Entwined Destinies Read Online Free PDF Page A

eyes. My mouth moves before I know what it’s going to say.
    “How did Sylvia scare off the werewolf that bit you?”
    Mason is stymied by my question. It did come out of nowhere.
    “Are you okay, Jess? You fainted.”
    I sit up. Mason helps me.
    “I’m fine, just a little lightheaded.”
    Mason shakes his head.
    “This was a bad idea. I should have taken you home the moment I changed back. I never should have let myself get carried away. I just wanted to be with you so much.”
    I reach up and touch Mason’s face, hoping to calm him.
    “I’m glad you got carried away. That’s exactly what I wanted as well. Besides, I’m perfectly all right.”
    I smile, but truthfully I’m exhausted.
    “Maybe I should start playing hard to get if I’m that easy,” Mason says.
    “I’m glad you were that easy. I missed you too much. You might have been able to wait, but I couldn’t.”
    That part is true. Mason adjusts the hair off my face.
    “Then what happened just now? You were there one moment and gone the next. The berries might have helped, but they couldn’t have been enough. You must be starving.”
    “I’m sure that’s all it is,” I say, trying to put Mason at ease.
    “You asked me how Sylvia scared off the werewolf that bit me, the moment you woke up. Where did that come from?”
    “It popped into my head. Random thought. Probably just a detail rolling around in my head since you told me your story.”
    I leave the question open. Wait to see if he’ll address it or deflect the subject. He must sense my interest.
    “I was seriously out of it, Jess, but I remember how upset she got, swinging a branch at a werewolf. She could have run, but didn’t. She protected me.”
    “Did Sylvia ever talk about it afterward?”
    “Not really, beyond saying that it was a blur for her as well. I’ve never seen her like that. Totally unhinged. Sylvia didn’t have a chance against that creature, but she stood her ground and defended me. I’ll always remember that.”
    I nod, taking it all in. My vision of Sylvia with a red-eyed wolf is a confusing one. I still don’t know what to make of it. Definitely worth pondering more, but not now.
    “Pay me no mind. I was just wondering. Like I said, some thoughts pop into my mind out of nowhere. Take me home? I could really use a proper meal, and a shower.”
    “Let me fetch your clothes.”
    Mason does. Not only that, but he dresses me as well. I feel like a rag doll, but I like how he takes care of me. For all his feral behavior, I missed his gentleness too.
    “What are we going to do about your clothes?” I ask.
    “My car is nearby. I keep a spare set in the trunk.”
    “Of course. This wouldn’t be your first time in the wild.”
    He slips his arms under my body and picks me up off the ground. It makes me feel like wounded bird cupped in his hands.
    Mason is actually parked quite a ways off for what I consider nearby . Despite the length of time we spend walking, he doesn’t strain once with my weight. I feel safe in his arms. So much that I could almost fall asleep.
    I must have dozed off, because I wake up in the front seat of his car. It’s an old Mustang with leather interior. I remember the year, 1969, for obvious reasons. Mason is already driving when my eyes open.
    I sit up and look around groggily, trying to get my bearings. I recognize the back road he’s driving along. We’re almost back at my place.
    “How long was I out?”
    “Not long.”
    “I’ve never been in your car before,” I say, as the realization dawns on me.
    “This car and I have put in a lot of mileage together,” Mason says matter-of-factly.
    He looks like he’s about to say something else, but then stops, and keeps looking at the road instead. I touch his arm lightly with my fingertips. He glances at my hand, then back at the road.
    I want him to tell me whatever it is that makes him sad, but when he’s ready. As usual, that turns out to be sooner rather than later.
    “I was a