The Wolf's Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna (19 page)

He looked around the bedroom
where she had grown up.  The floor was dark hardwood polished to a high shine,
with colorful throw rugs in muted metal colors scattered around.  The four-poster
bed was made of thick branches that were bent and twisted to form an intricate
pattern.  A vanity stood against one wall with a small embroidered stool in
front of it.  The top of the pink-painted wood was overflowing with bottles and
containers, and pictures were stuck around the edge of the ornate mirror.  He
walked over to it and peered at the pictures.  Several were of her with her
parents, but most were of her and a young woman with bright blonde hair.

“That’s Kari, my best
friend.  She was there when I was taken, and Jasper had one of his men drug her
to stop her from casting a protection spell.”

“Tell me about the powers. 
You are incredibly powerful.  Why are you considered from the
other side of
the tracks
?”

Her cheeks pinked.  “The
power to unlock things is considered a non-noble power.  It’s a service power. 
My family and I don’t have much in the way of spell-casting abilities, although
I can do some spells, like the truemate spell, which is meant for all fae and
not just spell-casting fae.”

He frowned.  “So you’re
considered lower class because you can’t cast spells?  What can your friend
do?”

“She’s a blosomfae, she can
make anything grow.  The upper class are those that have spell-casting power,
and those are the rulers of this realm, like Maximus’s father.  The spell casters
make up the army that protects us, govern our realm, and make it beautiful.”

He opened his mouth to
protest, but thought better of it.  It was the way things were here in this
realm.  He didn’t like that anyone considered his mate to be a lower-class
citizen when she had the ability to do something that he considered incredibly
cool.  In the wolf pack, fighting ability separated the wolves, not family
lines or fur color.

He sat down on the bed next
to her, sliding his arm over her shoulders and kissing the top of her head.  “I
am far more impressed with the ability to unlock things than I am with growing
flowers.”

She looked at him, cocking
her head to the side.  “Really?”

“Of course.  Not only are you
gorgeous, with stunning silver eyes, but you can unlock the house if I ever
forget my keys.  A far more valuable talent, in my opinion.”

Her lush mouth split into a
slow smile.  “You’re sweet.”

“Honest.”

“That, too.”  She paused and
then said, “Thank you for trying to find Jasper and his pack, and for bringing
Max back here.  You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

“He has to answer for his
crimes, love.”

She tilted her face up to his
and kissed him.  He deepened the kiss, loving the pleased hum that came from
her throat when their tongues met.  Her hands curled into his shirt as he slid
his hands down her back and his fingers delved under the hem of her top.

She moaned when his fingers
trailed up her spine, drawing the shirt up.  She pulled her mouth free,
panting.  “We can’t.  Dinner.”

Dropping his head to her
shoulder, he drew her close.  “Later.”

“Definitely.”

They joined her parents in
the kitchen, and Logan held out her chair and pushed her close to the table. 
The table was set with one large platter containing a roast surrounded by
vegetables.  Small bowls and dishes contained other things that he didn’t
recognize.  Jenna’s father stood at the head of the table with a serving fork
and carving knife, and began to slice the roast.  A thick blue-tinted bone ran
through the reddish-brown meat.  When Brokk placed a thick wedge on his plate,
Jenna said, “It’s wild blue boar and tastes like pork.”

He said, “Did I make a face?”

She laughed.  “A little.  And
it’s understandable, since it has a blue bone.”

“Sorry.”

Rhoswen held a porcelain bowl
that contained some kind of mashed vegetable and took a scoop onto her plate. 
“Are there no blue-furred boars in the Mortal Realm?”

Logan shook his head.  “It’s
not a natural color where I’m from, except for maybe birds.  But I doubt their
bones are blue.”

“Strange,” Rhoswen said with
a shake of her head, passing the bowl to Brokk.

Logan snorted inwardly. 
Indeed.

Later that night, after he
and Jenna had made love in the shower to mask the noise and then retired to
bed, he held her close and looked out the window into the darkness.  Gas lamps
lit the street outside, but they were dull by comparison to the harsh electric
lights he was used to.  It was quiet here.  Peaceful.  No cars driving by with
headlights chasing across the walls.  He’d thought his own home was quiet, but
it was nothing compared to the stillness here.

“Penny for your thoughts,”
Jenna whispered, her lips grazing his chest.

He tightened his hold on
her.  “Do you miss being home?”

“Yeah, but we’ll be home in a
few days.”

It took him a moment to
realize that she wasn’t talking about her own realm anymore, but his.  She
laughed lightly.  “Anywhere you are is home to me, Logan.  I miss my family,
but it’s no different than moving to another state in your realm.  I can always
come here to visit, but my home is with you because you have my heart.”

“You have mine, too, baby.”

* * * * *

Logan drank the fae version
of coffee on Saturday morning and watched Jenna cooking in the kitchen. 
Qafo
,
as they called it, was made with some kind of dried root and tasted like very
mild French roast.  It wasn’t bad, but he was looking forward to having a cup
of dark roast once they were back home.

Jenna set a plate in front of
him filled with eggs and some sliced meat that reminded him of country ham but which
was brown streaked with white.  “Juice?” she asked.

“Nah, I’m good baby.”

She joined him with her own
plate, and they ate together.  When he told her how good the meal was, she
beamed.

After they had cleared the
dishes, there was a knock at the door, and it swung open to reveal a tall
blonde woman and a man with short white-blond hair.

“Kari!”  Jenna said, racing
to meet her friend.  They hugged and kissed each other on the cheeks, laughing
and talking.

Jenna slipped into Logan’s
arms.  “Logan, this is my best friend Kari, and her betrothed, Raynir.  This is
my truemate, Logan.”

Kari looked Logan up and down
and then hugged him.  Logan was too surprised by the burst of affection to hug
her back, and she darted back into Raynir’s arms.  “We’re almost family,
Logan.  You saved my best friend.  You’re golden in my book.”

Raynir stuck his hand out and
shook Logan’s firmly.  “It’s good to meet you, wolf.  Thank you for returning
Maximus.  You’re a better male than I.  I would have left him to rot for what
he did to Jenna.”

Logan’s brow rose.  “I
promised Jenna’s dad that I would bring him back for punishment.”

Raynir nodded.  “He’ll get
it, too, once he’s out of care.”  He glanced at Jenna.  “They had to remove
both wings.  The one was completely dead, and his father said not to leave him
with just one since it would be useless anyway.  He’ll recover in a few weeks
and be ready to spend a good length of time in bondage.”

At Logan’s confused look,
Raynir told him that betrayal between faes was considered one of the great
crimes of their people, especially when the betrayal involved outsiders like
werewolves, and most especially when it involved criminal activities.  Once he
was healed, Maximus would be sentenced by the high courts for his crimes and
would serve his punishment by working to repair the damage that had occurred
from opening the portal and allowing Jasper and his pack in.

Kari giggled.  “Translation: 
he’ll be picking up garbage and paving the roads brick by brick for the next
five years.”

Logan thought that was hardly
a fit punishment considering that he had almost cost Jenna her life.  Raynir
rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  “If he wasn’t crippled now, the punishment would
have been far harsher.  Losing his wings means he’s lost his ability to earn a
living through traditional means.  He’ll have to rely on his family for
support, or hope to marry a fae that comes from a wealthy family.”

Logan looked at Jenna and she
smiled.  “He wasn’t popular when he had wings.  He’ll be a leper now.”

“As long as you approve,
sweetheart,” Logan said.  “That works for me.”

She nodded.  “I do.  It’s
knocked his family down a few pegs and he’ll have a permanent reminder of what
betrayal costs.”

Kari rubbed her hands
together.  “It’s time for the men to leave so Jenna can get ready.”

“For what?” Logan asked.

Kari rolled her blue eyes to
the ceiling.  “The joining ceremony.”

Logan’s eyes widened. 
“That’s not for eight hours!”

Raynir said, “Come on out
with me.  I’ll give you a tour of the glen and we’ll hang out.”

Jenna smiled encouragingly. 
“Be back by five so you can get ready.  My dad will be here to help.”

“Eight hours is a long time
to be apart.”  He snagged her around the waist and jerked her against his body.

“That’s so romantic,” Kari
sighed.

Jenna blushed and wrinkled
her nose as she smiled.  “I’m one lucky fairy.”

“Not as lucky as the wolf
holding you.”

Kari made another exaggerated
sighing sound and Raynir groaned.  “You’re killing me, man.  Let’s go before I
have to buy her something sparkly to make up for my romantic shortcomings.”

Logan laughed and kissed
Jenna, releasing her and following Raynir out of the house.

A small black carriage was
waiting at the end of the walk, attached to a navy blue horse with a pale blue
mane.  Raynir climbed in first and Logan followed, sitting on a cushioned
bench.

Raynir clicked his tongue and
the horse took off.  “I’ve never seen a blue horse before,” Logan commented,
his hands gripping the edge of the seat.  He felt like he was going to fall out
of the carriage, the way it rocked along the cobblestone road.

“Kari’s father is a breeder
and he’s got all different colors.  Kari’s favorite stallion is bright pink.” 
He glanced sideways.  “It’s hard to feel manly when you’re sitting behind a
pink horse.”

“I’ll bet,” Logan chuckled.

“You’re the first wolf I’ve
ever met.  You’re not at all what I expected.”

“Yeah?”

Raynir touched the reins
gently and the horse turned left down a street.  They had left the neighborhood
where Jenna’s home was and were now entering what looked like a downtown area,
with shops and restaurants.  “We’re raised to believe that the glen is perfect
and that nothing good exists in the outer realms.”

“But doesn’t that go against
the truemate spell?”

“Yeah, but fae also recognize
that not everyone will find their lifemates within the Fae Realm.  Rather than
our people wandering around for decades looking for love, the truemate spell
helps them go directly to the one person meant for them.”

He was still amazed by the
magic of the spell.  Several minutes later, they stopped in front of a large
stone building.  “This is where the party will be after the ceremony.  I
promised Jenna’s dad I’d stop by with you so we can help do manly stuff like
move tables.”

Logan was happy to help and
had wondered where her parents had gone off to so early.  He greeted her
parents and her father set him and Raynir to work immediately, rearranging
tables and chairs in the large open space.  Several hours later, Raynir
suggested it was time to relax and they headed back through the small downtown
where he stopped the carriage in front of a tavern.

After lunch, a few rousing
games of
polsi
, which was a lot like darts, and two mugs of sweet beer,
it was time to head back to the house to get ready.  Raynir dropped him off in
front of Jenna’s home and said, “I’ll see you at the ceremony.  It was good
meeting you, Logan.”

“Thanks for the beer,” Logan
said.

“Thanks for letting me win at
polsi
.”

Logan walked into the house
and found Jenna’s dad in the kitchen.

“Are you ready,
cher
?”
he asked, folding a towel and turning around to face him

“Yes.”

“Let’s go get you ready to
meet your bride.”

He followed Brokk up the
stairs.  It wasn’t the first time since he’d arrived that Brokk had called him
son.  It touched something deep inside him.  It was no wonder Jenna was the
spectacular person she was.  She came from good people.

Brokk opened Jenna’s bedroom
door and Logan walked inside.  Clothing was laid out on the bed.  A white dress
shirt, dark trousers, and a length of silver fabric.  Brokk said, “When you’re
cleaned up and dressed, give me a yell and I’ll fix the sash on you.  We need
to leave in an hour and a half, so no dilly-dallying.”