Chapter 24
Petra woke slowly, awareness returning in gentle stages. Warm sunlight streamed through the bedroom windows, falling across the bed in golden bars. The quality of the light told her it was early afternoon, judging by the angle.
She was still wrapped in Seth’s arms, her back pressed against his chest, his steady breathing stirring her hair. Through the mating bond, she could feel his contentment, the deep satisfaction of having his mate safe and close.
The recent events came back in a rush. Salazar. The battle. The castle’s ancient magic rising to destroy the mages. Dissolving them into pure light. She’d done that. With Judy’s help and the castle’s power, she’d actually done that.
“You’re awake,” Seth murmured against her neck, his voice rough with sleep.
“How long did I sleep?” Petra asked.
“About five hours.” Seth’s arms tightened around her. “It’s just past two in the afternoon.”
Petra turned in his embrace so she could see his face. He looked relaxed in a way she hadn’t seen him before. The constant vigilance he usually carried had eased, at least for now.
“How are the others?” she asked.
“Everyone’s fine. Judy’s been working on cleansing the entrance wards.
Pax and Ari are running drills with the perimeter team to make sure everyone’s back to full strength.
Wilhelm has the household running smoothly as ever.
” Seth brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“The police came and went. Katja handled them brilliantly. They bought the story about an attempted break-in completely. Apparently, they found Salazar’s car abandoned in town near the train station.
” He winked and she knew he’d arranged that somehow.
“That’s good.” Petra traced the line of his jaw with one finger. “What happens now? After everything that’s happened?”
“What do you want to happen?” Seth caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.
“I want…” Petra paused, gathering her courage. “I want you to stay. I want you to live here. With me.”
Seth’s expression softened. “Petra…”
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” she continued quickly.
“You have your company, your team, and jobs all over the world, but this is a huge castle. There’s plenty of room for you to run your operations from here.
And with the ley line nexus, there’s going to be ongoing work to keep it protected.
You said yourself that the Venifucus is bigger than just Salazar.
There will be others who’ll want to try to claim this place. ”
“Are you done?” Seth asked, amusement warming his voice.
Petra nodded, suddenly nervous.
“Good. Because the answer is yes.” Seth rolled them so she was beneath him, his weight settling over her in the most delicious way.
“I already planned to stay. This castle is perfect as a base of operations. It’s got a central European location, defensible position, and now that the ley lines are being cleansed, it’ll be a nexus of Light magic instead of darkness.
My team can operate from here easily. We can take contracts that let us fight the Venifucus and other dark forces while keeping this place secure. ”
“Really?” Hope bloomed in Petra’s chest.
“Really.” Seth kissed her softly. “Besides, where else would I go? You’re my mate. My home is wherever you are. If that’s a German castle sitting on top of magical ley lines, then that’s where I’ll be.”
Petra felt tears prick her eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Seth kissed her again, deeper this time. “And I plan to spend the rest of my very long life showing you exactly how much.”
His hand slid down her side, finding the hem of the T-shirt she’d fallen asleep in. Petra had a vague memory of Seth helping her change out of her clothes from the battle into something comfortable before she’d crashed completely.
“You took care of me,” she said.
“Always.” Seth pushed the T-shirt up, his hands warm on her bare skin. “That’s what mates do.”
“Then let me take care of you too.” Petra reached between them, palming the hardness already evident through his boxer briefs.
Seth groaned, his hips pressing into her touch. “You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I’ve rested for five hours.” Petra stroked him through the fabric, enjoying the way his breath hitched. “Now I want to celebrate. We won, Seth. We defeated the dark mages and claimed the castle. Don’t you think that deserves a little celebrating?”
“Well, when you put it that way…” Seth captured her mouth in a searing kiss, all restraint dissolving.
They stripped each other quickly, hands fumbling in their eagerness. When they were finally skin to skin, Petra sighed with pure pleasure. The weight of him, the warmth, the absolute rightness of their bodies together—this was home.
Seth took his time despite the urgency crackling between them. He kissed his way down her neck, pausing to lavish attention on the mating mark that made her gasp and arch. His mouth found her breasts, teasing her nipples to tight peaks while his hand slid between her thighs.
“Seth, please.” Petra writhed beneath him, need building with every touch. “I need you.”
“I know.” He positioned himself at her entrance, the head of his cock pressing against her. “I need you too. Every moment of every day.”
He entered her in one smooth thrust, and they both moaned at the sensation. The mating bond flared golden and bright, amplifying every feeling until Petra couldn’t tell where her pleasure ended and his began.
Seth set a slow, deep rhythm that had her clutching his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist. Each thrust hit that perfect spot inside her, building pressure that coiled tighter and tighter.
“Look at me,” Seth commanded, and Petra forced her eyes open to meet his gaze.
The intensity in his expression stole her breath. Love, desire, possessiveness, and devotion blazed in his eyes.
“Mine,” he growled, punctuating the word with a particularly deep thrust.
“Yours,” Petra agreed breathlessly. “And you’re mine.”
Petra came with a cry, her body clenching around him as pleasure rolled through her in waves.
Seth followed moments later, his rhythm faltering as he climaxed, her name a reverent prayer on his lips.
The bond between them blazed so bright Petra could almost see it, golden threads binding them together for all eternity.
They stayed locked together as they came down, hearts racing, breaths mingling. Seth pressed his forehead to hers, his weight a comforting presence.
“I could get used to this,” Petra said when she could speak again.
“Good.” Seth kissed her nose, then her lips. “Because you’re stuck with me now. For the rest of our lives.”
“That doesn’t sound like such a hardship.” Petra traced patterns on his back, enjoying the way his muscles jumped under her fingers. “How long do shifters usually live, anyway?”
“Depends on the species and how careful we are. Jackals can live several hundred years if we avoid getting killed in battle.” Seth shifted to his side, taking her with him so they stayed connected. “Plenty of time to build a life together and protect this castle and everything it represents.”
“Several hundred years,” Petra repeated, trying to wrap her mind around it. “But I’m human. I won’t… I mean, I’ll age normally, won’t I?”
“The mating bond changes things.” Seth’s hand stroked her hair.
“You’ll age more slowly now that we’re bonded.
We’re not immortal, but you’ll have decades more than you would have otherwise.
Possibly a century or more, especially living on a ley line nexus.
The magical energy will help sustain you. ”
Relief flooded through Petra. She hadn’t wanted to think about having only a brief human lifetime with Seth before leaving him alone for centuries. “So we really do have time.”
“All the time we need.” Seth kissed her again, slow and sweet. “To do everything we want to do. To turn this castle into something good. To build something lasting.”
They lay together in comfortable silence, bodies still joined, the afternoon sun warming the room. Through the open window, Petra could hear distant sounds of the estate. Someone was calling instructions in the garden, along with the normal sounds of a household going about its business.
Her household. Her home.
“What are you thinking about?” Seth asked, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on her hip.
“That I used to think my life was boring,” Petra admitted. “Cataloging manuscripts, avoiding my neighbor’s complaints about recycling bins, eating the same lunch at the same café every Tuesday. I thought that was all there was.”
“And now?”
“Now I have a castle, and magic, and a mate who’s a shapeshifting mercenary. My new staff are all shifters protecting me from dark forces, and my new assistant color-codes everything.” Petra laughed. “It’s pretty unbelievable.”
“Too much?” Seth asked carefully.
“No.” Petra turned her head to look at him. “It’s perfect. Overwhelming and completely outside anything I ever imagined for myself, but perfect.”
Seth’s smile was radiant. “I’m glad you think so. Because I have plans for this place, and for us. If you’re willing.”
“Tell me.”
“The castle can be more than just our home. It can be a base for fighting darkness throughout Europe. My team operates all over the continent. We’ll coordinate from here, use the ley line energy for defensive magic, and maybe offer sanctuary to those fleeing dark forces.
” Seth’s eyes lit with enthusiasm. “With Judy’s help, we could teach others.
Train people with magical gifts to defend themselves. Build a network of allies.”
Petra considered this. “You want to turn my castle into a headquarters for fighting evil.”
“Yes. If you’re willing. We have the space, and the resources. We could do real good from here, Petra. We’ll make sure what Salazar built gets completely dismantled and replaced with something better.”
“I like it.” Petra felt excitement building. “We could use the workshop too. Not for dark artifacts, but maybe for creating protective things. Judy could teach people. And the grounds are extensive enough to train fighters.”
“Exactly.” Seth grinned. “We’d need to hire more staff eventually, and expand the security team, but we could build a proper training facility somewhere on the property.”
“Anna will love organizing all of that,” Petra said, already imagining her assistant’s color-coded planning sessions.
They talked for another hour, plans evolving and expanding. The castle as a sanctuary. As a school. As a base of operations for taking down the Venifucus network throughout Europe. Every idea built on the last until Petra could see a future that was bright and purposeful.
Eventually, Seth separated their bodies and pulled her close again, tucking her against his side. “We should probably get up. People will start wondering if we’re okay.”
“Let them wonder,” Petra said, but she was already moving away from him, knowing he was right. “Five more minutes?”
“Five more minutes,” Seth agreed.
They lay on the wide bed, basking in the golden afternoon light. Outside, the castle that had been a place of darkness for so long was slowly waking to its new purpose. And inside, two people who’d found each other against all odds were planning a future that would turn that darkness into light.
Five minutes turned into ten, then fifteen. Neither of them cared. They had time now. All the time in the world.