Chapter 60 #2
Zoltilvoxfyn smiled indulgently at his mate, but he refrained from speaking.
Dontilvynsan smiled slightly at me. “I am happy for you two.”
Vince bobbed his head, draped over his mate's lap. “I’m sure you’ll be happy.”
“Well, Captain,” Hallonnixmin said, “you are not as happy as I am. Finally, all of my brothers are mated.”
“Technically, I am not your brother,” Monqilcolnen commented as he came up behind me, his tail curling around mine. I glanced at him, a smile forming on my face. I loved that he was here with me now. I loved that he was speaking. I loved that he was trying.
I loved him.
“Close enough,” Hallonnixmin said. “So, Wyn, I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
I swallowed at the implication of the crown prince of the empire owing me anything. I had met Hallonnixmin before this moment, but I couldn’t claim any true relationship with him, nor did I know much about him.
“You don’t owe me anything,” I forced out. He truly didn’t.
“I do,” he replied. “Monqilcolnen is still here with us, and I do not think that would have been possible without you. Ask for anything, and I shall give it to you.”
My mouth dropped open. I could literally ask for anything, anything at all. That was too great of a responsibility. I didn’t want anything he had to offer, anyway. I didn’t want or need money, nor was there anything I truly treasured.
I was about to tell him I didn’t want anything, but then I stopped as a thought occurred to me.
“I have something I desire,” I said.
Gilvaxtin crossed her arms. “Choose wisely.”
Perhaps this was a test? No matter, I knew what I wanted. I pulled Monqilcolnen into my arms and held him tight. Looking around his much larger frame, I said, “I want Monqilcolnen.”
Dontilvynsan said, “I knew it.”
What else would I have asked for? There was nothing in this universe I wanted or treasured more than Monqilcolnen. He was everything to me, and I wouldn’t let him go. Not ever.
Monqilcolnen turned my face toward him and caught my mouth in a gentle kiss that made my tail strangle his and my wings fight against their confinement. I wanted to press myself against him and scent mark my mate.
That thought sent warm pulses down my spine. Monqilcolnen was my mate. It was miraculous we had ended up together.
When he pulled back, I said, “You need to eat.”
He offered me his throat.
There was much fighting and moving around the dispenser, which was thankfully still working. The second the dispensers quit, we would be down to field rations, which were tasteless nutrition bars and hydration cubes.
Once the table was laden with food, we sat down and began to eat our fill. All the while, I held Monqilcolnen’s tail with my own, letting him know I was there. I would always be there.
The hour was indeterminate. I had fallen asleep with my mate on top of me.
Wyn was breathing deeply, and he was not the only one.
Seth and Kalvoxrencol were on the floor in front of the couch where Wyn and I lay.
Seth was facing the makeshift nest where his kit slept, and Kalvoxrencol was curled around Seth, hand stretching toward their child.
Serlotminden and Bartholomew were off to the side, asleep.
Bartholomew was completely beneath the blanket, his feet poking out the other end.
Even my other cousins had remained on the line, not ending the session. Hallonnixmin was curled around his mate, who snored loudly and slept sprawled. Vince was half-draped over Dontilvynsan. Zoltilvoxfyn and Caleb were all tangled up in each other.
Each of them, all of them, had remained with me, refusing to leave me alone. They were my family. It still hurt so badly my parents were no longer flying beside me, guiding me, shielding me, but I wasn’t alone.
My fingers burrowed into Wyn’s pink hair, and I groaned at the softness.
No, I wasn’t alone. I was with my family and my mate.
It was still going to hurt that my parents were gone.
I would miss them—I would always miss them—but there was no shame in moving on, which was what I needed to do.
It was important to live, and that was what I was going to do.
Wyn rubbed his face on me, exhaling as he awoke. “Are you alright?”
I lifted his chin to claim his mouth, and Wyn groaned at my touch. I was more than alright. I was with my mate. He was right here beside me, and I was never going to spend a day without him again.
“I wish to go to our room,” I whispered.
He smiled, his head ducking, but he slid off me and pulled me up. We maneuvered around Kalvoxrencol and his little family to reach the bedroom.
I pressed my mate to the bed, covering his lithe frame with my bulkier one.
Wyn was utterly pliant beneath me. Cincin growled in annoyance from us rocking the bed.
I patted her head, and she hopped off to curl up on her plush bed in the corner.
Ignoring her retreat, I placed a soft kiss on Wyn’s lips. “I love you.”
“I love you as well, my Star.”
Something swelled in my gut at the endearment. For so long, I had waited for the “not yet” to become “now,” and it had. While I had known that Wyn was special, that I wanted him to be mine, I could have never guessed what I would feel as I stared down at my lovely mate.
“You were well worth the wait,” I commented.
Wyn chuckled. “So were you.”
It did not take me long to divest my mate of his clothes and ready myself for him. As he sank into me, claiming me, I knew I was home and safe. “Now” would never become “not yet” ever again.