My Perfect Mate Read online

  “Thanks, Mom. I knew you could help. Come on, Suzy-Q. You need to get some sleep. We leave in a few hours.”

  Susan nodded and followed Ujarak to her door. He paused in front of her. A tear rolled down her cheek. He sighed and picked her up. Instead of taking her into her room, he went to the couch and sat with her on his lap. She couldn’t hold back the sobs breaking free and buried her face in his chest. Ujarak petted her hair and made soothing noises, his arms holding her tightly.

  “It’s going to be okay, Suzy-Q. The lycan mating bond is never wrong. JP will be fine. You’ll be able to relax and open the bond between you. You’ll see. The witch isn’t used to being linked, is all. I’m sure that going from nothing to having a new person in your brain would be difficult. You’re already used to sharing your thoughts and feelings with the other lycans.”

  “JP isn’t a witch. He’s an alien. I saw a place in his mind that’s got to be another planet.” She got out between sobs.

  “An alien, huh? Well, that explains the pointed ears. I didn’t want to say anything since he’s your mate. He’s kind of pretty too, for a guy, I mean.” Ujarak rubbed her back.

  “Do you think he’ll try to abduct me like in the movies?” Susan hiccupped and sniffled.

  “No. Mathis has known him for years. He vouched for him, remember? If my brother says he’s okay, then I trust him.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Why do these things always happen to me?” Susan buried her face again as another round of sobs tore from her throat.

  “I’ve got you, Suzy-Q. It’s going to be okay.”

  Chapter Four

  Jean-Paul slowly opened his eyes. What the hell was he doing on the floor? His head felt like it wanted to explode. He moaned and closed his eyes again. He felt a trickle of awareness. It was Susan. She was asleep, and felt safe and warm. Then he remembered. Her thoughts poured into his mind, her desire feeding his, her excitement doubling his. It became impossible to know whose thought was whose. His brain started to race. He couldn’t think. Then he was flying. Ecstasy washed over him. It was too much. JP’s heart thudded in his chest. Was Susan all right?

  Where was she? He opened his eyes again and leaned up. A thin golden cord of light ran from his chest and through the door. He tried to touch the link, but his hand passed through it. Wasn’t it supposed to be bigger than a pencil? Mathis called it a rope.

  Sitting up, he groaned and rested his head in his hands. What he wouldn’t give for a healing potion about now. Marguerite might have one in her workroom. He reached with his magic and gasped as pain punched his skull. He gritted his teeth and pulled the little blue potion bottle through space to his hand. It materialized in his palm and he took the cap off and put the bottle to his lips.

  He could actually feel the potion working as the pain drained away. He blinked and his eyesight cleared. Great Goddess that felt good. He stood and reached for his pants. Susan’s clothes still lay on the floor. Did she shift? That would be dangerous in the polar bear village. He tugged on his jeans and grabbed his shirt. He needed to find her.

  He hurried down the hall and into the living room. He froze, not believing his eyes. Susan lay in Ujarak’s arms, sound asleep. It didn’t matter that she was wrapped in a sheet. He’d claimed her last night. Cemented the mating bond into place, and here she was in another man’s arms?

  “Get your hands off my woman!”

  Ujarak opened his eyes and scowled at him. “Feeling better, wuss? You made her cry, again. If you keep doing that, I’m going to beat you to a bloody pulp.”

  “Did I hurt her? Is she okay?”

  “No, she’s not okay. You couldn’t handle the mating bond connecting your minds. You passed out and scared her to death. Then the only way to help you was for her to close down the link. She’s hurt, confused, and disillusioned. Plus, she thinks you’re an alien.”

  “An alien? I’m as human as you are, bear man. I don’t like finding her in your arms.”

  “Then you shouldn’t drive her to me. I’m her friend, someone she knows. She can depend on me, unlike you it seems.”

  “I didn’t mean to pass out. All those thoughts in my head. I guess it overloaded my system.”

  “I wouldn’t tell her that. You’ll hurt her more than you have already,” Ujarak growled.

  “Hey, grumpy bear,” Susan said, sleepily. “I can’t sleep with you growling.” She turned to look at JP.

  He felt a flash of hurt coming through the bond before it disappeared. The bear was right. He’d hurt her. Ujarak placed her on her feet. Jean-Paul caught her around the waist when she would have tripped over the sheet.

  “Whoops, sorry. I should probably get dressed.” Susan refused to look at him and he noticed her lip quiver. “We still have a ring to find.” Her voice quavered and she closed her eyes a moment.

  Jean-Paul opened his mouth. Instead of speaking, he swept Susan up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He pushed the door closed with his foot. Ujarak was already between them, he wasn’t going to let that continue.

  “What is it with you guys? I know I’m small, but I can walk.”

  JP was glad to hear some sass in her voice. Instead of answering her, he kissed her. Diving deep, claiming and plundering. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. “I’m sorry,” he said. He licked and nibbled. She moaned. “I never meant to hurt you.” He kissed her nose and then her eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He kissed each cheek and then her mouth again. “I’m sorry, I scared you. I’m sorry you had to close down the link. It seems I can’t do anything right with you. You. The most important person in my life. Please say you accept my apology.”

  “You don’t have to apologize,” she said, sighing.

  “Yes, I do. You don’t feel safe with me like you do Ujarak. I’ve hurt you.”

  “I know you didn’t mean to.”

  “I’ve let you down. It won’t happen again. I’ll adjust to the link. I will make you happy.”

  A knock sounded on the door. “We need to get going or we won’t find my uncle,” Ujarak said.

  “We’ll be out in a few minutes,” Jean-Paul called out.

  “We better get dressed,” Susan said wiggling in his lap.

  “In a moment. I want you to teach me to control the flow of our link, so I can adjust as I need to. That way, you’ll be free to relax and reach out to me as you need to.”

  “I’m not really sure how to explain it. It’s like a muscle you squeeze to lower the flow. You might need to practice a little.”

  “Show me…”

  §

  The few minutes turned into half an hour and then they packed the snowmobiles for the trip. Several people of the village watched from the sidelines, but no one approached. When Susan finally climbed behind JP to begin the journey, she gave a sigh of relief. Ujarak’s family waved as they left. It was still dark and would be until around noon, then there would be almost an hour of light before the sun once more disappeared. Ujarak led the way over a trail in the snow and Jean-Paul followed.

  Jean-Paul controlled how wide their telepathic link stayed open. It came as a surprise when he decided to test his new gift. “Ready for our next adventure?” came floating into her head.

  “Yes, I’ll be glad when it’s over.” She sent back gently, still worried about the pain he suffered from their minds touching.

  “Me too. I want to take you to bed for a week. Maybe someplace tropical where you can run around in a bikini and nothing else.”

  “I’m not sure my wolf would like that, besides sand chafes.”

  “Poor wolfie, we’ll find the perfect place. A cabin in the mountains, perhaps.”

  “There are cabins at the pack’s ski resort,” Susan suggested.

  “Oh, no. Not surrounded by your pack. Someplace where I’m not afraid of being eaten.” A mental chuckle sounded in her thoughts followed by a shaft of pain. He tried so hard to get used to the mating bond. She appreciated the attempt, but worried for him.
r />   “They wouldn’t hurt you, unless they thought you were treating me badly.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed how protective they are of you. Your polar bear friend, too.”

  “I like it. I’ve been alone for a long time and things always seem to be difficult. Nothing ever goes smoothly for me.”

  “That’s going to change. You have me now. We’ll make a good life.” Susan couldn’t help the little niggle of doubt that crept into her heart.

  The small clumps of grass growing up from the snow disappeared and soon in all directions there was nothing but white. Susan looked at the stars in the black sky. She shivered. It reminded her of the pictures she saw in JP’s memory. Beauty so big it hurt.

  §

  Jean-Paul winced at the slash of pain that crossed his eyes, but refused to shut down the mating bond completely. Squinting, he followed Ujarak’s snowmobile onto the ice. He assumed that like any tired muscle, there would be some pain, until he built up his stamina. Magic took extreme levels of concentration to focus and perform. He would master telepathy in the same manner. Small bursts of work, slowly building in time and energy.

  He could feel Susan’s worry for him. It touched his heart. She cared for him, even though love hadn’t come into their relationship. Still, Destined Ones were meant to be together. Love would come. He enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him. Her body warm when everything around them was frigid. Their snowmobile suits would protect them from the elements as they traveled. Now if they could quickly find Ujarak’s uncle. JP worried the man might not want to be found. Luckily polar bears possessed an excellent sense of smell and Ujarak followed the path Itigaituk used on the ice.

  §

  They’d traveled nearly four hours when the dark of night turned to twilight and then the sun rose on the horizon. Susan patted JP’s shoulder to get his attention. She needed to stretch her legs. He pulled up next to Ujarak and motioned him to stop. Susan jumped off the snowmobile, removed her helmet and stretched, her muscles stiff from sitting so long. Everything around them was white and without the sound of the engines in her ears, she realized how very quiet it was. A slight breeze blew across her face. The only thing she could smell was ice and snow. Sounds of popping and cracking suddenly came from below her feet. “Uh, guys?”

  The ice below her feet suddenly gave way. She fell. Susan grabbed at the ice trying to stop her downward momentum. She kept sliding farther into the hole. Her wolf leapt forward trying to save her. Fur ran under her skin and her nails turned into thick claws and punctured the tips of her gloves.

  “NO! JP, don’t get off the snowmobile,” Ujarak yelled. “The machine is dispersing our weight. Susan, catch this rope!”

  Susan ground her nails into the ice. Her momentum slowed. Then she stopped. She hung halfway into the hole with water covering her feet. Shifting might not even save her now that she was wet. Her wolf pushed against her skin wanting out. She gritted her teeth and kept the shift just to her claws. It hurt. Most lycan’s couldn’t hold a partial shift. The water seeped into her boots. The cold burned her skin. Ujarak threw the rope and it hit her in the face. She hadn’t realized that she’d closed her eyes.

  “Susan, you’ve got to grab the rope.” The panic in Jean-Paul’s voice drove her to open her eyes. The rope lay across her arm and against her chest. She shivered. Could she let go of the ice long enough to grab the rope without falling? Her chest ached and her heart beat a rapid rhythm.

  “Come on, Suzy-Q. Don’t give up on me. Grab the rope,” Ujarak said.

  She began to shake. It wouldn’t be long before her body would shut down from the cold. She retracted the nails of one hand and grabbed the rope. She wrapped it around her wrist. Ujarak started the snowmobile and pulled forward. Her arm jerked. She whimpered. Her teeth chattered.

  Slowly they pulled her from the water. Ujarak didn’t stop. He pulled her across the ice. She bumped and slid. She couldn’t think.

  §

  Jean-Paul started his snowmobile and followed after Ujarak. They only had a few moments before the hyperthermia would kick in. Susan needed out of her wet clothes. But where? Ujarak headed for a rise in the ice and snow. JP called his magic. They needed shelter. Now. “Ice and snow, form and grow, harden nicely, a palace icy.”

  Sparkles of light filled the air ahead of them. Suddenly walls of ice rose from the ground. JP kept the vision of the palace in his mind. He remembered the stories of the ice queen from when he was a boy. A peeked roof formed. Turrets formed on the second floor. It was a bit much, but all he could think of in this time of crisis.

  Ujarak stopped and JP was off his snowmobile and at Susan’s side in seconds. He gathered her up in his arms. Her lips were tinged with blue. She shivered. He strode forward to the door of the castle and pushed his way into the interior. Ujarak followed behind him.

  “What the hell? A castle?” he asked.

  “All I could think of,” JP said. He laid Susan down and stripped off her boots. “Shift. She’s going to need a warm body. Susan, honey, hold on. We’ve got you.” He continued to strip her, hating that she wasn’t answering him.

  “You want me to hold her?” Ujarak asked.

  “I’m going to use my magic to warm and dry her. She’ll need to shift to finish the healing.”

  Ujarak began to strip his clothes off and then called the shift. Soon a huge polar bear sat in his place. JP picked up the now naked Susan and put her into Ujarak’s arms. The bear held her against his body, covering her bare skin with his fur. Jean-Paul called his magic. It would take a careful balance of elements to not bring the castle down on their heads.

  “Summer breeze, warm the freeze, heat and snuggle, Ujarak’s bundle.”

  Ujarak began to pant from the heat, but kept Susan close. Jean-Paul focused on Susan’s core and feet. He sighed in relief when her lips began to turn pink and her shivering slowly stopped. He turned his attention to her wet clothes and used the warm breeze he created to dry them. When he was finished, he picked up the items and brought them to the bear. He didn’t know how Susan would react when she realized she was naked in the bear’s arms. Ujarak grunted as Susan began to flail.

  “Easy, honey,” JP tried to reassure her. “You need to shift. Now, Susan.” He sighed in relief as white lights swirled around where she lay hidden in Ujarak’s arms. Finally a low growl sounded. The bear slowly lowered a silver and gray wolf to the floor. She stood for a moment and then bounded over to JP and jumped on him. He smiled when she licked his face.

  Ujarak huffed and headed for the door. He pushed it open with his nose and went outside.

  White lights again coalesced around Susan and then she stood naked before JP. His hands automatically went around her. He pulled her tight and kissed her hard. He could have lost her. Never before had he felt such panic. She shivered. He pulled back.

  “You built a castle. A freaking ice castle.” She looked around in awe.

  “We needed shelter. I thought of the story of the snow queen. I guess I let it go. Get dressed. You’re shivering again.”

  Susan laughed and began to pull on her clothes. JP enjoyed the view. Susan wiggled into her pants and his body warmed. She pulled on her sweater and he sighed. Soon, he promised himself. As soon as the ring was returned to Ynys Afallon, he was going to take his Destined One to bed. She sighed when she picked up her gloves. “I guess these are ruined. My claws punctured the ends.”

  “How did you do that? I’ve never known a lycan who could partially shift. Here, give them to me. I can mend them using magic.”

  “I practiced. It might be because I wasn’t born a lycan. I don’t really know. One day I tried to get just one of my nails to shift. It took a while and it hurt. But I did it.”

  JP mumbled a mending spell under his breath and then handed the gloves back to Susan. “Here you go. I guess we better find the bear.”

  Susan’s face turned pink and she glanced away. “I’m not sure what to say to him. I know he saved me.”

  �
�He saved both of us. I would have jumped off the snowmobile to get to you without his warning. He’s a good friend to you.”

  “He’s a teddy bear. Let’s go find him.”

  JP’s heart thudded when Susan took his hand. He pulled her into his side and wrapped an arm around her. They walked to the door and pushed it open.

  Ujarak stood backed against the wall of the castle. He rose to his full height of over eight feet. Surrounding him on three sides, a pack of arctic wolves growled and snarled.

  “Hey, leave him alone!” Susan yelled rushing forward.

  Chapter Five

  Ujarak didn’t want to fight the amarok. He’d never seen so many arctic wolf shifters in one place. They rarely gathered in these numbers. Susan yelled and ran forward. JP caught her arm and pulled her back. Thank goodness the magic user stopped her. The pack could take them out with sheer numbers, though many of them looked young.

  A swirl of light surrounded one of the large wolves near the front. Ujarak thought it might be the alpha of the pack. He gasped when the lights blinked out and a beautiful woman stood before them. Her skin was white as the snow around them. Her hair was black like a raven’s wing and fell around her body like a cape. Her eyes were the palest blue and he shivered when he looked into them. It was like looking into the ice itself. She walked forward, placing a hand on the heads of the wolves she passed. They calmed under her touch.

  “Sir Hywel. What is a Fae Lord doing with a nanuk and a lycan in the arctic?”

  “Trying to save the world, Aisyt. Please call me JP. The queen lost a ring which is causing the arctic to melt. We need to find it.”