Blood Oath (#3, Mystic Wolves) Read Online Free PDF Page A

been out for a good hour or two so you needed
it.” Resting on his back, Mason turned his head to kiss me on top
of mine before staring at the ceiling. “What a day.”
    I nodded and we lay there in silence, with
him stroking the side of my arm and me tracing the contours of his
stomach. We were lost in thought—not wanting to spoil how we were
feeling with the ugliness of events.
    Releasing a tired sigh, Mason spoke first.
“It goes without saying you’re not to leave the house, right? No
trips to town, not so much as a toe off pack property.” I knew he
was trying to sound casual, but I could sense the importance hidden
in his voice. This would be something I couldn’t argue about. He
was on alert and the conditions of my safety were
non-negotiable.
    “I promise. Stay at home. Be a good girl.
Don’t cause trouble.” I rattled off each sentence like I was
reading a grocery list.
    He laughed at my last comment. “I don’t think
it’s feasible for you to keep out of mischief, but at least try to
keep it within the estate. I can’t expect the impossible from you.
Trouble is your middle name after all.”
    I slapped him for that, the sound of my hand
thudding against his chest echoed in the room, and was followed
quickly by a flare of pain in my palm. It was like hitting a brick
wall.
    “You doing okay?” Instinctively, I knew he
was asking if I was alright after sitting with Jasmine. I couldn’t
help but smile at just how thoughtful he was. Even though we’d been
together for a while, I still wasn’t accustomed to how in tune he
was with me, how he noticed things and genuinely wanted to help.
The jerks I dated in the past couldn’t have cared less. Their one
focus was how soon they could get in my pants and get out.
    I hugged Mason tightly, trying to convey how
much I appreciated him before letting out a huge sigh. “I’m good. I
just kept telling myself I can survive this, and even though it
hurts, I still have you and she wouldn’t want me falling
apart—especially not now with everything happening. It still feels
like I have a lump in my throat all the time, like something’s
missing, but I know she would want me to continue to live. It was
just a shock seeing her—touching her. It made it real and my mind
couldn’t refuse it.” I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes and
smiled when Mason reached over to tuck it behind my ear. “I’m glad
I was able to have those last moments with her. We talked. Well, I
talked and she listened.”
    “So it was like normal.” His fingers began to
slowly run through my hair, twirling it in a soothing fashion. “I
can’t tell you how many times I passed her door and heard you both
in there laughing away, not knowing what you two were up to, but so
glad you had each other. As a brother, it meant a lot that you both
got on so well. It felt right.”
    More silence followed as we both got lost in
our thoughts. Sunshine blazed through the window, heating the air,
and for that short period of time, everything felt perfect. It
wouldn’t be difficult to convince myself this was just an ordinary
afternoon and everything was right in the world. I lifted my hand
into the ray of light that covered most of Mason’s upper body.
    Turning it back and forth, rubbing my fingers
together, it amazed me how easy it is to take for granted the
simple things. I’d grown so accustomed to seeing things every day,
always assuming they’d be there whenever I needed them. All it took
was an instant to lose it and it would be gone forever. Staring at
the dust particles dancing in the sun beam, I vowed to never become
so complacent again and learn to appreciate everything I had.
    “Those are some heavy thoughts there, Darcy,”
Mason’s voice jarred me from my musings.
    “Reading my mind, are we?” I poked his ribs
with my finger and was rewarded with a squirm. I loved that he was
ticklish.
    “No, but this huge frown wrinkle gave you
away.” He traced my brow and I slapped him