You Smell Like... Mine (Book 1 in the 'You Smell' series)

Chapter 24- Revenge of the Tickle Monster

Ivy's POV

When Asher falls asleep, Emersyn is in heaven. She loves cuddling with him, but after an hour of enjoying the contact, she allows me to once again take control. I doubt she would have relinquished it so easily if Asher's stomach hadn't started growling. While she could have easily hunted up something for him, a skilled cook, she is not. I ease myself out of Asher's arms before making my way back to the bathroom to shift and put my clothes on.

Heading down to the kitchen, I'm surprised to find it empty, that is until I check the time. It's already almost 8 o'clock. I quickly grab ingredients before tossing together some chicken stir fry. It doesn't take long for me to have two plates fixed and be on my way back up the stairs. When I walk back into my room, I set both plates down on my desk before approaching Asher. I try to decide how to go about waking him up.

'Why don't you tickle him? He tried to do it to me... I think it is payback time. What if I had actually been ticklish. Do you know what happens when you tickle someone who can't laugh to relieve the pressure? Do you? They explode. Just poof. What if I had exploded? Fur would have gone everywhere, and you would have been stuck inside me, so you would have exploded, too!' Emersyn rants.

'Um... Emmy, where did you get this information?' I ask her with a chuckle.

'It's common sense, Ivy. When pressure builds with no outlet, bam! Explosion.' She says in a tone that clearly said that this was a fact that couldn't be argued with.

'Alright, if you insist. Ribs or feet?' I ask, knowing that resisting is pointless.

'Ribs, definitely ribs. Don't want to risk an accidental kick to the face.' She decides.

I tiptoe over to the bed and climb up. I ease over and straddle Asher's stomach without touching him. Without any hesitation, I reach down and start digging my fingers into his ribs. His reaction is immediate. He bucks up and starts laughing hysterically. At Emersyn's urging, I continue even after he is clearly awake. When a snort comes out, I lose it. I fall over to the side and break into a fit of giggles. We lay there for a few minutes, letting our hilarity die down while grinning at each other.

"Emmy made me do it. She said it was payback." I tell him once I get myself under control.

He scowls, "That's not fair, Em. You weren't even ticklish."

"It's the thought that counts." Emersyn says, momentarily pushing herself forward. It's obvious that he notices the voice change, and even if he hadn't, her flashing eyes would have given her away.

His lips twitch, " You just wait, Emersyn. This means war. When you least expect it, I will get you."

I love how playful he is being with her. She has always had that side, but it didn't come out very often. I love that he can inspire her to be so carefree. I reach out to his face, pulling it towards me to brush my lips against his. "I love you, Asher. I can't believe I am lucky enough to have you as my mate."

Asher smiles at me before popping up into a sitting position. Looking suddenly serious, he says, "Speaking of mates, I want you to know that no force on this earth could make me deny you. I want to be your mate, and I'm so glad that you are mine."

I grin like a fool,"Really, are you sure? I mean, I know this is all happening really fast. I don't want you to feel pressured."

"I'm sure. When will it happen? The mating ceremony, I mean." He asks with a furrowed brow.

"Well if we are really going to do this, I think we should wait until the semester is over because once we are mated, we are going to want to live together. It will give us more time to really get to know each other, too. Does that sound alright?" I ask hopefully.

"Yeah, I think that will work." He says with a firm nod. Just then, his stomach lets out a loud gurgle.

"Oh, hey, I made you food. Come sit at my desk with me before it gets completely cold." I tell him while hopping up off of the bed.

He follows me off before pulling me into a hug. "You made me dinner? Wow, thank you. I love you, Ivy."

I squeeze him back before replying softly, "I love you, too and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

We step over to the desk and make quick work of clearing our plates. When we are done, he follows me down to the kitchen and helps me do the dishes. It's nice, very domestic and perhaps something to look forward to in the future.

"As much as I don't want to, I really need to head out." He says as we finish up.

"I understand, but I'm going to get Brock to come so he and I can track you until you are far enough away from our territory. We've had some unsavory characters hanging around and I don't want them bothering you." I tell him.

*Hey Brock, I need you out front with me ASAP. Go ahead and shift because you are joining me on a tracking mission.* I send through the pack link.

*Be there in 5*, he responds.

"Is that something I should be worried about?" Asher asks with concern.

"No baby, I just don't want anyone to mess with you. Come on, Brock should be outside by the time we get there." I say as I grab his hand and pull him towards the exit. When we reach his car I pull him into a tight hug before kissing him softly. "I'll be back on campus at around 5 tomorrow. What about you?" I ask.

He tilts his head back and forth as though he is thinking about it. "Around the same time, probably. Want to grab dinner together in the cafeteria at 6?"

"Sounds good. Ok, wait two minutes for me to shift and then you can head home. Brock and I will follow until we know you are safe. Be careful." I say as Brock's wolf, Nikolaj, walks up to the car.

"Ok, See you tomorrow. You too, Emersyn" He calls out as he walks over and gets in his car before starting the engine.

I sprint back to the house and quickly disrobe before shifting. I retrace my steps and let out a long howl of farewell to Asher. Brock and I follow him for about ten miles past the boundaries of our land before turning back and heading home. We don't see any of the Black Forest Pack, but I still feel better knowing they can't get to him. I thank Brock for his help before heading back up to my room. Instead of shifting, I just curl up on my bed in wolf form and fall asleep with the scent of my mate surrounding me.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please vote and comment, I really want to know what you guys think. 

~~TheCaster369