“Sorry. I didn’t go anywhere, I promise. There are just times I see you and I can’t believe we found one another.” She cupped his cheek, brushing her thumb over the thick stubble he’d taken to sporting since they’d come to Ireland. “I love you, Cade. I hope you know that.”
His kiss rocked her down to her toes, and she was half tempted to shove all of her worries aside and let their physical connection take over to soothe them both. “I know, Mara. You’re my mate. We’re connected, here.” He rested his hand over her heart, and she mirrored the gesture.
“There’s something else I need to tell you,” she said softly. “Something I didn’t realize until I saw Eli out in the backyard tonight.”
“What?”
“The sigils Eli took from the book, the ones that are now all across his chest? I’ve seen more than one of them before.”
“What?” Cade sat up so quickly with her still in his arms, her stomach lurched.
“I was sixteen, I think, when my sister came to see me. She was going on and on about how she’d found the man who’d killed our mother, and that everything would be okay now. That we’d have closure, that we’d be able to move on. She was…gleeful. Like she couldn’twaitto exact her revenge.”
Cade’s steely eyes darkened. “At least it took her a while. My dad got to enjoy another eight years, I think, if I have the dates right.”
Mara’s heart squeezed. No matter how often Cade reassured her that he didn’t blame her, that she shouldn’t carry even a single ounce of guilt for what her sister had done, that if anything,hewas the one who should bear the weight since if not for his father, Mara never would have been orphaned, she still hated to see that pain in his eyes. He and his dad had been estranged for years, and she knew Cade regretted their falling out.
Rubbing her belly, she waited for their daughter to kick her hand, and she wasn’t disappointed. First thing in the morning, the baby almost always responded to her touch, and the tiny impact brought her a small measure of comfort.
“Katerina left something with me. I kicked her out. Just being close to her was making me sick. But she tossed a little notebook at me before she left. I threw it away a few days later, but I peeked at a few of the pages first. It was full of sigils. I didn’t know what they were at the time. The only magic I thought existed was onSabrina the Teenage Witch.”
Cade chuckled and rested his hand over hers. “You know, we need to pick out some names.”
“I was thinking…maybe Rachel? After your mother?”
His smile righted her entire world. If only everything could be this simple. This easy between them. If only she hadn’t absorbed her sister’s element—and whatever bit of Katerina came with it. Then, perhaps they’d be back in Seattle, in their house, in theirbed. They’d have had dinner with the entire pack, laughing and joking and enjoying time with family.
“You need more rest, honey. Lie back down with me for a while. When everyone else gets up, tell them about Katerina’s book. But until then, just stay with me.”
The raw emotion in his voice was too much for her, and she wiped away another tear. “I’m sorry, Cade. I know this isn’t my fault. I’m not weak because I can’t fight it when the fire takes over. But I hate what this is doing to us. How we can’t be…normal.”
“Normal is for other people, honey. I love you, no matter what.”
* * *
Farren
The sounds of Eli’s soft breaths and his strong, steady heartbeat soothed her, and she didn’t want to open her eyes. If she did, they’d eventually have to get up. Out of this bed.
Here, she could pretend everything would work out. That he’d accept her as his mate, that they’d spend the rest of their lives together. That the Thirteen weren’t after him—after all of them.
“Farren.” The sheets rustled, and Eli draped his arm over her waist and pulled her naked body against his. A second coupling at dawn had left her muscles loose and her need partially sated, but now... Shite. She wanted him again, but he wasn’t a wolf and probably needed some recovery time.
Then again, the firm pressure against her arse told her differently.
“Are ya’ always this...eager?” she asked. “Not that I’m complainin’.”
He stilled, and through the tentative connection they’d forged since he’d broken the binding spell, she felt an emotion she couldn’t pinpoint. Rolling over, she frowned at the color darkening his cheeks. “Are ya’embarrassed? Why?”
“I don’t have much basis for comparison.” Shifting onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling. “I never had much time for dating. Only made it to the ‘sex’ portion of the relationship a handful of times in my life. Four? Five, perhaps? And I don’t do one-night stands. Well, except for Percy. I think it was just as strange for him as it was for me.”
A man?
“Ya’ swing both ways, then?”
“Always cared more about the person than the parts.” With a shrug, he held her gaze. “I suppose I should have mentioned that sooner.”
“Why?” Pushing up on an elbow, she brushed a shock of black hair off his forehead. “It doesn’t matter to me who ya’ slept with before me, Eli. What matters, is what ya’ do now. Assumin’ we mate. Werewolves...we’re possessive to a fault. Ya’ must have noticed Cade and Liam bein’ overly protective of their mates.”
