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Anders

Later that night, Jamie orders us something called pizza. It’s flatbread sprinkled with cheese and something called tomato sauce and cooked until it is crispy. It is delicious. I ate half of it. The human world may be full of savage, hateful creatures, but they do know how to cook.

After we’ve eaten, Jamie calls Jace and me into the bathroom and shoves a little brush at me. “Here.”

It’s so tiny I can’t fathom what uses it has. I take the brush and run it over my hair.

Jace erupts into laughter.

“What are you doing?” Jamie is gawking at me.

“It’s a brush. I’m brushing my hair.”

Jamie covers his mouth but can’t suppress a snort. “No, it’s a brush for your teeth ! In my time, we brush our teeth after meals.” He hands me a tube. “This is toothpaste. You scrub it over your teeth, then rinse and spit.”

“Ah. Is that why your teeth are in such fine shape?”

He nods. “I’m surprised your teeth look so good,” Jamie says as he takes the tube back and squeezes the paste over our brushes.

“Ulfhednar have strong and resilient teeth, and if we lose them, it’s usually in fights. But plenty of humans from my time are missing theirs.”

I begin to brush. The paste makes me gag at first and tastes like one of Jamie’s mints. He instructs me on which direction to go in, and by the time I spit and rinse, my breath smells as sweet as his.

Jamie’s patience, I might even describe it as an eagerness , to teach me the ways of his world is…

Well, it’s a kindness I wouldn’t have expected to find in a place like this.

He fed me, cleaned my clothes, put a roof over my head.

My mate gives so much of himself so willingly.

He should be careful. Doesn’t he know how easy it would be for someone to take advantage of his kind heart?

Someone like me.

“Want us to read together again?” Jamie asks Jace as we approach the lad’s room.

He shakes his head. “That’s okay. I can do it myself.”

“Okay, if you’re sure…”

Jace grins. “Good night!” He waves to both of us and heads into his room.

Jamie sighs. “Man, I miss the days when he would pester me for a bedtime story. He’s growing up so fast.”

“You read together?” I ask, following Jamie to his room across the apartment.

“Not as much as we used to.” Jamie jumps when I bump into his back right outside his door. “Oh. You want to sleep with me?”

“And why wouldn’t I?”

Jamie huffs. “You know, I may be ulfhednar, but I was raised human. We tend to take things slow.”

“I know nothing of slow.”

“Clearly.” He holds the door for me, and we go into his room together.

Jamie peels off his shirt, and I wet my lips, admiring his fair skin. My mate kicks off his pants, revealing his strong legs, perky ass, and the swell of his cock. It feels like ages since I had my hands or mouth on his skin, but it was only this morning.

“Does it unsettle you? I can show restraint if you’d like.”

Jamie’s throat bobs when he swallows. “It does,” he admits, and something inside me shrivels. There’s a flush to his cheeks, and arousal spices his scent. There’s something he isn’t telling me.

I discard my breeches and peel my shirt over my head. Wrapping my arms around his chest, I pull him to me and press my nose into his neck. “If I unsettle you so, then why do you smell like you’ll die unless I touch you, pet?”

Jamie shivers and leans his body into mine. “I, uh… Can we just talk, actually?” He wiggles out of my grip.

I’m disappointed but shrug. “If that’s what you wish.”

Jamie lies in bed and pats the space beside him.

“Move over,” I insist.

“Why?”

“I want to be between you and the door, pet.”

Jamie scoffs, smiling like I’m amusing. “Why? To protect me from the dust bunnies in my living room?”

A furious snarl erupts from me. I don’t know what these dust bunnies are, but if they seek to harm my mate, I will tear them apart! “Are these dust bunnies dangerous?”

Jamie hides his face in his hands, laughing for some reason. “Oh no. What have I done? Anders, I’m fine!”

“I cannot let you sleep near the door if these dust bunnies lie in wait! Move over. I will watch the door.”

Still laughing for some unfathomable reason, Jamie scoots over and lets me lie on the side of the bed nearest the door. “Keep the light on. Beasts fear light of any kind. Dust bunnies must be no different.”

Jamie’s still giggling. I’m not sure why. Eventually, he quiets while I continue to glower at the door. If anything tries to enter this room, my wolf will rip them to pieces.

“You wished to talk?”

Jamie hums thoughtfully, hooking one leg over my waist. “Were you close with your parents? I know you and your brothers have a difficult relationship, but what about your mom and dad?”

An odd lump forms in my throat as I think of them. I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on their memories, not in years. Yet I can’t seem to deny Jamie anything. “Very close. I only knew my mother a few short years, but… she was a kind woman. Stronger than anyone I’ve known.”

Warm hands rub my chest, almost soothingly. I close my eyes and bask in the warmth of Jamie’s touch. It’s good we aren’t mated. Otherwise, he could sense these disgusting feelings tearing me apart. How weak they make me feel…

“She died birthing my brother Wulfric.” Why am I still speaking? “I hate him for that. For taking her from me.”

“Anders,” Jamie begins, and I despise the sadness in his voice.

“I will kill him for killing her. For taking my father from me.”

“Hey.” Jamie grips at my chest, but I squirm out of his reach, curling my body away from his.

All I want is to bare my heart and soul to him while he holds me tight until all my broken pieces cease to ache.

I can’t. I can’t let him numb my anger. I need my fury to do what must be done and save my pack.

“Go to bed. I will keep you safe.” Even if I could stay, I would never be a worthy mate for Jamie. He is too kind, too trusting. When I leave, it will be for the best. I don’t deserve someone like him, not when I can’t even keep my own family safe.

Jamie hums softly. “Okay. Good night, puppy dog.” I ignore the hurt in his voice as best as I can, curling my fingers in the sheets so I don’t reach out to him.

I focus on guarding the door and try my best to ignore the empty space between us.

The next day, after more delicious pancakes for breakfast, Jamie drops the lad off at his school, then drives us to his bookshop.

It’s warm inside and smells of parchment and Jamie himself.

The wolf in me yawns and stretches out, longing to curl up and nap in this place that smells so much like our mate. His apartment smells even more divine.

I’m tense as the door closes behind us, and I reach back to lock it.

Jamie insisted I wear the clothes of this time, which are soft and unsuitable for combat.

He dragged me to this place called Goodwill on the way to the café and let me pick out my own clothes but insisted on picking my outfit for work.

The jeans, dark shirt, and green apron fit comfortably, but if we’re attacked, how will I defend myself?

“Everything okay?” Jamie looks back to watch me curiously.

A scowl twists my mouth. “I should have brought my furs.” We left them at home, hidden in Jamie’s closet. Gods willing, they’ll be safe there.

“Anders, we went over this. You need to fit in, and walking around looking like you walked off the set of HBO’s Vikings will intimidate customers.”

Jamie’s voice is placating, but I’m still irritated. “What do I care what some peasants think? Your safety is all that’s important to me.”

My mate throws me a teasing smile. “We both know you don’t need your furs to protect me, puppy dog. You’re strong enough, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am!” As if I’d let anything happen to him.

Smiling, Jamie walks back to me and rubs my arm. “Then don’t worry so much. You’ve got this.”

His touch and sweet smile ease the tension from my body. “Did you build this all yourself?” I am impressed with my mate’s craftsmanship.

“Oh no. The building was already here. But my grandma did all the work turning it into a bookshop. I’m not sure what it was before.”

Still, it is remarkable that he has his own business.

The Norns chose well. My mate is hardworking and kind.

With a start, I force down the thought. I’ve got to stay focused, work hard, and get the necklace.

Jamie is a fun distraction, nothing more or less.

Although he is very nice to wake up next to.

And suck off in the shower. And eat breakfast with.

Jamie is lovely, like a sunrise at the end of a long, cold night.

“And you sell books?” I ask.

“Romance books specifically. I was never satisfied with the limited selection most big chain bookstores have. I have all kinds of subgenres of romance. Contemporary, dark, rom-coms, stories with LGBTQ+ and BIPOC characters, fantasy, paranormal. You name it.”

“And you read for fun?”

“Yup. It can be a good distraction but also a great way of learning about other people’s experiences.”

I run my finger along the spine of a book.

Pulling it from the shelf, I’m astonished by the artwork of a man and woman sharing a kiss while they ride on a horse into the sunset.

It’s beautiful, and the pages are soft as I flip through them.

The runes inscribed within are not futhark.

The language is unknown to me. “Fascinating.”

Jamie’s smile is soft and sad. “You’ve never read a book? At all?”

“We did not write our stories down. We told sagas and poems to our family and friends to teach valuable lessons the gods have passed down to us. Tales of honor, glory, and even warnings of how the world would end. I learned to wield a blade as soon as I was old enough to walk and talk. Survival was more important than simple pleasures.” I close the book and push it back into place. “Now, what are my duties?”