Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
“Dragons still have rituals from the twelfth century?”
“Of course we do.” Steph stood up-he was a little shaky himself-then scooped me up into a bridal carry. “One of those is cleaning up our fated mates after we claim them.”
I nuzzled closer to his chest. “Fine. As long as you carry me.”
He did. He carried me into the bathroom, then lowered me into the tub. He washed me clean with such care I nearly fell asleep right there in his arms. When he helped me out, he guided me to the bathroom counter. I stood up, leaning back against his chest for support. Steph reached around me and wiped the steam from the mirror.
He swept my hair aside and whispered, “Look.”
There, right where I had imagined it, was a beautiful mating bite. The skin was already healed: a fresh, shiny pink. I reached up and traced the shape of his teeth in my skin. The mark tingled and made me shiver.
“What do you think?” Steph asked.
I met his eyes in the mirror. There was a small, unsure furrow in his brow. It was like he’d bought me a fancy necklace and was now afraid he’d picked the wrong one.
It was adorable. I turned around in his arms. “It’s perfect. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Then it suits you,” he said with a smile.
He kissed me. Love vibrated through our bond in an infinite loop.
My mate. My home.
A few uneventful, happy weeks went by. I started to get used to the bond, and how I could feel Steph even when he wasn’t in the room. It was soothing. Steadying.
I also understood why it would be so hard to lose it. If we had done this before his battle with Sean, the fear and the pain would’ve shattered me. And my fear may have distracted Steph.
I was glad we’d waited. Even if it had been hard.
On an ordinary Saturday, I woke up feeling a little… off.
“You all right?” Steph asked. He sat up in bed and brushed the hair off my forehead. “You look a little pale.”
“Kind of nauseous,” I said. “I had lunch with Mom yesterday. Maybe we got something bad.”
“Her place is supposed to have better food than half the restaurants in New York,” Steph said. “Do we need to file a complaint?”
I chuckled and shook my head. He was right, though, the facility was really nice. I still couldn’t believe Mom was actually there-at a rehab facility by her own choice. After she’d accidentally gotten me kidnapped, it’d finally clicked that she needed help. I hadn’t even helped her move into the facility. She’d just called me out of the blue, told me where she was, and asked me to come visit.
Lunch had been nice. It was like I was finally getting to see the woman I had so many fond memories of, instead of the shade of addiction she’d become.
It made me feel like we had a future. Like she’d finally be the grandmother Dylan needed. We already had plans to have lunch again next week, and Dylan was coming with me.
“You want any breakfast?” Steph asked. “I’ll make something.”
That only made my stomach turn more. “Ugh, I don’t think so. I just need a little more sleep.”
“Okay,” Steph said with a small, curious furrow in his brow. His nostrils flared. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, then swooped down and kissed me briefly. “Go back to sleep, then.”
I was too tired to ask what he was about to say, so I rolled over and passed back out.
When I woke up a few hours later, the sun was already high in the sky. I was still a little nauseous, but I felt better. I pulled on a fluffy bathrobe and padded downstairs. Steph was in the living room, watching TV with Dylan. I stepped into the kitchen to make coffee, and as soon as I did, Dylan whipped around. His nostrils flared. “Mom, you smell different. Are you okay?”
“I smell different?” I echoed. “Different how? Bad?”
“Not bad,” Steph said. “Far from it.” He stood up from the couch, his eyes burning gold. He pulled me close, then pressed his nose behind my ear and inhaled deeply. “You smell amazing.” He pressed his palm flat to my lower belly.
I gasped. “You don’t mean…”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “You are.”
I squawked and shoved him off, wide-eyed. “Are you serious?! I didn’t know you could even do that! And Dylan can too?”
“Do what?” Dylan asked, blinking.
“Oh my god.” I pushed both hands through my hair. “I need more proof than a sniff test!”
Steph laughed, a bright, happy sound. “I thought you might.” He grabbed a plastic bag from the kitchen counter-I hadn’t noticed it-and handed it to me. “I went out and grabbed some while you were sleeping.”
“Oh my god!” I said again, then rushed back upstairs to our bathroom.
Five minutes later, I was staring down at two pink lines on the test-on multiple tests.
Pregnant.
I was pregnant!
I walked out of the bathroom in a daze. Steph was waiting for me in the bedroom. He had a huge smile on his face, and he swept me into an embrace before I could even say a word.
“I’m so excited,” he said. “I’m so, so excited.”
“Me too,” I said. To my surprise, there was a little hitch in my voice, and I felt tears prickling behind my eyes.
He pulled away. “What is it?” he asked, watching me with new concern in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, then I laughed as tears crawled down my cheeks. “Yeah, I’m just really happy.”
Tears sprung to his eyes, too. “Me too,” he said. He pulled me close again. “We’re in this together, Harley.”
“I know,” I whispered. “Forever.”
He kissed me. Love flowed through the bond connecting us. I felt it from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. Steph was my partner, my mate, the other half of my soul.
We were starting the next part of our journey. And this time, we were doing it together.
EPILOGUE
ACE
Eight months later
The Cole cemetery was a small, well-kept plot of land tucked in the woods behind the clubhouse. A trail led to it, but most clan members didn’t even know it existed. The trail wound through the woods, then up a steep, rocky hill, to a small clearing that overlooked the lake. It was marked by an old wooden fence that was built long before I was born. Parts of the fence needed repair. Winter was finally beginning to edge into spring, so that’d be a project for the next few months when the world began to warm up again.
Here lay the remains of Cole alphas from the last four generations. My great-great grandfather, my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, and now…
