Page 42

EPILOGUE

Jay

J ay was filthy. Truly filthy.

And it felt wonderful .

Especially with the car window rolled down, the warm summer sun shining on his face, and Alexei’s delicious scent filling the vehicle. Wasn’t Jay just the luckiest?

He looked to his mate behind the wheel. Alexei had dirt on his nose and pine needles sticking out of his pretty hair. He looked as wonderful as Jay felt.

“I think camping is just the best,” Jay declared. “Super-duper fun.”

Alexei’s eyes briefly left the road as he gave Jay a warm smile. “So you’ve said, kitten.”

Oops. Jay had said that. Probably about a hundred times already.

But it was true. Camping was super-duper fun.

And it turned out camping as a vampire was maybe even extra fun: they’d been able to hike out super far, miles away from any other living soul; they hadn’t needed to bring real food, so Alexei had filled Jay’s pack up with tons of different candies instead; and the cold nights couldn’t bother them, so it hadn’t even mattered when Jay had accidentally snapped the tentpoles in his excitement—they’d just slept on their mats outside instead.

Alexei had even claimed it was actually better that way because they’d been able to fully see the stars.

And then they’d gotten to have sex. Outside. In the dirt .

Well, Alexei had suggested they put a blanket down (“let’s not get dirt packed in anywhere it’s not supposed to be”), but they’d still been surrounded by nature and sunlight, and Jay had gotten so into it he’d even taken charge for once, rolling Alexei onto his broad back and bouncing on his cock like some kind of… some kind of porn star or something.

Alexei had looked up at him like he was an angel, or maybe an incubus, surprisingly speechless considering his usual sultry words of encouragement and praise, and Jay had felt so full and beautiful and powerful.

He was determined to do it again. But also maybe to still do lots of loving time because he really couldn’t resist having Alexei’s full attention and talents focused 100 percent on Jay.

But! The point was…camping was awesome.

Jay reached a hand out the car window to feel the wind rushing by. “Do you think we could get the family to go camping with us sometime?”

Alexei seemed to think that over for a minute, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers. “Danny, definitely,” he said after a moment. “Which means Roman too. Soren you might have to bribe.”

Jay wiggled his fingers in the wind, thinking it over. “I could share my camping candy with him.”

Alexei made a skeptical sound. “I’m thinking more like letting him talk you into buying some diamond-encrusted designer blouse or something.”

What a weird thought. Jay looked down at his filthy, torn T-shirt. “To wear camping?”

Alexei’s laugh was deep and rich. “Sure, sweetheart. To wear camping.”

Jay really thought that sounded kind of silly and uncomfortable, but he hummed happily anyway, enamored with the idea of a family camping trip.

He wondered if Jamie and Luc had ever been camping together.

Could someone go camping in the desert? That would be so fun, with cacti all around them.

Although, then they’d need to be a little more careful rolling around during sexy times.

Although, then again, if they were on a family camping trip, maybe there wouldn’t be any sexy times anyway.

Unless…

Jay brought his hand back into the car, settling it on his lap and turning to face Alexei. “Have you ever been part of an orgy?”

Alexei’s strangled, “Excuse me?” was about an octave higher than usual.

Or maybe orgy wasn’t quite the right word. Jay didn’t want to actually have sex with anyone other than Alexei. Just maybe at the same time, in the same location, as someone other than Alexei? So that no one had to miss out on sexy times when camping?

What exactly did an orgy entail? He’d need to look it up later.

Alexei cleared his throat, and his eyes kept darting away from the road, which probably wasn’t very safe. “Jay…”

But Jay was distracted from clarifying by a blur running across said road. “Oh!” he yelled out. “Stop the car, please.”

Alexei stopped immediately, not even asking why Jay was making them pull over. They both hopped out, and Jay hustled over to where he’d last seen the fuzzy-looking blur run to: a row of bushes lining a gas station lot.

There was a kitten cowering against the shrubbery.

“Hello, kitten,” Jay said, bending over at the waist to wave at the little ball of fur. “What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

But the little bitty thing kept cowering under the bush, hissing when Jay tried to move closer.

Jay sighed, feeling more than a little dejected. “It’s scared of me,” he complained to Alexei, who’d crept up behind him. “Dogs I can usually win over with a biscuit or a walk. But I can never get cats to like me. And I like them so much!”

Alexei settled his warm hand on the back of Jay’s neck, squeezing encouragingly. “Cats aren’t like dogs, sweetheart. They’re a little warier. You need to let them come to you.”

And then he crouched, motioning for Jay to do the same. They waited there, just like that, for a long while, still and silent, and eventually—in tiny, slow movements—the little kitten inched closer.

“There you go,” Alexei murmured, scooping the kitten up in one broad hand. He lowered his head so he and the kitten were nose to nose. “Where did you come from, little thing?”

“From in here,” Jay answered from where he’d crawled forward, peering deeper into the bush. He tried to keep still and quiet, even though excitement had him wanting to wiggle around. “There’re two more here,” he whisper-shouted, crawling back out to rest on his knees. “What should we do?”

“Oh!” Jay startled as Alexei plopped the kitten into Jay’s hand.

“You stay here,” Alexei said. “I’ll ask for a box from the gas station.”

Jay stared at the fuzzy creature in his palms. It was black and white, like it was dressed in a little kitten tuxedo.

Jay couldn’t help but think Soren would approve.

The kitten stared back at him, yellow eyes wide and barely blinking.

“Hello, kitten,” Jay said for the second time, keeping his voice soft, gentle. “I’m Jay.”

The kitten started purring.

Jay hummed happily as Alexei’s strong fingers worked shampoo into his hair, kneading at Jay’s scalp in a way that had all his muscles loose and relaxed and melty.

“Why are you so good at that?” he asked in a mumble, leaning back more firmly against Alexei’s broad chest and stretching his legs out into the bath.

Jay already knew the answer. Alexei’s favorite answer anytime he asked something like that, about why they matched so well.

Alexei didn’t disappoint. “Because I was made for you, kotyonok.”

Jay was learning that Alexei took the concept of fated mates very seriously. He said that logically, the only conclusion that could be made from the whole thing was that Alexei was literally born to love Jay. That Jay was the reason for his existence.

Jay thought maybe it was all a little more nuanced than that, but he loved to hear it anyway. Because wasn’t that just the nicest thought?

He listened in the ensuing silence for any sounds of mewling, but their new houseguests must have still been sleeping.

They’d tried taking the kittens to the shelter, but they’d been told by the harried-looking volunteer that there was no room for them.

So they’d picked up extra blankets, wet food, and a heat lamp (the last one being Alexei’s suggestion).

The kittens had curled up in the box together immediately on arriving in the new home, the lamp making it look like they were all in a little kitten sauna.

“Lean your head back.”

Jay complied, and warm water poured over his head and down the back of his neck. He sighed with pleasure.

He loved that Alexei liked taking baths with him (although this time, he’d insisted they both rinse off the dirt in the shower before they got in the tub).

He loved that even though they’d just spent the past seventy-two hours solely in each other’s company, Alexei was in no hurry to leave his side.

That he craved the same closeness Jay did.

Damaged in the same way, Alexei liked to say, when he was feeling saucy.

But Jay didn’t think of it as damage anymore. Some of their shared traits may have stemmed from trauma, yes, but he liked to think of it as…a gift. That he and his mate were so well matched. Made to love each other. Maybe that was naive of him. But he didn’t care.

“What would you like to do after this?” Alexei asked, working conditioner into the ends of Jay’s hair.

Alexei always asked. Because he loved Jay. And even if his love was sometimes sharply obsessive, it was also kind. Thoughtful. Warm and accepting. Jay didn’t care what Alexei said to the contrary; Alexei would always be the nicest human in his mind.

And because Alexei did always ask, and never made Jay regret answering honestly, Jay said exactly what he was feeling right now. “I want to keep the kittens.”

Jay felt the vibration of Alexei’s soft chuckle against his back. “I thought as much.”

Jay tilted his head back to meet Alexei’s pretty eyes. “You don’t mind?”

“As long as you don’t mind no longer being the only kitten in town.” Alexei pressed a kiss to his nose. “Whatever makes you happy, kotyonok.”

“You make me happy,” Jay answered easily, turning his head back so Alexei could rinse out the conditioner. “But kittens would be nice too.”

Alexei smoothed Jay’s hair back with gentle fingers. “Then we’ll have kittens.”

“And I think I know how I want to give away the first of my money.” Jay had been having trouble deciding, these past months. There were so many ways it could be spent, so many worthy causes. How did one choose?

“You want to start your own pet shelter?” Alexei guessed, tugging at one of Jay’s earlobes.

Jay froze for a moment, startled. He’d meant giving the money to the other shelter, the one they’d stopped at.

Which he could still do, definitely. But he could do more, right?

He thought of the small, cramped building they’d seen, the too-small cages without any doors to the outside.

They could buy a plot of land, build a bigger building.

He hesitated. “I wouldn’t know how.”

Alexei wrapped his arms around Jay’s chest, and Jay leaned back into his warm comfort. “I would help you,” Alexei said. “I mean, I don’t know how either. But we could find someone who does. We could learn together.”

Jay wiggled out of Alexei’s hold and turned around, splashing water onto the bathroom floor as he did so, but that was okay because Alexei never minded a mess, never got angry at Jay for being careless or clumsy or overexcited.

So Jay launched himself at his mate in the water, wrapping his arms around his neck, kissing him with full enthusiasm.

“That sounds so nice! So, so nice. And we’ll hire smart, lovely humans.

So when it’s time to go, we have someone to hand it over to. ”

And then he kissed Alexei some more. Just because.

Eventually Jay turned around again and settled back into position, so Alexei could pour more warm water over his head. Not because there was any conditioner left in it. Just because it felt good.

“Do you think we’ll always be this happy?” Jay asked, once he was settled back against Alexei’s chest.

Alexei pressed a soft kiss to Jay’s temple. “I do.”

Jay smiled. “You don’t think that’s too optimistic of us? Or naive?”

“I’ve never in my life been accused of being either of those things, kotyonok. It’s just a fact. We will.”

Jay sighed happily. “Because you were made for me?”

“Exactly.”

“And I was made for you.”

“Made for each other,” Alexei agreed.

How perfect that was. How lucky. How nice.

The End.

Want a glimpse of what happens when Alexei finds one of Jay's naughty books? Find it here!

Want to know more about Alexei's brothers? Start with Sascha in Wreaking Havoc (Demon Bound, Book One)