Winds of Change (11/?)
Title: Winds of Change (11/?)
Chapter 11
Pairing: Jane/Maura
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I don’t own Jane or Maura or their counterparts from the TV show or books…I only wish. I am going to be adding a few of my own characters however.
Summary: Learning to deal with a life on autopilot.
Hearing from so many of you has been great, please keep it up, it fuels me to keep going and makes this process even more fun for me. Thanks again to all of you who take the time to drop me a quick line letting me know what you think.
Previously…
“It’s a good thing you claimed her so well. I am claimed, married, and straight and I know that if I was single I would jump the fence for a chance to go out with her. The cocky grin and swagger just kinda of set it all off doesn’t it.” Evie said as they watched Jane walk away.
Maura laughed. “The funny thing is she gets noticed all the time by both men and women and she is usually oblivious to it. She is absolutely gorgeous and doesn’t even see it. I really am lucky that we finally got together. And yes her grin and swagger are extremely sexy.” She watched as Jane bent to gather up a very happy dog as she bounced about Jane’s feet. “Now let’s call the Bed and Breakfast and get the ball rolling.”
Maura and Evie put their heads together and got busy. Jane with Jo Friday in tow approached Marcus, who just closed his phone, with a little planning of her own in mind.
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CHAPTER 11
Marcus and Jane sat in rocking chairs on the porch of the bunk house; Jane closed Marcus’ phone and handed it back to him. “Thanks for helping set all that up. JeanAnne, at the bed and breakfast, is a really sweet woman and agreed not to let Maura know what I have planned.”
He took the phone. “Yeah she really is great. I’ve known her all my life. She and her husband Jasper have been friends with my parents for over 200 years, they’re family. I think you had a nice idea by the way, I think Maura will like it.”
Jane picked Jo Friday back up. “I hope so. I would do just about anything to make her happy.”
“I understand. I feel the same about my Evie. They are both really special women. We are lucky bastards to have claimed ‘em.” He opened a cooler setting on the porch nearby, pulling out a beer offering one to Jane.
She nodded, accepting. “Thanks and yes we are both damn lucky.” They both sat in silence for a while watching the vigorous game of volleyball happening on the beach.
“Jane, I need to give you something that Lord Fenrir gave to me and instructed me to deliver to you when we were alone.” He slid a heavy old fashioned linen envelope with a wax seal out of the pocket of his cargo shorts. “I don’t know what it is or what it’s about. I didn’t ask and I don’t think he would have told me if I had.” He handed it to Jane.
Jane took the envelope turning it over in her hands a few times. The seal had two wolves standing side by side on it. The front was addressed To Laird Raven use with all of our blessings. We take care of our own. Curious, Jane popped the seal and opened the envelope. She pulled out the heavy sheets of paper leaving a little black card inside. She picked up the card and goggled at it. It was a black Amex card with her name on it. What the hell? She put the card back in the envelope and opened the letter.
My dear little Raven,
Don’t go all macho on us and not use that card. You are a King, chosen by us to rule a very powerful race of beings. With that responsibility comes status and wealth in the preternatural world. Wealth means nothing to us on the ethereal plain, we can make fortunes come and go with the flick of our fingers. Wealth is just another tool you will need to help perform your tasks. You and your lovely mate will inherit great riches, which have been lying in wait for you, from the previous Lord Raven and Lady Snow. You are their true heirs. It became yours the moment the two of you shifted, proving you were the next coming of the wolves of legend.
You my dear Raven are also going to gain wealth and status in the world of man. We can see some things in the future and this we know. We have had nothing to do with this situation, but we have been watching it for several years. This prosperity and status will come to you because of your good and loving heart, your compassionate nature, and your warrior spirit. And don’t ask, I won’t tell you more, I have probably already told you more than I should. Although I will tell you that Lady Snow’s parents will not be able to complain about their daughter marrying beneath them. Alright, no more on that subject.
Now, take this card and purchase something nice for that mate of yours and take her out to a really nice dinner, and buy yourself some more clothes. I don’t know if you have noticed, but you have gained muscle mass and definition, as well as a couple inches in height since you shifted. I would buy loose, because that will continue for a bit. You aren’t going to be a stick figure any longer my dear, but a warrior. Don’t worry though you will not bulk up like those body builder women. That just wouldn’t be right on you at all. You will look more like those fitness models in the magazines and on television, I have seen. Trust me you will stay sexy, just more badass. Lady Snow will love it. I don’t know if you have noticed, but she really likes how strong you are, and spends an inordinate amount of time checking out your muscles and your long legs. I suppose that a woman should find her mate attractive. You spend a lot of time checking out her cleavage, and you nearly drool while watching her walk around in those high heels you tease her about.
My dear Raven, we all know you and Lady Snow will work hard when you reach Undrehiel. Don’t worry about that for the next few days. Now go enjoy your wedding. Be happy with your mate and wife. The rest will come as it will come.
Sincerely,
Your Favorite God on High,
Lord Fenrir
Wow! She had never even thought about money and being a King. God, it was so much to take in. She put the letter back in the envelope with the card before folding it and sliding it into her back pocket. She stood placing her little mop of a dog back down on the porch. The dog immediately ran off to join in the games on the beach. Jane shook her head smiling at the little dogs antics. She really got on well with the Lycans that were here.
“That is rare you know.” Marcus smiled as he followed her gaze, also watching the little dog.
“What?”
“Usually dogs are afraid of us. We can raise certain breeds from birth and they can make pretty good pets, but it is rare for a dog not raised around Lycans to be so at ease in our presence. She treats you no different now than she did before you became Lycan. That really is a special little pup you got there, and my pack members love her. I think they want to make her their mascot. It is a treat for them when she eagerly asks to be pet or licks their faces. They will all be fighting for the chance to be her dogsitter while you are in Undrehiel. It won’t be safe to take her in with you. She would age too much for her short little canine life.” Marcus chuckled as the little dog ran nipping at heals as it chased the ball around not the least bit afraid of the big bad wolves.
“I hadn’t thought of that. I would appreciate it and it looks like she will be well taken care of.” She put her hands on her hips, her fingers brushing up against the envelope in her pocket. “Marcus, I am going to take a jog around the lake, clear some of the cobwebs from my brain. If Maura comes looking for me, could you let her know where I am and that I won’t be gone long.”
“Sure, no problem, take the time you need.”
Jane waved before rounding the house and heading off at a slow warm up jog along the path, that meandered around the lake.
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Jane stepped out of the shower to find the love of her life waiting for her with a fluffy towel in her hands. It made things warm inside her from both the thoughtfulness of her mate and the heated look she was receiving.
“How was your run sweetheart?” Maura wrapped the towel around the dark haired woman’s long tall frame. She always thought Jane was attractive, but she loved the additional muscular development.
“It was good, helped me clear my head a little.” Jane began drying off.
Maura turned to the counter by the sink and picked a measuring tape.
Jane smiled seeing the look of anticipation on Maura’s face. She finished drying off with a little help from Maura before draping the damp towel over the rod on the shower door. She stood as still as possible absorbing Maura’s touch as she ran her talented hands over Jane’s body, taking all kinds of measurements and recording them as she went along. Of course, her mate had come prepared, rarely was she not.
The thought turned Jane’s mind back to all that was going on in their lives.
The change didn’t go unnoticed by Maura; she finished her enjoyable task and sat her things aside. Her arms slid around her lover’s delicious body drawing her close, resting her head on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Are you ready to talk about it now?”
Moments ticked by. “I think we need to talk about it. I feel like our lives have been taken over. My mind is wrestling with so many questions, uncertainties, concerns, and conflicting emotions. I feel like I am being tossed around on a raging sea.” She leaned back looking into the beautiful hazel eyes of her mate. “You are my only calm in the storm. I would be a complete mess if not for you.”
Rising up, Maura placed a gentle kiss on soft inviting lips, a kiss of comfort, of understanding, a kiss of reassurance. “We are in this together. You are also my rock to cling to in all of this.” She shifted away. “Let’s eat and talk. I can hear Evie calling me from the kitchen. A couple of guys ran into town and picked up some pizzas. I will bring ours up here. We can sit on the sofa, eat, and talk just like we do at home.”
“I love you, babe. I am damn lucky to have you in my life.”Jane picked up Maura’s robe from the back of the door slipping it on.
“I feel the same for you, BABE.” Maura smiled over her shoulder as she headed out to get their food.
A chuckle escaped the taller woman at her lover’s emphasis on babe. She felt more than lucky, she felt blessed.
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The couple sat together, shoulder to shoulder, eating pizza. Maura’s was accompanied with a nice glass of red wine and Jane was drinking beer from the bottle. The scene was one very familiar to them both except there was a new intimacy that wasn’t there before. The uncertain feelings and sexual tension was gone, replaced with loving comfort and the promise of heated passion boiling under the surface. The situation relaxed and reassured both women.
Jane placed her empty plate on the coffee table and picked up the letter she had received earlier. She felt Maura’s eyes shift to the envelope. “Marcus delivered this to me earlier. It’s from Fenrir.” She placed the letter in Maura’s hand. “Go ahead, you can read it. I don’t mind.”
Maura read the front of the envelope and checked out the seal before slipping the heavy pages from their confines. She saw the black card left inside, her eyebrows rose when she saw what it was.
“Read the letter. It explains some, but also creates more questions.” Jane stood and began cleaning up their dinner mess while Maura read. She ran the trash and left over pizza downstairs to the kitchen, her previous calm beginning to fray again.
Maura was sipping from her wine glass, the letter open before her on the coffee table. “I hadn’t thought about it, but the money aspect does make sense. A kingdom cannot be successfully run without it.” She fell silent again and watched as her lovely mate began to pace.
“A Kingdom Maura! A kingdom, I am supposed to be the king of. What the sam hell do I know about being a ruler? This is not leading the occasional take down of a criminal. That usually doesn’t ever involve more than ten cops; twenty if it is something really major. But really how often does that happen. This is leading a race of beings I didn’t even know existed until a few days ago, when we became Lycans ourselves. There must be thousands of Lycans all over the world and in Undrehiel, as well. I don’t know how to do it. And if I do become their king can I still be a cop. Will I still want to be a cop? What about all this wealth and status stuff. I don’t know how to walk in that world. I usually embarrass you when you take to me to hobnob with the fancy people. You are about the only rich person I have met that I like. Well, I guess Marcus and Evie are rich too and I like them okay. However, from what I have experienced they are the exception not the rule.” Jane continued to pace.
“I am supposed to be this great guardian and warrior, a leader of armies. I have no clue how to do that or if I can even become all that. I do pretty good at kicking ass. and I’m pretty good with a gun or rifle in my hand. But I have a feeling that putting a bullet in one of the variety of beings in the preternatural community would piss them off more than it would do any real damage.” Jane stopped pacing and flung herself onto the bed landing on her back. Her eyes closed. “I’m scared Maura.” Jane whispered.
Maura sat a moment watching her now silent mate. She very much understood what Jane was going through, and how much courage it took for her to admit her fear. The simple fact that they were going through this together was helping to keep Maura from breaking down.
She stood placing her wine glass on the table. Climbing up on the bed, she straddled Jane’s hips before lying down upon her, hugging Jane close. “I have similar feelings. I am also uncertain about the future. I speak for the dead, but they expect me to be a great healer. I do worry about being able to do that. The scholar part I don’t worry about too much, learning new things is something I have always enjoyed. I am to be your Queen and I worry about what all that entails. I may have grown up in a more aristocratic world, but I never fit in. I was never comfortable.” Maura kissed Jane on the first mark she had given her beautiful mate. “I’m scared too.”
Jane wrapped her arms around the amazing woman above her, holding her close. “I will always do everything in my power to take care of you and keep you safe Maura. We are partners in this life, no matter what it brings our way. Being able to share with you like this helps more than I can express.” She kissed the top of Maura’s head. “The one thing in all this that doesn’t scare me is making you my wife. I know we are mated for all time by Lycan standards, but until a few days ago we were both fully human. I still feel mostly human. I feel the need to stand up with you before witnesses and exchange vows, declaring my love for you, making you mine as I become yours. Having you become my wife is a dream come true for me.”
A happy tear slipped from Maura’s eye. Jane kept so much to herself; to have Jane open up with her was a precious gift. “Beyond anything else going on in our life becoming your wife and you becoming mine means the most to me. And rest assured, I will do everything in my power to take care of you, as well.”
Jane rolled, placing Maura below her. “I think we should take Fenrir’s advice and not worry about what’s going to happen once we reach Undrehiel. We should enjoy each other and our wedding. We can deal with the rest when the time comes.”
Maura nodded, sliding her hands into Jane’s wild mane. She pulled her down where their lips merged, tongues slowly dueling. The lovemaking was slow and loving. Each expressing their love and devotion with every caress as they worshipped on another. No words were spoken, none where needed. They let their bodies and actions speak for them. The only sounds to be heard in their room that night were those of shared passion and ecstasy.
After several hours of slow, yet mind blowing lovemaking, the two lovebirds fell asleep in each other’s embrace while still buried within one another, connected in one of the most intimate of ways.
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A little shorter than the previous chapter, but what did you think. I will let you know now that the wedding doesn’t happen till chapter 13. It is written but needs editing. I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow night; we shall see how that goes. Please continue reading and reviewing.