Page 38

S he’s mine. She’s mine. She’s mine. Each pounding beat of my heart plays the words back to me. If only I can figure out a solution to this pesky immortality issue.

Vampires usually mate with other vampires, or find a new mate if they outlive a mortal one. But I don’t want anyone else.

I only want Maggie.

She’s it for me, and I doubt she’ll want to outlive her daughter, so I’ll have to make a sacrifice. I’m all too happy to give up my immortal life to spend just one lifetime with my girls.

There has to be a solution.

Rather than use my enhanced speed, I head in the direction of last night’s gala at a normal pace. I need the extra time to think .

Rounding the corner a few blocks later, the pink flying saucer logo of Cream Me Up beckons me like a mirage in the desert. Some mysterious force tugs my feet to the entrance. The little bells at the top of the door chime as I stumble through the doorway.

“Viktor!” Maria waves from behind the diner’s counter. Her iridescent wings flutter behind her back as I approach, a sunny smile lighting up her face.

Maria is a pixie and Phil’s wife. Speaking of the big, green fella, he shoulders through the double doors of the kitchen as I settle on one of the pink barstools. “Vik, my man! How’s it going?”

Phil’s arm wraps around Maria’s waist, and he smiles down at her. Cream Me Up has become a pinnacle of the New York monster community, with this loving couple at the center.

Pixies are known for their powerful magic, so if anyone can help me out of my predicament, it’s Maria. “What do you know about immortality and mate bonds?”

While I explain the situation to Maria and Phil, my fingers twitch and shake, so I pull my pocket watch from my slacks. Twirling the chain around one finger, I flip open the lid and click it shut again.

Maria’s luminous amethyst eyes flit to the watch in my fidgeting hands, and her lips flirt into a smile. “I have an idea.” She extends a delicate palm across the countertop, fingers beckoning me to place the watch in her grasp.

So I do.

“ T hank you again for watching Lily.” Maggie wraps her arms around Cyrus in a loose hug.

“Not a problem, Mags. She’s a good kid.” He yawns. “But man, she has a lot of energy.”

Giggling, Maggie pulls out of the hug, only to draw Antoinette into her arms.

Unsure of my place in this conversation, I hover near the front door and tuck my hands in my pockets. My fingers brush the cool metal of the newly enchanted pocket watch.

It’s been a constant weight on my mind since we left the city, but I want to wait until we’re alone—for the perfect moment—to broach the subject of mating.

Suddenly, Cyrus is beside me, his shoulder bumping mine. “So did you tell her?”

“Tell me what?” Maggie’s gaze ping-pongs between me and her brother-in-law, delicate eyebrows drawing together.

I clear my throat and wrap an arm around Maggie’s waist. When I pull her close, her warm body melts into my side.

Eyes on Cyrus, I say, “Not that it’s any of your business.

But… yes.” Then my attention is focused back on my mate.

“I told this amazing creature that I love her. I love her and Lily. And I’m officially staying. ”

The breath is stolen from my lungs when Maggie’s lips split into a blinding smile, showcasing the gap between her front teeth. Amazing. Perfect. Mesmerizing. Beautiful. I doubt I’ll ever run out of adjectives to describe her .

“So now we can stop tiptoeing around the ‘will they, won’t they’ sexual tension? I thought Antoinette and I were bad—” His words cut off on an oomph when a small elbow collides with his stomach.

“Be nice, Wilcox,” his mate chides. “It wasn’t too long ago that we were in their shoes.

I, for one, am happy you found each other.

” Her eyes flutter up to the brute of a human beside her.

Something akin to the emotions swirling through me reflect in her golden irises.

“Everyone deserves to find love. You taught me that, Cyrus.”

Cyrus raises a hand to cup the side of Antoinette’s face. “I know, princess. I was just teasing.” He looks back at me and Maggie. “Sorry if I was an ass yesterday before you left, Viktor. You seem like an alright guy, and if you make Maggie and Lily happy, then that’s all that matters.”

I guess I’ll take that. He extends a hand to me. As I grip it, he adds, “But I meant what I said about if you hurt her.”

“I’ll hold you to that, since I’d rather die than hurt either of my girls.”

After another round of quick goodbyes, the couple leaves for the drive back to the city.

“So what did he threaten you with if you hurt me?” Maggie locks the deadbolt and spins to face me.

Stepping closer, I crowd her until her back hits the door, head tipping back to meet my gaze. “Cyrus? Oh, just that he’d help Jean-Luc bury my body if I broke your heart.”

Her hands slide up my chest, playing with the buttons on my shirt. Giving in to temptation, I lean down, eliminating the distance between our mouths. In the next breath, I’m reminded why I love this strong, stubborn woman. “I’m pretty handy with a shovel, too.”

My chuckle puffs against her lips. “Duly noted, country girl. But I have no intention of breaking your heart. You’re stuck with me for good now.”

“Good.” Her fingers tighten in my shirt until her lips seal to mine once more.

That same fire ignites in my veins like every time we kiss. It’s addictive and all-consuming.

With need of their own, my hands find purchase on her wide hips, sliding up to her waist and reveling in the soft skin exposed at the waistband of her leggings. Before things turn too heated, Maggie cuts the kiss short. Too short for my liking.

With panting breaths, her flushed chest heaves. “We still need to tell Lily that we’re together. That you’re staying.”

Before I can object, she threads her fingers through mine and leads me down the hall. “Where is she anyway? It’s suspiciously quiet.” I turn to search the family room, only to find it empty.

“Maybe she slipped up the stairs when no one was looking?”

How can a five-year-old disappear so quickly?

A soft hum hits my ears, and I pull Maggie toward the kitchen. Near the fridge, a mop of dark-blonde hair catches my eyes. “Found her.”

“What are you doing, bug?”

Coming to stand behind her, my eyes drift to the permanent marker in her hand. Uh-oh.

“I’m adding Viktor.” Her little tongue pokes out of her mouth as her hand moves along the wall. Framed by a few scuff marks, a stick figure drawing of three people adorns the light-green paint.

Maggie kneels next to her daughter, placing a hand on her back. “Adding him to what?”

Smiling, she swings her pretty green eyes toward me. The same breathtaking color as her mother’s. “To the family.”

Maggie’s soft gasp fills the air, tears glistening in her eyes.

Squatting to Lily’s level, I cup her cheek. “You’re okay with me staying?”

She nods. “I heard you talking to Uncle Cy. You love me and Momma. And I love you. So you stay with us now.” The simple logic of a child, but she’s not wrong. I would do anything for her and her mother.

Taking the marker from Lily’s hand, Maggie puts the cap on and shoves it into her pocket. “Do you understand what that means, Lily? Viktor staying?”

Lily’s brow furrows. “That we’re a family?”

Maggie nods. “Yes, but it means Viktor and I are together.”

Something clicks in Lily’s head, and her eyebrows shoot up. “Oh! Like Brittany in my class! Leo is her boyfriend.”

I bite my tongue to stifle a laugh. I can only imagine what the concept of a boyfriend is for a kindergartener.

A laugh slips out of Maggie’s mouth before she clears her throat. “Sort of like that, but Viktor will live with us, and not in the guest house anymore. He’ll sleep in bed with me. He’ll be here when you wake up and when you go to sleep at night. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes! Viktor can do bedtime stories! ”

“I can definitely read all the bedtime stories you want from now on.” At my declaration, tiny arms hook around my neck, catching me off guard. I fall on my ass and Lily lands in my lap, no vampire grace in sight.

“I love you, Viktor.”

Opening my arm, I beckon Maggie into the hug, too. She wraps her arms around us, and the last puzzle piece clicks into place. This is my home now, with these two perfect creatures. Tightening my arms around them, I say, “I love you, too, little one. Both of you.”

“And Miss Lily, we will be having a conversation about where you found this permanent marker,” Maggie says.

Lily giggles. “I saw you hide them in the big drawer… in your office.” Her head pops up, eyes swinging between Maggie and me. “Am I in trouble?”