The beast didn’t fight against her. It didn’t thrash, didn’t growl. If anything, Carol thought she felt joy radiating off the creature. Then she realized that was her own joy. She threw her arms around her mother and let herself cry.
Hot tears streaked down her cheeks, but her mother still held her tight. After a moment, the male voices grew louder. She cracked open her eyes and saw two blurry figures approaching. In this state, she realized that while Van had told her that Harry had posed as the buyer to find her, she hadn’t truly believed him. She’d thought there was still someone out there hunting her and that she’d never be able to let her guard down completely.
But this blurry form was the same one she’d seen atop the waterfalls a month ago. It had been her brother, tracking her, all along. The thought only brought more tears. Carol let out everything she’d been holding back. In the end, her mother’s shoulder was soaked.
When she finally leaned back and wiped away the last of her tears, she looked past her family and saw her mate leaning against the front door. Beside him was a stocky woman who looked alarmingly like him. His mother, she thought.
Any other time, she would have felt foolish or weak for blatting in front of her lover’s mother. Instead, she felt free for the first time. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders. All the fear and anxiety she had been holding onto faded into nothing. She breathed deep and grinned.
This was a new chapter of her life. She wasn’t someone entirely new, but a version of herself that had evolved.
“This country house is beautiful,” her father mumbled, hands in his pockets. He stood back, but Carol launched herself at him and hugged him fiercely.
Only when he protested did she remember her new strength. The days of making her father and Harry help her lift something were long gone. She could carry the washer and dryer on her own now. With ease, at that.
Three pairs of eyes fixated on her. She could feel them studying her as they all suddenly remembered why she had disappeared. It was Harry’s eyes who made her skin burn. He knew perhaps the best of them. He’d seen what she’d become.
“You’ll have to tell Van,” Carol said to her father. “This was his house. I’m just moving in.”
Her mother turned a narrowed-eyed glare to Van. “And how long have you known this man named after a vehicle?”
Carol nearly laughed at her mother’s protectiveness. “Long enough to know that there is no one else for me. And don’t worry. He hasn’t brainwashed me or entrapped me or anything crazy like that. I love him.”
Her words must have carried across the lawn because Van pushed off the door. “Well, why didn’t you tell me that to my face then?”
Her cheeks warmed. Hadn’t she ever told him that she loved him? She’d said it with her body every day since they’d moved in together. It must have passed her lips at least once before. Yet, as she thought back, she couldn’t remember a moment in time when she’d said it.
So, to rectify the situation, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted it across the lawn. Van, grinning like a fool, vaulted himself over the porch railing and raced toward her. He swept her off her feet and raced toward the back yard.
Carol called out for the others to follow between her giddy laughs.
The meeting of the families went well even though there were three shifters and four humans sharing a cooler of beer. Carol told her family what she could, leaving out the details she didn’t want them to worry about. She told them that she’d started working at the local fire fighter department.
Of course, they wondered why she didn’t use her degrees and certification to become a paramedic again. She had no answer that wouldn’t give away the fact that she still couldn’t stand the smell of medical supplies. Instead, she told them about the dragon shifter she’d met that had vicariously inspired her.
As they were swept away by the tale of such impossible beasts, there was another knock at the door. A gruff voice called out and asked if he could come around to the back yard. The dragon shifter looked out of place. His beard had been groomed recently, shoddily like he hadn’t had to do it in years and had forgotten how.
He dropped another case of beer onto the table and took a seat with another huff. While he didn’t say much, she could see that the stories that swelled around him were a welcome change of pace from his quiet life.
Her beast only trembled a little when he looked at her.
***
When their families retreated for the night and the dragon shifter had said good night, Carol fell onto their bed. She was utterly exhausted, but content. She hadn’t been this tired since her days with the doctors, but a feeling of fulfillment sang through her.
She’d been so afraid of reuniting with her family. She thought they would accuse her of being on drugs, that they would call her a monster and run the other way. Nothing of the sort had happened. Even Van’s mother had been nice, pulling Carol into fierce hugs. The woman had helped braid Carol’s hair so that it stayed out of her face while they cooked on the grill.
And only a small fire had broken out. Apparently, the grill chimney had been very hot when she set it on the grass. The dragon shifter got a big kick out of her panic before he stomped it out.
Van was still laughing at the incident when he fell beside her. His eyes sparkled with happiness. She leaned into him, stole a kiss, and tasted the mirth that he felt. She reveled in the bright flavor of it.
He pulled her into his body, revealing that he was already hard for her. Her core tightened and heat gathered low in her stomach. She might be exhausted, but she wasn’t too exhausted for this. For lovemaking.
“Say it again,” he whispered.
At first, she didn’t know what he was talking about. Then she remembered. Carol had never told him that she loved him. Not personally, in a way that meant something.
“I love you more than anything on this green earth, Van. I love that you are my fated mate, that you were always beside me, and that you helped me become who I wanted to be. I will always love you.”
His growl was cut off by her kiss. He threaded his hand through her hair and pulled her tight. Once their clothes disappeared, they each lost control. The bed slammed against the wall, leaving behind scratches that Carol would forever run her fingers over.
Thank you!
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The Lion's Loyalty Page 14
