Breaking Ties and Making Bonds

CHAPTER 14- Breaking ties and Making bonds
JASMINE’S P. O. V.
I wake up to an alarm that thankfully I have set on repeat. Come to think of it, I don’t remember getting in bed last night, let alone setting the alarm. I reach over and turn off my alarm. I feel completely rested. I haven’t slept that well in a long time. I start to stretch when I suddenly feel the weight along my tummy and the heat resonating from it. I look down and blink a few times to make sure I am seeing what I think I am seeing. Yep, it is an arm. I follow the arm to the person it is attached to. Hunter is still out.
He looks comfortable. Completely at rest. And completely adorable. His lips are partially open, he is emitting a soft snore. I want to run my fingers through his messy hair. I roll towards him and slide my finger along his nose. He wrinkles it a little then mumbles something along the lines of five more minutes. I giggle at him. “Hunter,” He blinks his eyes and then lets out a big yawn. He pulls me closer.
“Good morning, baby.” He nuzzles into me.
“Good morning. I seem to have forgotten the part where I told you that you could stay in my bed.” I give him a look that he is clearly missing because his eyes are closed again.
Then he smirks. “I didn’t hear you complaining last night.”
“I don’t think an unconscious person can protest.”
“Still didn’t stop me.” He pulls me closer.
I pull away, “Come on sleepy head. We have training. And someone has to go back to their own room and get clothes.”
“UGH, I don’t want to train.” He protests as he stretches out in my bed. “Can’t you come back to bed and stay with me for like ever.”
“Morning training is mandatory and you know it.” I pull the blankets away from him. I think for a moment. “Actually maybe I can get us out of it this morning. I have to break some bad news to you.” I turn to him and he is not liking the look on my face. I can see panic and unrest on his features that were so content a little while ago. “Let me link my dad first.”
I focus on my dad and link him. “I am spending some time with Hunter this morning to quell the fact that I will be gone.”
He links back quickly, “Alright, I will tell Anthony that you two are excused. I will tell him you are doing something for me.” Then he closes the link. I think he is happy I am spending time with Hunter, after all that is who he wanted to be my mate all along.
“We are out of training.” I slide back in bed and snuggle him. This is a little easier way to break the news. “I am staying the night at Zoe’s.”
He lets out a huge breath. “Thank the goddess that is not what I thought you were going to say.” He cuddles into me.
“What did you think I was going to say?” I ask.
“I thought it was going to be along the lines of you changing your mind. Telling me to hit the road, never come back again. You know the thoughts you get when you fucked up so bad and are begging for another chance.”
I look in his face. “After everything. You think I would do that? No, I am just going to be gone until Sunday.”
“UGH, Sunday, why the hell for so long?” He doesn’t sound angry, just frustrated.
“Well, she made me a costume for the dance tomorrow and she wants to make sure it fits, then after the dance we are having a girls night with all of our friends. Well the girls.” Explaining it all.
“So I can show up at the dance and still see you.” He feels a little less tense. “And then you will be back Sunday morning right?”
“You can call me too if you want. Just so you know Nick is my date for the dance.” I don’t want him to be surprised when he sees Nick there.
He grumbles a little. “I am sure I can get at least one dance out of you. I’ll sneak some time I am sure.” He snuggles into me. “I am still going to go crazy, you know that right?”
“It’s the last thing that I had before my birthday. It was already planned before I knew about the bond. In the future I won’t be gone for so long.” He starts combing his fingers through my hair.
“I could just stay right here.” He has his eyes closed again. “You in my arms feels so nice.”
I pull away from him and set another alarm on my phone. Then cuddle up with him and get some more rest. We have the whole training time so we might as well enjoy it. I close my eyes and rest in his chest. Taking in his scent I feel a sense of calm that I haven’t gotten from anything in my life. I know this is all hard for him, I really am trying to make it less so. Hell, it is getting harder for me. The closer my birthday gets the more this bond feels like my life. Not to mention all the time we have spent together. It is all good times that we have been having.
“Baby, what are you thinking about?”
It is like one of those questions you ask when you just want to know where the other person is at. “I was just thinking about how nice this is. The time we have been spending together feels so natural. I don’t want you to think this is easy for me either. It is getting harder and harder for me. I do want to be with you. I can’t even remember why we were so apart. It feels so nice together.”
“Baby, I don’t ever want to be apart from you.” He pulls me closer. I am not so sure we can be closer, until his lips reach mine. He rolls me over so that I am on my back and he is resting his body on me. He weaves his arm under mine and under my back so that he is grabbing the back of my neck pulling me towards his lips. Hunter’s other hand slides under my shirt and glides over my skin right where my shorts start.
My hands are gliding up his back pulling him closer. Clawing and scratching at his back, he groans at me. Hunter’s lips leave my mouth only for him to nip and kiss on my jaw on his way to my neck and shoulders. “I want to mark you.” He mumbles against my shoulder.
“Don’t we have to wait until my birthday?” He’s looking for permission, permission that I think I want to give.
“I think all that matters is that we recognize the bond.” Hunter pulled back to search my eyes. He wants to know if I want this.
I always let my actions speak for me, so I pulled him to me and extended my canines. I sank my teeth into his shoulder where it meets his neck. He takes a deep breath with the contact. Then he purrs with the bite. I am sure there was some pain, I drew blood. When I pull back I lick at the spot cleaning the blood.
Hunter takes the que. He bites my left shoulder in the same joint. I can feel the elation of the bond. I moan in joy. He is licking it when I feel the tingles of the mark change. I watch as the mark on his shoulder changes to a tattoo of a heart with mine and Hunter’s names in it in a curling cursive script. Hunter gets a grin of satisfaction on his face. “The whole pack will know you are mine.”
I smile back at him. “You seem pretty pleased with yourself.”
He leans in and kisses the heart, “Oh, I am.”
The alarm blares from my phone. He groans and falls into me. “I don’t want to.”
I reach over to grab the phone to shut it up. “Sorry, we have to. I got us out of one thing. I can’t get us out of everything. We both need showers and you need clothes that are not in here. I am afraid I have nothing that would look good on you.”
He chuckles at that. Hunter gets up off the bed pulling me with him. “If I must. I think my mother is going to have a heart attack when she sees this but it’s the good kind. You know my parents are going to be thrilled.” As he’s pulling me around my eyes land on the plates of food by the loveseat.
“You made dinner.” A pleased smile spreads on my face.
“Of course, I can take care of my woman. Although she fell asleep before she even had a chance to taste it.” I bite his chin as a response.
“That is too bad, it looks good.” I turn around in his arms.
He is standing behind me holding me to him. “How about Sunday I try again and this time you actually stay awake to eat it?”
I turn around. “Sounds like a plan.” I start pushing him towards the door. “Now, go get your ass in the shower. I am not going to have you around me all day stinky.” I open the door and nudge him out.
He stops at the doorway. “You love my stink.” He kisses me and heads towards the stairs.
I turn my head the other way and see my dad staring at me from the kitchen. “That was new.” He calls to me.
I walk towards him. “Yeah, we kind of fell asleep talking last night.”
He gives me a look, “I figured that, I am talking about that.” He points to the heart on my shoulder. “I couldn’t see yours but I saw his.”
“Yeah, that is new.” I blush a little.
He just shrugs, “Get ready for school.” He turns back to making breakfast.
I chuckle and head to my room to shower.
After wrapping myself in a towel I go to my closet to get dressed. I am not ready to have Nick see the mark yet so I figured I need to make sure my shirt covers it. I decided that I am going to distance myself from him. He does deserve better even if he can’t see it yet. I picked out some jean capris and a blue t-shirt that will cover the spot.
I almost forgot that I needed to pack a bag. I start pulling everything that I will need into my backpack. I don’t really need that much just clothes for two days and a pair of pjs. With my bag stuffed full I head back to the kitchen with the two plates that Hunter had made up. My dad sees the plates. “You guys didn’t eat.”
“I fell asleep on him and then he didn’t eat I guess. So I am famished.” My dad quickly produces a plate for me, eggs, sausage, toast and an orange. I eat it faster than I have ever eaten in my life. I am starving, I wasn’t just saying that for dad’s benefit.
Dad gives me a chuckle. “Don’t worry I have plenty for your new man to do while you are away. He will hardly know you are gone. I just have to listen to him gripe the whole time and he will I am sure.”
“Thank you dad, for all your pains.” I give him a silly grin.
“Now, get out of here before Carlos has to wait.” He nods towards the stairs.
I run and grab my bag. Once I reach the stairs Hunter is waiting at the top. He puts his hand out to take mine. “I was right, my mom about threw a party.” He chuckled out.
I take his offered hand. “I would hope that your mother isn’t the only one happy.”
He gets a serious look on his face, “Oh, sure there is my dad too. He was beaming.” I slap his arm. “You know there is me too. Jeez abuse, we have been marked for like an hour.” He fakes being hurt.
We are just giggling and joking all the way down the stairs. Once we reach the entrance he opens the door for me and we step out on the landing. Carlos hasn’t come around yet. Hunter pulls me around getting his fingers tangled in my still wet hair and kissing me. We are a little lost for a moment, when we hear Allison come out.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Anger evident in her voice.
Hunter turns and glares at her. “No kidding. She is my mate. I couldn’t be happier.”
“She is a fat ass. How could you be happy with her?” She grinds out.
Hunter growls at her, “Watch what you say about her.”
I put my hand on his chest to stop him. “We knew she wasn’t going to be happy about this. Just ignore her.”
He takes my palm from his chest and kisses it, looking at Allison while he does it. Then he goes to my shoulder pulling back my shirt from my neck and kissing the heart there. Allison’s eyes look like they are going to pop out of her head. “You marked her.”
He gets a dark glint in his eyes. “You better believe I did. As soon as she let me.”
I think he might be enjoying upsetting her. That angers me a little bit. I link him. “Stop being so mean to her.”
He looks back at me a little shocked. “After everything she said about you?” He links back.
“I don’t want to stoop to her level.” I add pointedly.
He kisses my head but leaves Allison alone. Carlos pulls around then. Hunter opens the door for me, then goes around to his side. Once he gets in he pulls me closer so that I am practically sitting on his lap. “I may have to give you space when we get there, but not here.” He holds me close. I can’t say I am complaining.
This mate bond thing is starting to be the best thing to happen to me. I used to dread it. I would pray to get it over with because I just knew it was going to be something bad. Now having Hunter here with me just feels life changing. I was so scared at first, but I can see how much he needs me.
I feel the tingles in my skin as Hunter holds me tight. He is holding me like his life depends on it. “I want to stay here. Can we skip school today?”
I chuckle. “Not an option.” I shake my head.
“Sure it is, we just don’t get out.” He is chuckling with me.
“I think Carlos is here to make sure that we do.” I even point at the big guy to make my point.
“Oh, come on, you and I together, can take him.”
“I don’t want to test that theory.” I shake my head.
“You are no fun.” He nips my ear a little, I like it.
“I think I am plenty of fun.”
“You are right, you are.”
This is better banter. No insults, just fun and happiness.
We get to the school a short time later. When I get out of the SUV of course Nick is waiting for me. I hear Hunter grumble behind me. The fun banter is gone. Now there is the rage and the aggression that follows male bravado. Instead of letting Nick put his arms around me however I decided to take his arm.
I pull him along as we talk. “Good morning, beautiful.” He smiles down at me.
“Good morning. Nick, I want to talk to you about something.”
“I told you yesterday that doesn’t sound good.”
“Well, this time it is kind of bad. I think we should just be friends. I know that sounds bad, but I feel guilty about keeping you from other people when you know I am not going to be staying with you.” I put it all out straight forward. I am not really used to doing these kinds of things. I probably sound cold and uncaring. But I care very much.
“I told you I don’t care about that. I just want to be with you. I don’t want you to feel bad.” He sounds sad and broken a little bit.
“But I do Nick. I care a lot about you and I am not proud of being the one to hurt you. I am still your date tomorrow night, but we are going as friends.” I state matter of factly. I don’t want to drag this out. The guilt is killing me. And when I marked Hunter this morning I knew what I was going to have to do.
“So, I still get to dance with you.” He sounds a bit more hopeful.
“Of course.”
“Alright, then I will take it. I like your company. Hell, maybe I can convince you to change your mind.” He states it like he has a plan. I don’t like the sound of that. There is no going back on the mate bond. He doesn’t have a chance of changing things. I really hope I can convince him to change his mind and move on.
At least I convinced him that we are only friends. Nick still spends the day being a little too comfortable with me. I clearly make boundaries. Nick is just persistent. Hunter is pulling me off my tracks all day to peck a kiss here or there. I am starting to feel like that rope in tug of war.
Zoe has noticed the change, but I can tell that she is waiting for me to talk about it. I have to have a good enough story by the time I get to her house. I am just not so sure how to tell my best friend that I am engaged to Hunter, not only that but I am happy about it.