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Chapter 18

Mia

Igrabbed my jacket and took one final glance around the living room. I’d packed most of Joan’s things into three separate boxes: donate, trash, and keep. That last box came with me in the car because I’d never return. It contained keepsakes like photo albums I’d found under the stairs, some of Joan’s jewelry, other odds and ends, plus the wolf sketch. I also kept Joan’s grimoire because one day, I dunno, maybe I’d want to explore my heritage. Maybe I’d try to be more like Joan. If I could fit the whole house in my apartment back in the city, I’d probably take it all.

I guess I tried to hold onto the past, to the small connection that gave me a family. Holding onto a life I’d never have.

More than a thousand times, I’d questioned if I’d made the right decision. I originally came here to sell Joan’s estate and start over, but so much had happened since. I’d reconnected with my wolf, met and fell in love with a shifter, and became a hunter. I didn’t know which part shocked me the most. The fact that I’d given my heart away when I never thought I would, or that I belonged to an ancient magical world.

And amongst all that, I’d freaking married a guy by having sex.

Deep inside, I suspected we were kindred spirits or lovers in a past life, from the beginning. Was it so farfetched to believe that by having sex, we sealed the bond between us?No. And that bothered me the most. The fact I believed it when Noah said our night together sealed our bond. I couldn’t deny it. I felt it.

Then along came the whole ancient curse thing.

Gah!

The house was clean, tidy, and presentable. I’d decluttered the rooms as best I could, donating some furniture to the local charity. At one stage, I considered burning down the shed of horrors, but chickened out. I didn’t want to trigger any more curses.

Would the house sell for a reasonable price? I had no idea. All that mattered was the agent suspected it’d sell quickly.

I just wasn’t sure how I felt about it anymore. That pang inside my chest wouldn’t go away.

No more doubting.

With a heavy heart, I composed myself before walking out of the house for the final time, closing the door behind me.

I drew up short.

Noah sat lengthways along the top step with his legs crossed at the ankles.

He stood and I backed against the front door.

In a heartbeat, he closed the distance between us and took my mouth with his. The kiss punched me right in my heart, breathing life back into it. Full of not just longing and desire, but hope, love, and something I’d begun to associate with our mate bond. As his tongue teased mine, my heart burst into a million petals floating up to the clouds.

I wish he’d stayed away. Saying goodbye only made it harder to leave.

He drew back, leaving me gasping for breath, cradling my face between his strong hands.

I stared into those mesmerizing ice-blue eyes. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m coming with you,” he whispered, a smile hinting on his cheeks.

My heart skipped, but I shut it down.

I closed my eyes briefly. “What if I don’t want you to?”

“Too bad.” His thumbs stroked along my cheeks, stirring all those sensations in my belly. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to sit here and wait another fifteen years for you to come home. We’re in this together.”

I wasn’t so easily convinced. “I…we, have a lot to sort out. Including the fact I might wake up one day and want to kill you. What then?”

“For as long as we knew Joan, she never stopped trying to break the curse. Ash and I think by us mating, we finally did. Think about it. When the hunter stabbed Ash and he was on the ground, you didn’t drink his blood or try to kill him. You tried to save him.” He smoothed the back of his hand along my cheek. “Do you have the urge to kill me now? A hunger for something you can’t identify?”

“No.” Deep inside, all I had was a yearning to be with Noah.

“I don’t think you ever will. And if you do, we’ll work it out.” He smiled as though he’d solved all our problems in one move. “Now, do you still want to leave?”

I don’t know. I knew fear drove my decision to leave, but I felt like it was the only option, at least until I figured all this out. I couldn’t see any other path. “Yes.”