The Burning Claw
Page 44

Jacque snorted. “Oh yeah, we’ve been down that road. The fur balls were not happy.”
“Understatement,” Jen cooed.
“Truth,” Jacque agreed.
“What will happen if he tries to touch me?” Bethany asked with a raised brow.
“He’ll be thrown into next Saturday onto his overbearing backside.”
“Can a backside really be overbearing?” Jacque asked.
Jen snapped her fingers at her friend, though her eyes stayed on Bethany. “Nobody asked for your commentary.”
“Technically, it was a question, not a comment.”
“I think I liked you better when you were almost dead,” Jen huffed.
“The feeling might be mutual,” Jacque countered.
“Wait, what?” Bethany’s eyes widened. “You’ve both been almost dead?”
“I actually was dead,” Jen admitted. “Peri brought me back. It was no big thing.”
Jacque started to open her mouth but Jen threw her a look causing her to snap her mouth shut.
“Can we please get back to Tinker Bell?” She motioned to Bethany who frowned. “Well, you’re kind of small. Curvy, but small, like Tinker Bell. Have you seen that chick’s hips? She’s got this tiny waist and—”
“Jen!” Jacque growled.
“Right, sorry. Let’s start with what you do know,” she began. “You know, obviously, what kissing is?”
Bethany nodded.
“Okay, well everything from that point on needs to happen after the whole life commitment happens, because, honey, once lines start getting crossed and your momentum gets going, it is hard to take the wind back out of the sails and nearly impossible to put the ship in reverse. Anything we talk about from this point forward will be subjects intended to be experienced with your mate alone. Only the person willing to bind himself to you and vow to put you first, to protect you, to love you, and to cherish you, only he should have the right to your body, which is a gift. Never forget that.”
Bethany seemed to consider this for a moment and then she said, “Agreed.”
“How can you be so deep and yet so shallow?” Jacque asked her best friend with a raised brow and awestruck eyes.
“It’s a gift, Red. A burden I must bear. A cross I must carry. A—”
“We get the point,” Jacque growled.
Jen stood and walked over to one of the many shelves that housed an array of books. She pulled out several books from the shelves, grinning to herself and humming. She walked back over to where the other two sat and resumed her place on the couch. Jen held the books in her lap and leaned on them as she looked at Bethany. “Let’s start with the basics. You know the difference between a man and woman’s body, correct?”
Bethany’s slow nod was not reassuring.
“Okay, even more basic. Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina,” Jen said as though talking to a child.
“Jen,” Jacque groaned. “First of all, it was disturbing that you knew exactly where those books were and, bloody pixie balls, please keep the descriptions to an absolute minimum.”
“What? She needs to know this stuff.” Jen frowned. “Bloody pixie balls? Really, Jacque? I think being nearly dead has detached your brain from your mouth.”
“You’re one to talk, you filter-less heifer.”
Jen ignored her redheaded friend and turned back to Bethany. “So you know the differences?”
“Yes, I know that,” Bethany said with more confidence.
“Good, now do you know how they fit together?”
“What?” Bethany’s eyes widened.
Jen was practically bouncing in her seat. “This is better than I expected.” She opened one of the books on her lap and turned it to face Bethany.
Jacque leaned forward and gasped when she saw what was in the book. “That was in the pack library?”
“Told you Alina and Vasile were freaks,” Jen smirked.
“This is your library, you over-sexed, freak,” Jacque reminded her friend.
Jen shrugged. “It was never in question that I’m a freak. But a lot of these books were brought over from the Romanian pack library when Decebel took over the Serbian pack. Apparently, the previous Alpha was into keeping his pack ignorant on, well, pretty much everything concerning the history of their race. Personally, I think it was Vasile’s way of getting rid of the evidence,” she said, waving said evidence at her.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Jacque teased and then held up her hand. “No more. We could do this all day. She needs our help.” Jacque motioned toward a very still, very shocked looking Bethany.
Bethany hadn’t said a word. She was staring at the pictures with a look on her face that Jen couldn’t quite decipher. There was shock, maybe a tad bit of embarrassment, a drop of horror, and a whole lot of fascination.
“Is he—” Bethany started and began to point but then pulled her hand back. “I mean, that’s…” She stumbled over her words trying to process what she was seeing. Finally, she ended with “really?”
“Maybe you should have started a little slower,” Jacque muttered.
“They’re pictures,” Jen huffed. “How much more elementary can you get?”
“They’re pictures of intimate positions, Jen, not freaking Dr. Seuss books.”
Jen laughed. “Can you imagine if Dr. Seuss published a book like this? Instead of Horton Hatches the Egg it would be Ferguson Fertilizes the Female. You’d never look at those books the same.”
Jacque screeched and hit her with a pillow. “I have a kid who’s probably going to want those books read to him and you just totally messed it up.”
“I never claimed to be sane,” Jen chirped. “Now, getting back to our not Dr. Seuss picture book. Do you have any questions?”
“Just a few hundred,” Bethany answered with a straight face.
Jen grinned. “Excellent. What do you want to know?”
 
 
Drake needed to move. He needed to turn on his heel, walk away, and give his mate privacy. That’s what he needed to do. But his feet stayed planted firmly on the ground beneath him. Bethany had floored him with her actions. First, she’d declared him unable to touch her which infuriated him and tore at his soul. His wolf longed for that touch. Then she’d gone and talked with other females about their intimate, or lack thereof, relationship. Why couldn’t she see that he was just trying to respect her and do the right thing? Did she honestly believe that he didn’t want her? She was his true mate. He couldn’t not want her even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. He wanted her with every breath he took. His wolf cried out for her but she wasn’t hearing him because, unfortunately, she’d mastered closing the bond down quite efficiently.