When she came with a shout, her body trembling like a live wire, he followed her swiftly, letting himself go to chase after her in bliss.
While his body hummed through the waves of his orgasm, she sank her fangs into his neck with a deep, throaty growl.Even more pleasure piled onto him, careening him into a deep release that touched the very center of him.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as she tended to the mark to ensure it scarred permanently.Then she melted against him with a contented purr.
“You’re mine,” she whispered as she snuggled against him.
He kissed the top of her head, his lion purring in response.“You’re mine too, sweet mate.My heart.My home.My everything.”
Sera woke with more excitement than she could ever remember.Even though the clock said four a.m.and she hadn’t gone to bed until after midnight, she was wide awake and ready for the day.After slipping quietly from the bed while Caesar slept soundly, she’d dressed in dark jeans and a park T-shirt that Anke had given her from the store’s selection.This one was maroon and had the park’s logo on the back with a small embroidered patch on the sleeve with all the animals in the paddocks that matched the animal silhouettes on the front gate.
In minutes, she was in the underground market’s kitchen with an apron on, brewing a brown sugar cinnamon syrup and prepping the sweet vanilla creamer that was always such a hit.
She set up the pastry display with items from her late-night baking session with Jeanie: coffee cake, two kinds of large muffins, and cinnamon rolls.
“Oh, you’re up early!”
Sera looked up from the batch of syrup she was pouring into a glass bottle that would be topped with a pump and saw Jeanie.“Morning!I was too excited to stay asleep.”
“Everything looks great,” Jeanie said, tying on an apron.
“What time is it?”Sera asked.
“Just after five.I’ve got a few breakfast casseroles to get into the oven that I prepped last night.Plus, I’m making Caesar salad wraps for lunch and I’ve got so much freaking chicken to cook.”
Sera smiled at her new friend.“I’m so happy.”
“I can tell,” Jeanie said with a grin.“You’re glowing.”
They parted ways and Sera continued to work on organizing the drink station, which included a small rolling cart near the counter with large buffet-style carafes for self-serve regular and decaf coffees, plus various milks on ice and sweeteners.But anyone who wanted a special coffee or tea, or one of the pastries, would come to Sera.
And she couldn’t wait.
She heard voices down the hall, and even though it wasn’t yet six when the market was supposed to open, she knew the morning was about to get really busy.
Sending a quick text to Caesar, she said,I’m so blessed to know you.When you wake up, find me in the market and I’ll make you a coffee.Love you to the ends of the earth.
Putting her phone in her pocket, she smiled at the males who strode toward the café counter.“Is it too early?”one of the males asked.She recognized him as Alfie, a wolf who was part of the security team.“We can wait.”
“Nope,” she said.She pointed to the wooden sign where she’d written the menu in colorful chalk.“Help yourself to regular coffee or come talk to me about a special drink or pastry.”
“Hell yes,” Alfie said.He stepped up to the counter and she filled his order, her heart singing at the work she was doing.It wasn’t anything like what she’d done in the prowl, with males stopping by her home for drinks and breakfast because there had been an expectation that she and her daughters pulled their own weight in the prowl.Even though she had enjoyed it, she hadn’t loved it.
But this?
She freaking loved it.
Just like she loved her slumbering lion.
* * *
By seven a.m., Sera had made over a dozen custom drinks and sold out half her pastries.The iced brown sugar cinnamon coffee with sweet cream foam was the most requested, with Indio, one of the elephant shifters, coming back for seconds after he finished the first in record time.
“I don’t really like sweet coffee,” he said, holding the tall to-go cup.“But this is really awesome.”
“I’m so glad you like it,” she said.“I think I’ll put it on the menu as a regular drink.”
“Definitely,” he said.“I think it’s a hit.”
