He shook his head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because you’re my mate.” He brushed her bottom lip with his thumb. “There was a time, a long time ago, when I looked for my mate, for the one person who was supposed to complete me, to be mine forever, my perfect match.”
“Oh?”
“I stopped when I failed to find you, and I vowed to never look again when my brother got his heart broken by his mate, but if this whole time I’ve been wrong, been worried about a nonexistent curse, then I know we’ll work out. Don’t you feel something, some kind of magic, that tells you that we’re made for each other?”
She was afraid to admit it. “I’m not the kind of witch who can see the future. I don’t have precognition, or whatever, but my heart says yes, I’m meant to be here with you.”
Then he kissed her until she melted into his arms. “I’m not going to get sick of you, Dixie, not ever, because you’re a piece of me. We’re meant to be together. Whether you want to hang out at Dire Estate, or go back to your home and play with your hoard, or travel the world to see everything possible, I’ll do it with you.”
“For a witch who spent her whole life seeking immortality, and then found no meaning, I’ve finally found it.”
“And you’ve made this grumpy bear find his missing piece.”
Epilogue
Adelle watched Dixie and Slade drive away from the coven.
The other elder witches were likely feeling regret for the fact that they’d lost the first potential new elder member they’d had in a long time.
But Adelle wasn’t.
She was truly glad Dixie chose to be with Slade. They had a good enough relationship with the Dire Bears that Dixie was considered an ally. She could come and teach if she wanted to, or she could take in an apprentice, should she want to.
It was altogether a good deal, better than nothing, and the others would get over it.
Adelle went to her desk, where the glowing crystal was laid out on a velvet satchel. She passed her hand over it.
This was it.
It was the final piece she’d need to break the curse.
She hadn’t gotten her hopes up. It had been too long for that. But when Slade Galath had walked in, she wondered if the universe was trying to make things right.
And now Adelle had the crystal she needed.
She’d finally be able to break the curse that had kept her apart from her true love.
Her mate.
Tad Galath.
Adelle covered the crystal and closed her eyes. So much time had passed.
Maybe she was someone else now. Maybe she didn’t even love him at all anymore. Maybe what she thought was love was only the memory of those emotions.
She knew she couldn’t live without knowing the truth.
But could she find him? And if she did, would he want her back? Would he believe her about the curse?
Or had he built a new life for himself without her?
There was only one way to find out.
Read Adelle and Tad’s story in The Dire Bear’s Mate (Immortal Affinity #2)! And you’ll get to find out what happens to Maeve in The Dire Bear’s Wolf (Immortal Affinity #3)!
Paranormal Dating Agency
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Thank you for reading my contribution to Milly Taiden’s Paranormal Dating Agency shared world!
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About the Author
Jessica Ripley writes “clean and wholesome” (Amazon’s words, not hers) romance, mystery, and women’s fiction. She’s lived in western New York, central Texas, and Canada (prairies and central). She loves sparkles, cats, true crime, and embarking on a new journey as a full-time writer. She writes steamier romance as Renee Hewett and young adult urban fantasy as JR De’Aeth.
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Also by Jessica Ripley
Strange Rogue Beasts
Clockwork at the Big Top
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BOOKS AS RENEE HEWETT
In Milly Taiden’s Federal Paranormal Unit world:
The Willow Rescue
Defending Her Honey Badger
In Milly Taiden’s Sassy Ever After world:
Dragon Princess: Treasured Love
In Eve Langlais’ Furry United Coalition world:
Goose and the Ocelot
The Dire Bear’s Witch Page 10