A warm glow soon danced in the fire pit, the gentle sound of wood cracking and burning filling the air. Dull gray smoke curled upward as Hunter rose to his feet, his gaze drifting toward the woods.
“Now we just have to wait and see if our hunters are successful. Otherwise, we have some bread and jerky packed.” Hunter chuckled as Freja slid her arm around him.
Ciana walked up to Freja and Hunter. “You know, this can go either way tomorrow.” She watched the two nod their heads. “If things go bad, I can carry us out. I can’t carry that many people for a long time, but enough to give us a good head start. Just in case.”
“That’s six people, Ciana.” Jin shook her head. That was too much weight for her.
Ciana flicked her gaze at Jin and nodded with a smile. “In an emergency, I can do it. If it comes to it, I can at least get us away from the hive.”
“Thank you, Ciana. That sounds like a better plan than fighting our way out.” Hunter looked out into the distance and took in a deep breath. “We should be prepared, but I feel like everything’s going to be okay. I think this is a trip we were meant to take. Maybe your yin and yang balancers have this planned out.”
Jin giggled. “Probably. There isn’t much they don’t know about, let alone something they don’t have a hand in.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Chasen and Jester both managed to come back with large fish. There wasn’t anything else close by, and they didn’t want to venture far away, especially since they were now in vampire territory. The group sat around the fire, where they eventually settled in for the evening. Jin was tucked in Chasen’s arms and Freja was wrapped in Hunter’s. Ciana curled up next to a tree while Jester sat at the fire, taking first watch. It wasn’t wise for all of them to sleep at the same time. Someone needed to be alert, just in case.
Hunter and Freja took the last shift together. The night had come and gone, and morning had come without a hitch. Freja sat at Hunter’s side as they watched the fire. They would soon be waking the others.
“I was thinking …” Hunter said, clearing his throat quietly. He glanced at Freja, whose green emeralds were looking back at him. “When things settle down, I guess that will be after we defeat the demons … but I was thinking maybe we could do this properly, you know?” He watched as Freja tilted her head to look at him, not understanding what he was saying. “I mean, our relationship. I’d like to take you out on a couple dates. Do normal couple things that don't include killing enemies foronce.” He chuckled and cleared his throat again. “And, um … I was thinking, maybe … if you want, that is … maybe we could get married?” He blushed, giving her a crooked smile at his own awkwardness.
Freja’s eyes shone up at him. A smile spread across her face as she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. The tingling warmth made her body shiver as she pushed into him for more. “Yes, Hunter. To all of it.”
“Man, that was painful to listen to. I wasn’t sure if you were going to get a favorable response after that,” Chasen said groggily, smirking up at his brother, who was turning dark shades of red.
“Aww, I think it was cute,” Ciana added while Jin giggled.
“It gave me warm fuzzies,” Jester teased as he sat up.
Freja giggled as Hunter looked away from everyone in full embarrassment. His whole face was now a dark crimson shade, all the way up to his ears. She interlocked her fingers with his. When their eyes met, she looked back at him with all her love. “Hunter, I love you. You’re the best part of my life.”
“I love you, Freja.” He kissed her forehead, lifting to his feet and clearing his throat. “Well, we should get going. Especially since you’re all awake enough to listen in on a private conversation,” he growled out in playful annoyance.
“Thanks for setting the bar high, Hunter. If I don’t find someone as sweet as you, I’ll never be satisfied.” Ciana giggled as she dusted herself off.
“Lucky for me, my chocolate bear is already super sweet.” Jin looked up at Chasen with a sweet smile.
Chasen smiled at her. “Only for you, though. So don’t go spreading that around.” He looked over at Hunter, and a soft smile spread across his face. He turned his gaze back to Jin. “We can make this official too, if you want.”
“A dual wedding?” Jin bounced in excitement and looked at Freja to see what she thought.
“That sounds great to me. We can all share our perfect day together.” Freja watched as Jin bounced around even more excitedly.
“And we can remind ourselves of the important date.” Hunter winked at Chasen who chuckled, nodding in agreement.
“I wasn’t trying to horn in on your wedding date.” Chasen looked at Hunter, who waved him off.
“Are you kidding? This will be even more special this way. Maybe we can drag Reiya and her mate in on this, too. All three of us getting married on the same day,” Hunter mused thoughtfully.
“Wouldn’t it be awesome if Brody took a mate, too? I’ll have to talk with him and tell him that it's okay. I want him to have what I have. Not in the literal sense. Jin is mine … but I want him to experience what it’s like having a mate.” Chasen smiled down at Jin, lowering his head and gently brushing his lips against hers. He couldn’t imagine not having her in his life. He felt complete, and he wanted Brody to have this too.
“I can’t wait for you to meet him, Jin. I’m excited to introduce you to him and my sister, Reiya. I know they’ll love you,” Chasen said proudly.
“I can’t wait.”
“Better be careful, though. Brody has chocolate brown eyes, too. She just might go and choose the other brother,” Hunter teased as the group started on the rest of their journey.
Chasen chuckled. “Jin here is mine. If Brody wants a mate, he’ll have to find his own.”
