“Fine…” He yawned and his eyes closed again. “Normally I’d go get a new tattoo to commemorate this… but you don’t like the tats, so I guess I’m not going to…”
He trailed off, his whole body relaxing once more. Valerie hesitated a moment before she kissed his forehead once more and whispered. “I actually love your tattoos.”
“Knew it,” he breathed, then fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
***
Things happened quickly after Kavan regained consciousness. His bones stitched back together with a speed that only a shifter could have. It was only a week later that he was released from the hospital. After that, he still had physical therapy, but he quickly regained his strength and dexterity. It helped that they took a trip out to Valerie’s parents' house, where they could recuperate in peace. There was plenty of land for him to shift and run in. Valerie had taken to running with him every day, too. She didn’t last as long as he did, but it was still enjoyable for both of them.
After the video that Camille had taken of Governor Bloom, several women came forward with similar threats. The outrage from both his attack on Valerie and the terrible things he said about shifters caused him to okay the funding for several shifter-only shelters. It was too little too late, though, and he found himself ousted from office and at the center of a trial.
Valerie was happy enough for that, but what made her even happier was that the complications with Lancaster did not cost her her job in the end. The new governor reinstated her and even gave her special accommodations in acknowledgment for her actions in taking down the Lancaster family mafia. And Kavan…
She grinned at him as he came into the kitchen, tossing a binder on to the table. A triumphant grin spread across his face as he swept her into his arms and pulled her tight against him.
“Guess what? This wolf is officially graduated from high school now. Well, I mean as soon as the results for the exam come in. I’ve gotten great grades; even if I tank this one, I’m graduating.”
“I knew you could do it.” Valerie wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the look of his excitement. “You want to celebrate a little?”
His hands slid to her hips, and he pressed her into the countertop behind her. He thrust his hips forward, making her gasp as her skin tingled all over. “Oh, there is far more than me being done with high school that we have to celebrate, my darling love.”
“Oh, really?” she purred, tangling her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck. “And what’s that?”
“I got a call from my lawyer. Remember that retrial that we’ve been waiting to hear about for months now?”
Valerie nodded, a knot coiling in her stomach. Kavan couldn’t mean that a date had been set and they should celebrate that, right? Although… she had to admit, that did sound a bit like Kavan. Softening bad news by looking on whatever bright side there was. In this case, not having to wait and worry about when the trial would be reopened was a pretty big deal.
“Well, apparently they decided that because of Governor Bloom’s obsession with shifters and getting rid of you, he set the whole thing up from the start. The evidence wasn’t just mishandled, it’s completely inadmissible, and my case is being thrown out of the system.” He chuckled. “So, no more waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
Valerie’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t been expecting that! “But you confessed.”
“I know.”
“But... But…”
Kavan laughed and kissed her. “You’re not upset that I’m not going to be thrown in jail, are you? Or were you hoping to wear my ring and present yourself as the tragic—"
“Stop! Of course I’m not upset that you’re not going to be thrown into jail.” She rolled her eyes as he lifted her up onto the counter. His arms were completely healed by now, only the faintest of white scars left to show anything had happened in the first place. “I’m happy that we don’t have to worry about that anymore. It’s just… Our justice system is broken.”
“Maybe it is,” Kavan agreed. “But I, for one, am going to take this break and make sure that it’s not in vain. You can count on me. I am going to make the best of this. I’ve already started talking with some of the cops that arrested me to begin with. Between the threats to find more stuff on me, I managed to get them to agree to let me join in outreach programs for at-risk kids. I’m going to be teaching cooking lessons.” He grinned proudly as his eyes lit up with excitement. “I didn’t want to tell you until it was all set up.”
Valerie’s heart filled with warmth. She kissed him, so happy that he had found something that would give him something to fill his time with. She knew he was going to do his best to clean up his image and justify his permanent release from jail.
And more than that, she knew that he loved her. He was never going to hurt her and never going to leave her. As his mouth pressed more feverishly to hers, all she could think of was how lucky she was to have found him.
***
He was so lucky to have found her. As their lips met over and over, that was all he could think of. How lucky he was to have her here in his arms. That with everything that had happened, it was almost impossible that he would have been able to find not only his mate but a life outside the Family. That he could have a real family, one that actually cared about him. That loved him.
“Wait.” Valerie pressed a hand to his chest, a look of concern coming over her face.
Kavan’s eyebrows rose in shock. “What is it?”
“You’re going to work with at-risk kids, right?”
“Yes.” Was this concerning to her? He shivered slightly. He thought she’d be pleased with it. He hadn’t told her because he wanted to surprise her. But what if, now, she told him that she didn’t want that at all? That she was concerned he would end up being too close to the police or something?
Her fingers ran down the front of his shirt, that concern still shining from her eyes. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to be getting rid of your tattoos, right?”
Was she…? Kavan laughed, surprised and annoyed at the same time. “You worried me over that?”
Valerie flashed him a wicked grin. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t have? But answer the question. You’re not going to have them removed, are you?”
“No,” he assured her. “After you finally admitted that you like them? I’m going to get even more. I’m going to cover myself from top to bottom with tattoos. There won’t be an inch of bare skin when I’m done, and you’re going to kiss every one of them. Every,” he kissed her, “single,” another kiss, “day.”
Valerie sighed as she leaned into his embrace. She ground her hips up, making him tighten with anticipation. Kavan loved the way she responded to him. The way she sighed when he kissed her neck. The way her fingers dug into his hair. The softness of her body pressed against his. How beautiful she was. The roses in her cheeks, the sparkle in her eyes.
“What’s the first one you’re going to get?” she moaned, tugging at his shirt now.
“I’m going to get your face tattooed on me,” he responded, smiling as he helped her remove the shirt. He then took her hand and pressed it over his heart. “Right here. So that everybody will always know that my heart belongs to you, and you are my mate.”
Valerie trailed her fingers over his chest, then his abdomen. The touch of her fingers filled him with excitement. At her gentle push, he stepped back. She undid his jeans and pulled them down, then knelt before him with a sultry look in her eyes.
“I’m thinking about getting a tattoo myself,” she said, taking him in her hand, “maybe you can help me decide what to get. Maybe your name. Or a wolf… But first, we need to celebrate.”
She stroked him gently, making it difficult to think. Kavan clasped his hands behind his back, the way she liked for him to stand, and watched her as she took him into her mouth.
Kavan’s head fell back as Valerie started her work. She moved slowly, building him up with that exquisite torture only she could giv
e him. Her mouth was hot and wet, her tongue moving expertly against him. Kavan moaned lightly, listening to the sounds of her mouth, the slick, steady rhythm of her moving her fingers between her thighs. He could just imagine how her clit was swelling. It made him want to lay her back, to bury his face in her. He held himself still, though, knowing she wanted this as much as he did.
“So lucky,” he gasped out as she sucked a little harder.
She stroked him with her hand. “You or me?”
“Me. I’m so, so very lucky. I could have blown everything between us. But—”
She twisted her hand, applying a little more pressure in a way that made him swell even harder. The skin over his body felt too tight, his cock hardening with every stroke. Lust for his mate threatened to overwhelm him, but he still managed to hold himself back. He wasn’t an animal, after all, and he knew, what Valerie wanted, Valerie got.
“But what?” she purred, knowing exactly what she was doing to him.
“But I’m lucky. Lucky that we met. Lucky I didn’t end up in jail. Lucky…” He bent over, bracing himself against the counter as she took him into her mouth once more. “Lucky that you gave me a chance.”
She kept up her ministrations until there was nothing else on his mind. His hips rocked back and forth, soft moans echoing from his throat as he fought against his arousal. He didn’t want this to stop, didn’t want it to ever stop. Valerie was so real, so soft, so warm. He could smell their mixed arousal in the air as she played her tongue across him. She was still half-dressed. Her breasts hanging heavy in her bra. Her free hand inside her pants. The sound of her fingers sliding around her clit muffled but still very much there.
“I’m the lucky one,” she said, drawing away suddenly.
Kavan panted, breathless, unable to answer.
“I’m lucky that I managed to get my head out of my ass,” Valerie continued. “And not judge a book by its cover. Even though you do have a very attractive cover.”
That did it. Kavan swooped down on her. Valerie laughed in surprise as he seized her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She continued to laugh as he all but ran, carrying her, into the bedroom. There, he lightly tossed her onto the bed, then crawled up after her. She held her arms out for him, and he fell into them, kissing her passionately.
“Lucky,” she breathed with a moan, “so damn lucky.”
Kavan’s hands roamed over her body. They coasted down, tracing the curve of her hips until he found the tops of her jeans. He pushed them off, all the way to her knees, before hooking his fingers into her panties. He pulled them aside with one hand, while the other slipped between her thighs. She was already slick, and it didn’t take much for him to have her gasping and twitching beneath him.
“Take off your bra,” he ordered.
Valerie’s face was pleasantly flushed. She nodded, tugging the bra up. She rolled slightly to undo the back of it and then tossed the whole thing aside. Kavan sucked on one of her nipples, loving the strawberry taste of her skin. He pressed his length against her, and she let out the quietest of moans, nodding breathlessly.
Kavan turned her onto her side, guiding her legs with one hand to bend toward her chest, still trapped together by her jeans. Then he pressed against her, rubbing his cock against her clit while she moaned and rocked her hips into him.
“Want a condom?” he whispered in her ear. “Or do you think we’re good to start trying for kids?”
“I think…” she moaned again. “I think I want you inside of me right now.”
“As your Honor wishes.”
Kavan pushed inside of her, loving the way she clenched down around him. He waited only half a moment before he started to thrust gently into her. The way they were positioned made her extra tight and he moved carefully to make sure he wasn’t hurting either her or himself. As she grew wetter, her hands digging at the bedding and her cries of pleasure overwhelming his senses, his thrusts became harder, faster. He kissed the back of her neck, pulled her close into his chest and knew.
This was the story he was meant to have. One where he was with his mate, and they would live happily ever after.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Valerie came out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of drinks that she set on the coffee table in the living room. Kavan followed quickly after her. He had a bowl of chips in one hand and a veggie platter in the other. The friends they had invited over milled about, chatting idly as they caught up with each other. Valerie’s parents stood in one corner, talking with Philip and Lizzie while their kids made a beeline for the drinks.
Bethany picked up one of the glasses and gave Kavan a withering glance. “This is nothing but orange juice. I thought you were going to get me some vodka.”
“You are too young for vodka,” Kavan told her firmly, though a smile was threatening to break over his face. “But as soon as you’re old enough, I’ll take you out drinking if your mom and dad won’t.”
Bethany let out a heavy sigh and walked back to where Philip was, her siblings trailing after her. Valerie had to roll her eyes. Bethany thought she was much older than she was, and Valerie thought she was in for quite the rude awakening when she did try vodka for the first time.
After a year of dating, Kavan and Valerie were once again officially engaged. This was their big party to celebrate it, and kind of a pre-wedding party, too. Both of them decided that they didn’t actually want bachelor or bachelorette parties, as they had been living together for the past year. The marriage wasn’t much more than just making everything legally binding, and because they wanted to share a last name.
Valerie spotted Camille coming in through the back door, looking a little stressed, and frowned. Camille had been here for a few hours, helping set up everything. When had she slipped away?
“Give me a minute, I need to talk with Cam,” she murmured to Kavan, and Kavan glanced over his shoulder. He nodded and strode to the middle of the group.
“Who wants to hear about the first time Valerie and I met?” He waited for the assent before starting. “Well, it was in the jailhouse.”
People started laughing, and Valerie slipped over to Camille. Camille jumped, but when Valerie gestured outside, she nodded. They slipped away, and Valerie turned to her, frowning with concern.
“Is everything okay?”
Camille shrugged. “My little sister is having some problems right now, but it’s nothing earth-shattering. Mostly I’m just tired. With how busy everything has been, we haven’t really had a chance to catch up or anything. How are you and Kavan doing? I heard that there might be something about his case being reopened?”
Valerie shook her head. “The media’s just playing that up. You should know that since you’re working with me.” Come to think of it, though, Camille had been distracted and distant lately. “Are you sure everything is going alright?”
“Yeah… I just signed up with that dating agency. You know, the one that put you and Kavan together for that blind date?” Camille nodded, her gaze distant. “I signed up for that. I’m tired of waiting around to meet a guy and fall in love. It’s time that I went ahead and started actively looking. I’ve had a couple of matches. Also… I’m thinking about quitting. Moving.”
It wasn’t that big of a surprise. Valerie had, for a while, felt like something like this was going to happen. They worked well together, and Camille was invaluable to her, but Valerie could sense that Camille was growing more and more dissatisfied with being a PA. She was smart, determined, and with her younger sistering having graduated high school, she was free to go ahead and pursue her own dreams, rather than taking care of someone else.
“Do you have any plans, or waiting to see what life brings you?”
Camille shrugged. “I’m not sure, really. There are a couple of options that I could take. Some of them are the safe paths, the routes that will see me have guaranteed success, or at least little risk. Maybe law school, since I already know so much about the law.”<
br />
“But?” Valerie pushed, a wry smile on her face. She thought she knew where this was going.
“But… half the fun is looking for something else. Not playing the safe route. Striking out with no plans of where I’m going to end up.”
Valerie had never had that urge herself. Except, if she thought about it, with Kavan. She understood the appeal, though. It was like a proper adventure, one where anything could happen. She certainly couldn’t fault Camille for wanting something like that. If her life had a been a little different, if she hadn’t been so focused on making a career for herself in the justice system from the time she was a kid, she might have wanted to have an adventure just like this.
“I have money saved up,” Camille continued. “I was going to give it to Maggie for her college fund, but she’s gotten enough scholarships and money of her own that she told me she’s not going to accept it. So, I’m going to go on vacation. Before I decide whether to quit or not. It’s going to be a long one, though. A month, maybe two. Depends. I’m going to plan it D&D style, just roll the dice and see where they take me.”
Camille’s eyes were bright. There was a clear excitement on her face that made Valerie excited for her. She was going to miss her, of course, and she was going to be difficult to replace. Valerie, however, wasn’t about to discourage her from following her dreams or taking these risks. Everyone had the right to decide their own fate, and Camille deserved her support.
“I wish you luck,” she told her friend, embracing her. “And if you ever want to come back, know that my door is always open. I hope this vacation of yours won’t mean you’ll miss the wedding.”
“Of course not.” Camille rolled her eyes. “That’s not for, what, another year? I’ll be back in plenty of time for that. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world. I bet it’s going to be very dramatic.”
“You can count on that,” Valerie agreed. Both she and Kavan had agreed they wanted something big. It just suited them and their plans for the life they wanted to build together.
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