Let’s Talk One True Mate (One True Mate Companion, Vol. 1)

8-Jaggar and Leilani ♦♦

Canyon moved back to the edge of the clearing, while Burton yawned—a real jaw cracker. Timber inclined his head, eyebrows raised, giving Burton a ‘we can finish this later’ look. Burton shook his head and waved Timber on.

“Okay,” Timber said, rubbing his hands together. He stood and paced, speaking quickly. “So after the mauling, the beast ran north into Wisconsin.

Jaggar had no control at all—the beast did whatever the hell it wanted. Trent followed the beast, and Trent’s echo followed him.

At some point, the beast swung around and headed home while Trent and his echo kept heading north. Right around the time the beast showed back up at VF, Leilani was drinking dragen blood.

Eventine had hoped it would heal her sight, but instead it gave her freaky silver eyes. She couldn’t see the beast so she wasn’t scared of him—and he was gentle as a pup with her.

She grabbed him by the ears and they time-traveled again and again that night. At some point, Jaggar gained control and was able to shift.”

Timber nodded to Canyon for the details.

Canyon read off his phone. They went back in time first to Jaggar’s birth, then to a time when he was five years old and met his dad for the first time, then to a time when he was in the military. Then they traveled into Leilani’s past, and watched Grey convince Leilani’s mom to commit her to Roosevelt Asylum.

Burton growled, his expression full of contempt.

From there, they went to a time in Leilani’s past—some incident with an orderly at the Roosevelt. Neither of them can remember that one, but it must have been a doozy because Leilani came back unconscious, so Jaggar left her with Eventine and jumped off the train trestle over Blue Island Gorge.

Burton swiped a hand across his forehead. “Sweet fucking hell,” he said. “A trip straight to the meadow?”

Timber nodded. “Seems like it. They spent some time in the meadow, but their memories are disjointed and hazy.”

Like a dream they barely remember, Canyon added.

“When they came back to their bodies, Jaggar moved Leilani into one of your spare rooms, but he wouldn’t claim her because he didn’t want to hurt her.”

Burton rubbed the back of his neck, nodding. “I remember. His beast challenged me a couple of times in my own house.”

“They forced him to claim her by asking Leilani to dance too many times or some shit—so Jagger claimed her, and then his beast was gone, and Leilani wasn’t blind anymore.”

Burton splayed his fingers and shook his head. “What? You missed something in there.”

“Actually, I totally did,” Timber said. “The way it all happened is unbelievable and it won’t make a lick of sense till I tell you something I forgot—Eventine had already gone to the meadow and asked that Leilani’s eyes be healed.”

Burton’s brow furrowed. “What? How?”

“Dahlia got her in. Crew taught Dahlia.”

“What’s Dahlia’s power again?” Burton asked.

Temporary illusions that look and feel real.

“They got in smoothly, then a disembodied voice told Eventine something would be done, and then they were booted out of the meadow. So later, at the moment Jaggar claimed Leilani, the beast split into a wolf and a catamount, leaving Jaggar with the wolf, and somehow the catamount went to the meadow, healing Leilani’s blindness at the same time.”

Burton gave a weak nod. “That’s interesting,” he said. “Very interesting.”

Timber caught his eye and held it. “Eventine says last time, before her and Leilani went back in time, the males coddled their mates, trying to keep them out of the fight, and that’s why Khain was able to beat us.”

Understanding dawned on Burton’s face. “Eventine’s not going to let that happen again.”

“Nope. She says even the young will fight.”