Marabella’s hysterical giggle snaps me out of my thoughts. I raise an eyebrow at her, wondering what she finds so funny. Considering everything she has just gone through, the last thing I expect her to be doing is laughing.
“Want to share what is so funny?”
She shakes her head and snores another loud laugh again.
Okay then, I think to myself as I purse my lips.
“Kora reminded me of something,” she giggles but doesn’t elaborate. I shake my head. Whatever Kora said to her; Marabella seems to be finding it quite amusing.
“But what happens when you shift? That is what I don’t get,” Marabella suddenly asks, making me glance at her.
“Huh?” I furrow my brows, as confused as ever.
“You know when you shift, especially if you shift suddenly, you don’t have time to take them out. Do they remain or push out of your skin? I just don’t get it. Kora and I keep trying to picture it, and I just can’t.” She shrugs before giggling again and wiping tears from her eyes. I have no idea what the heck she is talking about.
“What do you mean? You have completely lost me,” I tell her. Sometimes, I just didn’t get this woman.
“Your um…” she leans closer. “Piercings,” she whispers, pointing to her nipples. Her face heats and turns a lovely shade of pink. I chuckle at her and shake my head. So this is what is on her mind – my nipples?
“She just had an argument with her mother and her mate, and she is thinking about your nipples,” Jax, my wolf, says.
“Better than her crying, though,” I shrug at him.
“Yeah, but seriously, our nipples. I told you not to get the damn things done. Wait until she finds out the other way you mutilated our body,” Jax mutters.
He had begged and pleaded for me not to get them done, saying it isn’t right and he didn’t want his nipples pierced and should get a say. Then, when I went back, he pitched a bigger fit and even tried forcing control when he realized why I was there a second time. A damn werewolf scared of needles! Who would have thought?
“Why so curious?” I ask her, trying not to smirk. Mara shrugs.
“Just curiosity, besides I can’t keep staying up all night wondering about your, um hmm.” She swirls her finger toward my chest. It is pretty cute that she can’t even say the word. So innocent.
“My nipples,” I offer some help, and her face turns red, but she nods once. Well then, I will give her something else to think about! I laugh to myself.
“You will do no such thing! Don’t you dare,” Jax snarls at me. I think I just might.
“They remain, all my piercings do. My nipples don’t suddenly fall off when I shift Mara. You know some things remain the same, only covered by fur, well for men anyway,” I tell her.
“Wait, you have more piercings?” she gasps.
I chuckle at the shocked look on her face, and she glances at my face and ears, looking for them.
“Yes, a Jacob’s ladder, if you must know,” I reply, trying not to look as amused as I feel at her confusion. Oh, this is actually pretty funny.
“What the heck is Jacob’s ladder? Ew, you don’t have your back pierced or something weird like that, do you?” she asks, pulling a face.
Oh, if only she knew. Now I am curious what her reaction would be if she grasped the full extent of it. “Google it and find out,” I laugh, and she rolls her eyes, pulling her phone out. She is actually going to do it. I suppress my smile as she types away in her search engine, and I see pictures pop up on her screen, and she gasps, her blush creeps up her neck and across her face, even her ears turn pink.
“Jonah!” she squeals. “No, you don’t have that! How?” she cringes.
“Well, I went to a body piercer.” Mara shakes her head, putting her hand up.
“I do not want that image in my head, although I am curious. Does that shift when you do? Wait, don’t tell me that, I don’t want to know,” she laughs. Despite the somewhat amused and serious tone of her voice, her cheeks are still tinted a pretty shade of pink.
“Neither did Kyan; he nearly passed out watching me get it done,” I chuckle, recalling the day I got them done.
“You took Kyan?” she chuckles, looking completely amused. “Bet that ruffled his feathers, or did he hold it for you as part of the weird bromance thing you two got going on?” she teases, bursting into fits of giggles.
“As I said he nearly passed out; he hates piercings,” I reply, thinking back to that day. “And we don’t have a bromance,” I add.
“Yet he has tattoos, so I don’t think he’s that scared. Tell me, are you just embarrassed that he held your, you know what for you? And yes, you do have a bromance,” she argues. Although one might see this as an actual argument, I can sense the amusement still lacing her words.
“They aren’t tattoos; they are…” I blurt before cursing, Fuck! I shouldn’t have said that. Shit!
“What?” she looks at me, confused, as she brushes a strand of her hair out of her face.
“Forget I said anything,” I tell her. She shrugs and turns to look at me, watching me, and I tug at the collar of my shirt, suddenly uncomfortable. I hope she doesn’t ask me anything more. But when she speaks again, she’s no longer laughing, but serious.
“Did you know or have any idea about it all?” she asks, and I glance at her. I know what she means.
“About Kyan being your mate? No, he never told me; I swear, I really didn’t,” I tell her honestly.
She nods and looks back out the window, her mind going elsewhere. Pulling into the underground parking garage at the Casino, Marabella sits up suddenly, and I hear her heart rate pick up. I can tell she is panicking, her entire body language switches to that of unease.
“Can you drop me elsewhere? I thought we were going back to your parent’s place or yours.” She looks at me sharply and I reach over, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
“Kyan isn’t here, Mara. It will just be us, I promise. Kyan stays at the manor anyhow,” I tell her.
She swallows and quickly nods, while exhaling loudly. “Okay, as long as he won’t be here,” she breathes. I feel terrible for her; I want to smack the shit out of him. But I can’t make his eyes open, his heart feel, or make him see the truth. He has to realize himself that he is being an idiot, and also how lucky he is. I would give up on anything to have her be mine.