Beasthood (The Hidden Blood Series) (27 page)

             
Jaz thought about that for a moment and then decided that she actually wouldn't mind him talking about it with her. In fact she'd really like that. But they weren't exactly buddies at the moment, so perhaps it would be a long time before they had that conversation. If ever. “So, Driv-Nik... is what colour?”

             
Edda smiled playfully. “I'll guess you'll have to see for yourself.”

             
Jaz blanched. Edda grinned. Jaz eyed her uncomfortably and then chewed on another piece of steak.“So I would be brown?”

“
Auburn, you mean?” Jaz rolled her eyes but didn't bother arguing. Her hair was brown, and yes maybe had a little bit of red in it, but it was still brown. Edda was just being picky. “Or perhaps... well...” Edda trailed off.

“
What?” Jaz perked up. Edda gave her a sideways look. “
What
?” Jaz questioned uneasily.

“
Well, the Pack Leader's mate is usually white or cream coloured.” Jaz stared at her blankly. “It warns any other male to keep their paws off,” Edda added with a wry smile.

“
Figuratively speaking, of course,” Jaz joked.

             
Edda smiled crookedly. “So...
you
could eventually be... well, white-haired.”

             
Jaz's eyebrows raised a foot, and her eyes widened in astonishment. Edda stared at her carefully, gauging her reaction, when Jaz suddenly knocked her head back and laughed loudly.

             
Edda was so shocked by her reaction she didn't know if it was real or not.

“
You think
I'm
Nik's mate?” She asked in a high, giggly, disbelieving voice, pressing her hands on her chest.

             
Edda frowned. “A possible candidate, yes.” That just made Jaz laugh even harder. She nearly fell off her barstool. “Why is that so hard to believe?” Edda questioned a little defensively.

             
Jaz looked at her seriously, cutting off her laugh like flicking off a light. All humour evaporated from her face. “Well for one thing
Lora
was his mate. And another thing, he doesn't like me, and I
don't
like him. I mean aren't you supposed to feel all lovey dovey or something? I know I sure as hell don't.”

             
Edda arched a skeptical brow. “You sure about that?”

“
Yes
, I am. And anyway I thought you only ever had one mate -your 'soulmate' or whatever- and then that was it?”

“
Most of the time, right. But that doesn't mean you can never love anyone else or never have more than one mate especially when we're talking about Pack Leaders. So you
could
be a candidate-”

“
Stop saying that, it sounds like I'm in a sex gameshow-”

“
And
just to be
clear,
” Edda barked over her.“With someone who isn't a mate, you just don't feel that same connection as you would if they were. For some people, that's just not enough. They want their bonded mate or no one at all. And then there's others who run away from the closeness the bond provides. The intensity terrifies them.” She gave Jaz a meaningful look that Jaz pretended to ignore.

             
Jaz then shot back, “Yes, but like I said,
Lora
was his mate. They loved each other. They were happy. How could I then
possibly
be the Pack Leader's mate and therefore
possibly
be white-haired, especially after everything I've just told you? I don't feel anything like that for him. I'm not going to drool all over him either just because he's a Pack Leader, even if he has the potential to have more mates than a Sultan's harem.

“
If you suspect he has any feelings for me or I for him, which is what you're digging at -and you're wrong- then why couldn't it just be a normal attraction? Why the bond obsession? Why are you so adamant that I might be a potential bonded thingamajig anyway?” Jaz demanded folding her arms.

“
Because Lora wasn't his mate.”

             
Jaz gawked at her.“W-wait. What?” She unfolded her arms and they flopped by her side like two dead fish. Edda took another sip of her milky tea and placed it carefully down on the worktop. Jaz watched the motion, her eyes glued to the mug, with the same expression fixed on her face. “That's not true,” Jaz argued, her voice hollow and uncertain.

“
I'm sorry, but it is.”

“
How could you possibly know that?”

             
Edda looked her squarely in the face. “Because he told me.” Jaz's brow furrowed trying to make sense of her words. “He doesn't confide in many people about anything personal, but he wanted me to take very good care of you and he said to me, 'she's special, and even if she hates me for the rest of her life, she will always be mine to protect, and that's enough.' I don't need to be psychic to see the meaning behind that. He meant you're his potential mate.”

             
Jaz's mouth fell open. She had stopped eating minutes ago and now she knew she couldn't eat another mouthful. “H-he said that, I-I mean,
he
- the same Nik Driver- said that?”

             
Edda smiled gently, knowingly. “Yes.”

             
Jaz stared into space. “Just because she wasn't his mate, doesn't mean I am,” she remarked quietly.

“
It does when
he
can tell the difference. He didn't feel the bond, until he met you. His words proved that much.”

             
Jaz bit her lip, unable to absorb this new revelation properly, she could only joke about it. “You sure he wasn't high on some mushrooms or summit when he said that?” she snorted awkwardly.

             
Edda gave her a serious look.“No.”

             
Jaz regarded her for a moment and stared down at her hands. Knowing humour, sarcasm and outward denial had failed her, she could only stay quiet. “So I guess that means he doesn't hate you, after all?” Edda added playfully, with a smug smile.

             
Jaz blinked and her wide eyes hovered over Edda's face, trying to find any falsity to what she'd just said. When she found none she looked down and gazed at her half-empty plate. “I'm not hungry anymore.”

                                                                                    *

“Good morning sunshine.”

             
Jaz groaned loudly. “Oh god, not today Carr,
please
. I'm really not in the mood for lugging wood.”

             
He grinned. “Good, 'cos you're not doing that today. You're going to the gym,” he announced, a sly smile on his face. He watched her reaction with laughter in his eyes.

             
Her first thought was,
You have a gym?
Then she shook her head, her eyes pleading. “Nooooo. I
hate
the gym, it's boring and everyone watches you. Judging you on how incredibly unfit you are.”

“
No one's gonna judge you.” Jaz didn't budge, burying her face in her hands. “Come oooon, I'll make it fun,” Carr goaded.

“
What d'ya mean
you'll
make it fun?” she questioned uneasily.

“
As of today,
I
,
am your personal trainer.”

             
Jaz glanced at Edda for confirmation. Edda nodded with a light smile tinting her face. Jaz looked back at Carr inquiringly. “Wait- what about the site, who's gonna be managing it?”

             
He wafted his hand carelessly. “Don't worry about that.”

             
Jaz watched him, thinking hard for some excuse not to go. “I'm still not- well- s-since last night I uh-”

“
Yeah, I heard. Congrats, you've popped your pre-Change Attack cherry. And I think you broke the record for the longest one yet. As far as we know anyway.”

             
Jaz furrowed her brow, eyeing him with puzzlement. Edda gave him a sharp look. He grinned carefreely and changed the subject. “Edda told me you were feeling better, which I can see, so no excuses. Come on, get on some sweats and lets go.” He clapped his hands twice and Jaz groaned again.

“
I
hate
the gym!” she growled and turned on her heels to her room.

                                                                                    *

              They got to the main building at nine o'clock, walking through the main dome hall and going straight on which led down several corridors with doors either side.

             
Some were offices. There were names on them. Jaz saw her uncle's name on a plaque. It was on her left, no doubt facing the vegetable patches and fields, and her cabin. The door was shut and she wondered if he was there or at the site.

             
A few people she didn't recognize passed her down the wide corridors. They eyed her curiously but didn't appear hostile at all. One of them, a man who was very handsome in a pretty playboy sort of way, tall -of course, they all were, though he wasn't as giant as Driver or Carr- with light brown hair, even flashed her a teasing smile. She stared bewildered for a millisecond before locking her eyes strictly ahead. He'd practically undressed her with his eyes.

             
They got to the end of the third corridor which seemed to head towards the front of the building. The front of which she had never seen- at least while conscious. She told herself not to dwell on that any longer. Or the woman doctor's examination -on a side thought she wondered if she'd ever be properly introduced?

After all the doc has been more intimate with me than anyone has ever been
, she thought darkly.

             
And she told herself not to resent or squirm anymore at the fact that Driver had been there too. It was hard to forget about something like that, but she hoped in time, she'd get over it.

              When they reached the end of the long twisting corridor, there were two double doors with rectangular glass panels down the inside. She could make out people walking back and forth in swimming costumes. And she saw the flutter of water below, reflecting the light from the glass wall behind. From there she could make out trees and a dirt path ahead, parting them. But nothing beyond that.

             
They didn't head there. Instead they entered the double doors to the right just before the swimming pool entrance. There was another door opposite and Jaz could hear the familiar echoes of a ball slapping against a wall and then a racket. Squash, she suspected.

             
Carr led the way and because he was so big and tall, he blocked her view from the glass panels, so it wasn't until she stepped inside that she saw what was behind it.

             
The gym was enormous. As big as a football pitch if not bigger.

             
On the right hand side as she entered, there were exercise bikes, rowing machines and treadmills, each grouped together by type in three, long neat rows, stopping a quarter of the way across the far wall. On the wall behind her, by the entrance, there were lockers and metal storage cabinets. She could see yoga mats rolled up in a big metal basket in the far corner, with another smaller one holding different kinds of balls; basket, foot and a sack of tennis balls next to it. There were at least fifty lockers beside the baskets, running the full length of the wall.

             
On the other side of the entrance doors were benches which formed an L- shape, stopping a few feet from a closed door, with a big window next to it that was covered with blinds. They were partially open. Someone's office.

             
In the middle of the room was a wide mat which at that moment was being used for wrestling, or karate or some form of martial arts; she had no idea which. Frankly, it looked like the two opponents were killing each other.

             
A group of about fifteen people, mainly men, watched the two men punch and kick each other whilst crying out encouragements and roaring profanities. Jaz eyed them uneasily, stopping halfway, not wanting to get close to them. Carr turned and signalled her to follow with his hand. She did, but hesitantly.

             
Straight ahead facing the entrance and covering a quarter of the room, were weight lifting equipment. Benches and dumbbells scattered the area in a neat-ish formation. Unused weights were stacked in the corner, organized by size. Five men and two women were pumping iron. Jaz immediately thought of a scene from a prison gym. Even the women looked tough and intimidating; lifting weights that she could never imagine lifting.