Chapter 42
Bastian pulled his truck in front of Eleanor’s apartment building, shutting off the ignition.
Nearly a week had passed since the events with Marsh Thadur.
The WBI had found itself in an uproar. His department had worked day and night fixing things.
Memory wipes for the humans involved, reuniting sleepers with their friends and families, restoring artifacts, and electing a new Fae in Marsh Thadur’s place.
The WBI had argued over custody of Thadur, but in the end, the Fae stepped in—Endorian, specifically—and Thadur was moved into Carrok, the Fae’s high security prison on the outskirts of Walton.
No human prison would keep a Fae like Thadur.
As far as he knew, the Supernatural Council hadn’t yet finalized the male’s punishment. That would be coming soon enough.
Giggles erupted outside his truck, pulling him back into the moment.
Eleanor was arm in arm with Tara, the coffee house woman.
Vivi trailed behind them, her eyes on her phone, frowning.
The tight knot in his chest loosened, seeing the familiar head of cotton candy pink hair.
He’d been so caught up in work that they’d only gotten in a couple of phone calls over the last three days.
This brief getaway was much needed. It was also technically their first date.
The girls climbed into the truck, Tara and Vivi taking the back seat.
Elle’s scent hit him and he further relaxed.
She settled in and slammed the door, belting herself in.
He absentmindedly reached over and gave it a tug at the latch—a reflex, more than anything, to ensure she was safe.
Always. Then he rested his arm on the center console, leaning in as he looked her up and down.
“Morning, sugar,” he purred. “You sure you don’t want a jacket?”
She was dressed in a pair of yoga pants and loose-fitting workout top. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, loose curls bobbing, a few wispy strands framing her delicate features. He tried not to think about how it felt to wrap that ponytail around his fist. Yeah, his mind went there anyway.
“Once we get moving, it’ll be hot.” She shrugged. “I don’t want to cart it around the whole time.”
He sighed before rotating toward the back seat. “You ladies ready?”
“Yes,” they chorused. “Let’s do this!”
His mouth twitched, but he turned to face forward, starting the truck’s engine and pulling out into traffic.
A rustle beside him had him glancing over.
Elle was already getting comfortable. She’d shed her shoes, placed her sock-clad feet up on his dashboard.
She was peeling the wrapper off a granola bar.
“You didn’t have breakfast?” he growled. She threw him a pout. “Fucking hell, Eleanor.”
The thought of her hungry made him immediately consider how best to feed her. There was the coffee shop down the street—
“Bastian, stop scowling. This will be plenty. Besides, if I grow faint, I have you to carry me down the trail.”
Giggles erupted from the back seat. God help him, this was going to be a day.
They were finally having that date they’d talked about—going hiking.
Except, Elle had wanted it to be a double date with Tara and Vivi.
He hadn’t objected. Oh, he’d wanted to protest. Alone, he could have found a secluded place along the trail and fucked her brains out.
He had days of steam to burn off.
But no. Not now. He would have to mind his manners. Besides, he couldn’t say no, not when she’d asked him so sweetly over the phone. A hint of hesitance in her voice. Like she worried about his answer.
“Thanks again for letting us tag along,” Tara said from the back, as if reading his mind.
He merely hummed in response.
“I made a playlist,” Elle announced, fiddling with the truck’s dials and her phone.
He knew better than to say a damned word as pop music filled the cab.
It was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road as the three women erupted into song.
He caught glimpses of his mate from the corner of his eye.
She glowed with happiness, exactly as she deserved to be.
Exactly as he planned to make her for the rest of her life.
An hour later, they reached the trailhead, piling out and strapping on backpacks. Elle stood beside him, inhaling deeply. He watched her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Her eyes were closed, a look of contentment on her features. “It smells so good out here, so clean.”
“Come on, slowpokes!” Vivi shouted, already taking off down the trail, Tara on her heels.
He ignored them, pulling Elle against him, leaning down to kiss her, letting his lips linger. He nipped her bottom lip, then grazed his mouth along her jaw. “I want you in front of me, so I can stare at that tight ass the whole way.”
She giggled as he spun her around and gave her a gentle push before slapping her ass. She yelped and darted forward, throwing him a teasing glare as they caught up with the others. One look at her backside and he suddenly regretted his decision.
Around them, the trees were thick, walling off the dirt path they followed.
It was a cooler than usual spring morning, but the day would warm.
Birds were already busy, and squirrels darted across their trail.
He was careful to avoid rocks and other debris littering the way.
The girls set the pace, far slower than he would have gone.
He merely meandered behind, making sure they stayed safe.
His eyes rarely left Eleanor. The way she moved with easy confidence along the uneven trail, her ponytail swaying with each step. It had his chest tightening with pride. She belonged out here in nature, away from the chaos of the city and the horrors they'd faced.
When she paused to point out wildflowers to Vivi, or when she laughed at something Tara said, the sound carried back to him and made his heart race.
His mate was happy—truly, genuinely happy—and knowing he'd played a part in that, knowing that he’d get to witness these moments for the rest of their very long lives together, left him feeling drunk on possibility.
Because he had every intention of ensuring they lived long lives.
Just like the ability to heal, her life span would be tied to his. She wouldn’t age. Wouldn’t grow old without him.
He knew because he’d dug into records. Aramis had helped.
Turned out, Elle wasn’t the only human pairing that had happened in history.
Aramis had put him into contact with a shifter couple—lion female, human male.
The male was now approaching his three hundred and forty third birthday.
He hadn’t aged a day since accepting their bond.
Which meant Elle would live as long as Bastian did.
Every so often, Elle glanced back at him and caught him staring. Her soft smile made his goblin side purr with satisfaction. She was his. Forever.
Starting with today.
He’d cleared his schedule for the entire weekend, making it plenty clear to his boss that he’d be unreachable.
He’d also made it clear to Eleanor that she belonged to him for the entirety of that time.
Well, she belonged to him regardless, but she’d also cleared her schedule.
There was an overnight bag in the back of his truck for later, after they dropped Tara and Vivi off.
It was thoughts of the night to come that occupied most of his mind while they hiked. Tara and Vivi chatted for the first hour, but soon enough, they were too winded to speak.
He liked hiking in silence, listening to the wildlife, letting his thoughts wander. He’d answered their questions readily enough as Vivi grilled him, but only because she was Elle’s best friend.
Elle was lucky—damned lucky—to have her. Vivi was a protector, the one who’d been there for her during the hardest time in her life. He’d never forget that, never forget the way she’d taken care of his girl, his mate.
Mate.
Every time he thought about it, the world grew quiet.
As if sensing his thoughts, Elle threw him a glance over her shoulder.
He winked, and perhaps there was plenty in his expression, because she blushed.
He wanted that. He wanted her to look at him and never forget how thoroughly he pleased her, how good he made her feel.
Her head snapped forward again as they made the final ascent to the trail’s lookout point.
The forest opened up around them.
“It’s gorgeous!” Vivi cried. The three women were breathing hard, their skin coated in a sheen of sweat.
His heart rate hadn’t even increased. He came to stop behind Elle, leaning in close enough to graze her body, keeping his hands to himself.
Her skin erupted into goosebumps and he hid a satisfied smile.
“Wow,” she sighed, taking it in. “I forgot how much I love this hike.”
“I hope you didn’t forget how much you love me?” he murmured against her ear. Tara and Vivi were already wandering off, looking for a spot to have their picnic.
“Does that cockiness of yours ever go away?” She leaned backwards into him. Her backpack was crushed against his chest. His hands came around her front.
“Hard to shed the habit when I have you worshiping my cock every night,” he rumbled, not that he’d gotten much of that in the past couple days. But tonight…
“Oh, my God,” she hissed, giggling. “That mouth of yours knows no boundaries.”
“Course not. Especially not when its busy licking your—”
“Okay, who is ready for lunch?!” Elle blurted so loudly that he couldn’t finish the sentence. He chuckled, releasing her so they could settle down and eat their sandwiches.
He ate as he watched the three of them, observed how comfortable Elle was with her friends. How much she laughed. How much her eyes twinkled. He hadn’t even realized he was smiling until his cheeks started to hurt.
“Are those pancakes for me?” came a sleepy voice, laced with feigned innocence.
Bastian huffed, hiding his grin. He set his spatula on the counter and turned to find his girl in the doorway.
She was wearing one of his T-shirts, which had become a habit of hers when she slept over.
His eyes narrowed. He was almost certain she’d confiscated it from his room before coming into the kitchen.
It was clean, and he distinctly remembered folding it and tucking it away in his drawers after doing laundry the other day.
The sight of her in it made his chest swell with pride.
He wasn’t even slightly covert as he traced her figure from head to toe, his eyes lingering on her bare legs. The satisfaction of her flushed skin left his cock twitching in his lounge pants. He needed to fuck her like this, with her dressed in his clothes.
After returning from their hike yesterday, they’d stayed up far too late making love.
He’d let her sleep as long as he could physically manage, lying there beside her, watching her chest rise and fall, watching the beautifully calm expression on her face before slipping from bed to use the restroom and make breakfast. The desire to provide, to make her food, to see to her needs was too overpowering.
His goblin side was already preening. Especially now.
Seeing her there standing in the doorway with her sleep mussed hair.
It was so fucking right.
“I suppose that depends, sugar,” he managed, finally finding his words.
A slow grin spread across her lips. “On?”
“On whether you’ve got any panties on under my shirt.”
“Oh.” She bit her lower lip, then her hand dipped between her legs, but she didn’t lift the shirt, didn’t give anything away.
The sight of her touching herself sent fire roaring through his veins.
He emitted a low, warning growl. “Hm… I’m not really sure I should answer that.
Maybe you should find out for yourself.”
His glamor broke. As usual, she had a way of tugging his basest form free. He took a step toward her, but she lifted her hands.
“Ah-ah-ah, your pancake is burning.” And indeed, the scent of overdone pancake met his nose, mixed with the smell of her wetness now clinging to her fingers.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. He growled, spun around and turned off the burner, then stalked over to her, snatching her up and setting her on the counter.
He managed to get control of his form enough to ensure his claws wouldn’t hurt her.
His fingers slid up her legs, but he kept his eyes on hers, watched as they widened when he found her wet pussy.
“No panties,” he concluded. “I’m not sure there’ll be pancakes after all, sugar, since I’ll be too busy fucking you on this counter.”
“Bas!” she breathed as he slipped inside her. She clenched around his fingers. “Go wash your hands and finish my breakfast.”
His mouth twitched. That bossy tone—he had plans for that. But, later. First, he needed to feed his female.
“Yes ma’am.” He removed his hand and licked every drop of her off him. “There. All clean.”
“Oh, my God. That’s not what I meant.”
“I know what you meant, sugar. You just sit right there where I can keep an eye on you. I’m going to finish your breakfast, and then I’m going to finish you. Understood?” Her lips parted, a tinge of pink creeping up her throat.
“Understood,” she breathed. And that’s exactly what he did, what he planned to do from this day forward, and every day thereafter. This new feeling, this completeness he’d found in her, it was something to be celebrated. He planned to embrace the shit out of it. Every. Fucking. Moment.