I felt when Jane got out of bed. The sun was shining into our bedroom, and we’d slept two or three hours. I heard her go to the bathroom then wash her hands.

She walked back towards the bed and then past it to open the patio door. I could already tell it was one of her favorite places. Because the portion of the patio from our bedroom faced the morning sun, it would be shaded in the warmer afternoons and evenings.

I rolled over to face the balcony and watched her. She stood in the doorway, with the doors wide open, leaning against the door frame.

Her soft curves were backed by the sunlight, giving me a perfect silhouette view of her feminine form. She was still naked, and the breeze was blowing her hair back away from her face and lifting it slightly. I could see my mark on her neck, and my chest filled with love and pride.

“Good morning, my Luna,” I said in my raspy morning voice.

“Good morning, my Alpha,” she whispered back softly, her smile clear in her voice.

“You’re not shy anymore?” I asked as I got out of bed and walked up behind her.

I was naked, too, and I pressed my body against her, wrapping my arms around her waist. Sparks tingled up my skin in a deliciously satisfying trail.

“You mind-linked to me how you were looking at me. I could feel how you felt about it,” she said.

I was shocked and looked down at her, “I didn’t mind-link that.”

“You didn’t?” she asked surprised.

Turning in my arms, she stared into my eyes. She concentrated, and then her eyes widened even further.

“Tristan, I can see through your eyes and feel your feelings,” she answered in awe.

“Can you see through mine?” she asked.

I focused on her eyes and reached out but didn’t know how to see anything. I could feel her presence in my mind. I could feel her love and satisfaction. When she was surprised that her ability to see my vision wasn’t something I could do, I felt the surprise in my own chest.

I only knew how to mind-link. I knew our feelings would be experienced by one another once we marked and mated. Typically, for wolves, this was a vague impression, and not anything so clear and vivid. I didn’t expect to feel her in such a deep and prevalent way.

“I can’t see through your eyes. What does it mean?” I wondered out loud.

“Let’s get dressed and go ask Gabriel,” she spoke quickly.

She took my hand and dragged me into the closet to choose from the handful of meager clothing pieces Emma had delivered from town yesterday afternoon.

I put on some boxers, jeans, and a fitted gray t-shirt.

Jane put on a pair of tiny pink panties and a matching lace bra. Next, she pulled on a pair of mid-rise skinny jeans and a cute charcoal gray v-neck tee that fitted her curves closely and went down past the waist of her jeans.

When we were decent, she grabbed my hand again, and we walked together down the two flights of steps to the ground floor.

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“Where did you go to sign the papers with Gabriel last night? I’m a little turned around,” she admitted.

“Oh, this way,” I replied, leading her down the large house’s south wing and into the study.

She walked over to the bookcase behind the desk and pressed in on a nondescript leather volume with the title “Farmer’s Almanac, 1897” printed on the spine.

The book clicked in and popped back out again. Nothing happened, but she stood waiting at the bookcase.

“What are you doing?” I asked in fascination.

“Last night, when you and Gabriel were getting ready to sign the paperwork, Emma was showing us more of the owner’s living quarters upstairs. She told Avery and me about the hidden apartment behind the bookcase in the study. It’s the only place in the house completely void of sunlight.”

As we waited at the neat rows of leather volumes, she explained, “Most of the rooms have blackout blinds so they can walk around the house during the day comfortably, but here they don’t have to worry about it, so this is where they can sleep without concern.”

“Shouldn’t the bookcase pop open?” I asked in amusement.

“It’s not a button to open up the case, it’s a doorbell,” she explained.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, the bookcase recessed into the wall and slid to the side. Emma stood before us in pajama shorts and a tank top.

“Good morning, Jane. Is everything ok?” she frowned.

“Something strange happened this morning, and I wanted to ask Gabriel about it. Is he still awake?”

“Yes, he’s taking a shower before going to sleep. If you want to come in and wait for him, I’ll let him know,” she smiled sleepily.

“Thanks, Emma. Sorry if I woke you.”

“It’s alright, love.”

Emma walked across the long living space, turned on the overhead light, and shuffled out of the room.

We sat on the couch waiting.

After about ten minutes, Gabriel came out in sweats and a tight t-shirt.

Damn, that old dude was somehow both lean and ripped. How could he be more than one thousand years old?

“Hey, you. What can I do for you?” he smiled.

I gestured for Jane to tell him.

“This morning, I got out of bed before Tristan. He was watching me and I felt his emotions and thoughts about me. While it was happening, I could see through his eyes what I looked like to him as I was standing on the patio. I could see myself from behind and felt the feelings he had while looking at me.

“I assumed he was sharing this through the mind-link, but he says he wasn’t. Do you know why that happened?”

He tilted his head to consider it for a moment before answering.

“Well, it’s possible that having my blood in your system could transfer some of my mind-reading abilities to you. It happens sometimes between a vampire and a feeder, but usually they must have some sort of other relationship, as well.”

I frowned at this, “Do you mean a romantic one?”

Gabriel laughed out loud, “No, I don’t mean that at all. I mean, they are somehow related by blood.”

“Could we be blood relatives?” Jane asked him thoughtfully.

“It’s possible. We could research your genealogy and find out where your family comes from. Perhaps that could explain it. But we could also run an easy experiment,” he proposed.

“What sort of experiment?” I ask warily.

“Nothing complicated or invasive. Jane could try to read other minds aside from yours. It's possible she has an ability surfacing now due to the completion of the mate bond. Many abilities lie dormant in supernatural beings until a powerful or significant change occurs in their lives.”

“So maybe she’s just a superhero now who can read minds?” I teased.

“A superhero, huh?” Gabriel chuckled.

“You might as well be one to us, Gabe,” Jane said with a smile.

“Thank you, Gabriel. That’s a lot to think about,” I said.

Gabriel stood and spoke to me, “I’m going to catch an hour or two of sleep, then I’ll meet you in the study to give you the layout of the ranch. While you’re gone, I’ll begin working on the new design of the property as we discussed.”

I smiled, “Can’t wait!”

Jane hugged Gabriel, and we left the secret apartment the way we’d entered.

“How do you feel about reading minds?” I asked her.

“It sounds exhausting but interesting,” she answered.

I held my hand out to her and asked hopefully, “We have two hours to kill. Why don’t we head back to bed?”

“Mmmm,” she moaned as she placed her hand in mine, “sounds perfect.”

I retracted my hand and instead lifted her into my arms bridal style as she giggled. I bounded up the steps, taking them two at a time, eager to return to the privacy of our bedroom.