what happened during the times when I'd gone into heat, how we temporarily marked each other during Zale's pre-rut, all the way down to what happened last night and this morning. When she asked if we were dating, all I said to her was, "It was complicated," and then I tried to get her to leave. It took forever to usher her out the door without a full explanation, but after a whole lot of complaining, she finally left for her date. 

I was exhausted when I headed off to visit Linda. Before tonight's stakeout at Zale's place, I had to ask her a few questions. I wondered if I was the only one who'd thought he was hiding something. 

When I arrived at the Ailswood residence, I walked straight in. For some reason, I felt like the house had become more cheerful than when I'd just arrived from the mainland. It had always been filled with sunlight, but it was more than the feeling of brightness that illuminated the place now. I couldn't exactly put my finger on what it was.

"Hello?" I called out, entering the kitchen. As expected, I caught Linda stirring what seemed to be cookie dough ingredients in a bowl on the counter while humming a Christmas song. I smiled, looking around at the festive decorations adorning the room.

The familiar long kitchen table in the corner was set with a red and green plaid tablecloth, complemented by festive dinnerware and sparkling silverware. The centerpiece was a beautiful arrangement of holly and pinecones sprinkling the room with a rich scent of cinnamon and spices emanating from a pot of mulled cider simmering on the stove. It smelled almost as good as Zale's pheromones.

Above the stove, a string of red and green stockings hung, and on the windowsill, a row of flickering candles illuminated the room, casting a soft, flickering light over the decorations.

I couldn't help but smile as I took in the festive scene before me. "You're all ready for Christmas, I can see," I snickered when Linda looked up at me. "It smells good in here."

"Mae! What a surprise!" An immediate glowing smile spread across Linda's somehow youthful face as she set the bowl and spatula on the counter, patting her hands on her flour-covered polka-dot apron. She greeted me with a squeeze of my hands. "Sorry, I'd hug you, but I'm covered in flour, as you can see. I just made a fresh batch of bread dough."

"No, you're good. I just wanted to stop by and say hi. I feel like I've been so preoccupied lately. I haven't had time just to sit down and talk to you."

"Oh, I don't blame you for that, dear. You've had a lot on your plate," Linda laughed, adjusting her loose bun as she tugged me into the kitchen. "Come on in. I'm just baking a fresh batch of cookies. We can talk while I stir if that's alright with you."

"Of course. Do you need any help?" I grinned as she picked up the bowl again and continued mixing.

"Oh no, I got it. But thank you." Linda smirked at me when I began to twiddle my thumbs. "So, how are you getting along with my son? I've been getting regular updates from Robin, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"Do you really want to talk about your son's dating life behind his back?" I raised an eyebrow at Linda. When the Christmas-decorated bowl she held almost slipped out of her hands and a taken aback look spread across her face, I tensed and closed my eyes. I was screwed.

"W-what did you say?" Linda stuttered, setting down her bowl and sliding off her apron. I was silent when she sat on the barstool next to me, tossing her apron on the island. I couldn't meet her eyes, but I could tell she was filled with disbelief.