Page 39

Celine left the cafeteria with the rest of her shifter friends alongside her grandfather. The mood was somber, yet satisfied. Justice had been served, and they had won the day, but the underlying loss was still there. Nobody could forget that.

Also, the threat of more fighting to come was ever present.

They’d won this battle, but there were still enemies out there that would be coming for them—if they didn’t find the enemy first. Already, people were working on doing just that, she knew.

Shifters, as well as the Army guys with their special powers.

“Will you be all right if I go with them?” Celine’s grandfather asked her quietly as they watched the rest of their seal relatives and friends walk away toward their barracks.

Celine suspected her grandfather wanted to thank them all.

She’d done her best to do so but hadn’t really been able to speak without choking up just yet, so she’d do that later, when she was a bit more emotionally stable.

Still, the Santini family owed their fellow selkies a debt of thanks for sticking with them through this past year and being there to help at every turn.

It was right and proper that her grandfather talk with them and thank them.

“I’ll be okay. Go. Tell them how grateful I am for their help and support. I can’t do it just yet, but I will, when I can talk about it without embarrassing them all with my tears.” She huffed a soft laugh at herself.

Gramps chucked her under her chin, then leaned in to kiss her hair. “I’ll be around later if you need to talk.”

“I’m just going to walk for a bit, then maybe thank some of those who helped out today, if I can.”

“Including Zeke?” Her grandfather’s gaze was both challenging and teasing.

“Maybe especially Zeke?” she replied, feeling her grandfather out to see what he might think about her getting more deeply involved with the human male.

“He’s a good man,” Gramps replied, his tone going a bit more serious.

She almost breathed a sigh of relief. With those simple words, her grandfather had indicated his approval. She reached out and hugged her grandfather, acknowledging silently the big concession he had just made.

When she’d been younger, it felt like none of the young men she’d dated had ever met with her grandfather’s approval.

She had begun to think that nobody ever would, but she was glad to be proven wrong.

Especially because Zeke felt special to both her human side and her wild side. He felt like forever.

She let her grandfather go and stepped back.

He walked off to join his comrades while she turned toward the shoreline.

She wanted to take that walk and clear her head.

She wanted to commune with nature and maybe think about her parents for a little bit, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened.

It was still sinking in. Justice had been served, and after so long a time waiting for this day, it almost felt unreal.

She began walking along the shore, acknowledging the patrols as they passed her on their circuit around the island, but not really speaking to anyone.

She had a lot of thinking to do, and emotions to assimilate.

It had been a tumultuous day, but in a good way.

At least now, she should be able to get on with her life and put the vendetta behind her.

Her beautiful parents were avenged, and her whole life spread out before her.

What she saw when she looked ahead was a life that had other kinds of beauty in it. Other kinds of love. Other forms of family. A mate. Perhaps children of her own. When she thought about that kind of blessing, she couldn’t help but fixate on Zeke.

She wanted Zeke to be the father of her babies. She wanted him to be her forever love. Her mate. Her everything. She just wasn’t sure how it would work with him being human.

She knew that shifters regularly mated with humans, but it wasn’t something she had personal familiarity with.

The mated pairs she knew were all shifters.

But she had heard true mates could be found among humans.

She just wasn’t sure how it all worked. Her heart was fully engaged, but how could she know that he was as deeply committed to her as she was to him? She’d have to take him at his word.

That thought wasn’t really as scary as it had been before, when she’d been thinking about this topic in the abstract.

When it came to Zeke, she believed in his integrity, his loyalty, and his honesty.

If he said he felt deeply for her, then she would believe it.

She believed in him . In fact, she loved him.

Thinking that thought all the way through for the first time ever, nearly bowled her over.

There had been so much going on since the moment they’d met that she hadn’t really dared let herself analyze the situation fully.

Now she was free to do that, and everything had changed in the best possible way.

She couldn’t wait to see him, but by the same token, she was nervous about it.

Did he feel the same? She thought he probably did, but she needed to know for certain before she could think about the rest of her life—their lives—shared together.

But oh, what a beautiful thought.

Zeke found Celine where he suspected she’d be, walking by the water’s edge behind his barracks building. She stood barefoot in the surf, letting the waves tickle her feet, washing away the tension of the day.

For a moment, he just watched her—this fierce, beautiful woman who had faced down her demons and won. When she sensed him, she turned, a smile curving her lips.

“I can’t believe it’s really over,” she whispered, her soft voice carrying on the wind.

Zeke couldn’t help himself. He walked straight toward her, and she met him halfway, moving right into his arms. He finally felt complete. He finally had the contact he’d needed since seeing her in danger and handling herself with such aplomb.

She’d impressed the hell out of him, and her actions had made him fall even deeper in love with her than he’d been before. Now, all he had to do was find the courage to tell her and ask if she felt the same.

“Were you thinking about diving in and swimming away?” he asked, smiling down at her.

She laughed—a sound that warmed him more than the sun ever could. “Tempting.”

He reached out, his fingers trailing down her arm until he clasped her hand. “Stay.”

Her smile faltered, emotion welling in her eyes. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”

“I really like the sound of that,” he replied, rubbing his hands over her shoulders and back. She was such a beautiful woman, both inside and out, she almost took his breath away.

Celine leaned into his touch, her hands sliding up his chest as if drawn there by instinct. He felt her fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt, not tugging—just holding on.

“I meant it,” she said softly, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you ask me to.”

Zeke’s heart kicked harder. “That’s never going to happen.”

A breeze stirred her hair, tossing a few damp strands across her cheek. He reached up and brushed them back, his fingers lingering at her temple. She turned her face slightly into his palm, her eyes half-lidded, lips parting just enough to make his breath catch.

He leaned in, slow and deliberate, giving her every chance to back away.

She didn’t.

Their lips met gently at first, a whisper of a kiss that made the world fall quiet. Then she pressed closer, and the contact deepened—soft and unhurried but full of promise. Zeke slid one hand into her hair, the other resting at her waist as he pulled her flush against him.

Celine melted into the embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck, and the kiss turned into something that stole the breath from his lungs. She kissed like she did most things—with passion and purpose and nothing held back

When they finally came up for air, her lips were slightly swollen, her eyes luminous in the moonlight.

“I’ve wanted to do that for hours,” he admitted, brushing his nose against hers.

She smiled, a little breathless. “Me too. Ever since… Well, I’ve been thinking about you. A lot. I just wasn’t sure if now was…okay.”

“It’s more than okay.” He pulled her into a tighter hug, resting his chin lightly on her head. “It feels like the first thing that’s really made sense since everything went down.”

She sighed against his chest, the sound content and deeply felt. “You make me feel safe.”

He tilted her chin up gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. “You are safe, Celine. With me. You’re not alone anymore.”

Her eyes shone—not with tears, but with the kind of clarity that came when fear gave way to hope. “Good,” she whispered. “Because I think I’ve already fallen for you, and it would really suck if that was one-sided.”

Zeke froze for just a second, then his smile bloomed—slow, full, and radiant. “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.”

She laughed softly, and he kissed her again—deeper this time, pouring everything he felt into the connection. A gentle breeze wrapped around them, the ocean lapping at the nearby shore, warm and rhythmic. Above them, the stars wheeled slowly across the sky, watching over them.

Zeke knew this moment would live in his memory forever. Not because of the kiss, or the moonlight, or the stillness of the beach, but because it was the first time he truly believed they might have a future. Together. He bent to kiss her again.

Celine’s lips were soft under his, pliant and welcoming, but there was steel beneath the sweetness. There was a passion he’d felt before, only with her, that bloomed between them like a spark conflagrating into a wildfire.

She rose on her toes, pressing against him with full-body certainty, and Zeke groaned into her mouth, his hands sliding down the curve of her back to steady her against him.

Every part of his awareness had narrowed to her.

The taste of her. The heat of her. The feel of her body aligning with his like a puzzle piece he hadn’t realized was missing until now.

She broke the kiss only long enough to breathe. Her eyes were dark, pupils wide, cheeks flushed. “We should…probably not do this here.”

Zeke brushed his lips along her jaw, trailing heat down to the sensitive spot just below her ear. “No one’s around. Everyone’s either asleep or celebrating, and the patrol just passed when I joined you. They won’t circuit back around for at least a half hour. Maybe more.”

Her hands slipped beneath the hem of his shirt, splaying across his bare skin. “You’re not playing fair.”

“I’m not trying to play fair,” he murmured, nipping lightly at her earlobe, and she shivered in his arms.

When she tugged at his shirt in earnest, he let her pull it over his head. The night air kissed his skin, but the contrast of her touch burned hotter. She pressed her hands to his chest, nails grazing just enough to leave him breathless.

“There’s a blanket back there,” she said, glancing toward the grassy bank above the sand.

He’d grabbed one from the barracks when he’d come down to the beach and dropped it up on the dune. Maybe he hadn’t known this would happen, but some part of him had hoped. Needed.

They went over to where he’d dropped the blanket, and he picked it up, unfolding it.

He then spread it on a flat patch of sand hidden somewhat by the tall dune grass.

Celine sank down onto it with him, straddling his lap without hesitation.

Moonlight painted her skin in silver and shadow, the sheer beauty of her stealing what little breath he had left.

She bent to kiss him again, slower this time.

It was a decadent kiss that made him feel all sorts of sensations he’d only ever felt with her.

Celine’s hands moved over him like a sculptor learning every line of his form, and he let her, content to be the object of her discovery.

When she pulled back enough to look at him, her expression turned serious.

“I’m not made for casual,” she whispered. “Not with you.”

His heart kicked hard. “Neither am I.”

She nodded, as if she’d needed to hear it. Then she reached for the hem of her top and pulled it off in one smooth motion.

And Zeke forgot how to breathe.

He touched her with reverence, letting his hands roam her back, her hips, the curve of her thighs as she settled against him. Every movement was a promise, every kiss a vow. There was no hurry. Just heat, slow and pulsing, building between them like the tide rising against the shore.

He stroked her thighs with his hands, letting her undress them both. Allowing her to control these moments between them. Giving her whatever she needed of this night. A night after a day of so much tumult, trauma and resolution to long-held issues.

She touched him everywhere, grasping his length and stroking his dick in a way that made him gasp. She was relentless. Wild. Needy.

And he was there to give her whatever she wanted. Always.

He stroked her tits, playing with her nipples before sucking them into his mouth, alternating until she moaned softly and ran her fingers into his hair, holding him to her. Then, she positioned herself over him and sank down onto his hardness with an abrupt motion that made him catch his breath.

Yes. That’s exactly where he wanted to be. Inside her. One, with his love.

Being together, like this, was as natural as breathing.

As necessary. They moved as one, the rhythm of the nearby ocean matching the push and pull of their bodies.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, her breath hot against his shoulder as they crested and fell, over and over, until there was nothing left but stars above and salt-kissed skin pressed tightly together in the dark.

She felt so good around him, and when she clenched in climax, he could do no other than follow her over the precipice. Falling together into bliss.

Afterward, she lay curled against him, her head on his chest, her fingers tracing slow, lazy patterns over his ribs.

“I love the way you touch me,” she murmured.

He smiled into her hair. “I love you .”

She stiffened for a half-second, then melted, pressing a kiss to his chest.

“I was afraid to say it first,” she admitted. “But I’ve been feeling it for a while now.”

Zeke closed his eyes, his arms tightening around her.

“Good,” he whispered. “Because I’m not letting you go.”

The wind picked up a bit, turning colder as the night drew on, but neither of them moved. Not yet. Not when the inky sky watched over them with its infinite twinkling stars, and their hearts were finally, and completely, full.