Free IceAgeLover by Marisa Chenery

now that he’d mated with
Jaren, who already had her license and just needed a car, he’d buy them one and
she could do all the driving.
    “So you don’t want us to hang around until you’re done?”
Ketah asked.
    “No,” Jaren replied. “I have no idea how long it will take.”
    “And I promised Jaren we could go to the Juneau-Douglas City
Museum after we finished up at the consulate,” Kajakti added.
    “Okay. Give us a call when you want a ride home. We’ll be at
Haven’s old place. We have a meeting with a real estate agent.”
    Kajakti looked at Haven, who sat in the front seat next to
Ketah. “You’ve finally decided you’re going to sell the house?”
    She turned her head toward the backseat. “Yes. It’s not as
if Ketah and I are ever going to move in there permanently. I can’t see the
point of holding on to it and paying the mortgage each month.”
    Kajakti smiled. “We’d all miss you two if you did.”
    Haven’s place was the home she’d shared with her late mother
and had grown up there from a teenager. Selling had been a hard decision she’d
held off on since the house had meant so much to her mother, who’d been a
single parent. Haven’s father had left when she’d been young to go from one
woman to another. He’d just recently died after he’d sold Haven to Tanner.
After his body had been found in a wooded area, his death had been ruled as the
result of a wild animal attack. Andre had been the one who had torn out his
throat in front of Haven.
    Once they arrived at the consulate, Ketah pulled over to the
side of the street and let Kajakti and Jaren out. They waved at the other couple
as they drove away. Kajakti took his mate’s hand and walked her toward the
building.
    “You really think this will take a long time?” he asked.
    She shrugged. “I really don’t know. I’ve never had to go to
a consulate to have a passport replaced before. It is a government service so
the chances are it could take some time. But you never know, they could
surprise us and we’ll be out in a matter of minutes.”
    “That would be good. Then we can take a short taxi ride to
the museum.”
    “You’re sure you don’t mind doing the tourist thing by going
there with me?”
    “Not at all. Actually, I’ve never been to it so it will be
new to both of us.”
    “I don’t feel so bad dragging you there then,” Jaren said
with a smile.
    It ended up taking a little while for Jaren to get all the
paperwork filled out for a replacement passport, but nowhere near as long as
Kajakti had feared it would. They’d call her once it was ready and she could
pick it up.
    With that task completed, it meant Kajakti had to reveal
what he was to Jaren later that day. He didn’t relish the idea of it, was
actually afraid she’d not take the news at all well. Especially the part where
she’d inadvertently caused them to become mated during her first night at the
house. There was no way either one of them could break the bond. Kajakti hoped
like hell she wouldn’t want to get out of it. He was more than happy to have
her as his.
    Since there wasn’t a taxi to be seen once they came out of
the consulate, Kajakti suggested they start walking. Jaren had agreed. Hand in
hand, they headed down the sidewalk. Every once in a while she would want to
stop and look at something that had caught her interest.
    After one such delay and they had continued on their way,
Jaren jerked on Kajakti’s hand and brought him to a halt. He followed her fixed
gaze to a man who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and stared back at
her.
    “What’s the matter?” he asked.
    “That’s Matt. He didn’t leave Juneau, after all.”
    Matt stepped closer until he stood in front of Jaren. His
gaze flicked to Kajakti, then Kajakti’s and Jaren’s linked hands before he
focused on her again. “Jaren, what are you doing?”
    She gave Matt a scornful look. “ What am I doing? More
like what the hell do you think you’re