Neither of them moved. The seconds ticked by.
Jude broke the silence first. “I can feel it as much as you.”
Mack swallowed. “Then you should fight it, too.”
“I thought we’d agreed that we wouldn’t.” Jude’s fingers brushed his hand but didn’t grab hold.
He resisted the urge to pull his hand away or step back, but his resolve was weakening. He was sure he could hear Jude’s heartbeat and smell his desire. It was a drug, and he needed another taste. Jude could use the magic between them to press the issue. To take what he wanted. If he did, then he’d know Jude’s true nature.
“That was before,” Mack said carefully. “I thought you were scared of me now.” He’d seen it in Jude’s eyes when he’d glanced at the paws.
Jude lifted Mack’s hand and kissed his knuckles, his gaze never wavering from Mack’s, then he released him and stepped back. “Like you haven’t looked at me with that same fear.” Lightning flashed between Jude’s fingers. “If I die tomorrow, I want to have lived first. You want to hide.”
Jude spun and walked away.
Mack took a step after him. He shouldn’t want Jude. He certainly didn’t want to strengthen the witch’s power over him. But Jude hadn’t used it. That made it so much harder to walk upstairs to his cold, empty bed.
He lay in bed unable to find sleep when he needed release. He listened as Jude came up and showered. He tried not to imagine Jude naked and wet and needy. He could walk in there, and Jude wouldn’t turn him away. His teeth pressed into his lip when all he wanted was to feel the witch’s lips on his. Would it be so bad to make the most of what they had? To be with someone who knew the part of him he kept hidden?
He fisted his hands. The fear of his hands becoming paws again, and that he’d get caught in a partial shift, was all that kept him in bed. The bond was doing things to him that he didn’t want. If there had been no bond, he’d still be helping and he’d still want Jude, but the lust would be safe. The pipes rattled as the shower shut off.
The witch walked past his room, only the slightest hesitation in his steps before he went downstairs. Mack sighed. The moment was over. Nothing was going to happen tonight. It wasn’t relief that flooded his veins, but regret.
Chapter Nine
Daylight woke Jude from a fitful sleep. Every time the aufhockers had tested his circle he’d woken, but it had held. This morning he was tired, as if he’d been up all night, because the magic had drained him. Holding a protection circle was different to tossing around electricity. And while he could’ve gotten up at dawn to keep the circle up, the aufhockers were long gone. He should be glad he’d gotten a few hours of decent sleep.
Jude cracked open his eyes. The room smelled like lavender, reminding him of the spell down the mine. In daylight it was also lavender and white and rather frillier than he’d expected. He’d thought a house owned by bear shifters, and mechanics, would be more practical. Mack’s mother was clearly in charge of home decorating. He hoped she wouldn’t be annoyed that her guest room was getting messed up. It would’ve been easier to share a bed with Mack. He’d have probably slept better, too.
He’d been aware of Mack getting up during the night, but they hadn’t crossed paths, and neither of them had made the short walk to the other’s room. The bond burned through his blood. He needed something that he couldn’t quite explain. He didn’t want to say it was Mack. He had never needed anyone and had learned not to rely on anyone either. People couldn’t be trusted.
But Mack wasn’t some random person. Mack was his mate, and that had to count for something. Didn’t it? The closer they got, the more the bond would strengthen. Their magics would strengthen. To defeat the aufhockers they’d need every advantage they could gather.
He eased out of the large bed—big enough for visiting bears?—and padded over to the window. Without his extra input, the sun had brought down his defensive circle as it had risen. The yard was free of aufhockers.
He should be glad they’d lived through the night. But he’d meant what he’d said to Mack. He wanted more from life than getting by. He wanted to explore what this bond meant. He’d never get another chance, assuming they survived this in the first place and that he somehow got to keep his magic.
But if Mack wanted to fight it, there was nothing he could do. He wouldn’t be the kind of witch who had made shifters hate them and believed the familiar bond was something to be feared instead of enjoyed. He rested his forehead on the glass. No boyfriend had ever made him this confused about what to do next.
His stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten dinner. He wasn’t missing breakfast just because Mack was in a mood. Before he could reconsider, he dressed, wishing he’d grabbed more clothes from the motel. His hair flopped in his eyes because he hadn’t found a blow-dryer in the bathroom. He hoped he looked casually disheveled, not a mess.
In bare feet, he made his way to the kitchen which was bright and homely. Where were Mack’s parents? Had they died? But the garage still had his father’s name on the business cards. If they were alive, why did Mack live at home? Jude had been keen to get out and have his own place as soon as he could.
He hesitated, not sure he should start looking through someone else’s kitchen, but hunger and the need for coffee won. There was no sign of a coffee machine or any pods, so he gave up on the coffee. There was, however, a surprising amount of
