All We See & Seem (Timber Wolves) (14 page)

Having the new Alpha’s first ever Hustings at the same place as Scout’s trial may not have been the best idea in the world. The nervousness and unease Scout had been feeling all day was at a critical level. Normally that would have been detrimental for someone who was making their first official appearance as an Alpha, but “nervous” and “uneasy” on Scout looked a whole lot like “I’m going to eat your face off”, which was exactly the look she needed to oversee the Shifters and Seers version of a Supreme Court proceeding.

Jase wasn’t exactly loving the location either. The place held too many bad memories, but it was the only place that could hold a decent number of people without attracting a lot of attention. Not that everyone who came to the Hustings could actually fit into the activity building at the same time. The massive cabin and grounds were serving as a waiting room for the various Shifters and Seers who had issues to bring before the new, and hopefully improved, Alpha Pack. Liam had assigned Charlie and Joshua with vetting the crowd and setting up a schedule. The two of them were sort of the unofficial private security detail for the Alpha Female - Charlie because he felt like he owed a life debt to both Scout and Liam, and Joshua because… Well, because if someone chopped off his head, they could just reattach it and he would be okay. Being unkillable made him the perfect guy for front line defense.

Although, if you asked Scout, she didn’t need a security detail, which is why they worked in an unofficial capacity.

At least the room is set up differently,
Jase thought, taking his seat at the u-shaped table at the front of the room. Neither Liam nor Scout were big on the whole royalty aspect of being Alphas, which meant they’d quickly vetoed the idea of having a dais like Sarvarna and Stefan had sat on. Instead, they’d thrown some long tables together with some folding chairs and called the set-up aspect done. Jase had made a few jokes about feeling like the Wal-Mart version of one of the Knights of the Round Table. “
Come on, lady. I can totally save you from this dragon. King Liam and the Knights of the U-Shaped Table are just as good as the originals, but only require half the gold,”
he had teased. But in reality, he really did feel like one of Lancelot and the boys. He’d seen the way Sarvarna and Stefan ran their Alpha Pack, and this wasn’t it. Liam and Scout weren’t in this for Liam and Scout, but to genuinely do the right thing. Jase was proud of his sister, and proud to be a part of it. He just hoped he didn’t screw it up like he did every other thing in this life.

“When Charlie said ‘nearly every Shifter in existence’, I thought he was exaggerating,” Talley said, taking her seat between Jase and Scout.

Not everything,
Jase thought.
I haven’t screwed this up.
And while he often questioned whether or not he actually deserved her, he never questioned whether it would last. It wasn’t just that they were mates. Talley’s parents were all the proof anyone needed that a successful mating ceremony didn’t necessarily lead to a successful life together. Being mates doesn’t stop a couple from being selfish or keeping secrets. Agreeing to be someone’s mate doesn’t mean you agree to love them. In Shifter and Seer culture, matings were just formal, unbreakable alliances.

But for Jase and Talley, becoming mates was just an added layer of the relationship. They didn’t care about joining two powerful families or gaining positions in the Shifter hierarchy. They loved each other. For them, being together was all that mattered. If it took making a claim and going through a mating ceremony to ensure they got to stay together, then so be it. Jase would walk across hot coals and have his lip stretched out by a system involving a giant hook and heavy stones if that was what it took to be with Talley.

“They’re here for our mating ceremony,” he said with a put-upon sigh. “I hate breaking so many hearts, but a guy’s got to settle down at some point, you know?

Talley gave her head a sympathetic shake. “I almost feel bad for all those women crying themselves to sleep tonight.”

“Don’t forget the men who will be trying to drown their sorrow with a case of beer,” Jase said, knowing no self-respecting Shifter would ever cry over a woman. No, intoxication and acting like an ass in public was much more dignified. “Maybe I should mail Walker Helkamp some money for the liquor store.”

“Or you could just hand it to him.” At his arched eyebrows, Talley nodded to the left of the room where a exceptionally boring looking guy was doing a fairly amazing job of blending into the wall. He caught Talley’s eye and gave a small wave. “I’m sure he’s crying on the inside,” she said. “And I’m sure that puppy-dog look he’s giving the girl on his arm is just to mask his pain.”

Jase looked, and sure enough, Walker’s arm was draped around a girl who looked like she was trying to burrow into his side. She wasn’t one of the prettiest girls in the room, but he could tell by the way the other Seers were glancing at her that she must be packing some pretty significant power.

“Do you have any regrets?” Jase wasn’t quite sure where the question came from, but his insides froze as he waited for a response.

“About what? Walker?” Talley looked at the Shifter in question. “No. Not at all. He’s got a Seer willing to bear his children, and I’ve got you. I think things worked out like they were supposed to.”

“And us? Do you have any regrets there?”

Since she was Talley, she actually took the time to think about it instead of telling him what he wanted to hear. Although, for the record, Jase thought he would much rather her lie and tell him everything was perfect than to admit there were problems.

“Only one,” she finally said.

“Is it a big one, or a small one?” He needed to prepare himself.

“A huge one, actually.”

He locked his muscles, preparing for the impact of her next words. “And that would be…?”

“That we waited so long to admit what we were feeling to each other,” she said, and Jase thought he might slide out of his chair from pure relief.

“If I’m not mistaken, we only figured it out for ourselves a few weeks before.”

She leaned in, and despite the fact they were sitting in front of at least a hundred people, kissed him long and hard. “And when I’m lying on my death bed, looking up into the wrinkles surrounding your eyes, it’ll be those weeks that I’ll want to go back and fix.”

Jase traced her bottom lip with his thumb, his heart full to the point of bursting. “I love you.” It came out as a whisper since she’d literally taken his breath away. He would have kissed her again, but Scout chose that moment to call the crowd to order. Fifteen minutes later, he said the words that made Talley his forever, knowing that even without them, he was hers until the end of time.

Coming November 2013...

Fragile Brilliance :

A Shifters & Seers Novel

Acknowledgements

You would think that writing a novella would take half as much effort as writing a novel, but you would be wrong. At least, you would be if you were talking about me. A lot of people came together to help make Jase and Talley’s story happen, and I’m forever indebted to them all. If I leave you off this list, it’s only because you are so esteemed in my mind that I cannot bring myself to soil your name by committing it to paper, and in no way is it because I forgot. Now, if we can all agree to believe that, we’ll live happier lives.

Three people I absolutely cannot forget are Gwen Hayes of Fresh Eyes Critique and Editing Services; Leslie Mitchell of G2 Freelance Editing; and Victoria Faye Alday of Whit & Ware Design Services. These lovely ladies keep me from looking like an idiot, which is a remarkably difficult job. I can’t thank them enough for everything they do. (And if you see any errors on this page, know that it’s because I didn’t let Gwen or Leslie look at it first!)

There is a good chance AWS&S wouldn’t have ever been finished if it hadn’t been for a wonderful writing retreat and the influence of Erin Lowery. Mark your calendar, Erin. MLK Day 2014. We’ve got a date!

AWS&S saw the induction of a new crop of Beta Fish. Samantha, Alecia, and Tessa, welcome to your first acknowledgements page! You and beta vets Rachel, Victoria, Tori, and Kathryn made sure my teen characters don’t read like a bunch of thirty-somethings and helped me remember why I do this. You guys? The absolute best. (((((GROUP HUG!))))

Kathryn gets an extra “thank you” for tackling the oh-so-fun formatting of the digital editions. I do so love having minions!

Alyson, thank you for your encouragement and friendship. I’m not sure if I ever would have had the confidence to do this without your support.

A big thanks to Jennifer Talley for the generous use of her name and giving me a living example of Talley’s goodness. 

Thanks to Janet and all the girls (and Adam & Jamie) of UtopYA for giving me a sense of community. I’m glad to know you guys.

Samantha - 1. You are officially my writer BFF. 2. This title cannot be revoked, even with a restraining order, so it’s really useless to try. 3. I encourage you to just go with it. It’s not so bad. We all float down here. *cue creepy music* 4. The fact that you actually understand what is going on in this paragraph is why you’re my BFF.

To everyone on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr... This book almost didn’t exist because of you, but I still like you all anyway.

A gigantic, calorie-filled shout-out has to be given to the Coca-Cola company for making Mello Yello and the good people at Brach’s for their excellent gummy bears. Keep up the good work!

Crystal, Haley, and my mom get the biggest thanks of all for putting up with the crazy schedule, anxiety, and mood swings that come with being a writer. I would love to tell you I’m going to get the hang of this one day, but you would all know I was lying.

And as always, a gigantic thank you to my readers. I still have trouble believing you exist, but even if you’re just figments of my imagination, I adore you all.

About the Author

Tammy Blackwell is a Young Adult Services Coordinator for a public library system in Kentucky. When she’s not reading, writing, cataloging, or talking about YA books, she’s sleeping. You can follow her on Twitter (@Miss_Tammy), write to her at
[email protected]
or visit her at www.misstammywrites.com.