by R. E. Butler
“Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. You were dealt a serious blow from your family and needed time to reconcile all that. I had no excuse for not throwing myself at you the moment you came to town.”
He kissed her with a chuckle. “I would’ve loved that.”
She snuggled into his arms and sighed, feeling bone-deep happy for the first time in years. Her life of magic and familiars had been her reasons for getting out of bed. But now that she had Brody, her priorities were shifting and he was the most important person in her life. She’d do anything to make him happy, and she knew he felt the same about her. They had a lot to figure out, but they had the rest of their lives. Being with Brody was a new, exciting chapter, and she couldn’t wait to see what the future held.
Chapter Fifteen
Brody was the most content he’d ever been in his life as he and Delaney cuddled after making love. He felt utterly complete, and he knew it was all because of her. He once more wished he hadn’t been such an idiot and waited so long.
“So,” Delaney said, rubbing her cheek on his chest.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to leave, but I’m going to have to take Flora into the rescue. I can take a few days off, and I want to, but I don’t know if you’re planning to take some time off.”
“I hadn’t gotten that far in my planning yet,” he said with a chuckle. “I can take time off, but Venice can’t handle all the shifts alone, so I’ll have to get in a substitute from the county to run the night one.”
“It’s probably something you need time to plan for.”
“Yes. Were you thinking about a honeymoon type time-off arrangement?”
She lifted her head. “Kind of. But more than that, I just want to spend time with you. I feel like I wasted the last six months not taking a chance and getting to know you.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, I feel the same way.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She was so beautiful. Eyes sparkling, skin flushed a dewy pink, lips swollen from kisses.
“I need to talk to the girls, too. I want you and I to be on the same schedule, but it’s not like people are asking to come to the rescue at night.”
He frowned. “It’s going to be difficult for you to be with me.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“But it does, sweetheart. I don’t want you to have to completely upend your life.”
“We’ll work it out, okay? We’re mates. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to be with you. If I have to be a night owl, then consider it done.”
He wanted to protest, but she silenced him with a kiss, which turned into a whole lot more. He found her intoxicating on a cellular level and knew he was falling hard for her. When they came down from the heavens a second time, he decided there wasn’t any sound better on the planet than the way Delaney cried out his name when she was climaxing. And there was no sight more beautiful than her deep in the throes of passion.
She fell asleep quickly, and he held her, listening to her breathing deeply in sleep.
A soft meow sounded from next to the bed. He looked over the side and found Flora staring up at him. She let out another plaintive meow, and he leaned down far enough to scoop her up. She pussy-footed around on the bed for a bit and then curled up against Delaney, purring loudly.
While Delaney and Flora slept, he got three calls forwarded from the police station, and only had to slip away for a half hour at four a.m. to handle a situation in which a resident believed someone was breaking into her garden shed. It turned out to be a raccoon, which he lured from the shed with a toaster pastry from the woman’s kitchen. He was glad Delaney hadn’t woken while he was gone, even though he’d left a note.
It was nearly dawn when she did wake up, rolling to her back and stretching. He was checking the station’s emails and getting ready to hand the reins over to Venice.
“Morning,” she said.
“Hi, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead.
“When did Flora get up here?” she asked.
“Right after you fell asleep.”
She scratched the kitten’s ears. “Aw. She must’ve been lonely. I dreamed that you left.”
“That wasn’t a dream, I had to go out on a call.”
“Oh. Nothing bad I hope?”
“Just a case of mistaken identity,” he said, explaining about the raccoon.
With a laugh, she said, “I’m going to get coffee. You want some?”
“Sure, love.”
He finished checking the email and then put the laptop down when she returned with two mugs. She joined him on the bed. “I texted the girls. I told them I’ll be in by nine with Flora but won’t be sticking around all day.”
He nodded.
“So since you fed from me last night, you don’t have to drink blood again for a week, right?”
“Yep. Why?”
“Can I donate to you every week?”
His brows rose. “You don’t want to. It’ll be too draining for you. No pun intended.”
“But what if you gave me your blood afterward?”
“I can, but it’s not like it replenishes your blood right away. From what I know of vampires who’ve taken humans as mates, they feed from them once a month and use bagged blood the rest of the time.”
“Oh, that sounds good. You don’t drink from live people, right? It’s all donated?”
“I won’t ever drink from a live person other than you, I promise.”
“Good. I don’t want to be all jealous and possessive, but the thought of you putting your fangs into someone else’s neck just makes me feel really yucky.”
“I wouldn’t want to, trust me.”
She beamed at him. He’d feel the same if their positions were reversed.
They finished their coffee, and then she fed Mimo and Flora, before pulling Brody into the bathroom for a sexy shower. He dried off and pulled on a pair of lounge pants while she dressed in leggings and a short-sleeved top. They made breakfast together, and before he knew it, he was saying goodbye to her, Mimo, and Flora. “I’ll see you in a couple hours,” she promised.
He moved back into the bedroom so she could open the door leading outside, which now no longer had a foyer to protect the inside of the house from the morning sunlight. When he heard the door shut, he walked back and locked up, then checked in with Venice who was starting his rounds.
“I’ve been thinking,” Brody said.
“About what?” Venice asked.
“About the rescue and my house.”
“What about them?”
“Well, I need to make some major repairs to my house, but I was thinking that maybe I could just build an addition to the rescue. That way Delaney could have access to the familiars anytime she wanted, but we’d still have a place of our own that would be light-tight.”
Venice hummed. “That’s an interesting idea. There’s plenty of room on the property to build an addition.”
“I was thinking we could add onto the rescue, too, so they could take in more familiars, maybe do a total remodel while we’re at it.”
“They’d love that, I’m sure. After spending time with them waiting for that asshole warlock, I overheard some of their complaints about the building, that it’s old and needs to be updated.”
“I think I’ll talk to Delaney about it tonight.”
“When are you going to ask her to marry you?”
“Tomorrow night, so I’ll need you to cover the phones for that shift.”
“Sure thing. Are you taking a honeymoon?”
“We probably will, but not right now. I’ll make arrangements for a sub from the county to cover the night shift so you’re not stretched too thin.”
“Cool. I’m just glad this isn’t a high crime town.”
“Me, too. I’m going to turn in. Have a good shift.”
“Thanks.”
A few hours later, he was woken by the perimeter alert and knew that Delaney had returned. He’d given her the code to unloc
k the door, and he waited eagerly while she came inside. She was clearly tiptoeing, but he could hear her soft footsteps as clear as day.
She stopped in the bedroom doorway, and he lifted his head. “How was work?”
“Good. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“The alarm did, but don’t worry. I didn’t want to miss you coming back.”
“I’m glad you’re awake.” She set Mimo in his habitat on the nightstand and then stripped. She joined Brody in bed, and he felt like he could finally breathe now that she was with him.
“Everything go well?”
“It did.” She yawned. “I have some ideas for how we’re going to make this night owl relationship work out, but I’m too sleepy to talk about them right now.”
“I have some ideas, too.” He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Chapter Sixteen
The following night, Delaney got ready for their date after sunset. Brody wouldn’t tell her what they were going to do, only that she should wear boots. Which had caused her to ask him a whole bunch of follow-up questions that he’d been unwilling to answer. She liked surprises and was curious what he had planned.
She came out of the bedroom wearing dark pink jean shorts and a white top with lace details. She didn’t have any boots that didn’t have heels or pinch her toes, so she borrowed Kinsley’s hiking boots.
“You look lovely,” he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her neck.
He was wearing jeans and a dark T-shirt with hiking boots. “You look really good, too. Good enough to stay home.”
She wiggled her brows, and he laughed.
“Hell no, sweetheart. Hold those sexy thoughts for later, we’ve got a date.”
“If you insist.”
“Any other night, I’d let you do whatever you wanted to me, plans be damned, but not tonight.”
“It’s so not my fault that you’re irresistible.”
He beamed at her, his eyes dancing. “Ready?”
“Definitely.”
She picked up Mimo’s travel habitat, and they left. He drove, and while she tried to steer the conversation toward the changes she wanted to make to her schedule at the rescue, he seemed to be intent on keeping the conversation on anything except that. Which convinced her he was definitely up to something.
A few minutes later he pulled into the park and stopped the car.
“Stay put for a second,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before he got out.
He went to the back of the SUV, lifted the gate, and then he closed it. He came around to her side and opened her door.
Noticing he’d shouldered a backpack, she took his offered hand and got out.
“So, have you ever been to the park after sunset?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I always thought it was closed after sunset.”
“Well, it was until I got here. Right now I’m the only one in town who can’t enjoy the park during the day, but maybe in the future other vampires or nocturnal people will come here.”
“You didn’t open the beach after sunset, though,” she said.
“I asked Cassian about it, and he said he didn’t want people roaming the beaches at night and he’d chase any off who came there. Except, of course, for Yasmine, because she’s a water shifter. I don’t enforce the closed-after-sunset rule on the beach because Cassian is enough of a deterrent.”
“I’ll say,” she said with a chuckle. “I wonder what other types of water shifters there are.”
They walked a trail that slowly sloped upward, and she figured they were heading to the overlook.
“Well, I know about selkies like Yasmine and merpeople, and I believe there are shark and dolphin shifters, but I’ve never met any or known anyone who had either.”
“I think the merpeople are lucky because they can still talk in their shifts. The animal shifters don’t have that ability.”
“If you could be any animal shifter, what would you pick?”
“A dragon.”
“Why?”
“Because they can fly. It would be pretty neat to be able to blow fire or ice, too. How about you?”
“A big cat, maybe a lion. They’re excellent hunters and they can be quiet as hell when they’re stalking prey,” he said.
“I think you’d make a great lion.”
“And you’d be an adorable dragon. We’d make quite the pair together.”
They reached the top of the outlook. He pulled his pack from his shoulder and set it on the ground. He removed a rolled blanket from inside and shook it out, then laid it on the grass.
“Have a seat, sweetheart.”
She sat on the blanket and took Mimo from his habitat, putting him on the grass so he could explore. Brody took out a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and a plastic container. He set the container on the blanket and lifted the lid, revealing cheese, crackers, and strawberries.
He joined her on the blanket and handed her a glass. “I wanted to come up here because the view is fantastic, plus it’s a great night to see the stars.”
She glanced upward and saw the clear night sky dotted with tons of stars. “It’s beautiful.”
“You are.”
She blushed. “You’re very sweet.”
“I promise it’s just for you.”
He settled on his back and motioned for her to join him, so she did. She stretched onto her back and put her head on his shoulder. He was right—the view was amazing. She could see the lighthouse and beach from their perch at the top of the outlook as well as the lights of the homes and businesses.
“I used to love to look at the stars when I was a kid,” he said. “I had an older cousin named Suvio, and he was really into astronomy, especially the legends behind the names of the constellations. He let me tag along with him and help set up his telescopes.”
“That’s neat. I learned a little about the stars during my witch training. There are a few spells that work better under certain constellations and times of the year. Where is your cousin now?”
“He died in a skirmish between covens when I was a teenager.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. It’s unfortunately the nature of being part of a group of supernaturals that like to fight for territory. I take it that witches aren’t much for those kinds of battles?”
“Not really,” she said. “I mean, there are definitely covens that are interested in expanding their group for one reason or another. There was a coven in Georgia that battled against another for an overlook kind of like this. The overlook was in the center of a bunch of different shifter groups so it was naturally protected, but the shifters didn’t want to get involved in a witch battle, so the two covens went at each other. Eventually the ones who brought the war to the others were driven away. I also heard about a coven in California that recruited members from all over the country. They were cultivating a coven with a lot of power, but the Convention got wind of it and put a stop to their recruitment.”
“What were they worried about with that coven?”
“That they were going to try for some kind of big takeover. There’s really no reason to recruit for a lot of witches and warlocks with particular skill sets unless you’re going to do something with them. Like attack another coven or group or take over a territory. But most likely the Convention was concerned that a large, powerful coven would make a play for their own leaders and try to take over the entire country.”
“I had no idea that kind of thing happened. I guess I think of vampires as being the most attacking sort of group, but I guess each group has their own assholes.”
“For sure,” she said with a chuckle. “Covens by and large are full of good witches and warlocks who help when called upon, but normally keep to themselves and their town. We interact in instances like finding familiars or sharing resources. There are some flowers that we can’t get here for
spells, so we have them shipped from another coven, and vice versa with things that are native to our area.”
He hummed but said nothing. She listened to the waves crashing on the shore beneath them. It was so peaceful; she didn’t think she’d ever been so happy.
“What do you think that star is called?” he asked.
“Which one?”
“This one.”
He held his hand in front of her with a diamond ring pinched between his finger and thumb.
She gasped and smiled, her eyes stinging with tears.
“I wanted to see if you’d make me the happiest male on the planet and marry me. Will you be my wife?”
She turned and kissed him. “Yes!”
He put the ring on her finger, and they both sat up and hugged.
“I’m so glad you said yes,” he said with a chuckle.
“You weren’t worried, were you?” She looked at the ring, the solitaire sparkling.
“Just nervous. I wanted to have a unique proposal.”
“You did a great job, I love it. I love that we’re up here above the town and the water’s below us, and we’re all alone. It’s perfect.”
He tucked his finger under her chin, and she met his gaze. “I love you, Delaney.”
“I love you, too, Brody.”
They kissed, and she was so happy she wanted to cry or run around shouting her happiness, or both.
He pulled from the kiss and picked up the champagne, popping the top and pouring two glasses. She took one and said, “Should we toast to a happy life?”
“And finding each other.”
Their glasses clinked, and she took a sip of the cool, sweet liquid. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends and to start planning for a wedding.
“I wouldn’t mind getting married right away,” Brody said, as if he was reading her mind. “But we can have the ceremony whenever you’re like. I’m up for whatever, even eloping. There’s a vampire chapel in Las Vegas that opens at sunset. We could get married by a vampire dressed up like Dracula.”
She giggled at the idea. “I’m fine with staying here in Sable Cove. It would be neat to get married on the beach at night. We should pick a full moon night, so we’ll have a beautiful night sky.”