“You’re happy,” I whispered.
“Happier than I’ve been in my life,” she confirmed.
She rested her head on my chest for a few seconds before asking, “Any regrets?”
“Can’t you feel my emotions through the bond?” I asked curiously.
She lifted her head to search my eyes. “I can. But I want to be sure.”
I knew that she still needed reassurance, so I grasped her face in my hands and stared into her eyes as I said, “I love you Cassie. Those feelings are even stronger now. I have no doubts and no regrets. You’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
She gave me a sweet smile. “I love you too. My vampire may have chosen you, but it was my human heart that connected with yours. Even if I wasn’t a vamp, I would have fallen for you immediately. And now that you’ve given me the gift of accepting our mating, I plan to spend the rest of my life loving you and doing everything I can to make you happy.”
“When this is all over, we have a lot to figure out,” I said. “But for right now, I need to sleep before I pass out.”
Cassie gathered me closer to her, pulling the blanket up over us, and I rested my head on her shoulder, throwing one leg over hers as I snuggled closer.
“Good night, mate.”
I could hear the smile in her voice as she responded, “Good night, mate.”
I fell asleep immediately, sleeping through the night, and when I woke up in the morning, I was disappointed to find that I was alone in bed. After taking a quick shower, I headed downstairs to find Cassie sitting at the kitchen table with my parents, two cups next to her.
“Where is everyone?” I asked, heading straight for the coffee pot.
“Alexei and Eleanor are still in bed, and the rest of the team is doing perimeter checks.”
“How did you girls sleep?” my mother asked as I sat down.
I felt my face turn red, even though I wasn’t a blusher.
“Just fine Mrs. Wozniak,” Cassie said politely, although I could sense her humor.
“April,” Mom reminded her, giving me a curious look.
“Good morning.”
Eleanor came in with Alexei, both of them looking sleepy. My friend stopped, her eyes bouncing between me and Cassie, an excited look on her face. “Did you two finally…?”
“Congratulations,” Alexei rumbled. “This is good news.”
“What’s good news?” Mom asked.
Dad looked up from his newspaper for the first time since I came downstairs. “What’s happening?”
Behind them, Eleanor widened her eyes at me dramatically. Meanwhile Alexei poured them both cups of coffee, seemingly oblivious to the silent conversation around him.
I took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, Cassie and I are officially mated.”
My father’s eyes flared as he fixed Cassie with an angry look. “That isn’t what I hired you for, young lady.”
I moved closer to her, protective instincts kicking in.
“Mated? What does that mean?” my mother asked.
“In the supernatural cultures, it’s similar to human marriage,” Cassie explained. “Your daughter is my fated mate, we were destined to be together.”
Dad still looked pissed.
