My mate was broken, raw, as she said, seeing all of her friends die. It was only a few days later she told me how shocked she was that her biological parents were also in the dream. It made the dream that much harder. She had literally lost everything like the demon had wanted her to.
After messaging the inner circle, we made the decision to keep her parents, as well as the fae clan, away from my mate so she could heal. We provided apartments for the clan, but they declined. They were used to living in the outdoors, creating their own tents and cabins. Their magic had grown from so many years ago despite their hiding in colder temperatures.
Now they were in a slightly warmer climate. They said they would take to the forest that we had purchased and create their own areas to live and thrive with the rest of us.
Soon enough, Locke and Grim were going to have to purchase more land.
While I tended to my mate, Journey had spoken with the clan and the several couples who had bonding sickness. Three mixed-raced couples lived within the clan and had now been given the go-ahead by Journey and shown that they would not die, and that it was not an abomination to mix species.
The leader of the clan, known as Shhkuk, was reluctant, fearful that the fae species would shrivel and die, but Journey, somehow with her eloquent words, smoothed it over just enough to allow it. Explaining how she was once a human herself and was now a full-blooded wolf. Once Shhkuk gave his approval, all the bond sickness couples took off to the nearest wood and consummated their pairings and haven’t been seen since.
Except for Nadia’s parents.
They waited patiently until Hawke and Grim asked their interrogation questions to make sure the Iron Fang was safe, and Nadia was safe to meet them. Of course they passed after Switch did thorough background checks, finding nearly nothing on them in the dark web or in Duke Idris’ systems.
They had lived utterly off-grid, which they planned to do now in our forest.
And come to find out, they were hiding Nadia from Duke Idris all this time. The fae that gave her the blessing was Rosalina. She was powerful and pushed Nadia’s heritage so deep no one would be able to find it.
Duke Idris’ list of wrongdoings was growing by the minute. Capturing him would be sweet revenge.
I twirled my mate’s hair with my finger. Her purr resonated against my skin. She’d grown so much in the weeks I’d made her stay up here in the cabin. Now it was time to get back to reality, let her meet her parents, and pray that her mental wounds had healed enough that she trusted me, my grizzly, and her bear to be there to catch her if she had difficulty believing her parents were standing in front of her today.
I pushed the heavy curtain out the way of the window, seeing the vines of honeysuckle. “Why don’t we go on our walk before lunch since our bears have calmed down?”
My mate purred against me and wrapped her arm around my waist. “Shower real quick?” She bit her lip and rose from my chest. Her breasts were covered in my marks, beautiful red, purple, and pink from my teeth and lips. Her whole body was marred with scratches and bruises around her hips, and her mark damn near glowed. Yet her bear didn’t heal them.
“She loves it.” My grizzly puffed out his chest.“She likes being marked by our body. I bet she wouldn’t mind having a tattoo across her chest that held my face.”
I internally rolled my eyes so Nadia didn’t get the inclination to see inside my head. She hadn’t mastered searching deep within my mind as of yet, but she was close. She had concentrated more on her emotional healing, shifting, and, most of all, communicating.
I didn’t want to sit in her head at all hours of the day wondering if she was still hurting, and luckily, she had gotten far better.
“Shower then,” I said, and she rose her naked, glorious body from the bed. Even her backside was covered with my handprints.
I didn’t know she would like having her perky, now fully plump ass spanked so much. Her perky ass that has filled in nicely. Not that I was complaining. All the extra food she has been eating, her hips have widden that she will bear my cubs quite easily.
I slapped her ass before she got out of reach. She squealed and held her left cheek, sticking out her tongue.
Behave, I told myself. She’s supposed to meet her parents in just an hour.
Then she sashayed her hips, and I saw my come running down her leg.
To hell with it.
I snarled and bolted from the bed, running after her before I made her scream in the shower once more.
Nadia
Bear’s large, warm hands encircled mine, locking us together as we stepped onto the porch. His grip was firm but gentle, and I could feel the strength in his fingers while the light caress of his thumb brought a feeling of comfort and stability. His gaze was penetrating and protective, watching me for any signs of fear or anxiety, ready to take action should I need it.
The forest was now carpeted with green grass, with flecks of purple, blue and yellow wildflowers scattered throughout. The tree trunks were no longer dull and bare, but bursting with fresh, bright leaves that swayed in the gentle breeze. The sun shone through the branches, sending beams of warm light and shadows across the forest floor. The air was humid and invigorating, with a sweet scent of wildflowers mixed with the freshness of the morning dew.
It was a beautiful spring day, dare I say almost summer? I squeezed Bear’s hand again, making sure he was still real. I felt his lips touch my shoulder, and I blinked once more, taking in the world around me.
Honeysuckles climbed up tree trunks and bushes, their white and red petals intertwined and winding their way up to the sun. Thousands of them filled the forest, an explosion of color and life that seemed too overwhelming to be real. The petals caught the light of the sun, creating a magical effect that made it feel like anything was possible.
I thought back to nearly a week ago when I saw those honeysuckles in the tree. How the vines uncurled, and Nikita and I lapped at the sweet honey. Had they grown that much in just a week?
