“Marilee!”
It was all she got out as I teased her from both sides with my fingers and tongue. Hazel was shaking above me, rocking back and forth, and when her arms gave out she collapsed on the bed. I moved up her body, covering her with mine, then pushed her head to the side. I felt my two animals fighting for control as they urged me to finally claim our mate.
Hazel cried out again as I sank my fangs into the juncture of her neck and shoulder, the bite triggering another orgasm. With her pinned beneath me, all she could do was accept the pleasure and ride the waves of her release. The little whimpering noises she was making were driving me crazy.
I could feel our souls join as the mate bond snapped into place, her emotions blending with mine. Then I licked her wound closed and shifted us until we were laying in each other’s arms.
“That was something,” she said sleepily, her hand coming up to the mate mark. “Hey, it’s not even bleeding. How is that possible?”
“It’s part of the magic,” I said.
“Well I’d like to give you a little magic of my own,” she said. “As soon as I can feel my legs again.”
I pressed a kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry, we have our whole lives ahead of us.”
Epilogue – Hazel
One year later…
“I can’t believe you’re leaving me.”
I rolled my eyes at Marilee’s dramatic pout. “You know this conference happens every year. And bonus, this year no one will be trying to kidnap me.”
“No one that you know of.”
“Well now you know how I feel when you have to go away for a job.”
It had been a year since Marilee and I were officially mated and while I wouldn’t say everything had gone perfectly, overall things were good.
We spent our first six months alternating between us being in Canada and in Seattle, the other person remote working when we were away from our main office. Then a position had opened up in the Canadian consulate office in Seattle, and I’d been approved to transfer, which made everything so much easier.
Marilee still worked at Sapphic Security, and we’d seen a couple more of her coworkers find their fated mate on the job, much to Lois’s annoyance. Her wolf side was more active now and as time passed she’d learned how to shift into her wolf form to give the animal some exercise while still maintaining peace with the vamp inside her. It all sounded super confusing, but she was figuring it out.
Last Christmas we’d gone to Montana to meet her parents, who welcomed me to their family with a warmth that had brought tears to my eyes. Marilee wasn’t lying – her mother was the best hugger in the world, and I unashamedly enjoyed as many hugs as I could that holiday. Cookies too.
Then there were my parents. They’d turned up again a few months ago. I had no idea how they knew that I was living with Marilee, but they arrived on our doorstep early one Sunday morning, demanding to go to brunch. Their criminal enterprises were back on the upswing. No one knew who killed Donny, but word on the street was that the Rossis were behind it. Hearing that, the Murphy family had welcomed a new alliance with my parents and united against their common enemy.
I still don’t know why my parents came for a visit, but I’d been shocked when they came and went without any incident – that I was aware of anyway. Marilee thought they were missing me, but I knew better. I’m fairly sure they were in Seattle to pull off a job and figured they’d stop by while they were here. Not that they’d admit that.
I was getting ready to attend the same conference I’d attended last year, but this one was in Berlin. Marilee was pretty salty that she couldn’t go, but between the cost of the trip and the amount of work that Sapphic Security was juggling, it just wasn’t feasible.
“I’ve been thinking…” Marilee started.
I stopped what I was doing to pay attention to her. She still struggled with expressing her needs, but she was getting better, so I figured I should listen when she shared something.
“How would you feel about adding to our family when you get back?”
“You mean like getting a kitten or something?” I asked. “The bears always seem to have kittens looking for homes.”
She shook her head. “No, not a kitten. A baby.”
I stared at her for a long time before I responded. “You want us to have a baby?”
“I do.”
“You think we’re ready for that?”
“I do.”
