Page 63

EMME

I woke surrounded by warmth and the scent of cherry, vanilla, and chocolate as our beasts slept symbolically beside us.

Finley held me tight, my back plastered down his front, his leg tangled between mine.

One big hand pressed against my stomach while the other sat just under my boobs.

I wouldn’t have expected this position to be so comfortable, but I was relaxed enough to fall asleep again.

Then I heard a familiar voice whisper from nearby: “This is what they mean when they say they witnessed a miracle, and were eternally changed from the experience.”

“You’re a moron,” Slade said flatly to Kellan.

There was a grunt, and Hunter added, “Tell us something we don’t already know, but our annoying pup has a point. This has been a long time coming.”

I heard feet shuffling closer. “Though I will say, there’s not enough of our pretty mate to go around,” Kellan said, more loudly.

“We need to sleep in shifts. I’m taking the first one right now.

” Our bond hummed as he moved closer, and I didn’t even have to open my eyes to know he was about to climb in on my other side.

“I will kill you,” Finley rumbled, pissed off and half-asleep. “Leave now and you might get to keep your fucking intestines inside your body.”

As usual, a threat just set Kellan off in laughter. “Ah, Grouchy Bear. There you are. I was almost going to change your group chat name to Care Bear again. Specifically, whatever one of those little plushies is the soft-hearted one.”

Amusement flickered through my tired brain, as I’d suggested the same thing recently.

I tried to force my eyes open, but I hadn’t had enough sleep lately and my eyelids refused to cooperate. Finley buried his face in the back of my neck, my hair no doubt everywhere since I hadn’t braided it back before bed.

“Ignore them,” he whispered, his breath tracing over my skin and sending shivers down my spine. I wore one of his shirts and a pair of way-too-big-for-me athletic shorts, and the bear shifter was pressed very closely to me.

He let out a low, deep groan as my scent intensified.

In fact, all the alphas did, and it was only when Kellan yelped that I pried my eyes open in time to see Hunter haul him off the bed and out of the room. “Give them a damn minute,” he yelled as he went, and Kellan shot back that this was deprivation of his sexual liberty .

Slade smiled, and I was not awake enough to deal with his devastatingly handsome face on top of everything else.

“Family barbeque starts at five,” he said.

"Since you've slept half the day away, you'll only have a few hours to get ready.

Attendance is mandatory. It'll be our last before we head to Europe. "

I managed to get my arm out from the blankets to salute him. “Appreciate you not waking me for training today, sir. We’ll see you outside soon.”

His big chest lifted as his dragon rumbled. “Don’t call me sir unless you want to experience the consequences.”

Before I could respond—and ask for details—he followed Kellan and Hunter from the room.

“Fucking brothers,” Finley grumbled again, draping himself farther over me. As I molded to his hard length, I couldn’t quite remember why we weren’t mated yet.

I’d honestly never felt readier, even knowing I was trusting in faith and gut instinct. There hadn’t really been enough time for Finley to prove this new attitude was here to stay, but I was okay with that. Gut instinct rarely let me down.

Accepting we’d bond soon had contentment flowing through me, and I wasn’t sure if Finley felt it, but he relaxed too.

“I slept so soundly,” he said, rocking me slightly in a comforting way.

“With you in my arms, and the therapy techniques I’ve been working through with the doc, I can feel the change in my essence and my beast. Our moods are less erratic, and I’m dealing better with disappointment and pain.

” The rocking slowed, and I turned in his arms, wanting to face him.

He didn’t let me create any distance between us as he shifted his face closer to mine, and I was momentarily distracted by how ridiculously good these alphas looked first thing in the morning. Between those whiskey eyes, outlandish lashes, messy hair, and his beard, Finley was devastating.

“You’re the biggest key to my healing,” he said, expression serious, and all my focus returned to his confession. “Without you, it would have taken months of therapy to even come close to where I am now.”

I was hit by a moment of panic that he’d already planned on stopping, and I found myself blurting, “Don’t forget what Dr. Karen said: there’s no cure for our trauma from the past, but there is moving past it with time and hard work.

” I regretted my statement the second it was out, knowing I’d overstepped.

I was relieved when Finley nodded and shuffled even closer.

“I will never consider myself cured, because I don’t have a disease.

Or at least, not one with a cure. My brain is forever altered by my life experiences, which is what makes me the bear I am today.

But the weight of the trauma is lifting.

I can see the light through the mists of my past, and I’m ready to walk in the sunlight. If that makes sense…”

“It makes perfect sense,” I replied, my unease already calmed by his reassurance. “When life got hard for me, it felt like I was drowning in shades of gray. An entire world of gray and endless rain and sorrow. But now there’s so much warmth and color… it’s quite overwhelming.”

He nodded, and anything more I was going to say died as his hands slid down my back, stopping at the curve of my butt.

“Did I get you flowers on my way home from the bar?” he asked suddenly, tilting his head as if the night was just coming back to him.

“It was on my list of presents to make up for being such a dick to you.”

Amusement had my lips twitching. “Yeah, in a manner of speaking…”

He squinted, as if he wasn’t sure what I meant. “In a manner of speaking?”

His hands tightened possessively, and my wolf howled as need roiled inside me. Finley leaned in closer. “What are you thinking about, darlin’?” he murmured, and I groaned.

“I love when you call me that,” I told him, my brain too frazzled to be anything other than honest.

His responding grin was wicked, showcasing those perfect indents of dimples, and I was totally fucked . “That’s good to know. And…” His lips almost brushed mine. “…I remember everything from last night. I really just wanted to see your reaction to my gift again . I like making you laugh.”

His lips crashed against mine right when a shout rang out from downstairs. “There’s a fucking tree in my sink.”

A laugh bubbled from me, and Finley held my stare for about five seconds before he snorted into rumbles of laughter too, shaking the bed, me, and my freaking nerves.

More shouts echoed from below, and all I could see was the image of him stuck in the doorway last night, covered in mud, while petals rained on us.

“They better not throw my flowers away,” I choked out between heaving breaths as I tried desperately not to pee myself.

Finley couldn’t even speak he was laughing so hard, and when he eventually calmed, he rubbed a hand over his face. “They wouldn’t dare, but if they did, I’d kill them and then head my ass back over to Old Jim’s nursery and dig another one out.”

Oh crap . Somehow, I knew Old Jim was not going to be happy with Finley when he found out what he’d stolen from him.

“Well, thank you for my flowers,” I said, sobering. “I’ve never been given flowers before, and that was certainly a spectacular start. And thank you for fighting your demons to be in my life.”

His chest rumbled as a heavy hand landed on his door. “Hey, Fin, you better get downstairs before Florence and Gerry send your tree through a chipper,” Kellan called, sounding amused. “I can get our omega ready. No worries.”

Finley’s sigh gusted his sweet scent over my face. “Golden missed you so much when we were gone. I suppose I can share with him since I got to sleep with you for like seven glorious hours.”

They really were glorious, and genuinely restful. For a shifter I’d initially thought was all rage and attitude, Finley had a surprisingly calm and tranquil aura.

“Let’s do it again soon,” I told him, finding myself taking the initiative to lean in for one more lingering kiss. Kellan, having exhausted his limited reserves of patience, burst into the room and bounded across to us.

He launched himself over the bed, most of his weight landing on Finley. “Brother,” the bear said, slapping his hand on Kellan’s shoulder. “Perfect timing.”

Kellan pulled away and squinted suspiciously at Finley. “Okay, I’m with Shortcake here. I think we should do a DNA test on you. I’m worried that the witches dropped a doppelganger in our midst.”

Finley scoffed as he shoved Kellan half off the bed, crawling out after him and standing all lumbersnacky in a pair of shorts.

“This is just me with a full night’s sleep.

You can thank Emme for my amazing mood. The fact that I’d usually be kicking your ass and I’m not, speaks of my growth as a shifter.

” He sent a wink my way. “See you soon, darlin’. ”

Kellan remained gobsmacked as he watched Finley wander into the bathroom, and when he turned back to me, his eyes were wide and very blue. “I never thought I’d see the day. You’re a miracle worker.”

Shaking my head, I held my arms out for him to crawl into the spot Finley had just vacated. “Nope, this is a credit to Fin’s hard work and the magic of a true mate bond. Not even a grouchy bear can fight against that forever.”

Kellan’s hands slid up under my shirt to tangle in the back of my hair as he pulled me closer.

I lifted my leg to wrap over the top of his hip.

“How are you feeling about this progress with Fin?” he asked me.

“Are you having any worries or issues with the pace that it’s moving at?

If you’re not ready to bond, you don’t need to rush.

Our bear is not going anywhere. You’re literally all he talked about while we were gone. ”

And there they went, reminding me how lucky I was to have this pack.

“I’ve forgiven him,” I said, knowing I truly meant it.

“My connection to him has always been there. Even when I was denying my feelings, I couldn’t shove him completely from my mind.

I love him, Kel, and I think we can make this work.

When the goddess finds the right time for us to bond, I’m ready to take that step. ”

His whole face softened as he dropped his forehead to mine.

“Aw, pretty mate. I’m so happy to hear that.

Fair warning, though, Finley is going to love you until you’re consumed.

It can be overwhelming to be part of his life, but if it ever gets to be too much, just let him know.

His comprehension of boundaries is skewed from his fucked upbringing, but he responds well to honesty. ”

His words reminded me of how Finley had held me last night, as if he wanted to imprint on my very soul. Which really wasn’t a problem for me.

After my own fucked upbringing, I craved that sort of thorough and unconditional love. A love I never had to question.

In that way, Finley Thornton and I had a lot in common.