Chapter 13 #2
The spark of joy that lit his gaze from within contained not just the human side, but also the inner jaguar looking out at her. Both of them were happy. One might even say triumphant.
Mark’s hands tightened on her waist.
“I love you with all my heart, Shelly. And I always will.” His declaration was both sweet and compelling. “Do you agree to be my mate? My wife? My life’s companion?”
“Yes, to all three,” she answered with a smile she couldn’t contain. It filled her heart, her soul, and every fiber of her being.
She kissed him then, and it went quickly from sweet and joyful to fiery and passionate.
She lowered herself onto him, wanting complete union between their bodies while her spirit soared with his, in perfect alignment.
They would have years to hone their rhythm and the way they complemented each other, but this moment out of time was… just right.
And then, he began to move. Impatience seemed to be the rule of the day when he rolled them over until he could control the motion. She was happy to oblige since she’d lost control over her limbs at some point while the earth was shattering a bit beneath her.
She could feel magic stirring in her soul, and her fingers were tingling. Her last coherent thought was that she hoped she didn’t singe her pretty cotton sheets, but then again…who cared? They could buy more.
Mark drove her to peak after peak, thrusting and sliding within her in just the right way.
He was her master in those moments, and she his willing slave, although…
Mark seemed to be taking his cues from her moans of pleasure, a servant to her every whim, her every whimper of delight.
So, who really was the master here? And did it really matter?
As they rocketed to the stars together, she decided it didn’t matter one bit. The only thing that counted was that they were in love. Joined as one. As close as two people could be, and on the precipice of a life filled with laughter, luck and love the likes of which the world had never seen.
They made love again and again before finally rising for the day. There was still work to do, and as Shelly emerged from her bedroom, she heard her father moving around downstairs. Blushing a bit at the late hour, she realized he’d be fully aware of what they’d been doing all morning.
She’d never been in quite this situation before. Her father had never been present when she emerged from any love nest where she’d been having raging sex with someone only a half hour before. She wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“Want me to go first?” Mark asked, coming up behind her. “I have a few things I’d like to talk to him about, anyway. Why don’t you go to your studio? I’ll give you a shout when lunch is ready, okay?” He kissed her on top of her head in a gentle sign of affection.
“You’re my hero,” she whispered, taking what was quite possibly the coward’s way out and making a beeline for her studio.
She heard Mark go down the stairs and greet her father, but she didn’t linger, not wanting to hear any possible confrontation. Mark was a big boy. He could handle her father. Maybe.
True to his word, a short while later, Mark called her downstairs for lunch. Her dad greeted her normally, no raised eyebrows or knowing looks, thank the Goddess. He simply talked with Mark about the werewolves that apparently were patrolling outside her house.
“I’ve had dealings with Cassius and his brother many times over the years,” her father was saying.
She knew from an earlier part of the conversation that he was naming the Midtown Alpha and his younger brother, Cassius. Mark had told her that Cassius was the one who had led the group that had saved her bacon at the hotel.
“I knew his mother, of course. She was a lovely young witch, who had a talent for the earth elements and growing things. Rather natural, I thought, when she mated with a werewolf,” her father went on as they all sat down for lunch together.
They were dining on a meal delivered by one of Mark’s people a short while before.
Mark had arranged catering for everyone involved in this operation, renting out a place just down the road for the security contingent where they could sleep, shower, eat and generally be well treated between shifts up here at Shelly’s house.
It wasn’t an ideal solution for anything long term, but it would work for now. Mark took good care of his people, and he wouldn’t eat gourmet food without offering the same to his staff. Shelly loved his egalitarian outlook and realized, all over again, how perfect they were for each other.
“I didn’t know he had a magical side,” Mark observed as they ate.
“It’s not something they advertise, I understand, but Cassius, at least, definitely inherited some of his mother’s considerable skills.
He hasn’t trained them the way he should, of course.
It’s been somewhat difficult for him, from what I can gather.
His Pack doesn’t have a great deal of trust in human magic, and his mother was an earth mage of the highest caliber.
A true servant of the Light. I was saddened when she was killed. ”
They were silent a moment, almost in observation of respect for the fallen. They continued to eat the delicious meal Mark’s people had provided, and eventually, Mark spoke again.
“Bill, there is one thing I wanted to ask you about those wards of yours.”
“Certainly,” her dad replied, looking like he’d be willing to divulge his secrets—up to a point.
“I was wondering if you’d be willing to cast a ward around our new home…on Jaguar Island.”
“Jaguar Island?” Bill tilted his head in question.
“That’s what we renamed it when my Clan bought the place last year,” Mark told him.
“It’s the dormant volcano where your daughter’s power first sprang to life.
It’s to be the new Clan home for all jaguars, if they want to come.
I won’t force anybody, but the idea is that it will be a place where we can come together as a Clan and rebuild.
There are few of us left in the world now, and I want to try to change that. ”
“A noble cause,” Bill said gravely as he smoothed his napkin.
“And now that the fate of the Howells is linked to the fate of your Clan, I can tell you that my skills are completely at your disposal. Though I hope you will understand that I never had an Alpha, so I probably won’t be the most obedient of subordinates…
If that’s the role you want me to fulfill. ”