I simply nodded in reply. I was speechless, and that didn’t happen very often to me. I flicked on the light in the bathroom and the small room had also been transformed. Instead of teal like the bedroom, the room was soft yellow, which fit perfectly with the beach accents of my old bathroom.
“Thank you. I’m not sure if you’re just that good, or maybe I’m that easy to read, but I needed this. Even as we were walking into the house, I was wishing we had waited for our own home, but this is perfect. You’ve shown me we can make this our own and create new memories.”
Damn it, I was getting all weepy again. I straightened my shoulders, reining in my emotions. I would not cry right now.
He stalked closer to me, wrapping me up in his arms. “You’re welcome. Make sure to thank Augie, Caleb, Aiden, and Sam, too. They all helped.”
Liam lifted me up and carried me to the bed, making me forget all about my almost breakdown a moment ago.
The sun was just setting, and with the windows open, everything was perfect. For the first time in a long while, I was able to forget my worries and think of nothing other than Liam and how happy he had made me these past couple weeks. I had kept him at arm’s length, unable to trust that we would be able to make anything work, but now I knew we had a real shot. I wanted to be his in every way possible.
His eyes caressed my body with their heated stare and, after he had his fill, he began to undress me. Slowly torturing me, but I let him have his moment. He deserved it after what he had done for me today. Once all the layers had been removed from between us, he settled on top of me, kissing up my neck and to my face before he stared into my eyes.
“I love you, Taya, and I’m going to make you mine tonight. There will be no going back after this. I’m all-in, so if you’re unsure about any of it, if it’s too much, you need to say so now.”
I dug my nails into his back and pressed tighter against him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I pressed my lips to his. “I love you, too.”
His lips crashed down on mine as he pushed into me, slowly and fervently. Passion unlike anything I had ever felt erupted within me and I couldn’t hold it in for long. Within minutes, tremors wracked my body as it reacted to his in ways I’d never felt before. Tears of joy trailed down my face as I made love to my mate for the first time, but definitely not the last of that night.
Very little sleep happened throughout the late or maybe early hours, but when I woke in the morning, I was more energized than I’d been in a long time. I rolled over to stare at Liam while he still slept. His shaggy blond hair hung loosely over his forehead. I brushed it to the side and watched the smile creep up his face.
“Good morning, Mate,” he murmured, pulling me closer to him.
“Good morning to you, too.”
His eyes cracked open. “Want some breakfast?”
“We’ll probably have to head to the pack house. I doubt Augie left any food here unless you went shopping for that too yesterday.”
“Let’s go find out.”
I rolled out of bed to find my robe. It had been shoved in one of my dresser drawers yesterday and then carried over here. I just had to remember which drawer. After four attempts, I finally located it, then wrapped it around me. Liam sat up in bed, smile firmly in place.
“You getting out of bed or did I tire you out last night?” I teased.
“I was just enjoying the view. Do you have a problem with that?”
I shook my head. “As long as I’m the only view you’re enjoying, I certainly do not.”
He leapt from the bed, lifted me up, and kissed me thoroughly before pulling back. “I promise, no other will ever interest me the way you do. You’re stuck with me for life.”
“I think I can handle that.” I smiled up at him.
We made our way to the kitchen. Augie had eggs, ham, and a few other things, so we whipped together some omelets and ate at the counter since the living and dining area were a mess from the partial move. Hopefully, we’d have it all worked out within the week. I now wanted to paint the interior of the house and maybe even the exterior, to officially make it ours. I saw a lot of home remodel videos in my future as I thought of other ways to make it home for the both of us.
More than a week had passed with little to no news. I was becoming increasingly impatient. The most important thing I had wanted to happen, had yet to come to fruition and I was going crazy. Jaye had her location locked down tight and I was losing faith that Zarai would find a way to break through before Declan decided to attack us first or disappear forever.
We also continued to poke around the pack to see if we could come up with any ideas on who might have told Declan’s crew where Augie would be. Nothing had yet to raise any red flags, making Augie think it might have just been a coincidence. Regardless, we were going to be more careful with what information we gave out and to whom, until everything was settled.
Zarai and the other witches finished with the rest of the humans we had saved. They were hanging around long enough to find Jaye and then they’d be out of here, hidden away for however long they thought was necessary. Hopefully, one day shifters and witches could work together again, but until then, I understood their reasons for staying concealed.
Liam and I had spent our spare time working on the house to keep us distracted. Nearly every wall had been repainted and every piece of furniture replaced or updated to make it our own. I was finally feeling like an adult in my own house instead of a kid still living under her father’s watch. It was freeing in ways I hadn’t expected.
I had made time to catch up with Jamie over lunch one day last week. She’d laughed at my awkward invitation, calling me out on how hard it seemed to be for me to make new friends, but she assured me that she was happy to take charge on that part of our friendship.
Later that night, we would be putting the final touches on the house. I hadn’t let anyone come over since we really started working on it. Finally, it was time to have our family over for dinner and I was getting anxious. I’d cooked ribs and let Liam handle everything else. My dad taught me from a young age how to cook any type of meat and I refused to let Liam touch the main course this time.
“Caleb called and said they’re on their way over,” Liam said as he leaned against the counter. “You ready?”
I glanced around our house and smiled. “I am. I’m glad we’re making a big deal out of this in the midst of all the mayhem. After all that’s happened, we deserve some happiness.”
I was getting sappy, but I didn’t care. I was tired of shit being poured down on us. Tonight would be full of laughter and fun with family.
There was a knock on the door and we walked toward it together. I let Liam open it and I hugged Augie before he even made it past the door frame.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” he teased.
“I’m taking full advantage of the celebrations. Deal with it,” I replied as I let him walk in, then proceeded to give my dad the same treatment. Ever since my nightmare on the way back from Colorado and having Augie get attacked, I’d become a little more attached to those I loved.
So far, it was just the two of them who had arrived. Liam left the door open as we waited for the others to show before we gave any tours of the house. Augie complained about how big our new TV was and the bar in the corner, wishing he had thought to do some of the upgrades we had.
“No takebacks. The house is ours.” I glared at him.
“After all the labor we’ve put in the last ten days, you’d have to pry the keys from our dead hands,” Liam agreed.
Augie held up his hands in mock surrender. “It’s all yours. I’ll steal it back one day when Taya becomes alpha, though. Keep it in good condition in the meantime for me, huh?”
I picked up a pillow from the couch behind me and chucked it at his face. It was my go-to move when he was annoying me. “Not cool, Augie.”
Before he could respond, Caleb, Jamie, and Aiden walked in. I had been so relieved when Augie said
we were allowed to talk to the others about the potential risk of a traitor. Augie had handled the testing of Liam’s brothers and Jamie, since we were too close to the situation. I would have been majorly disappointed if Jamie had turned out to be the traitor. I liked her and hadn’t wanted to beat the shit out of her for being a dumbass.
Caleb let out a low whistle. “Nice place, Firecracker. I’m a little disappointed there’s no red wall, but the yellow works, I guess.”
He came in for a hug first. “I’ll see about some red paintings just for you.”
I hugged Jamie next. Aiden was last, looking uncomfortable as usual. He wasn’t a hugger, so I thoroughly enjoyed each one I gave to him. “Thanks for coming,” I whispered in his ear when I wrapped my arms around him. His grunt and one-armed stiff hug were the usual response.
I could tell Aiden was getting restless with nothing productive to do and his brothers being busy with their mates. I almost felt bad for him, but I was a selfish mate and didn’t think twice about keeping Liam to myself for the time being. They’d had twenty years together. It was my time.
“One of these days, that broody exterior is going to crack, and I can’t wait to be around to see it,” I added.
“Good luck with that,” Caleb snickered. “We’ve been trying to break him for years.”
My timer for the ribs went off, and I broke away from the group to take care of the meat. Once I had them out to rest, Liam and I gave everyone a tour of the house. Augie continued to grumble. My dad smiled proudly at all we had done, and Caleb looked ready to bolt with Jamie already. Aiden continued to look bored until he was finally able to sit at the table with more food than he knew what to do with.
We’d bought the biggest table we could find when Liam and I went out looking for one. I wanted a special place where we could have family dinners without everyone from the pack interrupting. Pack was family, but sometimes it was nice to make it a smaller occasion with those closest to us. Tonight was one of those times.
After everyone had their fill, we made our way to the living room. I sat snuggled between my dad and Liam, happy as I could be, until Caleb made an announcement.
“Dad called, and we need to go home. Aiden and I bought us a few days, but nothing has been happening here and he needs our help there.”
I was not ready for this conversation. Liam still hadn’t spoken with his dad about his decision to stay here with me. My dad had been encouraging him to do so, but there hadn’t been time to make a trip back east to do it in person as Liam had wanted.
I felt him stiffen next to me, so I rubbed my hand up and down his arm in an attempt to calm him. “When are we supposed to be heading back?” Liam asked, voice rough.
“Tomorrow. We wanted to wait until after you had the house finished to tell you,” Aiden said. “Don’t worry about it. Dad is going to be fine.”
My dad reached his arm across the back of the couch and grasped Liam’s shoulder. “I agree with your brother, son. Elijah is a good man and alpha. I imagine he’s just as good at being a father. Just explain to him the situation and I know he’ll see reason.”
Liam nodded, but it was more robotic than willingly. “Yeah, sure. Everything will be fine.”
So much for having a fun-filled night with no stress. I guessed it was better than finding out an hour before we were supposed to leave tomorrow. “Dad, you don’t care if I go with them, right? We won’t be more than a couple days, I’m sure.”
“I think it’s a good idea. We can check in with Zarai tomorrow and let her know. Might be good for them to take some time off from searching anyway. They’ve been working day and night it seems.”
I nodded, taking Liam’s hand in mine. “Enough with the adulting conversation,” I said. “Let’s just enjoy tonight and worry about it tomorrow.”
“Taya’s right,” Caleb said as he stood. “Who wants another beer?”
Everyone’s hands went up in the air except mine. My dad had let Cord and I try beer when we were sixteen, but I had never been able to acquire the taste for it. The smell was awful, and our wolf metabolisms burned through the alcohol so fast that we rarely even got drunk, so I didn’t see the point.
I listened to Caleb and Jamie make plans and was inwardly jealous of how easy their relationship seemed to be. I was happy with Liam, but we still had a few more obstacles to get through before we could be as settled as they seemed to be.
Liam’s dad had it in his power to refuse his request of stepping down and not allowing him to transfer to our pack. I didn’t think he was the type of person to do so from what I had learned, but I also had only been around him a short time. Liam’s nervousness with the whole thing was not helping, either.
He seemed to have calmed down some and began to loosen up as the evening continued to go on. When the clock edged past midnight and everyone decided to leave, I was exhausted. Mentally more so than physically. After turning off all the lights, we headed for the bedroom.
Liam was silent as we got undressed and slipped into bed. I rolled over to lay my head on his shoulder, but he was back to being as tense as he had been when Caleb announced the news to go back to the Catskills.
“Talk to me,” I said softly. “You put on the appearance of not caring earlier, but I know going back is bothering you. Are you really worried your dad will deny your request?”
“No. Actually, it isn’t my dad I’m worried about at all. It’s my mom.”
I scrunched my face and glanced up at him. “Your mom? Why?”
“She’s going to kick my ass for not telling her about you sooner, but I knew if I told her over the phone, she’d tell my dad, and like I said before, this is a conversation we need to have face-to-face.”
I couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled. He was afraid of his mother. Oh, I couldn’t wait to meet her.
“Keep it up. Just wait until you meet her. You’ll understand. She raised the three of us with an iron fist. My dad had little to do in that department. He might wear the pants in the house, but she picks them out.”
“Thank you for that. This whole night I thought you were nervous about things not working out, but I am so ready to meet your mother. We’re going to have the best time, I know it.”
Liam groaned and I laughed some more. If she was anything like he just described and didn’t want to kill me for taking her son away, I had a feeling we were going to get along just fine.
I kissed him goodnight with promises that everything would be just fine before I rolled over to fall asleep. I was worried about leaving the pack when we didn’t know Declan’s whereabouts, but I wouldn’t let the bastard rule my life with fear. We would find him eventually and we would end him.
Chapter 15
The following morning, we packed everything we needed for the trip before heading to the pack house to have a late breakfast. Caleb and Jamie were nowhere to be found yet, but Aiden, my dad, and Augie joined us.
Augie nudged my side from his seat next to me. “Are you nervous about meeting the parents?”
I rolled my eyes at him. “No, I’m awesome. Why would I be nervous?”
Okay, I was a little worried, but I wasn’t going to admit it out loud. As fabulous as Liam’s mom sounded, she might hate me just because Liam loved me, and that petrified me.
“Whatever. Keep telling yourself that. I’ll leave my phone on for when you need to call me during your panic attack.”
“You’re a jerk.”
“You love me anyway,” he taunted.
I glared at him. “Only some days. Today is not one of those days.”
“Enough, children,” my dad said, interrupting our banter. “You’re giving me a headache. Hurry up and eat before you’re late. Due to the last-minute trip, you guys get to fly commercial. In coach.”
“Seriously?” I whined. We usually flew private or first-class for long distances. Wolves did not like cramped space, and being squished next to human strangers in a tin can was not good for our wolf’s sanity.
“It’s only on the way there. I have a small plane on stand-by for the way home. You’ll be fine.”
Ha! He wasn’t the one who was going to end up squeezed between two strangers while a stir-crazy wolf paced inside his head.
We finished breakfast and as we stood to say goodbye to my dad and Augie, Zarai burst into the room. As if this day couldn’t get any worse.
“We found them,” she heaved as she stood next to the counter, glancing between all of us. “They’re moving this direction and they’re not far. You need to act now, or you’ll have a battle right here at the pack.”
Visiting the Catskills and Liam’s family was going to have to wait. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad sign that I was actually calmer about facing Declan and Jaye than I was about meeting Liam’s mother.
“I’ll cancel our flights and notify Dad,” Aiden said as he walked out of the kitchen.
That statement reminded me that if Zarai hadn’t broken through Jaye’s shield, we would have been gone and the pack would have been down a lot of help. I shuddered at the thought and hoped this was once again a coincidence.
Caleb pulled Jamie closer, moving protectively in front of her. I saw the irritation at the move on her face and grinned. “We can’t let this fight reach the pack,” he said. “There are too many shifters here who can’t properly protect themselves.”
“I agree, Caleb,” my dad nodded. “But we can’t fight them out in the open. What if the humans see or, worse, get caught in the crossfire? We can’t chance that. How long do you think we have before they arrive, Zarai?”
She unfolded a map of the states, laying it across the counter. Pointing to a black dot, she said, “That’s them. If they keep moving at the same pace, then we have two hours at most.”
Shit. As far as I knew, we had no plan in place if the fight came to us. Everything had been based off the scenarios of Zarai finding them and us giving chase. My stomach turned at the thought of innocent lives being lost.
Shades of Magic (Raven Point Pack Trilogy Book 2) Page 11