by P. Jameson
The wind picked up, and Mirena could sense something changing. Power flowed from her to Adira, and it felt the same as it had every time they’d conjured magic together. From the other hand, power surged from Mirena to Theo, circling, twirling, seeking that final connection. Theo was it, but the magic Nastia spoke of wasn’t enough to make a circle.
The air crackled with energy as the breeze swirled around them, whipping Mirena’s hair into a frenzy and causing little sticks and leaves to dance along the current. She breathed deep, pulling in all that was familiar about this. The scent of the heavy humid air. The sharp smell of pine. The magic of nature. Of the earth and its fruit. Of the sky and its power. The bracken of the field whirled around them, cocooning the clan. Making them one as they chanted on.
And then it finally happened.
Mirena felt something snap into place like the final link on a chain. She felt power flow from Theo, back into her. And Adira felt it too, because she jerked at the force, the chant drying on her lips.
The clan weren’t magic wielders, but they had a powerful magic of their own. Just like Nastia said. They had love that bonded like cement. Fierce devotion. They had bravery that cast all thoughts of self aside. They’d stick their neck out for a brother, and do it with a crazy smile on their face. She’d seen it time and time again.
Those were qualities the mystics would recognize.
Mirena tipped her face to the sky, letting the moon and stars bathe her with their vibrance. They were warmth, comfort, and strength. They were once home, but now her home was with Theo. The dark sky surrounding the lights seemed to fade to gray, and Mirena knew a power exchange was coming.
The circle was opening.
A blinding light shot from the center of the ring into the sky, the white beam a wide stream of heat.
Mirena faltered for a moment unsure if Theo could contain the power without being burned. But when she glanced his way, she noticed the entire clan was harnessing it, sharing the load. With their numbers and the strength their animals leant them, the exchange almost appeared easy.
Satisfied they were safe, Mirena focused on the mystics. Speak with your heart, Nastia had said. She could do that.
Closing her eyes, she let the light see everything that she desired. Even the things she already had. Like Theo, and her affection for him. Theo, her Anchor, who allowed for her to keep her magic. The light in her heart that had been restored to vibrant.
She let it see the things that hurt her.
The worry for Adira’s future. The fear—yes, fear—that her sister would be lost.
The devastation of being told she’d never have a family of her own. Of seeing Theo be brave through it all, even though he was hurt. The pride she had when he put his arms around her, and told her it would be okay.
The desire to have it all but realizing maybe she already had all she needed. The rest was bonus. But what a wonderful bonus it would be.
Could they help her, the mystics?
Would they?
“Please,” she whispered, tears burning her eyes as she stared into light so blinding it seemed to ignite her soul.
On her next breath, pain hit her like a bolt of lightning, and she screamed. It ricocheted around her body like some wicked pinball, hitting nerves and causing her to jerk in reflex. Pure agony splintered to every part of her.
Her scalp, fingers, toes.
Her eyes, knees, jaw.
Her middle.
All of it jolted to her middle where it settled in a blazing ball of fire. The only thing she could feel was pain. The only thing she could hear was her own screaming that wouldn’t seem to end.
Until it did.
The pain. The sound. All of it ended, when everything went black.
The darkness had never been so welcomed.
***
Mirena awoke to the comfort of her bed and Theo pacing a gully in the floor of their bedroom. No. Not their bedroom. Another room.
She lifted her head to get her bearings. They were in a room at the lodge. The one she’d just recently moved out of.
Mirena collapsed back to the bed, recalling the pain she’d endured on the field while communing with the mystics. A shiver moved up her spine. She never wanted to feel like that again.
“Theo?”
His pacing ended abruptly as his gaze found her.
“Rena,” he breathed, rushing over to the bed. He went to his knees beside it, one hand reaching to touch her cheek softly. “Goddamn it, I’m so glad you’re awake. How do you feel?”
“Why are we here?”
“I was worried to move you away from Doc. Here, she could watch you, and when you didn’t wake up, I wanted her close.”
Mirena closed her eyes, trying to make sense of what happened. Were the mystics punishing her for asking for a child?
“My sisters? The clan?”
“They’re all fine. Worried. Except for Nastia. She’s been on the phone with Father Abraham—”
“Isaac.”
“Yeah, him. And she’s calm as a cucumber.”
Mirena frowned. Nothing made sense.
“You?” she asked, lifting her hand to brush her fingers through his short beard. “Are you okay?” It was longer than she remembered. “How long have we been here, Theo? How long have I been out?”
“Three days,” he said gravely. “I was worried to hell, Rena. You wouldn’t wake no matter what. I was going out of my mind here.” His voice cut off on a broken croak.
Her poor bear.
She pushed herself up and flung her arms around him, tucking her face in his neck.
“So sorry,” she murmured. “I don’t know what happened out there. Don’t know why they hit me. I… I guess we did something wrong. Abused the power in some way.”
Theo squeezed her tight, breathing in her scent to comfort his bear.
“No, mate. They didn’t hit you. Not the way you think anyway.”
Confused, Mirena pulled back to meet his gaze. “What do you mean? What happened? Do you know?”
He stared at her, his eyes dancing on a range of emotions she couldn’t follow.
His voice was whisper soft when he spoke.
“Mirena, there’s a young growing in your belly.”
Time seemed to stand still as she absorbed those words. She blinked over and over, her eyes growing so big they bulged.
“What?”
He reached between them, spreading his palm over her stomach, over her scar.
“A baby,” he said. “We have a baby growing right here. Where Doc said one would never be.”
“No.” Mirena dropped her hands to cover his. There was no bulge. It was still flat as it had always been. “A-Are you sure?”
Theo nodded. “I scented it when we brought you here, after you passed out. But I wasn’t sure. I thought… I thought I was imagining it. So I had Doc scent you too, and she confirmed it.”
“Wow. Theo… this is…” Her throat choked up, giddiness and relief flooding her and making her forget the agony she’d endured. All she could manage was a whispered squeal. “We’re going to be parents.”
He grinned softly. “Yes, mate. We are.”
“We’re going to have a baby!”
He pulled her in for a tender kiss, and she could sense his satisfaction through their bond. When he pulled back, his eyes were shiny with unshed tears and his smile wasn’t the kind that would go away anytime soon.
“I’m going to be a dad,” he murmured in wonder. “But you wanna hear the best part?”
“There’s more?” She bounced on the bed, forgetting how weak she felt upon waking. “Yes, tell me, please.”
“It’s mine.”
Mirena frowned. “Of course it is. The mystics gave us a Sorcera to raise. That means it’s ours, Theo.”
“No. Rena, it’s mine. Not a Sorcera. A bear. I scented a bear.”
“Wait, this isn’t an adoption, er, surrogacy… or whatever? Are you telling me this baby is ours? We made i
t?”
Theo’s smile grew even bigger, if that was possible. “Yes, mate.”
“But… how?”
“Doc did her tests again. The scarring seems to only be on your skin now. It doesn’t go deep like it did before. She had no explanation except…”
“The mystics.” The pain, the fire in her middle. It wasn’t a punishment. It was a deliverance. “They burned it away. They healed me.”
Mirena squealed with delight, crushing Theo against her chest. Her heart was so full. It had been a roller coaster of heartbreaks and triumphs but now they were here. And they had this. And every bit of pain and struggle had been worth it.
He rolled with her onto the bed, landing on his back with her on top. She bent to kiss him hard on the lips, pushing her tongue in to roll with his. And still neither of them lost their smile.
His hands roamed upward, kneading the curves of her body until she let out a guttural groan.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Wonderful. Amazing. Like celebrating.”
He nipped her jaw with his teeth as he squeezed one breast hard. “I agree. Should we celebrate by seeing how the rest of you feels? I’m especially concerned about how you feel between these legs.”
Mirena let out a chirp of surprise as his wandering hand cupped her sex.
As her bear snarled against her skin, the smile stayed in place.
Mirena the Bravest had wanted a happily ever after.
This was it. And it had definitely been worth the risk.
Epilogue
Years later…
Theo watched his mate as she moved around their kitchen. She was still the most gorgeous female he’d ever laid eyes on. Her smile still had the power to fucking level him. And best of all, she had never stopped looking at him like he was hers.
He leaned against the counter, fighting a grin as their four young crowded around Mirena to see the magic she was about to use.
Lucky danced on the balls of his toes trying to see into the pink mixing bowl she cradled in one arm.
Haven put her finger to her lips, trying to shush the others since Mirena decided she wasn’t going to do magic until they settled down.
Branson glowered at his sister before sticking his tongue as far out as it could go. It was the most offensive thing he could muster at his age.
And baby Celeste toddled around the others, desperately trying to see what they were so excited about.
Theo had pity on her, reaching down to pick her up so she could have a better view. She goo-gooed her thanks and his heart did that melty schmelty thing it did when any of his kids went to loving on him.
For a split second he thought of his childhood. The dumpster, the Deadclaw clan. The affection he missed out on.
But then he tucked it back beneath all the happiness that flooded his life now. Thinking of the past never seemed all that bad when he remembered all of it had only existed to lead him here.
To this.
With his mate.
With his family.
What was a little pain, when the gain was so great?
“Alright, little Sorcer-bears, give your mama some space.”
They groaned in unison. Except for Celeste who’d taken up chewing the collar of his t-shirt.
“That’s right. Back it up, back it up.”
When they’d taken one point three steps back, Theo snuck in to drop a soft kiss to his mate’s lips.
Yep. Her kiss still made him shiver and quake inside with how much he felt for her.
“Ewwwwww,” the young cried. Again in unison. If only he could get them to take that teamwork and put it into picking up their Legos.
Lucky made retching noises.
Branson made fish lips and crossed his eyes.
Haven planted one hand on her hip and said accusingly, “You just made us move so you could kiss her!”
Mirena grinned up at him like she agreed with the little ones.
Theo shrugged, hefting the baby higher on his hip. “No shame in that.”
“None at all, bear,” Mirena agreed.
Theo stepped back and let Mirena begin her spell. It was one of his favorites after all.
Whisk in hand, she went to stirring the contents of the bowl, grinning at him over the top of the children’s heads.
Yep. His mate was making a milkshake.
When it was good and mixed, she set the bowl in the center of the table and began her chant. Her hands spread wide over the top, swirling, swirling, swirling.
Theo watched the young, their eyes wide, their attention rapt. It was a Christmas morning reaction, but their mama was Santa Claus.
“Ba ba ba guhhh,” Celeste babbled, her pudgy finger pointing at Mirena as her magic filled the small space and began freezing the liquid into semi-solid.
“That’s right, baby girl. Your mama is amazing.” Theo whispered it to her, not wanting to interrupt the spell.
“It’s… it’s…” Lucky was practically shaking with giddiness. “ICE CREAMMMM!”
Haven and Branson squealed along with him until they were all chanting, “Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream…”
Mirena dropped her arms, laughing so hard her cheeks turned red. And Theo laughed too.
As she liked to say often, this was worth everything.
“Mama,” Haven said, her hands fluttering with excitement. “You have to teach me that spell.”
“I’m getting bowls,” Lucky said, disappearing behind a cabinet.
Theo set a wiggling Celeste on the floor so she could toddle after the others, and went to his mate.
“I guess we aren’t getting to the milkshake part of this jig,” he said.
She shook her head laughing, and pulled him down for a second kiss, this time sweeping her tongue along his until he was growing hard for her.
He did the mental math of how many hours until bedtime. Addddd a few for the sugar content of the ice cream, and yep, they needed to stop kissing.
Theo pulled back, loving the pleasure-glazed look he could still put in her eyes.
“I fucking love you.” He didn’t always add the f-bomb, but it reminded him of the first time he told her. “And I want to fuck you, love.”
Mirena grinned wide, her pretty cheeks staining red.
“I love you too, bear.”
He slid his hand under the hem of her shirt, finding the mark that brought them together, and spread his fingers over the jagged skin.
“Any regrets?” he asked softly.
Her grin faded to serious and her eyes still spoke all those loving things he’d seen their first time in his bed.
“Not a single. Fucking. One.”
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Scroll on for more books by P. Jameson…
Other books by P. Jameson
Ouachita Mountain Shifters
A Mate’s Wish (Holiday Prequel)
Deliciously Mated (Book 1)
Ouachita Mated (Book 2)
Merrily Mated (Book 3)
Secretly Mated (Book 4)
Shadow Mated (Book 5)
Brother Bear Mated (Book 6)
Brave Bear Mated (Book 7)
Dirt Track Dogs
Racing the Alpha (Book 1)
Racing the Beast (Book 2)
Racing Home (Book 3)
Racing Hard (Book 4)
Racing Destiny (Book 5)
Home for the Holidays (Book 6)
Ozark Mountain Shifters
A Mate’s Denial (Book 1)
A Mate’s Sacrifice (Book 2)
A Mate’s Revenge (Book 3)
A Mate’s Submission (Book 4)
Sci-fi Fantasy Romance
Starwalker (Amazon)
*****
About the Author
P. Jameson likes to spend her time daydreaming, and then rearranging those dreams into heartstring-pulling
stories of trial and triumph. Paranormal is her jam, so you’re sure to find said stories full of hot alpha males of the supernatural variety. She lives next door to the great Rocky Mountains with her husband and kids, who provide her with plenty of writing fodder.
For more information about P. Jameson and future stories, visit www.pjamesonbooks.com or find her on Facebook. To sign up for P. Jameson’s newsletter and receive updates on book releases go HEREor copy and paste the following link into your browser:eepurl.com/3s00L
