Spyder

Chapter 1-2

Annette snorted. “Like your ma and pa are happy, you mean? Like they’re not stressed about you?”

Jessie’s lips twisted in rueful acceptance of that. “You’re not wrong,” she confessed. “But just because we’re young in years doesn’t mean we’re young in our heads.”

“You’re preaching to the converted, sweetheart. It’s not your ma and I who are having trouble accepting this situation, it’s your daddies. And that’s why I’m smoking. It’s either poison my lungs or tear them out by yelling at my mate.” Her top lip curled into a sneer. “He’s damn near driving me crazy. He’s not saying anything to her but instead is harping on at me. Least I can do is bombard his nose with this stench as punishment.” She shrugged an elegant shoulder. “It’s not like I’m gonna die from smoking, right? Or kill anyone else here from passive smoke.” She mock toasted the air. “The joys of being immortal.”

Jessie studied the First Lady, surprised she’d revealed so much about the Prez. They were close but Annette rarely ever mentioned anything about her relationship with Mars. It wasn’t something they discussed. At all.

Although Mars was a tactile President, and his presence was felt in every aspect of MC life, the Council went above and beyond to paint him in all his glory.

The image that he could do no wrong was one that was battered into every prospect’s head.

One that Annette helped propagate by never cussing him in anyone’s presence.

So, her bitter words came as a distinct surprise.

“Why though? Why are my dad and Mars so freaked? If the Goddesses think we’re ready, surely that’s all that matters? They’re the ones who match us up with our other halves, for f**k’s sake.”

Annette shook her head. “I have no idea why it’s so hard for them to see that you’re women. I just know that they do and that smoking helps me not smack his face in.”

Jessie pursed her lips, both in irritation as well as suppressed amusement. Mars was huge, Annette less so. Imagining the smaller woman being able to get a rise on her mate was definitely worth a giggle. “It must be harder for Ava. I mean, the Prez is a lot older than my daddy. He must be really set in his ways.”

Annette shrugged. “Like I said, he’s doing well with Ava and Chris. Really, it’s what happens behind closed doors that we’re having problems.”

Stunned by the admission, Jessie gawked a little, which in turn made Annette huff out a laugh.

“Mate bonds endure, but that doesn’t mean s**t doesn’t stick, Jessie. Sometimes it’s harder for others to wipe it away and to get yourself free of the smell.” She wrinkled her nose as she took a seat on the edge of Jessie’s bed.

What the older woman saw as she looked around, Jessie didn’t know.

Her room was small, but it was hers. Most of the male cubs had to share, but she and Ava got their own rooms. Although, Ava’s was much bigger.

She had room for a double bed, a sofa and a TV. She also had one of the few connecting baths on this level, and she didn’t have to share that with anyone either.

She’d been tempted to redecorate. To get rid of the pinks and paisley that had been her ultimate choice as a teenager when her parents had footed the bill. But ever since she’d hit eighteen, she’d been saving up.

Every dime she earned working at one of the MC’s businesses, an MC branded clothing store, she put in her bank account, and no matter how tempted she was to touch it, she never did.

Until Spyder, she’d been planning on running away.

There was an irony to the fact that her intended date of escape had been two weeks ago.

Only Spyder kept her here now.

And she hadn’t seen him since the first day he’d rocked her world with the realization of his existence.

Sucking in a shaky breath, and wondering if she could take much more of the gilded cage, she retreated to the bed and sat beside Annette.

The older woman pressed a hand to her shoulder and squeezed. “They’re just working things out, Jessie.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked, c*****g a brow at the First Lady. “To tell me that? To tell me to shut up and be patient?”

Annette chortled. “If I’m being honest, Jessie, I’m surprised you haven’t made more of a fuss. It’s not like you’re quiet by nature after all. Yet, since Spyder appeared on the scene, you’ve gone dead quiet on us. It’s starting to freak me out!”

She shot Annette a look. “How can I prove that I’m mature enough to have a mate if I’m pulling tantrums every day?”

“While you do have a point, the lack of said tantrums has your daddy scared. He’s worried about you.”

“He could come and see me if he was so worried. I’m not like Ava. I haven’t locked my door. But he knows I’ll ask questions if I see him, questions he doesn’t want to answer, so that’s why he’s staying away. There’s no other reason because he knows I’m not too upset. If I was, I wouldn’t have let Momma in when I did.”

Annette chuckled. “I know. I heard about that particular visit. Christie told me she turned you pale with tales of the mate bond.” When Jessie grimaced, the chuckles deepened. “Christie and Mundo were certainly afflicted, that’s for damn certain. We didn’t see hide nor hair of them until your brothers started making themselves known. Even then, it was because she was puking over everything.” Annette shook her head. “I’ve never seen anyone with such terrible morning sickness as your momma. Goddess, she had me terrified when I was carrying Ava. Scared shitless I was going to be just as bad. Thank God, I wasn’t.”

Jessie huffed out a laugh. “I think when Spyder and I get together, we’ll be just as bad.”

“You having withdrawal symptoms? Is that why you’re so quiet?”

She shrugged. “I guess. I have these bad stomachaches.”

Annette blew out a breath before squeezing Jessie’s shoulder harder. “Things will sort themselves out soon. They’re not arguing about you and Spyder, Jessie. There’s no arguing with a mate bond.”

“Then what are they arguing about, dammit?” She shook her head, confusion wearing on her last nerve. “Why the hell won’t anyone tell me what’s going on?”

“You know how it works with the Council. Need to know only.”

“And yet, somehow you know.”

Annette narrowed her eyes at her, then slowly smiled. “Very shrewd.”

Jessie just glowered down at the hands she’d let rest in her lap. Twirling her fingers together, she mumbled, “I thought everyone knew you and the Prez communicated that way.” Which was a lie. Because no one had figured it out as far as Jessie could tell, but Annette didn’t have to know that.

“Which way?”

She jerked a shoulder.

“Which way?” Annette repeated, turning to her with a gimlet stare.

“Telepathically.” Jessie peeked at the older woman under her lashes. “That’s how you always know what’s going on. Even though you’re not supposed to.”

“Does your mother know?”

“I think she has her suspicions, but because everyone’s always so damn cautious about sharing details about the gifts of a mate bond, we keep it under the carpet.”

“Good.” Annette tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from her loose top knot behind her ear.

Sometimes, it was weird as f**k being a Shifter.

For all the length of Jessie’s life, Annette had never changed. Neither had her mother, or Mischa, Toni, or Pip—the mated females of the Council members. All of them, all human females, were exactly as they’d been on the day of their Claiming.

It was sometimes hard to remember that they were ‘maternal’ with her for a reason—they were another generation. With different memories and rules and traditions. It was just hard to bear that in mind when they looked as young as Jessie.

“Can you tell me why they delay? Why won’t they let me see him? I know he comes to the clubhouse. I can feel him here.” She closed her eyes. “And my dad won’t let me leave this place either. He’s told the prospects to keep me in here. That if I even approach the gate, the prospect on duty is to holler for him. He won’t even let me go work at the store.”

Annette shrugged. “I can’t countermeasure your daddy’s orders.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’d just like an explanation. That’s all. Some reason as to why this is happening to me.”

“You could have that, or I could give you ten minutes with your mate,” Annette murmured softly, making Jessie’s eyes widen in astonishment. The older woman chuckled at her bemusement. “Your ma and I have cooked something up. If you sneak down to the kitchen now, he’ll be there. Mischa will supervise, though. You can’t Claim each other yet. Otherwise the Council will find out, and they need Spyder to remain unattached to you until they deem otherwise.”

Jessie’s hope soared but so did her confusion. She wanted to know, desperately, what the f**k was going on. Goddess, she hated being kept in the dark. Especially when it was her life that was being played with.

Still, it was either talk about that with Annette, or go and see her mate.

She knew what choice she was going to settle with—hell, it was no choice at all.

She got to her feet, then kissed Annette on the cheek as she rushed out of the room.

“Ten minutes. No more,” Annette called out as she dashed into the hallway, down the stairs, and along the corridor to the domain of Mischa, the VP’s mate.

She wove and ducked and dove in between the heavy footfall of Shifters. The clubhouse was a residence that sheltered and fed close to a hundred people at any given time, and that didn’t take into account the traffic of riders who came here during the day. Either for work, to shoot the breeze, to Shift in the back yard, or simply to hang out with their brothers, the number could soar to four digits on some days, filling the place to the brim.

She skidded to a halt outside the kitchen, and when she peered around the door and saw only Mischa, she let out a soft moan of disappointment.

Naturally, it caught Mischa’s attention.

“The pantry,” she said softly, not looking up from her bubbling pot of whatever the hell it was that smelled so good.

“Oh my Goddess,” she squeaked. “Thank you!” Rushing into the room, she didn’t pause to give Mischa a hug. Instead she ran for the pantry and pulled open the door beside the fridge. As she did, Jessie felt everything simultaneously tense and release inside her.

He was there.

Leaning against the shelves loaded down with provisions, there her mate stood. He looked cool, calm, and collected. At least, he did on the outside. His eyes told a different story.

They were frantic, desperate. As pain-filled as hers were.

And at the sight of her, they exploded with joy.

He stood upright, hesitated for less than a second before he strode toward her, closing the gap of a few steps in less than a millisecond, and dragged her into his arms.

When their bodies touched, it was like coming home except that was too much of a cliché. This was more than home.

It was everything.

It was like having the other half of herself suddenly be filled. It was like she’d been lonely her entire life and but now she wasn’t.

He just held her. Didn’t even try to kiss her. He hugged her tighter to his chest, pressing down until she felt like he’d squeeze her lungs to bursting but she didn’t give a damn. She needed him to hold her this way. Needed to feel every inch of him against her.

She knew the mate bond was partially about s*x, but it was about so much more too, and at that moment, for the first time in her life, she understood that. The connection between them was a union. It was forged by the Goddesses, and as he held her in his arms, she felt the celestial touch of their link.

Nothing else would ever feel as good, as right, as this exact moment.

This would be the memory she’d recall two decades down the line. Not the panic of their first meeting, the fear of loss that she’d felt when he’d been at the clubhouse gates in the middle of a meeting with Mars and the Council. She still had no idea why he’d been there, but it never boded well when two MC presidents got together to talk.

She shoved the thought of that aside, knowing that this moment would indeed be the one she’d forever remember. If Jessie was renowned for her tantrums, she was also known for pure obstinacy. By sheer will alone, she’d make this the moment to remember.

That was a promise.