I sat there staring at the tiny band of gold stacked on top of the glittering sapphire on my finger. Mated and married in the same week. It was hard to believe, but I couldn’t help the joy spreading through me. It might seem fast to most, but Asher and I were inevitable.
“Are you guys ready to eat?” Sybil asked excitedly.
She carried a tray loaded with finger sandwiches to join the other dozens of dishes spread out for folks to eat.
It was the first official day of spring, and the trees were covered in pink blossoms and green buds, promising new life, and the splendor of warmer days to come. The three children we rescued from the GHA were playing kickball with Mitchell and Tim in the field beside the playground they’d built next to the new and improved Harbor House.
Today was the grand opening picnic and Sybil had invited half the town to celebrate. My gaze traveled over the crowd, smiling as I saw Martina mingling with the Alpha of the Macconwood Pack and his human mate. My sister’s relationship with the local Wolves had gotten much better the last few months, and I had no doubt that was due to her newfound confidence thanks to her mate.
Davian and Erryn were smiling at each other, swaying in the corner to music only they could hear. But that wasn’t unusual. I’d grown up watching those two lovebirds and wondering if I would ever get that lucky. I didn’t have to wonder anymore, though.
My own happy ever after ending was already striding towards me. Asher stood taller than most of the men there. With his head full of thick, glossy blond locks, he was easy to spot. The predatory gaze gleaming in his golden eyes had me pressing my thighs together tightly in the tight jeans I was wearing. Asher loved me in denim. And he loved me more when I wore nothing, which was probably why I was completely obsessed with the man.
“Hotshot,” he growled, wrapping his arm around my waist, and pressing me tight to his hard body.
“I think I like it better when you call me Vixen. Or Baby,” I said, teasing him.
“Do you, now? Well, I might be able to arrange that,” he growled, nipping my lip between his teeth before soothing the minor ache with his tongue.
Sexy beast. My mate.
“Knock it off, you two, there are children here,” Sybil mock scolded as she filled a plate with food and turned to hand it to one of the guests.
I rolled my eyes before turning to face her while still wrapped up in my mate's arms. If there was one thing you had to understand about Asher, the man was completely immovable unless he wanted to be moved.
“Better?” I asked, but she wasn’t paying attention anymore and I felt put out for moving at all.
Oh well. I leaned back into Asher’s powerful body, I smiled as I felt his purr vibrating through my body, and straight to my damn ovaries. Speaking of which, I had things to discuss with my gorgeous, sexy mate.
“What is it?” he asked, intuitively knowing when something was up.
“Um,” I said, not really knowing where to start.
It was a touchy subject for me, and one we hadn’t brought up since that night at The Thirsty Dog. In fact, we’d been so busy with the claiming and biting and reassuring one another that we were safe, whole, and together, we’d kinda been avoiding the things that broke us apart however briefly.
“Let’s go over here,” I said, pulling him towards my lab away from work.
I’d decided to keep the shed Mitchell had built for me with the help of a local White Witch, Sherry Morgan-McAllister, who’d used her magic to protect it and make it the kind of place I could work. It was the place where Asher and I had holed up until I managed to create the antidote that brought him back to me. The place where we’d both claimed each other so thoroughly, I’d had a tough time walking for days.
Worth it. Definitely worth it.
“Baby, tell me what’s going on,” Asher said, and I could feel his anxiety rise.
“Nothing bad,” I said, and pushed him down on the sofa.
I needed him to sit and listen. I was a bundle of nerves, and I couldn’t stand still. So, I paced in front of him, aware of his gold eyes racking my every move.
“Okay, this is kind of something we haven’t talked about, but um, well, do you remember that night at The Thirsty Dog—”
“Of course, I remember.,” he grumbled.
“But do you remember what we were talking about?” I asked, biting my lower lip.
Asher growled, reaching out to stop my pacing with his big hands on my hips. He tugged me forwards and dragged me down onto his lap. Dropping one kiss on my head, he cupped my cheeks and looked me right in the eye.
“Baby, just tell me. You’ve got my Lion anxious as fuck.”
“Well, your mother had barged into your house and that whole business about breeding, and I told you what SCAR did to me, but when you found me, you said it didn’t matter. And that, that meant everything,” I whispered, my vision blurring.
“Shhh. It’s okay, Baby. I love you. I have everything I need as long as I have you, you know that, right? It’s all okay,” he said, kissing me before I even finished explaining.
I smiled and kissed him back for a second before shaking my head. Asher let me go reluctantly and I bit my lip.
“I’m not infertile. I mean, I don’t think I am,” I blurted. “You were right. I never tested myself after puberty, after adulthood. I always just took that report at face value. But it turns out, everything is in working order. So, someday, if you want, we can try,” I whispered, not even aware I was holding my breath until Asher’s eyes overflowed with tears and I gasped.
“Are you saying you wanna have my baby? Is that what you’re saying, Vixen?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding my head. “I’m saying I want that. I want to try for a baby with you, Asher. I love you so much. And I know you love me. Even if it turns out we can’t get pregnant, I know you will still love me. But I want to try. That is if you do,” I said, realizing I was rambling.
“Geezus woman, I love you so fucking much.”
He grabbed me them in a fierce hug, my big, beautiful mate completely undone by my whispered admission. Yes, I wanted his baby. And even more, I wanted him. He held me tightly to his chest, and I clung to him, reveling in his warmth and his strength.
I never thought I would have someone of my own. Being a foster kid, you grew up with all kinds of insecurities and abandonment issues. But I had my Clan, and my family, and now, I had him. Asher completed me in more ways than I’d ever expected. I knew most people thought my life was easy peasy and all because of my face. To some extent they were right, the world was one big beauty contest. But that wasn’t the whole truth.
Nothing was ever that easy. The world was not just black and white. Pretty people had problems, too. I had a fuck ton. But I didn’t have to shoulder them alone anymore. I had my Fox and my magic. I had people standing with me. I had my sisters. My brother. My Clan. And I had him. My mate. My one true love.
“Let’s practice for that baby you want, Mrs. Donnelly,” he growled, and I’d never heard such a sexy statement from my mate.
I stood up and turned around as Asher leaned forward, unbuttoning my jeans, and pulling them down my hips. I grinned, and he smacked my ass, making me gasp before he lifted me up and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Mine,” he growled, and I had to amend my previous thought.
Hearing Asher call me mine in a voice thick with his Lion was the sexiest thing ever. I loved being his. And I loved that he was mine.
Whatever happened, we had each other, and knowing that made everything okay. It made taking chances and facing my fears worth the risk because he was worth it. He was everything.
“Eyes on me, Baby,” he commanded, tossing me on the bed and for once in my life, my brain actually stopped functioning.
Just another thing Asher did for me. He brought me peace. He brought me quiet. And when his mouth came down on mine, I braced myself for the pleasure he was undoubtedly about to bring me.
My heart squeezed with love and my inner Fox yipped as our matebond pulsed around us. My magic danced along my fingertips, and I wrapped myself around him, welcoming, accepting, giving, and taking everything I could, everything I had.
“Love you so much,” I moaned, needing him like I needed air to breathe, and hoping with everything inside me that he felt the same.
“Love you always, my sweet Vixen.”
The end.
Did you enjoy this installment of the Witch Shifter Clan? Be sure to check out River Dragon next!