The question of what he told her wasn’t Mary’s primary concern. It was what he’d said she would inadvertently carry as a consequence.
“He said a part of his wolf would become a part of me.” She couldn’t mask the tremor in her voice. “He said it would remain a part of me forever.” Averting her gaze, she posed the most difficult question, the one she was ashamed to ask. “Was my family telling the truth? Is the wolf really a demon in disguise?”
“Absolutely not,” Ava snapped and grasped Mary’s hand. When Mary peered into Ava’s face, her breath caught. Ava’s eyes, normally a beautiful sapphire blue, were shifting colors—from green to amber to aqua.
“That’s a lie,” Ava said, “an incredibly hateful and unsubstantiated piece of information that your family has used as a weapon. If people don’t fully understand something, they’re more likely to fear it. All shifters have a touch of the wild in them but they are more human than beast and more man than animal.”
“What does that make you?” With irises that changed color, Ava wasn’t human. Not even for the most part.
“A telepath who’s bloodbonded to the Alpha and Omega of the city.”
When she didn’t say more, Mary muttered, “And that means what, exactly?”
“I’m human but I’m not. I won’t age, I’m not easy to kill and I’m faster than I used to be. I can see, smell and taste things better than humans. My strength is well above average and I know a hell of a lot more about the world than I used to. But I’m still me. That part hasn’t changed.”
“How can you say you haven’t changed?” All the things Ava listed screamed supernatural makeover. “Did you hear what you just said?”
“I’m improved but I’m not different here.” Ava let go of Mary’s hand and tapped her temple a second time. Then she lowered her hand and placed it over her heart. “Or here.”
The most important places, Mary noted—where it counted.
“What made you decide to mate a shifter in the first place?” Mary felt her cheeks heating at the flashbacks of what had transpired between her and Emory just minutes before. Maybe it was all about the attraction between a couple, the sexual chemistry.
“It’s not just sex, if that’s what you think. But it’s definitely a perk.” Ava hesitated for several seconds, playing with a frayed string on the comforter that had come free. “Do you ever have moments when you come across something so perfect that you can’t see anything else? Maybe it’s a flower in a garden, or a sunset that paints the sky red. Whatever that special thing is, it makes you feel at peace. That’s sort of what mating is like, only more intense. Humans are always separate when they love, no matter how devoted a couple is to each other. Their interests and concerns change over time, which is understandable because they are individuals. A mated couple is one unit—a whole—and everything they do is for each other. It’s an entirely different emotion and far more powerful than something you can describe with one syllable.”
“I don’t know what to do.” It was her first attempt to reach out to another individual aside from Emory and lifted an enormous weight off her shoulders. “I don’t know what to think.”
“How do you feel about Emory?” Ava asked. “When you’re near him, how is it different from other men?”
She squirmed, suddenly awkward. “I feel safe, indulged…” Just say it! Ava’s not going to judge. “I feel…uh…turned on.”
“Has anyone else made you feel this way before?”
Did Ava really have to ask? “No,” Mary whispered. “No one.”
“There’s a reason for that. If there was one thing I learned after I met Diskant, it was that I was right to trust my instincts and emotions.” Ava smiled, playful despite the gravity of the conversation. “He can be a Neanderthal, a bully and a crybaby when he doesn’t get his way but he cares for me on a level that no other person in this world is capable of. The same goes for Emory when it comes to you. Once a shifter finds his mate, that’s it. Nothing is more important. And it’s a shared connection. You have to feel it too. It wouldn’t work otherwise.”
Mary knew the answer to the question she braced herself to ask, could see the adoration shining in Ava’s eyes. “You really believe that?”
“I don’t have to believe it. It’s my life.”
Nerves made her strive for normalcy, to make a joke in the middle of something so life changing. “So what you’re telling me is that you’re no different than Spider-Man?” It was a stupid thing to say, a horrible way to break the ice, but it fit the situation perfectly. In all her life, Mary never would have thought she’d have a conversation like this one. Surreal didn’t even come close. “You have all the special abilities, none of the gnarly side effects and Diskant is your testosterone-laden version of Mary Jane?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Ava flashed an impish grin. “And with great power comes great responsibility.”
It wasn’t the proper time to laugh, nothing in her life was funny, but she couldn’t help it. For the first time in months, Mary giggled. Soon she crumbled into a fit of laughter, snorting in a very unattractive manner when Ava joined in. The entire world had gone to hell in a handbasket and she didn’t know which end was up. But including Spider-Man in a conversation about shifters, demons and everything in between?
It took the current what-the-fuckery scale to a whole new level.
They’re laughing?
What the hell?
Emory’d felt like a total ass for knocking on Diskant and Ava’s bedroom door after he heard the moans and growls coming from inside but he’d done it because he had sensed Mary’s distress and heard her pacing as she’d walked around the room. Intuition had told him it wasn’t wise to leave her alone. She could harm herself, or even worse, overthink things and complicate matters. Ava hadn’t seemed to mind, although Diskant had given Emory the middle finger when he opened the door for his mate and watched her leave.
What had transpired in the few minutes that Ava had vanished inside the bedroom? What did they find so amusing?
He decided not to wait to find out, grasping the handles of Mary’s bag as he knocked on the door. He gave them a second to brace themselves for his intrusion and stepped inside. Doc was coming up at any minute to check Mary’s sutures and he needed to be close to her, to protect her and calm her fears. The laughter stopped when he stepped across the threshold but the smiles on Mary’s and Ava’s faces remained.
“Doc is on his way up,” he informed them, feeling like a tool as he walked to the dresser and placed Mary’s duffel on it.
“I suppose I should get going.” Ava groaned and climbed off the bed. “Diskant isn’t known for his patience.”
Emory was about to apologize but Mary beat him to it. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Ava waved a dismissive hand in the air. “I told you it’ll do him some good to see how it feels.” She pivoted around and faced Emory. “You take it easy on her. She’s got an awful lot to think about, with her family searching for her. She’s been on the run for a long time.” Ava winked. “You can’t blame her for wanting to protect you.”
Ava—sly as always. She was sharing something she’d picked up from Mary’s thoughts, something she felt was important. Emory got the hidden meaning, heard it loud and clear.
“I understand,” he said, glancing at Mary, who seemed fascinated by a loose string on the comforter beneath her, her smile gone.