Chapter 71 - KEEPING SECRETS

[KYLE POV]

I had just experienced the best moment of my life. I had marked my mate in two different ways. I had bitten her for the mating ritual, something I didn't think could be redone but I felt the power coursing into her from me. Then I had given her my beast mark.

A beast mark was where I was partially shifted and marked her body. The mark would fade but it acted as a power sharing mark. She could draw on my strength now that she had that mark.

In all fairness, I hadn't meant to mark her that way since it involved physically harming your mate. Most men, and women, don't like to do something like that since it was potentially dangerous as well as painful.

Jacy hadn't seemed to mind though. And if I wasn't mistaken she had given me a beast mark as well. She had dug her claws into me at the moment that we both climaxed and I felt the rush of power from her to me.

Aside from power sharing the beast marks served another purpose. They were a stronger link between partners. A partner could be located through a mate mark, but it is not that easy to accomplish or to narrow them down.

With a beast mark, though, you would know the moment they were in danger. You would sense the fear, the rage, even if they had excess joy. Not to mention, if they were in pain you would know it. Anything that was to the extreme was broadcasted through a beast mark.

Well, that was what the legends said anyway. I have never seen one in person, ever. But I have read about them repeatedly. This was truly a wonderful day.

When I collapsed to the forest floor, still cradling the limp and exhausted Jacy in my arms, I squeezed my arms around her. I needed to hug her, I needed to hold her tight and know that she wasn't going to run away from me again.

When she made no move to get away from me I sighed in relief and said the only thing that came to my mind.

"I love you."

I couldn't believe that I had said those words. I couldn't believe that I was stupid enough to put that much pressure on her already when I knew she had a tendency to run.

And right on cue I felt her tense up and stiffen in my arms. She was probably about to jump out of my arms and run as far from me as she possibly could.

'Stupid!' I screamed at myself inside of my head but it wasn't enough so I added some more for good measure. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!'

I had said the words so quietly that I had hoped she hadn't heard them but I could tell that she had. There was no other excuse for why she was so nervous and tense now. What had I done?

Then I heard something that I could barely make out. It was soft and over too quick but I managed to piece the words together inside of my head.

As quietly as she could possibly manage to say it, Jacy had said four little words.

"I love you too."

It was clear that she didn't want me to hear it. I could tell that she was not ready to tell me her feelings. She had probably said it for her own benefit rather than for mine. I didn't care though. I had heard her and that was all that mattered.

Now, I was not going to be stupid enough to let her know I heard it. That was why I remained perfectly still and calm when I had heard those four lovely little words.

I was not jumping for joy like I wanted to. I was not spinning her in a circle and kissing her lips with a fiery passion reigniting the session we had just completed. No, I was being calm. I would wait and bide my time. I would make sure that I stuck with her and showed my love to her as much as I could. And one day she would accept the way she felt and tell me personally.

That was all that I could hope for.

Once I felt that my muscles and heart were completely calm I helped Jacy stand to her feet. She didn't look at me directly and that made me a little sad. She was probably worrying about what she had said and wondering how I was going to act.

"Come on, let's get dressed." I smiled at her and kissed her cheek softly. It wasn't completely out of character for me, she just didn't know that yet. I have wanted to be closer to her since the night I met her. I was now getting what I had wanted so badly.

"Yeah, OK." She looked at me with curious eyes, clearly looking for something that she thought would give me away. She didn't see anything and finally she relaxed. I was glad I hadn't given away that I heard her. I didn't want to rush her or make her feel awkward.

We got dressed slowly, our bodies still a little tired. Once we were covered we walked slowly back toward the inn. I was very happy when I took Jacy's hand and held it in mine. I was happy because she didn't try to pull it away from me or break my grip in any way. She was just letting me hold her hand with her fingers wrapped around mine.

When we got back to the room we ordered room service and took yet another quick shower. Only the last one hadn't been so quick.

We had gone twice already today so I was a good boy in the shower. I didn't touch her inappropriately. I didn't stroke her body. The most I did was help her wash her body.

To be fair, it started with me washing her back but I felt compelled to help with the rest of it. I may have looked, a lot. And I may have licked my lips more than a few times. But I swear that I did not behave indecently. I was a good kitty. That's a promise.

It was hard though. So very hard!

Following the shower the food was delivered so we sat down at the table in her room. The meal was large and filled with protein. We both needed to replenish after the day's exercises and Jacy needed to eat better since she was eating for two.

The meal we ordered consisted of the following: A full slab of ribs that were cooked to perfection and slathered in a rich and tangy barbeque sauce. Two t-bone steaks that were medium rare and covered with onions and mushrooms. Heaping piles of mashed potatoes covered in beef gravy. Roasted asparagus as well as roasted zucchini. There was also corn on the cob and steamed broccoli. I had ordered a few skewers of shrimp for myself and Jacy had added some grilled chicken that was covered in more of that same barbeque sauce. On top of it all there were freshly baked dinner rolls with butter that had hints of honey and cinnamon.

It was a feast that made my mouth water and it had lots of protein and vegetables for Jacy.

We ate at the table in near silence, barely looking at each other while we devoured the food. The food was just too good to ignore at the moment. It seemed that we were both much more hungry than either of us had realized.

Once the meal was over and the dishes cleared away, and not to mention our hands and faces were cleared of the messy, messy barbeque sauce, it was time to see if EZ had sent me the information that I was looking for earlier.

I sat on the bed with Jacy next to me. Her head was resting on my shoulder as if it were a pillow and she wasn't trying to pull away from me at all. That made my beast purr with happiness and satisfaction.

The computer took longer to boot up than I had wanted, while I waited, I reached down to grab Jacy's hand and squeeze it with our fingers wrapped around each other. It all just felt so natural and right to be sitting with her right here. How could I ever expect myself to leave her side when I knew how perfect it was right there with her?

I was in deep. Way deeper than I ever thought I was going to be. Why didn't anyone ever tell me how hard you fall when you find your mate? Why didn't anyone warn me about this?

I wouldn't have stopped it. Not at all.. But it would have been nice to know what to expect when I fell for her like a ton of bricks.