Page 25 of In the Line of Fire
13
Soleil
Although Damien had promised me as much alone time as I wanted—which we had mostly spent eating, sleeping, and making each other come—my parents only lasted two weeks before they came to visit us. We had used the portal to return to my hometown the day after the battle against the dark practitioners so they could see for themselves that I’d escaped unscathed. When my dad had asked how we’d gotten there so quickly, Damien shared the secret of the portals with him.
My dad had been skeptical at first, so my mate took him into the woods to prove that the portals existed. Whatever happened during the hour they were gone, my dad came back a believer in the underground system that allowed us to travel thousands of miles in seconds. Damien earned my dad’s gruff acceptance, and nothing could have made me happier.
By the time we headed back home, the two most important men in my life were swapping stories like they’d been best buddies forever. And last week, when my dad demanded to know when we were going to have our claiming ceremony, it was Damien he’d called to ask instead of me. Which was how we ended up spending the second week of our seclusion planning today’s events.
An hour ago, I’d dragged Damien out to the porch, determined to enjoy the last of our solitude on the huge cushioned swing he put up for me. To say that I wasn’t too happy when an unfamiliar male voice interrupted our cuddle time was an understatement.
“I heard you were stirring up more trouble than usual.”
“Yeah, well you’re a day late and a dollar short. We already killed all the bad guys,” Damien grumbled, his arms tightening around me when I tried to change positions so I could see who he was talking to.
“Ah, but I’m not too late for your claiming ceremony with this gorgeous creature, now am I?” the unfamiliar male voice purred.
I felt the lethal intent seep into my mate’s large body. His muscles bunched as he got ready to set me to the side so he could launch himself at the stranger who was dumb enough to attempt to flirt with me right in front of him.
“For fuck’s sake, Dawson. I told you to leave your cousin alone until it was time for the claiming ceremony,” Dean grumbled.
The mystery of our male visitor was solved, and I didn’t fear for his life quite as much anymore now that I knew Damien’s dad was also here. But I still wanted to change positions. Poking my mate in the chest, I demanded, “Let me up.”
“Fine, but I’m going to kick my cousin’s ass for interrupting us,” Damien grumbled as he loosened his hold so I could scramble off his lap.
“Like you ever need an excuse to get into a fight with me,” Dawson retorted.
“At least you’re not trying to deny that I’m the one who always comes out the victor,” Damien shot back.
“Only because you’ve had more training than me. But if you really want to take me on right before your claiming ceremony, you may find that the outcome isn’t what you expect.” Dawson puffed out his chest. “Denica connected me with one of her trainers, and I picked up a fuck ton of skills from him over the past six months.”
I leveled a glare at both of them. “There will be no fighting today.”
Damien’s cousin took a step forward, stretching his arm out as though he was going to reach for me. Dean yanked on the back of his shirt, stopping him in his tracks as a deep growl rumbled up my mate’s chest. Slapping the back of his head, Dean asked, “Are you trying to get yourself killed? I thought your dad and I taught you better than to mess with a newly mated male.”
“Sorry.” Dawson shrugged and flashed us an unrepentant grin. “Old habits die hard when it comes to pushing Damien’s buttons, I guess.”
Dean shook his head and sighed. “It’s a damn good thing my son is so fucking patient, or else he would’ve smothered you in your cradle years ago.”
I barely stifled a giggle before turning to brush a kiss against Damien’s cheek. “I’m going to take a little walk and let you catch up with your cousin.”
Damien wrapped his fingers around my wrist. “I think he should be the one to leave so we can get back to enjoying the peace and quiet before everyone else arrives.”
“I’m so glad I came all this way for your big day,” Dawson drawled.
“Be good,” I whispered, giving my mate a kiss before tugging my hand from his grasp and darting around Dean and Dawson to head toward the trees. There was a loud crash behind me, but I decided it was better not to look. If I didn’t see the fight, then maybe I could pretend it didn’t happen.
It didn’t take long before I became distracted by my surroundings, finding several patches of moss that I could have studied for hours if my claiming ceremony wasn’t today.
“Where did my daughter get off to now?”
My dad’s loud voice carried into the woods, pulling me from my inspection of the moss growing on the north side of a mature oak tree. After glancing up at the sky and realizing how late it had gotten, I grimaced and climbed to my feet. Luckily, I hadn’t already changed into the dress I had bought for the ceremony because the legs of my pants were caked in mud. While Damien wouldn’t care what I was wearing, my mom would never forgive me if I showed up looking like a mess.
Tromping through the woods back toward the house, I spotted my parents sitting in the chairs next to the firepit on the front lawn. Damien was with them, but his dad and cousin must have left while I was gone. “I’m right here.”
My dad was the first to spot me, and he chuckled. My mom’s reaction wasn’t as pleasant. “This isn’t the time to play in the dirt, Soleil.”
“Sorry, Mom. I found some moss and lost track of time.” I apologized as I trudged toward them.
