Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,89

glad you didn’t keep him in suspense too long.” John patted Jim on the back, shaking his balance, but Jim recovered nicely. “Congratulations to you both. When you’re feeling up to it, we’ll have a party.”

Jim felt like a million bucks, knowing Helen had agreed to be his mate. He couldn’t wait to take her out of the clinic and go someplace private, but he also wanted to be certain she was well before they left the care of the town’s only doctor. She’d scared him so badly when she’d collapsed. He’d thought she would die, but timely intervention had saved her life—and his, too.

After Ezra’s surprising offer, Jim felt like, finally, everything was falling into place. He had the promise of a real job. Stability. Something to offer Helen as a mate. He’d gladly give up his nomadic existence, if that’s what she wanted. He wasn’t sure where she’d want to live, and that was one of the things they had to discuss before he could give Ezra an answer, but wherever she wanted to go, he’d find a way to make things work.

She was now his number one priority in life. His mate. His happiness. His joy.

“Can we get out of here, yet?” Helen asked Jim after Big John had taken his leave.

“I don’t know. It’s up to Sven, really,” Jim told her, brushing her hair back from her eyes. “Do you want me to go check?”

Helen nodded. “I know I’ll heal a million times faster if we can just be together. Remember the way our power feeds off each other?”

Jim hadn’t thought of that, but she did have a valid point. He left her side with a quick kiss and went out to track down the polar bear doctor.

An hour later, Jim carried Helen into the hotel room that had been reserved for them. It was a nice room, with a view of the cove and new sturdy furniture in calming shades of ocean-y blue. The whole hotel looked to be very recent construction, as did most of the town. Grizzly Cove was up-and-coming, that was for certain. A guy could make a place for himself and his mate in a town like this.

The hotel was at one end of what could be considered the strip in Grizzly Cove, where the vast majority of the businesses were located. It was the Main Street that followed the contour of the cove at its apex, for a ways, then meandered its way back out of town, eventually meeting up with the main coastal highway. The town was definitely a detour from the main drag but well worth the visit.

From what little Jim had seen of it, so far, there were many small art galleries featuring all sorts of art. A few restaurants were also located on that main road. Everything from a relatively fancy Cajun place to a bakery that also served sandwiches and light meals, including delicious-smelling breads and pastries.

Jim had made a note to call in an order once they got to the room, so they wouldn’t have to go out again, but when he looked around after setting Helen down on a chair, he found a note beside a large bakery box. It let them know that the small fridge in the room had been stocked just an hour before with fresh sandwiches from the bakery as a gift from the Alpha to welcome them to the town. Jim whistled through his teeth as he read the note then handed it to Helen when she held out her hand.

“Wow,” she said after reading the note, “they must really like you.”

“Maybe,” Jim allowed, bending down to nuzzle her cheek. “Or, maybe, it’s you they like.” He moved to kiss her gently. Thoroughly. He loved the heavy-lidded look of desire on her face when he broke the kiss. “I know I do,” he said, brushing another kiss across her lips in a feather-light caress.

“I’d like to test my theory now,” she told him with a teasing light in her eyes.

“Yeah?” He continued to place lingering kisses along her jaw. “What theory is that?”

“The one where I’ll heal ultra-fast if we make love,” she told him breathlessly.

He growled, liking the sound of that.

While it was true that Helen felt a little grungy with all the bandages, she wanted to heal first, then take a long, hot shower. Preferably with Jim there to wash her back…and other things. The doctor had tended the wounds, cleansing them and applying antibiotics and