“Krieger?” he called into the empty cabin. “John?”
The door to the bathroom opened and a man emerged, his frame so large, he had to bend his head to fit through the doorway. John Krieger stepped forward, body freezing as their eyes locked. “Sir,” he said in his usual gruff voice.
“At ease, Sarge,” he said on instinct, then quickly, “It’s just Cooper now. Or Chief, if you prefer.”
“Chief.” He nodded.
“Thanks for the save back there,” Damon said.
Krieger grunted and lumbered over to the chair in the corner, completely unfazed that he was naked. His hair had grown much longer and hung in wet strings down his massive shoulders and back, his beard left to grow into a scraggly mess.
“You missed a spot,” Damon said, nodding at a smear of blood on his neck.
Krieger wiped it off with one hand. “There were more of them,” he began, as he cleaned his hand on a towel hanging from the chair.
“More of them?”
“Heard screams.” He pivoted and walked to the dresser in the corner, pulling out a drawer to grab a shirt. “Went out and saw these guys chasing after that girl. Scared them off. But some of them didn’t get away.”
“I’ll take care of them. And I’ll talk to P.D.,” he said. “You were protecting an innocent.”
Krieger grunted, but continued to dress.
“Krieg—John.” Damon cleared his throat, unsure what to say. “Thank you for saving me. And my mate.”
Krieger tensed for a microsecond, then slipped his pants on. “All in a day’s work then.”
When Damon came back to Blackstone after his discharge, he tracked down Krieger. The man had been an even bigger mess than he was, so Damon decided to bring him to Blackstone. Somehow, he convinced Krieger to take the ranger test and do the training with him. After that, then-Chief Simpson agreed to give Krieger the permanent position guarding the entrance to Contessa Peak; after all, most shifters were social, so no one wanted this particular duty. But for Krieger, being away from everything was salvation.
Damon had visited him often in the beginning, but the guilt of what happened in Kargan had eaten away at him each time he saw the former soldier. The man’s need for solitude reminded him that he was responsible for sending Krieger and his team into that market building, and led to the horror he endured.
“I’m sorry, John.” He didn’t know what else to say, but he knew he owed the other man his apology and much more. “If I haven’t said it before, I’m so sorry.”
He let out a chuff. “It was war, Sir—Chief,” he said. “We all knew what we signed up for. No need for apologies.”
“Not just that,” he said. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around to see you over the last couple of years. I should have visited more. I have no excuse. What you and I went through—no one else could ever understand.”
Krieger turned his massive body away from him. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, his tone laced with a dangerous edge.
“We don’t have to,” he said. “We can just talk.” He took a deep breath. “You know, forgiveness, it’s not just something another person has to ask for. Sometimes … sometimes we have to ask forgiveness of ourselves.” That had been what Anna Victoria had said that morning when they were sitting outside. His throat closed up at the revelation. After all these years, it finally clicked in his brain. He’d spent all this time torturing himself, hurting himself and his animal in the process. The guilt had been eating them up alive, turning them dark from the inside. “Anyway … I’ll be by next week.”
“I … I’d like that,” Krieger said, not turning around.
Damon blinked, but nodded and then headed out the door. The cool air cleared his head of the memories brought up seeing his former master sergeant, and by the time he returned back to the main road, he felt lighter. No, he wasn’t completely free of guilt, but now he knew what he had to do to fix himself and his animal. However, for now, all he wanted was to be with his mate. So, he tracked her back to where she was still sitting in the back of the ambulance, a blanket wrapped around her.
“Damon!” she called as he rushed toward her. “Where’d you—oh!”
He couldn’t help himself as he pulled her into a fierce hug. “I missed you.”
She chuckled. “You were gone like twenty minutes.” Her body sank into his. “I missed you too. Where did you go?”
“I’ll tell you more later,” he said. And he would tell her everything, and this could be the start of his journey to forgiving himself. The bond felt stronger now, like it was a physical thing between them, and he wondered if maybe it was because of this that he finally realized what it was his soul needed to heal. “You good to go?”
“Yup,” she nodded. “Ankle’s definitely sprained, but I can go home as long as I keep it iced and elevated, plus go for a follow-up with a doctor tomorrow.”
“Good.” Gently, he hauled her up and carried her, bridal style.
“Damon!” she giggled. “Where are we going?”
“Home,” he said, looking down at her pansy-blue eyes. “I need time alone with you, mate.”
“Hmm …” She traced a finger on his chest. “Sounds heavenly.”
“You’re heavenly,” he said. “And mine. All mine.” The Demon rumbled in agreement.
Her hands cradled his face gently, and she smiled up at him, lighting up all the dark places in his soul. “Take me home, Chief.”
Epilogue
“You look beautiful,” J.D. gasped as Anna Victoria stepped from behind the screen.
“Thanks—are you crying, J.D.?” she asked.
“No!” J.D. denied, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s dusty in here.”
“Sure,” she teased. “Well? What do you think?” She twirled around, sending wispy light fabric fluttering around her. “Not too much?”
“It’s perfect,” J.D. said. “Damon’s gonna love it.”
In all honesty, Anna Victoria never thought she’d wear a wedding gown ever again, much less plan a wedding. But here she was, two weeks away from the wedding date. The church and venue were booked, guests invited, tux rented, and the only thing left on her to-do list was the gown.
“This is amazing, Dutchy,” she said to the redhead, who was standing off to the side. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Dutchy replied. “I told you I’d have something done for you that you’d like.”
Anna Victoria didn’t want a gown that was too over the top, like her last disaster of a gown had been, but she couldn’t find anything online or at The Foxy Bridal Boutique on Main Street. So, J.D. suggested she turn to Dutchy for help, since the fox shifter was a fashion designer and had even made many of the gowns for Blackstone’s elites.
It didn’t seem like the gown she wanted existed—she wanted something that wasn’t too bridal, but didn’t want to stray too much from tradition. So instead of white, Dutchy had suggested a peach and blush gown, which would fit a spring wedding theme, she sketched out a design—V-neck top with a tiered tulle skirt so she could move around easily.
And now, two weeks later, she was actually wearing it. “You’re a miracle worker, Dutchy. It’s so much better than I thought it would be.”
“See, what did I tell you?” J.D. said. “You’re the best, Dutch.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Dutchy replied with a weak smile.
“You okay, Dutch?” The mechanic asked out of the blue.
“Me?” She shrugged. “Yeah. Why?”
“Nothing … you seem tired.”
Anna Victoria couldn’t help but notice it too. Dutchy’s skin seemed pale and sallow, plus it looked like she had lost weight. “You missed yoga twice in a row. You eating okay, Dutch?”
“Just stressed with work,” she snapped, then covered her mouth with her hands. “I’m sorry, ladies. Really. It’s been a busy couple of days.” She sighed, then popped the end of her pen between her teeth. “I’ll make more
alterations and deliver this to you in a week. Does that work?”
“It does, thank you. Shall I see you for yoga next week?”
Dutchy chewed on her pen harder. “I’ll see. I’m so sorry, Anna Victoria. I know you’re trying to get your business started … I promise I’ll drop by for a class sometime, okay?”
“Of course. Whenever you’re ready.” Anna Victoria’s roster of students and class offerings had grown over the last three months that she felt confident enough to start her own studio. She already had an appointment at the bank for a loan as soon as she got back from her honeymoon, and Catherine Lennox had even offered to become a partner and possibly put her own business degree to use by helping her manage the place.
After getting dressed, she and J.D. bid Dutchy goodbye and headed back to town. Dutchy worked out of her house, which was in a quiet little neighborhood on the west side of Blackstone.
“Are we finally done?” J.D. whined as they got into her truck. “I’m starving!”
“You’re always starving.” Anna Victoria rolled her eyes. “If I ate like you or Damon or Gabriel, you’d have to roll me around in a cart.”
“Shifter metabolism,” J.D. said proudly.
“I don’t even know where you put it.” She gestured to J.D.’s svelte figure. “In human or your animal form.”
“We do not talk about that,” J.D. said glumly. “I only told you what I was because I wanted you to pick me as maid of honor.”
“As if I would ever pick anyone else,” she retorted. “If anything, Damon and I were competing for you. He was hell-bent on having you as his best woman.”
“If I had known that maid of honor duties included all these boring errands, I would have gone to his side.”
“Well, I’m glad I won.”
J.D. started the engine. “So, Rosie’s?”
Anna Victoria laughed. “Of course.” While she knew J.D. wasn’t into the girly wedding stuff, she was glad that she agreed to be her maid of honor. J.D. had become her best friend too. Truly, she felt honored that the other woman trusted her enough to show her, her animal. It had been a surprise, to say the least, but she promised J.D. to never tell a soul.
As they made their way to Main Street, Anna Victoria could hardly believe winter was truly behind them. Though she missed sitting on the porch watching the white stuff come down and cover everything, everything was turning green. Spring felt like a new beginning—which was especially apt because she had put the ugliness of her past behind her.
After that night Jameson had come to Blackstone, he was quickly extradited back to New Mexico, where he stood trial for the murder of Police Chief Ryan, among other crimes. Anna Victoria had gone back for the trials, and her testimony had been one of the things that finally convinced a jury to put him away for life. During her trips back, she saw her father only once. He had been cold and angry at her, probably because he was still broke, and his businesses had gone under. Though she had cried about how he had treated her, she knew that part of her life was essentially dead. Damon had soothed her, and told her everything was going to be all right.
And it was. When the ugliness of the trial was done, he took her on a trip to Hawaii, where he proposed. She, of course, said yes.
So now, here she was, planning her wedding. Neither of them wanted to wait too long, so they decided to have the ceremony as soon as they could book the church, reception hall, and get all the dresses and tuxes ready. Frankly, she’d have married him in the courthouse, but Damon’s parents, his mother especially, were looking forward to having a wedding, so she didn’t want to disappoint them. Carrie and Robert Cooper had come to visit twice already since they became mated, and Anna Victoria quickly grew to love them, too, and they accepted her wholeheartedly.
Finally, they reached Main Street and pulled up to the parking lot behind their destination. When they got there, Gabriel and Damon were already seated at a booth, so they joined them.
“Move,” J.D. demanded at Gabriel. “I want to be next to the window.”
Gabriel grumbled but got up anyway, letting J.D. into the inner side.
“Everything go okay?” Damon asked as he made room for her on his side of the booth.
As she cuddled up to kiss him on the cheek, that familiar warmth enveloped her. It was strange, but comforting. There was no way to describe the feeling she had when she was around him. From the warmth in his eyes as their gazes locked, she knew he felt it too.
“Yeah,” she said. “We’re all set. The catering manager at the hotel just wanted to go over a few things with me.”
“Hey, ladies,” Rosie greeted as she came over. “Do you know what you want?”
“I hope you didn’t finish all of the special pies, Russel,” J.D. nodded at the empty plates in front of Gabriel.
“They might have one or two left,” Gabriel said. “Rosie, my love, I gotta tell you, that cantaloupe pie was amazing.”
Rosie chuckled. “Are there any of the new pies you don’t like? You’re here a couple times a week now. People might start talking,” she joked.
“There’s just something about them …” Gabriel looked in a daze as he stared at the plate. “They all smell so good and taste heavenly. Like I’ve never known what food was like before.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to tell my girl you like her food.”
“Girl?” His head swung over toward the kitchen. “So, your employee … is she still here?”
“Temperance?” she asked. “Maybe. She doesn’t usually leave until one but—oh, ’scuse me, kiddos.” She nodded at the new arrivals waiting by the door. “I’ll get your order in as soon as I seat them.”
As soon as Rosie turned and walked away, Gabriel slid out of the booth and began to make his way to the pie display counter, seemingly unaware he was bumping into people. But he kept right on, rushing past the display and pushed the kitchen door open so hard, the crashing sound reverberated across the room.
“Dammit Gabriel,” Damon started to rise, but J.D. waved him down.
“I’ll take care of that blockhead,” she said. “You guys sit tight.” With a sigh, J.D. marched toward the kitchen.
“Everything all right with Gabriel?” she asked Damon.
“Who knows?” he shrugged, then flinched when he heard a crash coming from the kitchen. “I should—”
“J.D. said she’ll take care of it.” She slipped her hand into his. “Tell me how you are. And how Krieger is doing.”
“He’s … he’s doing well.” Damon had told her all about his former master sergeant, and she encouraged him to spend time with him. She never asked what they talked about, and Damon wouldn’t say. But, deep in her heart, she knew this was something he needed, and the best thing she could do was be there for him.
“Good,” she said. “I tried on my wedding gown today.”
“Oh?” He raised a brow at her. “Should we give it a test run?”
“Test run?”
“I’m sure Tim has a bottle of tequila with your name on it—ow!”
She hit him playfully on the shoulder. “Beast. You’re never going to let me forget about that night, are you?”
“First of all, I’m your beast.” The rumble from his chest—from The Demon—sounded like one of agreement. “And secondly, of course I’m not going to forget it. That was the night that changed my life, when you walked in there and into my life.”
Warmth spread across her chest and all over her body. “I love you, Damon.”
“And I love you.” He leaned down to kiss her, but stopped when an indignant shout came from the kitchen. “Damn, Russel,” he growled. “I should—”
She took his hand as she eased out of the booth. “Let’s both check on him.” After all, Gabriel was now her other best friend too. “Together,” she said.
“Together,” he murmured and kissed her palm.
Anna Victoria enjoyed this moment, as she knew chaos was going to follow, because this was Blackstone, after all.
And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
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