That was paramount. Because living with Titus could not happen. It was one thing to be stuck in a room with him, but to be with him twenty-four seven? She might be a legendary warrior with the stubbornness of a thousand hellborn mules, but she was also a living, breathing, red-blooded woman with needs and urges and… She swallowed and glanced back at Titus.
Even lying in that hospital bed and wearing that silly gown, he radiated maleness. The kind that turned up her internal thermometer and put her hormones into overdrive.
Being around him for any length of time would definitely break her.
As soon as Jenna left with the nurse, Birdie went to stand closer to Titus. She took his hand and patted it. “Are you really feeling okay?”
“Sure. A little headache, but that’s probably just because I need to get all the garbage I inhaled out of my system.”
“A nice run in the forest would do you good.”
He smiled. “It would. That’s exactly what I’m going to do when I get out of here.”
“With Jenna, of course.”
He sighed. “Thanks for reminding me.”
Birdie laughed. “Oh, Titus. Stop that. She’s a beautiful woman. Accomplished. Smart. Wicked sense of humor. A body like—”
“Aunt Birdie.” He narrowed his eyes. “Can you stop selling her to me?”
“Do you really not like her?”
“She’s a pain in the—”
“Language.” But Birdie smiled. “Why does she bother you? Because you’re so much alike?”
“We are not.”
“No? I think you are. And I know you both pretty well.”
“Then you should know how annoying she is. She’s stubborn and opinionated and, frankly, a little full of herself.”
Birdie rolled her lips in like she was trying not to laugh. “You know who that sounds like?”
“Don’t say me.”
“I was going to say Bridget. And you love your sister.”
He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. Bridget was all those things. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“She’s a werewolf. You know how we are.”
Birdie’s eyes tapered into her don’t start with me look. “And Jenna is a valkyrie. A legendary Norse warrior tasked with combing battlefields for dying soldiers worthy of being taken to Valhalla. The woman has a magical sword embedded in her back. You think that doesn’t entitle her to be a little full of herself? To know her own mind?”
“Okay, okay. You’re right. But I still think she’s annoying.”
Birdie’s sly smile was back again. “Of course you do. Sometimes that’s how chemistry works.”
A nurse came in, interrupting the conversation. But Titus refused to buy what his aunt was trying to sell. Any strange thoughts or feelings he was having about Jenna were all caused by the spells they were under. Nothing more.
Time would prove that out.
Jenna had been back in her hospital room for about thirty minutes when Titus pushed the door open and came halfway in. She put her magazine down. He was in track pants and a T-shirt. There was something infinitely appealing about seeing him like that. Casual. Sporty. “Hey.”
“All done with your testing?”
She nodded. “You too?”
“Yep. Just waiting for those test results so I can be discharged, probably like you are.”
“I am.”
He pointed toward her. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
He walked through the door, leaving it open. “Heard anything from Alice?”
She let out a long, slow breath. “No. You?”
“Not a word.” He stopped at the end of her bed. “Which means we need to get to work figuring this out.”
She stared at him, jaw set in frustration because she hated the situation they were in but also because she hated how handsome he was. And hated how she was losing the fight against the magic spell they were under. “I assume you mean the living arrangements?”
He nodded. “Unless we both want to be in constant pain, I don’t see that we have a choice but to bunk together. I mean, not together together, but—”
“I know what you mean, Merrow.” She shifted her gaze to the window for a moment. Why did he have to be so unintentionally charming at times? Like now. It wasn’t helping. She got herself under control and made eye contact again. “How big is your house? And where do you live?”
“I live in Wolf Creek.”
“Of course you do.” Most of the wolf shifters in town lived there because that community was up in the hills and gave them instant access to the forest that surrounded Nocturne Falls. It was a very nice place. Out of her financial reach as a deputy. Not that she wanted to live with a bunch of wolves. On a rainy day, that whole area had to smell like wet dog.
“Hey, it’s where my kind lives. What about that bothers you?”
She shook her head, instantly sorry she’d snapped. “Nothing. I’m sorry. It’s really nice up there. I’m just on edge, I guess.”
“We both are.” He blinked like he couldn’t believe she’d apologized.
She couldn’t either. And she seemed to be doing that a lot around him. This stupid love magic was changing her. He seemed unaffected, oddly enough. “Yeah.”
“I have a decent guest room with its own bathroom. It’s all yours. But it would be a little farther to work for you.”
She laughed softly, suddenly amused by the whole thing. “I don’t think work matters, because I can’t go on patrol unless you’re with me.”
“Oh. Right. And there are days that I’ll have to be at the station, with the inspector there.” He put his hand on the back of his neck. “This is going to take some getting used to.”
“Hopefully, it’ll be over before we get used to it.”
He nodded. “That would be optimal.”
“So I guess we’ll go by my place, and I’ll pack what I need, then we’ll go to yours?” Had she left any bras hanging up to dry? She genuinely couldn’t remember. Her mind seemed to have a big blank spot in
