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“This makes one thing pretty clear. We’re not in any pack, so our chance to mate with someone is . . . well, zero percent. Which is perfect. I don’t want to be mated to someone. I want to make my own choice, based on my own true feelings.”
Finn kept walking, his look fixed on the grass, but in the corner of my eye, I caught delight on his face.
We were walking through the woods when the burble of water reached my ear. I turned my head looking for the source.
“There’s a river down there. Let me show you.”
For a moment, we walked in silence. Listening to it and inhaling the smell of bark and slightly moist forest air, I forgot all my questions. I ran my eyes up and down a large, old tree. Thick roots held it to the ground, and it stood tall, spreading its magnificent green canopy above us.
The river was about twenty-five feet wide and not too deep. I stepped closer and looked into the clear water.
“When we drove here, I saw a private property sign. Does this all belong to you?”
“Yeah. Everything within two miles around. You probably know that when we shift, we lose our clothes. My mom liked to run, and my father chose this place for her, so she could shift whenever she wished and run freely wherever she wanted.”
Moving along the river, we reached a small wooden bridge. We crossed it and came out to a big, green meadow.
Finn drew closer and stopped behind me.
“It’s so beautiful here.” I felt his torso brush against my back.
I wanted to look at him, to see his face. My heart pounding, I turned around, and at the same second, his strong hand sat tight on my back and pulled me to his chest. I have felt a strong hand on me before, but it was nothing like this. His hold on me wasn’t meant to offend or hurt me, it was meant to make me feel wanted and safe at the same time.
Our eyes met. Then his look slid down to my lips. He bowed his head and kissed me. Oh yes, I needed him to hold me tight. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he lifted me a few inches from the ground, ringing his other arm around my waist.
A few moments later, when our lips parted, he put me down, and the way his look moved over my face felt like he was still kissing me.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head and turned his eyes up at the sky. “I shouldn’t . . . You’re not angry with me, are you?”
“Do I look angry?” I said quietly. “I didn’t push you away, did I?” I ran both my hands up his chest and cupped them around his neck. “When you left, I missed you.” The look of his gray eyes in mine weakened my body all over again. “And the moment I arrived, the moment I saw you . . . I wanted . . .” I shrugged, “. . . this. I mean . . . yes, this.”
“I missed you too,” he whispered.
He reached for his back pocket and pulled out a small, round wooden box.
“This was my grandmother’s.” He opened the lid and took out a silver bracelet. “She was a witch. It’s supposed to contain some magical powers. I want you to have it.”
He held it out for me, but I hesitated.
“Finn, it’s gorgeous. But I can’t. It’s a family heirloom.”
“Please. I think it might help you during your transition.”
“Really?” I bit my lower lip, then I nodded and took it out of his still-waiting hand. It was about half an inch wide, and there were symbols embossed on its surface from one end to the other.
“Let me help you.” He pushed the empty box back into his back pocket and put the bracelet around my wrist. “Happy birthday, Spencer.”
I stepped closer and kissed him on the lips.
“Thank you.” The blissful look on his face made me smile. “We should go back. I want to look pretty tonight, and it might take some extra time.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer.
“You’re alwa—”
“If you say I’m always pretty, I’ll kick you in the . . . well, it will hurt.”
We both laughed.
