Chapter 20
***MALCOLM***
Malcolm wanted nothing more than to bury himself as deeply inside Rose as he could, but he knew what this moment meant and wanted it to be about more than just satisfying their physical needs.
“Open your eyes, sweetheart,” he said, positioning himself just outside her throbbing core.
“I want you to look at me when I make us one, I want to see the love in your eyes.”
Rose looked up at him, her eyes filled with the same passion that was flowing through him, and his magic came to life. “You’re the only man for me,” she said. “I love you, Malcolm, I love you more than anything in the world, and I will for the rest of eternity.”
“I love you too, Rose,” he said. “You’re mine now and forever.”
When he buried himself deeply inside Rose, her body welcomed him and her muscles closed around his swollen member, sending waves of pleasure shooting through him as his magic spilled over, filling the room.
Fueled by that magic, the passion between them began to burn even hotter, fusing the connection between them and creating the bond that would last their entire lifetime.
When Malcolm finally emptied himself into Rose with one final powerful thrust of his hips, she cried out as her pleasure sent her soaring into a world of pure sensation, and he soon followed her.
It was several long minutes before they came floating down together, their bodies still joined just as their souls were, and when he looked down at Rose, he saw that she had tears in her eyes.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, rolling off her and gathering her into his arms. “I always seem to lose control with you.”
“No, you didn’t hurt me, I’m just so happy, I can’t help the tears,” she said, snuggling up to him. “I finally feel like I know where I belong. I love you, Malcolm. I know it might be too soon to say that, but it’s true, I love you so much that it scares me.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I love you too,” he said, holding her closer. “It scares me too sometimes, but it’s worth it to have you in my life. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Me either,” she said, looking up at him. “I never thought I’d find someone who makes me as happy as you do.”
They slept curled up together, the bond between them pulsing strongly for the first time, and woke with the sunrise fully rested and ready to face the obstacles still in their way.
Rose opened her eyes first and lay watching Malcolm sleeping, marveling at the wonderful turn her life had taken and promising herself that she’d never take any of it for granted.
She knew that they weren’t out of danger yet, but lying next to Malcolm, she realized that she could handle anything with him at her side and snuggled a little closer to him.
He began to stir a few minutes later, his arms tightening around her long before he opened his eyes, and a pleased smile spread across his face. “I was afraid I dreamed the whole thing,” he said, his voice scratchy from sleep. “But here you are in my arms, and I’m completely awake.”
She laughed. “It’s not a dream, you’re stuck with me,” she said, stretching up and kissing him. “Hopefully this will be the first of many mornings we wake up together.”
“I’m all for that,” he said, then rolled her over onto her back and leaned up on one elbow to look down at her. “The first of many traditions, and I can think of another one that I’d like to start.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said, sighing when he started exploring with his hand. “What did you have in mind?”
“I think it might be better if I showed you,” he said, pushing her legs apart. “In this case, actions speak louder than words.”
“Hmmm…I think I understand,” she mumbled, her eyes fluttering closed. “But I might need an example.”
“Coming right up,” he said, then covered her mouth with his.
It was several hours before they made it back to the main house, but the day was already in full swing.
Both sets of twins were sitting at the table having breakfast, and his mother was rushing around the kitchen, juggling several tasks at once.
His father had a tractor part spread out on a newspaper on the other end of the table, staring at it like he could command it to fix itself, but he looked up when they walked into the room.
“Good morning,” he called. “Grab some coffee and join me. Your mother and I want to talk to you both.”
“Just let me finish these lunches and I’ll be right there,” his mom said, shoving sandwiches into brown paper lunch bags. “The kids still have to go to school today, emergency or not.”
His father rolled his eyes,.“Yes, dear,” he said, then grinned at them. “Whenever you’re ready.”
It was only a few minutes before she joined them, slightly out of breath, a smile on her face. “Mornings are always crazy around here,” she said. “Do you need more coffee or some breakfast?”
“This is fine for now, Mom, we’ll get something to eat in a little while,” he said, then turned to his dad. “I think I need to call Marcus; the elders need to know what’s going on.”
His dad nodded. “Your mother and I were going to suggest the same thing,” he said, then looked over at Rose. “Your stepfather is a very powerful man. If he comes after your sister, this could turn into a clan dispute. We’ll need the elders backing us up if you want to keep her away from him.”
“Do you really think it will come to that?” his mom asked. “She’s almost an adult, she should be able to make her own choice.”
“I don’t think Chet will see it that way, he told me straight out once that women are property, not people,” Rose said, shaking her head.
“And he’s not going to like it that I got the better of him, his ego is going to take a hit and that’s going to hurt.
He’s going to try and do something to save his reputation. ”
“I agree,” his father said. “This is going to get ugly before it’s over. We need the power of the council behind us.”
“I’ll call Marcus right away,” he said. “There’s also the little issue of Sandra, until she’s caught, we can’t forget she’s out there gunning for Rose.”
“She’s safe here; we’ll worry about that later when we’re sure that Chloe is safe,” his mother said. “If that crazy woman shows up here, she’ll get a bigger surprise than she’s bargaining for.”
“Rose, I think it’s time you had another talk with your sister,” Malcolm said. “She needs to know what’s going on, I don’t know how much you should tell her. She’s already been through enough, but she needs to know that she’s safe here.”
“Is she up yet?” Rose asked. “She used to like to sleep until noon given the chance, and yesterday was a long day.”
“She and Cheryl are upstairs getting ready together,” his mom said. “From what I saw, they’re already the best of friends.”
“I think I’ll go find her, if that’s okay,” Rose said, getting to her feet. “The sooner we talk the better.”
“Up the stairs and to the right,” he said, pulling her down for a kiss that made a blush spread across her cheeks before he let her go.
***Rose***
Rose could hear Chloe laughing and giggling with Malcolm’s sister as soon as she got to the top of the stairs, and it warmed her heart to hear her so happy after what she’d been through the day before.
She followed the sound down the hallway, then knocked and waited, smiling when she heard them whispering and closing cabinets before they opened the door.
Chloe was grinning behind Cheryl, but her face fell when she saw Rose. “We don’t have to leave yet, do we?” she asked, stepping out of the bathroom. “I was thinking maybe I could go to school with the other kids today, you know, just to see what it’s like.”
“You don’t want to go back to your other school?” she asked, surprised. “I thought you loved it there.”
Her sister shook her head. “I hated it there, all the other girls did was make fun of me, they called me the pretender, it was awful, I just said that to make you happy,” Chloe said. “Chet said you would be upset if I didn’t stay; he said it was your idea, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Oh, Chloe, he was lying, I just want you to be happy,” she said, giving her sister a hug. “I don’t care where you go to school.”
“Rose, what’s going to happen to me?” Chloe asked when she pulled away, her eyes full of tears. “I’m scared of Chet, I don’t want…”
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to let him get you,” she said. “But we’re not going to be able to do that alone, we’re going to need some help, and Malcolm knows some people who can help us.”
“You mean his clan?” Chloe asked, perking up. “Cheryl says the clan can protect me, but I didn’t really believe her. I thought she was just telling stories to make me feel better.”
“How much did she tell you?” she asked, then saw the guilty look on her sister’s face. “You weren’t supposed to tell me that you knew, were you?”
“She swore me to secrecy; she’ll be really mad if she finds out that I slipped up already,” Chloe said, then sighed. “I really like it here, I don’t want to screw up.”
“I don’t think telling me counts.I already know about Malcolm and the clan,” she said, putting her arm around Chloe’s shoulders. “But how about we pretend that I told you, and that way you won’t be in trouble with Cheryl.”
Chloe sighed with relief, then looked over at her. “So, it really is true,” she said, then leaned in closer. “Malcolm can turn into a dragon.”
She nodded. “And he’s not the only one, but it really is a secret, so you can’t tell anyone,” she said.
“Cheryl is also right about how we can ask his clan for protection. Chet belongs to a different clan, one they’ve been at war with for a long time.
It could get messy, but we’re not going to give up until we’re both safe. ”
Her sister thought about that for a long time, then shrugged. “I like it here, they’re really nice and the shifter thing is kind of cool,” she said. “Are you in love with Malcolm? Are you going to marry him? Will you turn into a shifter?”
“Hey, slow down,” she said, laughing, one question at a time. “Yes, I’m in love with Malcolm, but we haven’t talked about marriage. I think there’s enough going on already, and no, I won’t turn into a shifter if I marry him.”
“Okay, but if you do, I want to be in the wedding,” Chloe said, then looked over at Cheryl who was waiting patiently. “So, what’s the deal? Can I go to school with Cheryl or what?”
“I don’t see why not, as long as the school doesn’t care,” she said, shaking her head at the resilience of teenagers. “But we’re going to be talking to some of the clan elders today, and I thought you might want to be here.”
“Do I have to?” Chloe asked, shifting from foot to foot.
“No, you don’t,” she said with a sigh. “Go on back to Cheryl. I think it will be fine if you go to school with her if that’s what you really want.”
“Thanks, Rose,” Chloe squealed, throwing her arms around her. “You’re the best. I hope we get to stay here forever.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said, shaking her head, but relieved her sister was okay. “I don’t think Margaret will want to take on another teenager.”
She was greeted by silence and questioning looks when she came back into the kitchen.
“She’s getting ready to go to school with Cheryl.
I explained everything that’s going on, but she’s more concerned with her hair right at the moment, so I think she’s going to be just fine,” she said, then shook her head.
“She’s got it in her head that she wants to stay here forever. ”
“We’d love to have her,” Margaret said. “One more wouldn’t make that much difference.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean… that’s very generous…I couldn’t,” she stammered, a bit overcome with gratitude.
“We can talk about it later,” Malcolm’s dad said, giving her a big smile. “But Margaret is right, one more wouldn’t make much difference if she really wants to stay.”
“You two will be wanting to start your life together after all, having a teenager on your hands won’t be easy,” Margaret said. “Cheryl has always wanted a sibling closer to her own age, and there’s an empty bedroom since Kathy left for college.”
“Oh, well…I’m not sure I can say no, but I think we should all sit down together and discuss this,” she said, then looked over at Malcolm, who didn’t look a bit surprised by his parents' offer. “I don’t want to shove my responsibility off on you, that wouldn’t be right.”
“Oh, Chloe wouldn’t be a responsibility, my dear, she’d be a gift,” Margaret said. “All children are, even if they aren’t your own.”
Before she could say anything else, there was a knock on the door, and Malcolm’s dad got to his feet. “That will be Marcus,” he said. “I’ll get the door.”
“I called him while you were upstairs. He lives down the road a couple of miles. He and Dad went to school together; they’ve been friends forever,” he said, then saw the nervous look on her face. “Hey, don’t worry, he’s a nice guy, and he’ll be able to help us, I promise.”
“I just want this to be over,” she said. “I’ve been fighting with Chet for six years. I want it to end, I want to live like a normal person, I want…”
He put his arm around her and held her close. “I promise when this is over, we’ll have the most boring life you can imagine,” he said, making her laugh. “Until then, we’ll lean on each other when we need to.”