by Moira Byrne
I stopped him before he could close the door.
"Pretty much," I said as I pulled a long black piece of cloth out from the back of my belt where I'd tucked it.
His eyes gleamed. "You know, I can think of a better use for a strip of cloth."
"I'm sure you can. But for now, it goes over your eyes. I don't want to give away my surprise." I rolled it up so it made a long, thin strip.
He grinned and leaned forward so I could tie the blindfold on.
"Sophie," he purred as his hand gently touched my wrist in a light caress.
"Alexander Greenhaven," I said in a stern voice that had his hand freeze in place, "you will behave yourself. At least, for now."
His hand resumed its movement, but I slowly drew away. I hesitated a moment. We could throw my plans out the window. I could show him how I appreciate him in so many other ways.
I shook my head. No, I had to do this. I had to make amends, as Petunia had so aptly put it earlier.
I got in the driver's seat and started the car. As I backed out of the driveway, I glanced over at Alex and smiled. This was going to be so much fun.
"So, are you going to tell me where we're headed?"
"Nope."
"What if I guess?"
I grinned. "Okay, go for it. It has to be something I can answer with a yes or no though."
Alex laughed. "Game on."
As we drove, he tossed out question after question. I always answered no, even to the ones he was correct on. Before long he started to get suspicious, and I was glad our destination was close.
"Are you answering every question with a no?"
"Oh, look," I said cheerfully as I parked, "game's over. We're here."
"I can take off my blindfold?"
"No! Not yet."
He sighed dramatically but kept his hands folded in his lap. "Fine, but know that every second I'm blindfolded, I'm thinking of new and creative ways to make you squirm."
I laughed as I got out of the car. I reached his door and opened it. He sat there, his seat belt still on, hands folded in his lap.
"Unbuckle," I said. "We're here."
He shrugged and grinned. "I can't see. You covered my eyes, so you'll have to free me."
"You call this behaving?"
His grin was unrepentant. "Nope. Never said I would, either."
I laughed and leaned over him to hit the button. He took in a deep breath and nuzzled my neck as I leaned against him.
"Alex," I groaned, "you need to behave."
"No promises."
"Come on. Out of the car with you." I put my hand on the top of his head so he wouldn't knock himself as he got out, then nudged him to the side so I could close it.
I took his hand in mine to lead him and he started to rub his thumb in slow circles over my skin. I bit down on my lower lip—he could make the tiniest act feel so sensual.
"I think I like this," he said, satisfaction evident in his tone. "I should always wear a blindfold."
"Alex," I said, exasperated. "Behave."
He gave my hand a squeeze. "Believe me, I am."
I led us to the entrance of the Arboretum, excitement bubbling inside me. I met the gaze of the woman on the other side of the glass door. She grinned and nodded a greeting.
Silently, she opened the door for me. The Arboretum was usually only open during daylight hours.
Luckily for me, I had delivered the general manager's grandchild and had gotten to know the family before the baby's birth. When I called her this morning, she had been happy to help me out. We took two steps inside and Alex suddenly halted, his hand gripping mine.
"Sophie, where are we?"
"You'll see," I said.
"We're somewhere with a lot of plants. I can feel them. The only place I've been that felt like this was . . ."
"Just wait," I said keeping my voice light. "A little bit longer and you can remove your blindfold."
He lightly squeezed my hand as he moved with me. I could feel his excitement growing. We left the main building and moved into the Japanese Garden. I stopped, and Alex froze beside me. Soft string music floated through the air, joined by a flute.
"Sophie, can you take off my blindfold now?"
I sighed. "I feel like you're going to do it if I don't."
"That's a distinct possibility."
I smiled as I reached up and undid the knot. When I moved the cloth from his eyes, he blinked and looked around.
I followed his gaze as he took everything in. We stood at the entrance of the Japanese Garden. Moon lanterns hung above us, providing soft light. To the right, a man and a woman played the gentle melody floating through the air.
"What? How . . .?" Alex looked at me with furrowed brows.
"I missed going to the Moon Festival with you," I said softly.
"Why didn't you come?" he asked, his voice so unusually neutral that it alarmed me.
I opened my mouth and froze. Everything had happened so quickly. My fight with Edward. Rescuing my sister. I completely forgot to explain why I didn't show up that night. Had he been carrying that this whole time? I felt a sting of guilt.
"Alex, I'm so sorry," I began. "I truly planned to come with you. But then I ran into Emery, George, and Nadine and they said something that made me realize Edward was here, stalking me. I panicked. That was when I told you to stay away. I didn't want him to hurt you, too."
"Sophie . . ."
"Now we're here, tonight. I know it doesn't completely make up for it, but—"
"No. It's perfect."
The understanding in his eyes filled me with relief.
"How did you even make this happen?" he asked. "The Moon Festival already ended."
I grinned. "I have my ways."
I linked my fingers with his as we explored the softly lit garden together, the music flowing around us. It became a magical realm where only the two of us existed. All the plants jogged my memory of something I had seen this morning at Alex's place.
"You know," I said suddenly. "I was looking at those plants on your windowsill before I left."
"Oh?"
"They were all beautiful, but I was wondering why you haven't grown that one"
"The peony?"
"Is that what it was?"
"Mhm." He met my gaze, then glanced away, and I saw embarrassment in his eyes. "I was thinking of you when I found that seed. When I touched it, I knew it was special. But it was sick. It needed special care to thrive."
My lips curved as I saw the parallel. When he started showing up, I was hurt and wounded—not physically, but emotionally.
"I'm glad you took such good care of it."
He smiled, and my heart was so full that for a moment I couldn't breathe.
We walked in comfortable silence on the dirt path surrounded by tall bamboo. The path turned and the thick wall of bamboo cleared. A pair of trees I'd never seen before stood sentinel ahead. They were about ten feet tall, and the leaves were bright red and as big as my palm.
"What are those?" I asked Alex.
"Japanese maple trees."
When I glanced over at him, I caught my breath. His expression was relaxed, serene.
"You really like it here, don't you?"
"The plants are so happy. And I have you here beside me. That's what makes this place even more special. These are special, too." Alex reached out and gently brushed one of the Japanese maples with his hand. "They always have red leaves."
"They're beautiful."
He looked over at me, his usual grin sliding into place. "Not nearly as beautiful as you."
I knew he really meant it, but it was so cheesy I couldn't resist a tiny eyeroll. "Oh, spare me—"
Alex stopped walking to tug me in close, cutting off my protest with a quick kiss. When he pulled away, I was smiling. I pushed lightly against his chest with a laugh.
"You're ridiculous, you know that?"
"Ridiculously charming?"
"Sure, why not?"
We
shared a grin as we started walking down the path again. Nearby, I could hear the soft burble of a stream. It came into view as the path we were on led us to a bridge spanning the stream. The small sign next to it said it was the moon bridge.
We walked onto it, the logs creaking beneath our feet. Alex tugged me to a stop when we reached the center of the bridge. I looked at him and he pointed to the pond below us.
"Look, there, at the lotus."
I followed his gaze but only saw lily pads with closed flowers. I was about to ask Alex what I was looking for when, one by one, several slowly started to open.
"Are you doing that?" I whispered in wonder.
A smile of joy lit his face and he shrugged. "Sort of. This is the time of day when they bloom, but I may have helped encourage them to open now instead of later."
I shook my head in wonder. Silence fell between us as we enjoyed the magic of the moment.
"I'm glad we made it," I said.
"Me too."
"So, remember the plants at my place?"
"Yeah, I've been itching to ask you about them."
I turned to face him and his smile faded as he met my serious expression.
"Did you figure out what they all are?"
He nodded. "The stinging needles and cacti were easy to figure out. One of them threw me for a bit though. Did I see a gympie-gympie tree?"
I smiled. "You did. I wasn't sure if you'd get that one."
"Yeah, well, Granny has this weird fascination with them and has several in her private greenhouse. When I was young, I quickly learned not to mess with those things. Luckily, our plant magic is able to neutralize their poison. Why do you have one? Actually, why did you get any of those?"
"Alex, my life is dangerous," I said. I saw the alarm in his eyes and hurried to finish, rushing my words together, "but life itself is dangerous. Those plants at my house are there for you."
"I don't understand," he said.
"You can use them to protect those you love. You may not have teeth and claws like I do, but those plants are your weapons."
His eyes grew wide and I saw hope bloom in them. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I love you, Alex." I bit my lip and searched his eyes. "I know you can protect me, just as I can protect you. I know we can make this work. Will you take me, thorns and all?"
His smile was blinding as he pulled me into his arms. He lowered his head to brush his lips against mine. "Sophie, I wouldn't have you any other way. I love you, too."
16
Epilogue
Alexander
I wove my way through the happy, laughing people, my hands filled with sloshing plastic cups and couldn't hold back my grin. I inhaled the delicious aroma of barbecue with each breath. I chuckled to myself as I thought about how different my life was compared to the last neighborhood barbecue I attended.
"Alex, there you are." Rose's cheerful voice came from somewhere in the crowd.
I craned my neck and found her pushing her way through the throng. Her red hair was down around her shoulders, but looked a bit tousled, as if someone had dug their hands in the wavy strands.
She waved at me as she pulled Maddox through the crowd. His hair looked equally mussed up. I rose an eyebrow and gave them both a cheeky grin.
"Hey, Mrs. Shepherd. How are you and Mark here doing?" I smiled as I greeted her and Maddox, my eyes flickering playfully between them.
"You're being a butthead, Alex." She swatted my arm and grinned. "I knew I'd see you here."
"Oh, really? You knew knew or simply knew?"
"Well—"
"It's the neighborhood barbecue," Maddox interrupted with a wry look at his wife. "Of course Argus is here."
"Argus? Where'd you even pull that one from?"
Maddox shrugged. "You're forcing me to get creative. So, where's your better half?"
I nodded my head to the area full of picnic tables. "Guarding the table for us. It's even more packed than it was last year."
"I know! It's crazy. It feels like Fayoak is getting busier all the time. We planned to get here earlier, but we were, um . . . delayed." A blush crept over Rose's pale cheeks.
Maddox winked at me, which only made Rose's blush deepen.
"Don't be shy, Red. We're married. It's perfectly normal to—"
"Maddox! Let's go get some food." Rose took hold of Maddox's arm and dragged him away. He looked over his shoulder with a shrug and I shrugged back with a chuckle.
I navigated the maze of people to get back to my own lovely lady. It took me several minutes of careful dodging and weaving, but I finally pushed through the crowd and saw her. My heart gave a loud thump.
I still thought she was the most beautiful creature in existence. Not that I expected that would ever change. How could it? With her dark hair, pale skin, and red lips she was my Snow White, and I would forever do my best to be her Prince Charming.
Sophie suddenly tensed and her head whipped over in my direction. Her expression was wary until she met my gaze, then she gave me a smile.
"What was that?" I asked as soon as I got close enough that we could hear each other. There were so many people chatting, I wasn't sure she'd be able to hear me over everyone else, even with her super special cat hearing.
Her smile turned sheepish. "I felt someone looking at me."
My own smile dimmed. Her old pack was still out there and I knew it worried her from time to time.
"You still think they'll come someday?"
"I'm sure they will," she admitted freely, "but I'm not as worried about it anymore. When they come, they'll get more than they bargained for."
I frowned, but she reached up to push the corners of my mouth upward.
"You're supposed to be the happy, nice one, Alex. I'm too serious and my sister is too snarky. We need you to balance us out."
"Ah, my bad." I gave her a wide grin. "Better?"
"Much better." Sophie started taking the cups from my hands when a loud laugh boomed out from a nearby table, drawing my attention. I knew from the sound alone that it was Jack.
I twisted my head to get a look at Sophie's Alpha. "What's got Jack in stitches?"
Sophie shook her head, smiling wryly as she followed my gaze. "Who knows? Someone could drop their ice cream and he'd be howling for days."
"Cats, man. Although, whatever it was, Izzy apparently found it hilarious, too."
"Tell me about it."
I turned my attention back to Sophie and her wry smile grew into a grin as she watched Izzy giggle at Jack's table. The longer I looked at her, the more I felt temptation call me.
Without warning, I slid into the bench seat and pulled Sophie in for a kiss. Her arms went around my shoulders as she kissed me back. I was starting to get lost in the kiss, our surroundings fading away, when someone whacked me on the shoulder.
"Hey, you two, there are kids around. Go get a room if you're gonna suck face."
I reluctantly pulled away from Sophie and met Aly's amused expression. There was a stroller beside her with a tray of food precariously balanced on the handles. I leaned around Sophie to smile at Aly's baby, Ana, who gurgled and kicked her legs in response.
"How did you keep that tray from falling?" I asked.
Aly grinned. "Mom magic. I swear, it's like having a baby gave me superpowers."
I rose an eyebrow. "You technically kind of have superpowers already."
"Well, I have even more now. I'm a triple threat." Aly placed her hands on her hips and looked at the sky. "Shifter, mother, and . . . master of sarcasm."
"Sarcasm is a superpower now?" Sophie asked with an amused smile.
"I'd say so."
Aly placed two heaping plates of food for us to share in the middle of the table before she sat down. The smoky smell of barbecue made my mouth water. She set down an extra plate, and I briefly wondered if someone else was going to join us.
"Which one's mine?" Sophie asked with a glance at the cups I'd brought over.
"D
oesn't matter. They're all soda."
"What? No booze?" Aly asked, aghast.
"You're nursing, Aly," Sophie said with a disappointed frown.
"Not for me. I just wanna see you and Alex get messy."
"Something tells me Alex doesn't want a repeat of the last barbecue," Sophie said with a teasing glint in her eye.
"I most definitely do not. My hangover from the last one nearly did me in."
Maddox and Rose wandered up and sat on the other side of the table, placing their heaping plates in front of them. Maddox set a small pile of extra plates in the middle of the table and I looked at them curiously. Aly was obviously expecting someone, but was Maddox as well?
I quickly glanced at Rose and saw her look at the empty seats at the table. She seemed to be counting. Had she seen, in one of her flashes of clairvoyance, that others would be joining us and told Maddox to grab extra plates?
"If I'd known you were gonna be here, I'd have grabbed some more meat," Aly said.
I eyed the two plates full of chicken and brisket dubiously. There was enough there to feed more than five people.
"I think there's plenty."
"Nah, trust me, there's not," Aly said with a laugh. "Someone's going to plow right through these plates."
"Who? You?"
Before she could answer, Charlie suddenly appeared and sat down next to Aly. I blinked when I recognized the shirt he wore, Life's a Peach, as one sold in the gift shop of The Honeyed Peach. He nodded at me, then immediately scooped some of the brisket and chicken onto the extra plate Aly had brought.
"Thanks for saving me a seat, Aly," he said with his characteristically cheerful grin.
Just then the squeal of speakers pierced the air and everyone around me, except Rose, winced and glared at the source of the sound. I wasn't bothered by it, really, but I wasn't a shifter. My hearing wasn't half as sensitive as all the cats surrounding us. I turned a bemused gaze at the people around us.
"You know," I said softly to Sophie, "it's taken me awhile to get used to constantly being surrounded by your pack. They're pretty much always nearby."
She smiled at me and shrugged. "They take the threat of my old pack seriously."
"Hey, I'm glad. Whatever it takes to keep you safe."