Sam walked over and wrapped her arms around
Riley, hugging her hard. "I'm so glad you're OK. Please take care
of yourself. I don't think any of us can handle the fear you've put
us through. It's not fair," she frowned.
"OK, I'll try my best."
Smiling, she followed them to the door and waved goodbye. Glad to
be alone with Garrett, but also nervous about what would happen.
She could feel him approaching her from behind and his arms wrapped
around her, snuggling her to his chest like earlier. She loved the
security he provided. He wouldn't do anything to scare her or make
her uncomfortable.
"You
scared me to death, my Kismet. I agree with Sam, we can't take any
more of the heart stopping fear. What were you doing off our
property?"
She caught his use of the word "our" in the
sentence and her heart gave a stutter of happiness. "I didn't
realize I had left the property. I was walking deep in thought and
the next thing I knew, bam," she shrugged.
"A fence must be down. I need to scout the
fence line almost every day during hunting season," he growled.
"Come back inside; I'll get you a clean shirt to change into and
then we'll have a talk. I'm guessing you have some questions about
us and I want to give you as much information as you want."
He led her by the hand to the downstairs
bathroom, returning a few minutes later with one of his t-shirts.
She loved the smell of his shirt as she slid it over her body. She
felt warm and cocooned in the soft cotton. After changing, she
joined him in the living room and took a seat on a large leather
couch situated in front of the fireplace. She watched in
fascination as he built a roaring fire within minutes. She wasn't
sure when building a fire became so tantalizing, but she found
herself staring at his muscles bunching beneath his t-shirt as he
worked. Wolf was lying down in front of the fire and she snickered
because it looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. Everything
seemed too perfect. Could she really have found her happily ever
after?
"What are you laughing at?" he asked as he
wiped his hands together, dusting off the dirt. He decided to sit
on the coffee table in front of her so they could talk while
looking eye to eye. He could scent her lust and feel her growing
attraction; he didn't think he could keep his hands to himself if
he sat next to her. He was much too tempted to lay her down and
claim her.
"Oh, just how perfect the scene was," she
said with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Oh yah? Perfect, huh?" he winked.
"Yes, Wolf lying in front of the fireplace is
very Norman Rockwell." She laughed again at the look of
disappointment in his eyes when she mentioned Wolf. "Fine, you
looked pretty good in the scene too," she dimpled. He grinned back
at her and then she heard her cell phone ringing in the
kitchen.
"I'll get it for you." He was glad the phone
rang. He needed a couple of minutes to control his wolf. Maybe he
should call Jessica over so he'd have a distraction.
"Thanks, it's probably my parents wishing me
a happy birthday." She looked at the phone as he handed it to her
guess was confirmed.
"Hi mom."
"Happy birthday, darling."
"Thanks. How are you and dad doing? Is the
weather treating you right down there?"
"It's just beautiful. We know you're busy at
work, but we had to call and wish you a good day. Sorry we aren't
there to celebrate the big 3-0."
"Thanks Mom. Actually, I'm not at work today.
I'm taking the day off." She really wanted to tell her Mom about
Garrett, but he was sitting one foot away and she was embarrassed
to talk about him in his presence.
"You what! Are you all right? You never take
time off. Where are you?"
"I'm fine, really. I can explain more later.
I'm at a friend's house." she heard him growl and looked up. The
look on his face was priceless. It was one of sadness, frustration,
and longing. "Well, actually, he's more than a friend." He started
smiling and she knew he wouldn't mind her saying more. "I met
someone, mom, and he's amazing. His name is Garrett and I know you
guys will love him."
"It's about time! I'm so happy for you,
darling. When we're back in town we definitely want to meet him
pronto."
He was waving his arm as if he wanted the
phone.
He wants to talk with my parents?
"Ummm Mom, actually
he'd like to talk with you if that's alright?"
"Of course! I'd love to speak with him, put
him on."
She handed the phone over with a wrinkle on
her brow, not sure what he would talk to them about. He took it,
brushed his lips against hers, and walked out of the room. She
couldn't believe it; he just left the room while talking to her
parents. What was he up to? He returned fifteen minutes later and
handed the phone back.
"Mom, what was that about?"
"He just wanted to chat with us. He sounds
like a very nice man and we're excited to meet him. We won't keep
you any longer. Have a wonderful day; I know you will in Garrett's
care. We'll see you soon and we love you."
"Love you too." She looked at her phone as
they ended the call, perplexed by the turn of events. Looking at
Garrett she asked, "What did you say to them? Sounds like you
already won them over, too."
"I wanted them to know a little bit about me
and make my intentions clear."
"You're intentions?" she squeaked
"Yes." he chuckled. "Would you like to know a
bit more about our Kismet connection and what it means?" he asked
while sitting down in front of her once again.
"Yes, can you explain the overwhelming
emotion thing? I'm assuming it was your anger I felt while I was
being held captive."
Garrett's face shadowed with sorrow. "I'm
sorry you felt that Riley. I wasn't able to control my wolf when I
felt your fear. I should have realized sooner that you'd be feeling
my anger. It's due to our emotional bond being created from sharing
our first kiss at the ice-skating rink." He grinned at her as they
both remembered the moment. "It grows stronger and we'll feel it
from greater distances over time. I'll be the first to tell you I
didn't believe in Kismet's until I met you. I thought it was a
bunch of bull, but when I saw you and we touched, it was
instantaneous for me. I knew you were mine, but I thought you were
human, so I couldn't tell you. I've been in a panic for the last
week, which is why I was in Maine, to ask permission from Jeremiah
and the elders to tell you."
"Jeremiah!"
"Yes. I had no idea they'd react the way they
did. The first law is never exposing us to humans. They thought you
were human and a threat to our secret." He looked down at his
hands, ashamed for his part in her pain. "You'll never know how
sorry I am you went through the kidnapping and the abuse from
Garth." His eyes darkened and he growled low as he grabbed her hand
to reassure himself she was safe. "In the shifter world it is
against the laws to touch another's Kismet without a challenge to
the death, which is why I was completely justified in killing
Garth." He growled again. "Did anyone else touch you? Did
Jeremiah?" He could feel his wolf near the surface, waiting to see
if there would be another challenge.
"No, it was only Garth. In fact, Jeremiah was
very kind to me and had ordered Garth to be kind as well. You had
your full measure of revenge." She wasn't sure how she felt about
Garrett killing Garth. She felt as if she wanted to kill him too,
but maybe that wasn't her emotions, but the emotional bond. She
remembered the cabin sprayed in blood and the prone body sans head.
Being a vet, she had a tough stomach, but she still shuddered at
the memory. "Was Garth an elder?"
"Yes. He was one of the alphas I was
petitioning for the exception."
"How did you kill him so quickly? Doesn't
that make you Alpha?"
"No, if I was fighting for a position within
a pack, then yes. A fight over a Kismet challenge is different. He
was one of ten retired Alphas that make up the elder board. Their
role is to govern over all wolf shifters and enforce the law. I was
able to kill him quickly because I lost complete control of my
wolf. I went feral." He was ashamed by the admission.
She could feel his self-loathing, the same as
she did in the cabin. She assumed losing control and being feral
was not something well regarded in the shifter world. "Thank you."
Looking into his eyes, she tried her best to convey her thanks for
him saving her. "You saved my life and probably yours by letting
your wolf take control. So thank you."
He knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms
around her. "You should have never been in such a horrible
situation. You have me to blame, not thank."
His beating heart reverberated through her
body, as if it was shaking them both. The fear, self-loathing, and
anger swelled again as he relived the moments of her kidnapping.
"Please don't persecute yourself anymore about this. I feel the
emotions too and I know how much you regret what happened, but
please know I don't blame you." As his emotions continued to flow
over her, she asked a question that had been weighing on her mind,
"Will we be able to block them so we're not always sharing
everything?"
"Yes, we'll learn that with time. I'm sorry
if my emotions are difficult for you. My wolf nature is an
extremely emotional and is sometimes hard to control," he said
sheepishly. "There is something else you need to know. Once you
become my mate, and I claim you as mine, we'll be telepathic as
well." He waited nervously for her response.
"What do you mean by all of that; mate,
claim, and telepathic?" She sat back in the couch as he leaned back
and sat on the coffee table again.
"We are Kismet's; we can't live without the
other - literally. You do want to be with me don't you?" When she
didn't respond he continued, terrified of scaring her, but needing
her to know all of it. "A Kismet connection is for life. It's
normal for wolves to claim each other within a few days of finding
their Kismet because there's no reason to wait. What I mean by
claiming you is understood best as marriage in the human world,
although, permanent with us. We will be joined in body and spirit
for life; there is no separating us and all shifters will know we
are claimed because we will bear each other's marks."
She wondered if this was the reason she was
feeling so driven to be with him. Her libido was working overtime
and it was hard to keep her hands off him. She trusted him and knew
he'd be gentle with her and take good care of her. She diverted the
thoughts spinning around in her head by asking another question - a
trivial one to her. She didn't care if "Garrett's property" was
stamped on her forehead. "What kind of mark?"
"Each mated couple receives a unique, magical
mark that only magical beings can see and sense. It looks a bit
like a white, iridescent tattoo. Wolves are incredibly possessive
and protective, as you know, so this eases our minds a bit. If I
could, I'd have your entire body marked with proof of our mating,"
he smiled with the admission.
"What about the telepathy? I'm not sure I
understand that fully. Is it as if we're talking out loud, or is it
ideas that are shared?"
"We will be able to read each other's minds,
so both conversation and ideas. At first, we'll probably share a
bit more than we want, but will learn to control it, the same as
the emotional bond. However, don't worry about what you share with
me. You are my Kismet and meant to be with me. I'll never judge you
for what you think - we are one. We should be able to trust each
other completely; it's a blessing of our connection."
"I think I understand." Her head was reeling.
Telepathy?
"You aren't running out the front door. Can I
take that to mean that you aren't terrified or repulsed by me?" he
smiled.
"Ha! You already know how I feel about you
with our handy emotional bond."
"Seriously sweetheart, I know you've been
through a lot and I can feel your emotions are a bit scattered. Are
you OK with all of this or do you feel you don't have an option? I
would never force myself on someone who wasn't ready, Kismet or
not."
"I know you'd never force me. That's part of
what makes you special. You're this big, tough wolf, but you have a
sensitive side too."
He dropped down on his knee and held her
hand, looking into her brilliant emerald eyes. "Riley, will you
please do me the honor of being my mate, so we'll be whole for the
first time in our lives? We'll always have a place to call home as
long as we're together." He looked hopefully into her eyes, sending
his love through the Kismet connection as strongly as he could.
Hoping it would feel as comforting to her as it did to him.
Riley was stunned. She hadn't expected a
formal proposal. Everything about this relationship was
unconventional, but now he was on one knee, proposing to her. She
knew he was the one for her and she couldn't wait to be his mate.
"Yes," she said with a smile. "I'll definitely be your mate. I feel
as if we already are." She laughed when he launched at her, picking
her up out of the chair and swinging her around in a circle before
setting her on her feet.
"Thank you, My Kismet," he exhaled in relief.
"You have no idea how honored I am to become your mate." He could
tell his eyes were glowing gold and his wolf was deliriously happy.
Bending down, he held her face between his hands and kissed her
soundly to seal the promise.
"By the way, I asked your dad if I could
marry you." He laughed when he saw her eyes widen.
"What? What did he say?"
"Yes, of course, after he asked me a dozen
questions." He smiled at her, feeling victorious.
"I can't believe he gave me away that
easily," she pouted.