Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 37

Jo's bed was way too soft. Ryker buried his face into the pillow for a moment before kicking away the covers and getting up. Once they moved in together, whenever that was, they were probably going to have a fight about the bed. Quickly, he grabbed the sheets and blankets and straightened them out, then tossed the pillows to the top of the bed.

It was almost five in the morning, and he needed to get Jo up and moving. While she planned on taking the day off, he didn't have the same plans. The more training she had, the better she would be able to protect herself.

Dragging on his t-shirt, Ryker headed downstairs, his footsteps as light as he could make them. The other girls would still be here too, and he didn't want to wake them up. There would be a lot of teasing, some of it aimed at him.

As he stepped into the living room, a pair of bright green eyes under a mess of red hair glared at him over the back of the couch. Ryker made a face at his sister, who waved a hand toward the door in a definite 'get out' gesture.

Instead, he ignored her. He walked over and attempted to ruffle her hair. Lexi bared her teeth in a silent snarl, and Ryker smirked. Reaching over the couch, he started to shake Jo's shoulder, but Lexi reached out lightning quick and popped him on the back of the hand.

Ryker frowned at her. She frowned right back.

The pop was loud enough that Jo stirred, her black hair falling in her face.

Ryker would never admit this aloud to anyone, but it was like his heart stirred with her. Watching her move in her sleep, unaware and vulnerable, caused a strong surge of protectiveness to strike him. That was one of the hardest things about not sharing her bed yet--okay, well, there were many hard things. But he just felt better, more relaxed, when he was able to hold her. When he knew that he could be an extra line of defense between her and anyone else.

Lexi called him paranoid.

Ryker called it being an Alpha male.

Catching sight of Lexi's smirk, it reminded him of why he was there again. She's gotta train he sent to Lexi, reaching over to Jo again. Lexi tried to interfere again, and this time Ryker let out a low warning growl. Sister or not, she was not about to come in between him and his mate.

The growl apparently did the trick as Jo blinked up at him sleepily.

Now you did it, Lexi said, rolling her eyes.

Exactly. Yes, he knew Jo wouldn't be pleased, already evidenced by the glare she was sending his way. But he was willing to suffer her wrath if it kept her safer.

"I'll make coffee," he whispered down to Jo, leaning forward to plan a kiss on her forehead. Jo groaned an unintelligible response while Ryker headed toward the kitchen, knowing he had a few moments before she managed to make it out from under the covers. At least if one of the other girls woke up now, he could claim he'd just gotten here. They'd never know he spent the night.

But damn, it would be useful when they finally fully mated--from what Aaliyah had learned from her old pack member, it seemed that while fulfilling the bond with a bite wouldn't result in Jo turning into a werewolf, it would possibly give her their telepathic pack ability. Ryker grinned--then he'd be able to wake her up from a mile away.

He wasn't going to tell her about that yet.

A half hour and two travel mugs of coffee later, Ryker and Jo were in a clearing well away from the house; Ryker was sporting workout clothes plus a spare set for post-shifting, while Jo was in leggings and an oversized hoodie. It was kind of amusing that Ryker apparently still ran at a higher average body temperature than his fire girl, who actually claimed she was chilly this morning.