by Woods, Jade
Garrett cautiously slid his eyes to Dahlia, afraid he might find shock and horror on her lovely face. Her brows were pulled down and her lips pursed as if she didn’t understand. She started to shake her head, but stopped, her jaw falling open.
“Wait. Are you saying you’re my knight in furry armor?” she asked in disbelief. “But…”
He let her work it out, and rested his head against the porcelain. He didn’t detect any hits of repulsion so he took her disbelief as a good sign. Biting his lip, he touched her knuckle with his hand, and she looked back to him.
“You pulled me out of that spiral, Dahlia. Bruin would have put me down, and rightfully so, but somehow, that defenseless little girl with the face of an angel reached through the darkness and the confusion to help me out of the hole.”
“You took care of me,” she whispered, her eyes distant as if she were reliving the memory. “The berries and the jackets, and I’m guessing you led the search team toward me, too.”
He nodded against the bathtub, and spanned the length of her arm with his fingers, fascinated by the way his skin slid against hers. “Does it make you think different of me knowing I was a monster?”
She scoffed. “Monster? That wasn’t what I thought at all. You saved me and helped me survive. If it weren’t for you, I might have been scarred for life or dead. Hell, I’d be stuck in some cheap massage parlor, dodging sexual advances from perverted old men. Okay, maybe that’s exaggerating a bit, but…”
He wrapped his hand behind the back of her neck, and pulled her into a kiss. She gasped, but didn’t pull away. Quite the opposite, in fact. She took over, leaving him breathless, every swipe of her tongue weakening him more than his wounds. He was totally lost to her. He was owned now, body and soul, and it felt wonderful.
She broke away, her eyes glowing with love. “It’s kind of weird, though, isn’t it? You save me, and I run into you how many years later?”
Grinning slantedly, Garrett teased, “We were made for each other.”
She cocked a playful brow at him.
He couldn’t keep the smile from splitting his face. “Take me to your bed, baby so I can fall asleep in your arms.”
She pulled the plug in an instant, and the blood-tinted water gurgled as it drained. He relied on his upper body strength to pull himself up. Wrapping a towel around his shoulders, she guided him out of the bathroom. His clan quickly scattered, and Garrett glowered at them as they pretended to be oblivious about what they had been doing. Beyond grateful they were together and safe, he let it go, and hobbled into her bedroom. The moment the door was closed behind them, he let the towel fall to the floor.
Dahlia narrowed her eyes at him, her hands going to her hips. Her gaze dropped down, and she giggled.
“Can’t help it,” he muttered as he regarded his hardening cock. “I’m in love with you, and everything you do drives me crazy in the best kind of way. Besides, I suspect someone else started this.”
She huffed, and looked away. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Sure you don’t. I’m bonded to you. That means there is nothing you can’t hide from me, including your arousal. My body was simply responding to yours,” he said, trying to hold back his laugh as they heckled each other.
“It’s my fault, is it? Who is the one that dropped his towel,” she teased right back.
He stuck his bottom lip out for effect. “I was too weak to hold it.”
She shook her head, her eyes brightening. She suddenly burst out in laughter, her expression like sunshine on a cold winter’s day. He closed the distance between them, and took her lips in a slow, passionate kiss. Her palms cradled his face, and he peered into her enchanting eyes, the same that had reached into the darkness of his grief and pulled him out. He didn’t know if their meeting was random, or the larger plan of some unseen force, but he was glad they had met.
Dahlia led him to bed, and he collapsed against the soft, cool sheets. She was next to him in an instant, her body conforming to his. Her fingers ran through his hair, and though he had never before been so desperate to mate with her, he didn’t have the strength.
“Sleep. Or hibernate. I’m not going anywhere,” she said softly.
He nodded against her breasts, her heat soaking into him and loosening his muscles. Sleep came quickly, but Dahlia followed him into the far corners of unconsciousness, and he knew without a doubt, she’d always be with him.
Chapter Fifteen
One week later…
Dahlia held the phone away from her ear as Jessica ranted. “Girl! I get that you’re in love, but you could have called me!”
Passing an apologetic look to the bears, Dahlia slipped out of the Cherokee. “I’m so sorry, Jess. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. My mind is just completely blown.”
Her friend snorted. “My mind would be blown if I had a man like that in my bed, too. Does this mystery man have a brother?”
Dahlia fought her smile, eyeing Bruin as he helped Vance into his wheel chair. “He has a big family.”
“You met his family! Is it that serious? Oh my God, girl. I’m so happy for you. I want to officially meet this guy. What the hell is his name?”
“Garrett,” she said. “And I’m not going to let you interrogate him.”
The woman made a whatever noise, and barreled right on through. “I’ll make my famous spaghetti and meatballs, and you can bring him over. We can break out the expensive wine, too. It will be fun.”
“Tell her I’m in,” Garrett said as he threw his arms around Dahlia.
She tossed him an annoyed look, and covered the phone with her hand. “She will crucify you.”
Her man seemed completely befuddled, his brows going down. “It’s one woman.”
Sputtering a laugh, Dahlia entertained the idea of Jess eating him alive. She had no doubt her best friend would approve in the end, and she was sure Garrett would accept Jessica’s interrogation gracefully. Pressing the phone back to her ear, Dahlia said, “He’s in. But it won’t be for a week or so. We have some stuff to take care of out of town.”
Jessica cheered in the back ground, and Dahlia covered her laugh. Biting her lip, she watched as Bruin raced Vance around the property, his face a mask of joy. “Jess… did that thing with Tom ever work out?”
“Oh my God! If you had called me back, you’d know. I dumped his ass. Let me tell you… a man isn’t a man unless he knows how to properly use his tongue. I don’t have time for demanders who refuse to return the favor. Why? Were you thinking of going the double date route?”
With his superior senses, Garrett tracked their conversation easily. When she looked to him, he shrugged.
“Maybe some other time,” Dahlia said. “Let’s just get passed the inquisition first.”
“Right. When you two are back in town, call me and we’ll set something up. I can’t wait to officially meet him, hopefully with his clothes on this time,” she said slyly as if she were thinking about the time she’d seen him naked.
Dahlia threw Garrett a chastising glance for being so shameless, and he fidgeted, offering her a shrug. She hung up with her friend, and slipped her phone back into her pocket. Digging her fingers in his shirt, she pulled him into her, and planted a kiss on his lips. He instantly lit up, a soft growl vibrating in his throat like a purr. It amazed her how pliable he was in her hands, and it invoked a sense of power in her she didn’t completely understand yet.
Not wanting to excite him so easily, she turned in his arms, and looked at the unassuming store-front building set against an overgrown parking lot. Situated on the outskirts of town, it had once been a bar, and Garrett told her it now served as their clubhouse, a place where the clan lived—or had, anyway. The windows were boarded up, glass shards strewn everywhere, and scorch marks marred the bricks. Apparently, Lazaran’s clan had ransacked it for valuables.
“Are you sure they won’t come back?” Dahlia asked pensively, eying the surrounding trees for any signs of m
ovement.
“Unlikely. Lazaran was a strong leader, and the majority of his clan were not willing participants. Bruin had told me he had caught wind that a few have requested to join other clans, but for the most part, they have scattered.” Dahlia watched him closely, noting the way his eyes scanned the environs. “I worry about Lazaran’s mate, though.”
“Do you think she will try to take revenge or something? I can’t imagine how anyone could be with that asshat,” she said, realizing she wanted to take her frustrations out on a woman she didn’t know. What if Lazaran’s girlfriend had been forced to mate him?
“I don’t know. I didn’t have the heart to kill her, but I do worry that that decision will come back to bite me in the ass,” he lamented, shaking his head. “Hopefully, no one takes it as a sign of weakness, and tries to challenge me. At least, not for a little while longer.”
Dahlia pressed her palm to his cheek, and he leaned into her touch, his gaze troubled. The faded pink scars on his jaw were paling more and more every day, and soon they would be gone. It had taken him three days before he could walk around the house without wobbling, and he was still sore in some places. “I like to think I know you pretty well already. Showing that woman mercy doesn’t make you weak. Bruin, Marcus and Jake, the twins and Vance, too. They follow you because you are a good man, and they love you. I will continue to believe that others have seen that as well. Strength of character makes the best of leaders.”
He closed his eyes and pulled her into a crushing hug. “You are the best mate any shifter could hope to have.”
Planting a kiss on his neck, she whispered, “And women would kill to have a man like you. Don’t mind me if I gloat about it.”
“Are you two requiring what’s left of the sleeping room?” Marcus called out from the door, and Jake chastised him.
Covering her laugh, she turned to regard the man who simply wagged his brows suggestively. “No, I thought we’d give you two it first considering you couldn’t keep your hands off each other in the car.”
Jake blushed, and smacked his mate in the arm then retreated inside. Marcus simply shrugged, laughing.
“It’s safe!” Bruin shouted, his head peeking out from the second story window frame. “They didn’t find the vault!”
Garrett smiled something beautiful at her. Weaving his fingers in hers, he pulled her inside the clubhouse, glass crunching under her shoes. The place was a disaster, the furniture nothing but splinters, and the bar area was littered with broken bottles. The stairs creaked as they climbed, and she thought they might fall through. Garrett pushed his way passed debris, and into a bedroom where Bruin was standing over dislodged floorboards.
“Thank the Gods they didn’t find it,” Bruin said, looking beyond happy.
Releasing his grip on her hand, Garrett squatted, and turned the knob on the lock until it clicked. Dahlia watched as he started pulling out documents, bonds and some cash. When he withdrew a hand woven cloth embroidered with runic symbols, he smiled at her.
“This now belongs to you,” he said and revealed what looked like a leather sheath. “It was made by my great, great, great… and many more greats, grandmother.”
Swallowing, she withdrew her dagger from her waist band. Taking a moment to trace the runes with her thumb, she accepted his offer, and slid the dagger into the sheath. It fit perfectly as if the two had been made side by side for the sole purpose of joining. His expression was bright as he dug into the safe and found a polished wooden box. He let out a sigh, then opened it. She had expected some precious, insanely valuable jewelry hidden inside, but what she saw was a simple woven bracelet studded with colorful beads. It reminded her of a piece of Native American jewelry. It was simple in its make and material, but she could see the love and time put into creating it.
Garrett took it out of the box, his fingers running along the tightly twined cords. When he slid his eyes up to hers, she was met with a tender expression. “This was my mothers. It was gifted to her on her mating night by my father. Now, I wish for you to have it.”
He stood to his height, and took her hand in his. Pushing her sleeve up, he revealed her wrist then secured the bracelet. She observed the way the colorful beads clashed against the paleness of her skin and the feeling of the smooth cord was perfect against her body.
“Any shifter who sees this will know you are mated to a patriarch. It signifies your position as matriarch to the Stone Claw clan. Think of it as a wedding ring of sorts,” he said, his tone wavering as if he were nervous. “I hope, some day, you would marry me in both the human and shifter traditions, if you so choose. No pressure—”
She pressed her lips against his, cutting off his words. She’d always had dreams of getting married, but with her rotten luck with men, made those fantasies an impossibility. Someone sniffled, and Dahlia looked to the side to see the entire clan huddled in the doorway. Jake wiped a tear from his eye.
“You sap,” Marcus teased.
“Shut up,” Jake said, pushing him. “Who do I recall shedding a few tears at our mating ceremony?”
Clearing his throat, Marcus chuckled, a flush creeping up his neck. Clapping his hands together and rubbing, he asked cheerily, “I assume this means I can plan a big assed party, right?”
Garrett chuckled. “Fine. But no strippers.”
Dahlia looked to him for explanation.
Fidgeting, he explained, “Marcus thought it was a good idea to hire strippers for my birthday bash. Don’t be mad at me, be angry with him.”
She tried to fight her smile, but she lost the battle and grinned ear to ear. As the men took jabs at one another, she touched the bracelet carefully, her smile dropping. Dahlia tried to picture Garrett’s mother wearing it, and the happiness she felt when her husband gifted it to her—and the pain of Garrett’s father taking it from her body.
“Can you guys give us a minute?” Garrett said. The bears scrambled and when they were a lone, he asked, “Is it too soon? I’m sorry, baby. I just—”
“That’s not it,” she said then shook her head. “I would hate for you to experience the pain of losing the one you love. I’m human, and I will die long before you. I don’t want you to—”
He silenced her with a kiss that made her bones feel like rubber. “We still have a lot to talk about. With everything that has happened… Dahlia, there is a way to prolong a female mate’s life.”
She arched a curious brow.
“When a male bonds to his female, his body chemistry changes so that he becomes in tune to every little thing about his woman. Scent, pheromones, the rhythm of your heartbeat and your body language. It’s how the bond is formed. Think of it as a link. My body has changed to fit in with you, like a puzzle piece. In turn, you take in a part of me.” His gaze turned heated as if he liked the idea of that. “Absorbing some of me will strengthen your immune system and lengthen your life. We don’t know if our mothers intended for this to happen, or it is a side effect of our manufacturing. It just is…”
Eying him skeptically, she inquired, “So I’ll live as long as you do?”
He seemed to like that, and nuzzled her neck, his voice a purr. “You will see many more years than the average human. We will have several lifetimes to enjoy each other and when you die, I will follow. A bond is forever.”
Biting her lip, she dug her fingers in his hair, considering everything he was telling her. She was still young and couldn’t imagine living for so long. She thought about all the things she might see, the people she’d meet. Perhaps, one day she’d watch their kids grow up, and find mates of their own. How could one not want that?
“Does that scare you?” he asked, regarding her.
“A little. I mean, this is still all new to me, but as long as you’re with me, I’ll deal.” His smile was luminous and he kissed her again, his tongue stroking her into delirium. She pushed him away before things got too heated. “I want a big wedding.”
“Done. Whatever you want, baby,” he purred, his ere
ction pressing against her stomach.
The sound of voices outside the clubhouse caught their attention and Garrett took her hand. He led her back out of the building. The clan was rough-housing in the parking lot, the twins facing off against Marcus and Jake in a wrestling match. Bruin stood off to the side, shuffling through all the documents Garrett had pulled out of the vault. Seeing the men together invoked pure joy in Dahlia. She’d not just gained a devoted husband, but an entire family. She hoped the bears might find mates of their own one day—they deserved to be as happy as she was.
A squeak pulled Dahlia’s attention to the side. Vance was slouching by the Cherokee, his expression tight, if not troubled. The man had not said a word all week to Garrett and she knew things were strained between them. She just hoped they were able to resolve their differences soon.
Clapping to draw everyone’s attention, Dahlia asked, “I thought you were all going to show me how to fish?”
Their expressions lit up, and the bears surrounded her. Garrett stood at her back, his arms around her as the twins detailed the best way to catch catfish. She tried to follow along, but she couldn’t see herself getting hip deep in the water, and searching the fish out with her hands, but she let them drone on.
Garrett chuckled in her ear. “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll get you’re a pole and some tackle.”
About the Author
Jade Woods is a romance author in the shifter genre. She lives in Chicago—home of the best music scene on the planet!—with her Doberman Danni, and mutt Rascal.
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