Her Mortal Mate

Chapter Sixty Nine: The Moon

Adam

The games were intense. There was sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat. Sometimes groups fought, other times it was one-on-one. The way they clashed and hit the ground reminded me of titans. The very ground shook by their brute strength and force.

The first time Jadea went flying into the fray with one of Constance’s guard, my heart had been in my throat. I’d been tense with anxiousness. I knew this wasn’t a fight to the death, but anything could happen.

However, after the first few blows, I became mesmerized by her fluidity and grace. She was just as comfortable with a sword as the others were and I knew I was losing ever more of myself to her.

When she won, I was whooping and hollering with the rest of her pack.

Before yesterday, I had never seen Jadea or her pack in action. I guess it was nice seeing they could hold their own. It was reassuring to see them in a more controlled setting, to see them pushing their own limits and seeing them win against some of Constance’s guard.

As the games went on, I became less anxious and more intrigued.

The way the immortals moved was graceful, fluent as if they didn’t have to think about their actions. Their swords and knives were extensions of themselves, not tools. They were all so comfortable and I couldn’t help but be a little excited to learn and become like them.

Especially when I saw how the couples moved so intimately together. It was like a dance, albeit a deadly one, but I couldn’t contain the excitement for when I would be doing this with Jadea.

When the games ended, the elated and rowdy group split. Some helped dig a pit in the ground where the fresh deer killed this morning would be cooked. Others gathered firewood and laid it out while a handful worked on dressing the deer, gutting it and then tying it to a rather thick pole where it was hung over the fire.

A small lunch of fruits, meats and cheeses was set out while the group then focused on setting up speakers around the clearing and a small musical ensemble in a corner. Shortly after that, the Celtic music started and Jadea was there pulling me out into the middle where she taught me the steps of the dance. Others joined in and we all danced joyously around.

For the first time in a long time, I let go of all inhibitions and danced like no one was watching. I was present, engulfed in the moment. I was lost in Jadea, and her sparkling sage eyes. Her cheeks were rosy from the exertion. Her smile beaming up at me. And for once I felt like I was at home.

It was an odd concept, that home would be a person and not a place. Yet, it felt right.

I should have been nervous about this new journey I was about to embark on.

Perhaps the old me would have been.

But right now, I was at peace with myself and my choice.

I was ready for this.

Perhaps this was what I had been destined for all along. Maybe everything I experienced, all the bad, and broken parts, made me into the person I was meant to be right now. If I hadn’t gotten Leila pregnant, if I hadn’t chosen to marry her, if I hadn’t divorced her, if I had done just one thing differently, I may never have found myself here, with Jadea. The only woman who had ever felt like home.

The afternoon bled into evening. The sun settling over the horizon in beautiful rays of stunning reds, oranges and yellows, as the full moon became visible in the night sky. The fairy lights cast a soft glow, lighting the area just enough to see, though it cast a more mysterious glow in the air.

We feasted on venison and a whole slew foot of other delicious delicacies. Light banter and laughter filled the night air. More dancing ensued until the moon was nearing its highest point, in which the festivities dwindled as everyone prepared.

A wicked looking syringe and needle were brought forward. Lucien stepped up to help extract the venom. As Jadea tilted her head back, I stood beside her and held her hand. She squeezed right as the needle pierced the inside of her mouth. I watched in fascination as a lightly yellow, clear colored liquid filled the syringe.

The instant that was done, my gaze was caught by several bodies undressing. Quickly, I adverted my gaze, still embarrassed by the sight of nakedness. Jadea’s fingers tightened around my hand and I looked up at her. “This is normal, Adam. I know it seems uncomfortable because you have grown up in a world where nudity is a sin. You, in your entirety, are accepted here.”

Her fingertips traced down my cheek and I leaned into her touch. “Does that mean I have to get undressed?”

“Yes. It will be far more comfortable for you when you first shift.”

Okay. I could do this.

Together, her and I undressed side by side. Once I was in my birthday suit, our clothes were cleared away and Constance stepped forward, still fully clothed. As Jadea explained, while Constance was part werewolf, she hadn’t been able to shift into that form since her DNA makeup had been transformed.

“Today we celebrate and bear witness as Adam Lyon chooses to join Jadea, and her pack, in immortality. Adam Lyon,” she addressed me directly. “Do you come here today of your own will to free yourself from mortality and embrace your turning?”

“Yes, I do,” I stated confidently, staring into her hypnotizing gaze.

“Who will be turning you?”

“I will,” Jadea stepped forward, taking my hand.

Constance nodded. “You are responsible for teaching him our ways and will be held responsible for any misconduct within the first year,” Constance continued speaking to Jadea. No one told me there were conditions Jadea would have to follow as well. My stomach knotted uneasily. What if an accident happened? Would she be punished for something I did unknowingly?

Jadea’s reassuring hand in mine and soothing presence in my mind calmed me. “Do you accept these terms and conditions?” Constance asked Jadea.

“I do.”

“Then let us surround our brother and help him and support him as he transforms and embraces this new life!” Constance cried into the night.

Jadea turned and stepped in front of me. She was close, maybe a foot apart from me. A soft smile playing at the edges of her lips. She felt my nervousness as hands were laid on my shoulders, upper back and arms. Hands also reached out and were placed on Jadea. “I can feel your anxiety, vanilla. If you are unsure in anyway, we can postpone this,” Jadea assured me.

I shook my head. “I’m ready Jadea. I’m just a little nervous because I’ve heard it can be painful.”

“We are all here for you. We will be connected with you as your body goes through the process of transforming into a werewolf, and we will be here to help you through the pain and the transition as well.”

“I love you,” I whispered into her mind.

“I love you too.” She leaned in, planting a kiss on my lips right before she plunged the needle directly into my heart.

The air was snatched right from my lungs.

Yennifer said the venom would be administered into a vein. I presumed the neck or wrist. Not directly to the heart. It hurt like hell!

“This way is faster,” Jadea explained in my mind as I felt a mild burning spreading quickly through my chest and outwards toward the rest of my body. “This way it spreads quicker. That way the pain and the transformation will take a little less time—

The intense, overwhelming pain hit me like a brick wall. It was debilitating and I couldn’t focus on anything else other than surviving. I knew Jadea was still talking. I could feel her soothingly in my mind, but it did nothing to ease the insufferable burning pain lancing through my every cell.

I clung onto her, my hands spasming. I knew my nails were raking into her skin, but I couldn’t stop. I heard distant screams and for one split second I was worried we were being attacked.

I tried focusing, tried looking around for the threat, though I didn’t know what I would be able to do since I felt nothing but pain.

And then I realized I was the one who was screaming.

It felt like hours, possibly even days before the pain subsided.

As it eased, my head fell back and I stared up at the full moon mesmerized by its beauty. I’d seen the moon before. It wasn’t like I hadn’t spent many a night staring up at the lonely mistress of the night. Her silvery white haze alluring.

Yet, something seemed different this time. I felt closer to it. I fairly felt the moon goddess’s energy seeping into my body, my blood, hell even my very bones.

I couldn’t explain it, but I felt soothed by her presence. I felt her warmth embrace me, easing away the rest of the pain. I wanted to rest, to sleep. To give myself over to her.

As I fell into her calming warmth, my field of vision slowly faded to black…