Page 71 of Dark Dragon’s Wolf

Finally they managed to get an inch between their lips. Tristan smiled, resting his forehead against hers. She was warm and soft in his arms, but he knew that softness was underlaid by amazing strength and courage.

“You’re here,” he said simply. “You’re okay.”

Mayah looked up at him, her heart in her eyes. She loved him. Loved him. And now he could love her back, with no reservations. The headache was gone, and so were the nosebleeds. The power of their bond had healed him.

The sense of possibility in front of him was so new, so unbelievable, he didn’t even know what to do with it.

“Of course I’m okay,” she said. “You saved me.”

His smile got wider. “Yeah. I guess I did.”

“I knew you would.” She kissed him again. “I knew it all along.”

He stroked a strand of hair back behind her ear, gazing down at her. “You always had faith in me. Even when I didn’t deserve it.”

“You always deserved it. No one has ever tried harder to protect the people he cares about than you.” She cupped her hand around his face.

“You saved your parents, too. And the other white wolves.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, a huge grin spreading across her face. “We did it, Elf Lord. We got them out.”

We did it. Tristan picked her up and swung her around again, both of them whooping and hollering like idiots. They really had done it.

The cabin and the ground in front were full of little groups of shifters, drinking soup and coffee and starting to laugh and chatter among themselves. Globes of light danced through the air.

Mayah thumped his shoulder. “Put me down now. I want to meet your parents. Because holy shit, your parents!”

It was almost too much. Tristan could hardly wrap his head around it. After years of thinking they were all dead, he had his whole family back. First Terin, a couple years ago, and now this.

And he had Mayah. His mate. From feeling like the unluckiest wolf ever born, he’d suddenly gone to feeling like the luckiest.

He took Mayah’s hand and they went into the cabin. Trish had splinted up his dad’s leg and cleaned up his cuts. He was sitting in a chair, a cup of soup in one hand, his other hand tightly holding his mom’s.

When she saw Tristan, his mom’s eyes filled with tears. His dad swallowed hard.

Tristan put his hand on his mom’s shoulder. It was so thin, and her face was gaunt. “Hey,” was all he could manage to say.

She shook her head. “It’s really you,” she whispered. “I can’t believe it.”

“Me either.” He cleared his throat and pulled Mayah forward. “I want you to meet my mate, Mayah Lael of the House of Al-Maddeiri. She’s the dragon who pulled you out.”

“Oh, my.” Tristan’s mom put down her coffee and reached for Mayah. “You’re her. You’re the one.”

Mayah grinned at her. “Nope.” She pointed at Tristan. “He’s the one. He pulled all your powers together and blew the fuck out of that chamber of horrors.”

Tristan elbowed her in the ribs. She turned and mock-glared at him. “And yes, I just said ‘fuck’ in front of your parents. I’m a princess. I can do that shit and get away with it.”

Tristan just shook his head, but his dad busted out laughing. “I like her.”

Tristan pulled up chairs for himself and Mayah. “I can’t believe you’re still alive,” he said quietly to his mom, while Mayah said something else that made his dad laugh. “I thought Beckenham and his team killed you.” He swallowed hard, fighting back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. “I would have tried to come for you sooner.”

He didn’t know how. But he could have found a way.

“You came for us now,” she said. Then she glanced at his father and dropped her voice. “What about—do you know what happened to Terin? Did she make it out?”

Hope and fear warred in her face. Tristan nodded.

“She mated into a pack in Idaho. I’ve spent the last couple of years there. She and her mate have a daughter.” His mom brought her hand to her mouth, tears flooding her eyes.

“Sadly,” Tristan went on, “the kid takes after me, not Terin. She’s a hellraiser.”