Chapter 33
S hannon
Leaning forward, I rubbed steam from the mirror. We’d arrived in Hope two weeks ago, and although our mating frenzy had been weeks long in Faery, I still felt a burning need for my mate’s touch. My centre throbbed, the satisfying ache from our early morning tumble making me smile. My fingers ghosted over the mark on my neck. It was higher than a pure wolf bite, but I loved where he’d struck. It was a Fae mark, yet the size of the puncture scars told everyone this wasn’t purely a Fae’s bite. It was unique, just like Stone, a person of two races who was as powerful and deadly as he was loyal and kind. I smirked. At least loyal and kind to me. Not so much to the Made vampires he hunted.
I scowled. That was where he’d gone before the sun was even in the sky, to Scotland. Connor had wanted him there for a meeting with Count Rossi. I supposed I should be grateful that Connor hadn’t insisted we return home permanently. Still, he was the one who had sent me and Stone away together to metaphorically bang our heads together. So now that we were literally banging, he couldn’t really complain. Besides, he knew I needed to sort things out with Ava before I returned. I hadn’t told him yet that I didn’t want my old job back, though I still had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. Killing and fighting weren’t it, though. Not unless I had to.
Steam followed me out of the bathroom, dispersing into the air as I dropped my towel. I grinned as I spotted the lacy blue undies placed on top of the clothes I’d neatly folded and left on a chair last night. Smiling, I unfolded the note Stone had left wrapped in the skimpy thong.
Morning Butterfly, Wear these. I want to pull them to one side and eat your pussy tonight before I tear them off with my teeth. I want them covered in your juices and smelling of you. Don’t disobey. You won’t like your punishment…
Great, that ache between my legs just got worse. Grinning like an idiot, I slipped on the lacy undies and dressed in my soft jeans, a t-shirt with the words ‘ Not everyone likes me, but not everyone matters’ plastered across the front. Too right, nor did I give a fuck what anyone thought. Except I did. I cared more than I wanted to admit. I always had. That’s why I’d never been able to tell my sister about what our father had done. And why I still felt so guilty and ashamed of my behaviour when life had become too much to handle.
I scrubbed my face with my hands before sitting at the dressing table. I’d admitted to myself long ago that I was an addict, but I was determined to stay sober from now on. I knew it wouldn't always be easy, even as a shifter, but with the guidance of our pack therapist, I had put together a support network. Becca had helped me understand that I needed help that Stone couldn’t always offer, nor should I rely solely on him. It was unfair to both of us, so I’d already been in touch with a group in Scotland and had been talking with a sponsor for when I went home with Stone very soon.
Swallowing hard, I contemplated my looks in the mirror. I’d stopped bothering with makeup a long time ago, but now that I was back and socialising with others, I wanted to look my best, and a little makeup had always helped boost my confidence. It had been a mask for me in the past, especially as a teenager. Now, instead of covering bruises and bite marks, it was to help me feel my best while I mended bridges with my pack. And there were lots to mend. Even if I wasn’t returning to the role of SBI agent, my family and pack mattered far more than I’d ever allowed myself to acknowledge.
Staring back at me from the mirror was a woman I’d never seen before. My brown eyes looked clear and bright, and my hair was back to a healthy thickness now that I’d stopped drinking and was eating properly. My skin was glowing with health, and I’d put enough weight back on to have some curves. I looked…happy. I sent a pulse of love down the bond to Stone and felt his amusement but also a returned warmth.
Seconds later, my phone pinged.
Stoney-boy: U okay, Butterfly?
I grinned as my fingers flew over the screen. No. My pussy’s sore.
Stoney-boy: Good. Then u won’t forget about me while I’m not there.
Me: U’d better keep your promise to kiss it better…
Stoney-boy: Did u wear my panties?
Me: Yours?
Stoney-boy: Yep, they're touching your pussy which makes them mine. I want them back.
Me: Come his presence, his scent, those hands… I exhaled slowly. I was a starving woman! My forehead angled forward until I was resting against the solid plane of his pecs. Keeping my forehead there, I twisted to look at my sister. “How long has he been listening to my crazy rant?”
She smiled gently, cradling Faith against her shoulder. “Since you decided on a grand gesture to let him know how you felt.” She moved closer and kissed my cheek before straightening up and going on her tiptoes. I heard her kiss Stone’s cheek. “It’s good to see you. She’s missed you. Right. Come on, everyone. Out.”
Rawson coughed. “Right, yeah, ‘course.” Not even the Alpha of the Canadian pack would defy his mate’s firm demand, though I wanted to disappear into the floor when he barked. “Listen to my mate. Everyone out. Let’s leave Shan to her grand gesture.”
I cringed and groaned.
Stone’s quiet chuckle sent shivers through me. My body remained frozen, my forehead resting on Stone’s chest while there was a flurry of activity around us, followed by the quiet click of the door. Silence settled. I didn’t want to move, not when his very presence filled me with happiness.
“So, a grand gesture, hm?”
My face flushed, but I grinned even if it was down at the ground.
“Look at me, Butterfly.”
It was impossible to deny that commanding voice.
He cupped my cheeks. “I don’t need grand gestures. The biggest gesture you could ever do for me was accept my mark.” His fingers grazed over my scars. “And you already did that. But…” He dropped one knee.
My mouth gaped. I was about to ask what he was doing when I saw the beautiful ring clasped between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, and my words were swallowed in a gulp.
“Shannon, my mate, my fierce Butterfly, I didn’t think I was capable of loving someone as much as I love and adore you. You are strong, brave and kind, and even though you try to hide it, I see how much you love your family, both blood-born and found. This ring was my mother’s, and her mother’s before her, right back into the earliest times of the Fae before even King Ventris was ruler. Will you wear it and show everyone in both our worlds that I am devoted to you and that I will remain so for eternity? And so you know that my soul belongs to you forever.”
Oh. My. God. I didn’t know much about Fae matings, but that sounded like a forever declaration if ever I’d heard one. My vision blurred. “Who knew you could spout such pretty words, Stoney-boy,” I managed to choke out between my tears. I dropped to my knees with him and curled my fingers around his wrist, holding it tightly as I leaned in and brushed my lips over his. “I don’t know why you love me, but I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life that you do. My heart has never belonged to anyone but you and never will. Nothing would make me happier than wearing your ring, Stone Silverlake.” I pressed my lips harder to his until his tongue probed insistently against the softness of my mouth. I let mine tangle with his, and we stayed like that, tasting each other until Stone gently pulled away.
“Allow me?” His questioning look as he searched my face sent warmth unfurling in my gut. He was always concerned about me, even now, when we were both on our knees declaring our undying love. I released his wrist, and he took my left hand, slipping the stunning ring onto my fourth finger. It glinted with a sparkle and beauty that was definitely otherworldly. I gasped as it warmed and tightened around my finger enough that I didn’t think it would ever come off.
Stone smirked. “Perhaps I forgot to tell you that once it goes on, it will not allow itself to be removed from your finger until you die.”
I lowered my brows in a mock frown. “Yeah, you omitted that piece of information.”
“Sorry,” he said, looking anything but. A smug smile curled his lips as he stared at the ring on my finger.
“Not you’re not,” I murmured against his lips. “But neither am I.”
“Good.” His eyes took on a wicked glint, one of his hands twisting in my hair, the other popping the button on my jeans and slowly dragging the zipper down. “Did you follow my instructions?” His low moan was obscene as he saw the lace peeking between the parting teeth of the zipper, and he slipped his hand inside until he could feel my slickness. I swore under my breath as his middle finger slipped into the heat and tightness of my centre.
“Fuck, Shan, I think your grand gesture needs to be to ride me into oblivion.”
“Yes, sir,” I purred, knowing it would drive him mad.
“Damn, you’re such a good girl for me, aren’t you, Butterfly?” he purred right back. He stood, and even though we were in the middle of a communal area, I knew no one would disturb us, though, in truth, the thought of being caught only turned me on more. He freed himself from his combat trousers, and his length sprang free. “Before I keep my promise and make you scream my name, and before I rip these off with my teeth, show me just how good you can be, sweetheart.”
So I did. When we were sated and flushed, he took me to the house we shared and demanded I give him his grand gesture, too.
I did. Never once questioning my worth or my place by his side. Those demons were gone, and though I knew the future wouldn’t always be easy, I trusted that Stone would always be there for me, just as I would be for him.