Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHEV
VANESSA’S LAUGHTER IS loud, and I stop speaking so I can better listen to it.
She’s upstairs packing her belongings with Charlie, and it seems the two are having much fun. I’ve overheard them saying my name several times, which I love. Charlie enjoys talking poorly about her males, but Vanessa only says good things about me.
She must love me more than Charlie loves hers.
I grin and shove a couch pillow into a box. I’m unsure what belongs to my mate and what came with the house, but Aziel doesn’t seem to care either way. He’s keen to get rid of all the tiny decorative pillows, but I like them. They’re soft, and I’m happy to take them off Aziel’s hands.
“Vanessa has been taking advantage of her paychecks,” Aziel mutters, holding up a ring.
It’s a red one she purchased a few days after visiting the lava pits, and it must have slipped off her finger while she was lying on the couch. It makes me happy to imagine my mate purchasing herself little trinkets. I’ll buy her thousands of them.
Gray and Silas teleport into the room, the two all over one another. The incubus curls his body around the fate, and I roll my eyes when I notice him sliding a hand up his shirt. It’s annoying, and I toss a box toward them to stop the flirting.
They promised to be efficient, but Aziel and I are packing things faster than they’re teleporting them to my home. My people don’t like when demons are on our land unsupervised, and I promised them I’d have everything completed within an hour.
We’re running out of time, and the horny incubus is to blame. His mates should’ve fed him before bringing him out today.
“Enough,” Aziel snaps.
Silas straightens up, but Gray lingers. I watch with mild interest as he turns and grins at Aziel, his eyes shining as he slides his hand further up Silas’s chest. I turn away and begin wrapping the stupid bird figurines Vanessa insists on bringing with her.
I hate them, and I hate that she’s insisting they come with us, but I won’t argue it.
At least, not right now. I’ll wait until she’s settled before slowly transitioning them out of our home. I’ll first put them in a drawer, hidden from the eye, and bring them to Echo’s after a few months. She’ll keep them in case Vanessa notices their departure and grows angry. If she doesn’t, I’ll have Echo throw them away after six months.
If Vanessa happens to notice afterward, I’ll lie and say I don’t know what happened before offering to buy bear ones as replacements. It’s the only lie I’ll ever tell my mate, but it must be done. These atrocities cannot possibly live in our home around our babies. They’ll be frightened of them.
A smile spreads over my face as I think about our future children. Vanessa and I haven’t discussed when we’d like them, and I don’t imagine it will be for a while. She’s busy with work, and I don’t think she’s eager for the distraction a pregnancy will bring. Maybe in a few years when she feels more established at work. She’ll probably be in a larger facility then. Hopefully, the one in the shifter lands.
Still, I can’t wait to fill our home with tiny footsteps.
“This one is ready to go,” I say, spinning around.
Silas is gone, as are two boxes he must’ve taken with him, but Aziel and Gray are now the ones wasting time. Aziel has his hand curled around Gray’s neck, forcing his head into a submissive tilt, and I watch the two before huffing and carrying my box over.
Aziel doesn’t let up as I approach, and I physically place my body between them until he has no choice but to release the incubus.
“You can do that later,” I say, shoving the box against Aziel’s chest. “You’re in charge of transporting, and Gray will help me pack.”
Gray’s too slow, probably lingering around my home whenever he’s there. I have a feeling my things will be moved when Vanessa and I return, and I hope Gray hasn’t made my home smell of him. I also hope he isn’t terrorizing my people.
He’s been obsessed with my lands since we invited him to give a sex demonstration several years ago, and I know he takes great pride in the large number of shifter women who are attracted to him.
I think the women are being inappropriate.
I don’t lust for the succubus who took us males into a private room and spread her legs. We were nothing but polite, and there was no scent of arousal to be found as she explained her body and demonstrated how most women enjoy being pleasured.
It was educational, and I don’t know what Gray did, but he left a lasting impression on the women. It bothers many of the shifter males.
Aziel grabs two boxes and disappears, and I direct Gray to the bathroom.
“All the products under the sink need to be packed,” I say. “You can help Vanessa and Charlie once you’ve finished.”
Gray nods, his eyes lighting up when I say Charlie’s name. I’m happy the tiny human found peace with her males.
“I heard you promised to catch Vanessa an ucka as a moving-in present,” Gray says.
I set down the objects in my hands. I already know where he’s heading with this.
“And there’s going to be much more meat than you two can eat by yourselves,” Gray continues. He shoots me a lopsided grin. “We have three small mouths that would love to spend the weekend helping you work through it.”
Oh.That’s not what I was expecting. I thought he was going to ask me to share some with him, and I was already preparing my rejection. I don’t mind sharing with his children, though, and I did promise to babysit them as payment for using Silas as a vehicle.
“That sounds nice,” Vanessa says, rounding the corner of the stairwell.
I trip over my feet rushing to her, and I only feel slightly embarrassed by the laughs I receive as I grab the box she’s carrying. Gray does the same with Charlie, and we make brief eye contact before bringing the boxes to the pile with the others.
“You say that until you’re waking up to a tiny fate standing in the corner of your bedroom staring straight into your soul,” I tease Vanessa.
It’s a joke, but I shiver at the thought. Valeria is a kind child, but she can be quite frightening. Shifters don’t love fates, and I’m not too fond of her trying to sneak into my head when I’m weakened by sleep. She’s done it before, but my future is mine only.
My pride swells when Vanessa walks around the couch to join me near the boxes. She steps confidently and without thought as she brings herself into my personal space. I hurry to finish what I’m doing and wrap my arms around her, eager to hold her.
“Did you finish everything upstairs?” I ask.
Vanessa nods and leans against my chest. I kiss the top of her head. We’re going to sleep together under the same roof tonight, and I’ve never been more excited. I will have hours to spend with my mate curled up against my chest, and I hope she sleeps well with me.
Gray grabs a box and teleports away just as Aziel and Silas return for more. I continue to hold Vanessa, and I subtly bury my face in her hair when I think she’s not paying attention. Her smile tells me she’s noticed.
“Are you ready to go home?” I ask. She nods, and I slide my hand down her back. “I’m going to use the portal, but Aziel can teleport you if you’d like.”
I know all this teleporting is tiring for the demons, and I won’t ask them to bring me, too. Aziel and Silas are probably the only ones strong enough to do it, but I don’t want to hurt them. I’m too heavy, and they like to complain.
“I’ll go with you,” Vanessa says.
That’s what I was hoping she’d say.
I turn to Charlie. “Do you want to come?”
I don’t want her to, but it’s polite to offer. I want to return with my mate alone, and I want Vanessa and me to unpack and make up our home together. I’d like to be private.
I had to beg my parents to stay away and give Vanessa time to decompress. They agreed, but they aren’t pleased about it. They’re excited to meet my mate.
“No, but thank you,” Charlie says.
Vanessa smiles, and I smell her again before leading her outside. Her golf cart is parked in front of the house, and I make my way to the driver’s seat.
“Let me drive,” Vanessa says.
I hesitate.
My mate is dangerous with this, and I don’t trust her driving—I never have. Despite my reservations, though, I nod and make my way to the passenger’s seat. Only a few seconds into the ride, I find myself gripping the handle, and it takes everything in me not to shove my foot into the dirt and slow down the cart.
I take her hand and hold it close as she whips into a parking spot just outside the facility doors.
“There’s no need to look so frightened, Chev.”
I clear my throat. “I’m not frightened.”
It’s a lie, but Vanessa doesn’t push it. It’s her I’m frightened for. She could drive the cart full-speed into a tree and I’d be fine within a few hours, but she doesn’t heal quite as quickly as I do. The thought horrifies me.
Vanessa leads me inside the facility, and I do my best to ignore the women who give me eyes. I don’t think Vanessa realizes how many females look at me, and I’d like to keep it that way. She’d be upset.
“I need to stop by my office,” Vanessa says.
I pretend to be shocked. She loves her work, and I knew she wouldn’t be able to take an entire day off.
“I’ll be in the kitchen,” I say.
Vanessa disappears down the hallway leading to her office, and I rush to the kitchen and grab a handful of the fruit packets the pantry is frequently stocked with. They’re one of my favorite snacks, and I shove as many as I can into the waistband of my leathers before grabbing two more fistfuls and heading to Vanessa’s office.
She’s on the phone, so I sit in one of the tiny chairs outside and wait. Ten minutes pass before she emerges, looking guilty.
“I’m not upset,” I promise her.
Her guilty look doesn’t diminish, and I pull her in for a kiss until she’s smiling again. I much prefer this, and I run my hand down the mating marking on her back as we finally head to the portal. I’m eager to bring her home.
“Did you finish everything you needed to do?” I ask.
Vanessa nods. “Yes. Did you clear the kitchen of snacks?”
I’m sure she can see the packets sticking out of my waistband, so I don’t bother denying it. I know she orders extra for me.
Aziel and Silas are standing around my kitchen counter when we finally arrive home.
“It looks good in here,” Aziel says.
I love having my home complimented, and I beam as I look around the space. Aziel’s the only person who’s spent considerable time here before the construction, so he can see the improvement more than anybody else.
“Thank you,” I say, glancing between him and Silas. “You may go now.”
Vanessa pinches the back of my arm, but I ignore it. I want to spend alone time with my mate, and I won’t apologize for it.
We need to unpack and fill our home with her belongings. I also need to know what side of the bed she wants to sleep on and whether or not she likes to fold or hang her shirts. There are so many things for us to learn about one another.
Silas gives me a rare smile before disappearing, and Aziel is quick to do the same. I wait until they’re gone before spinning Vanessa around.
“Welcome home,” I whisper. My voice is rougher than I’d like, and I clear my throat before continuing. “I love you.”
I’ve been waiting to say it again, not wanting to rush her, and now is the perfect moment. Vanessa’s eyes grow moist, and when she rubs her thumbs over my cheekbones and cups my face, I know she feels the same way.
“I love you, too.”
Her words are quiet and full of insecurity, but I don’t care. I know this is scary and new for her, and I’m beyond honored she’s willing to make this leap.
“Should we start unpacking?” she asks.
I nod. It’s like she read my mind.