by Alice Cain
Adrian laughed and shook his head at his brother, and then moved back to lie over Tyler the way he'd been doing earlier. Except, this time he was naked.
"You've been shot," Tyler said, trying to lift up so that he could offer some sort of medical attention. Adrian simply shook his head, and eased him back to where he'd been.
"It's only a scratch." Judging by the amount of blood it was a bit more than that, but Adrian didn't seem to be in any pain. "Now where were we?" he asked with a happy grin. "Oh, yeah…you haven't answered my question."
Tyler was completely lost. Question? What fucking question?
"Marry me," Adrian repeated.
"That's not a question," Tyler said inanely, his inner English teacher taking over for just a moment.
"True," Adrian conceded, but he smiled unrepentantly. "Marry me."
It wasn't until Tyler found himself laughing at Adrian's bossy, inappropriate reaction to getting shot at that Tyler finally realized where he was—lying on the floor, jammed against a brick wall, surrounded by glass and destruction. It wasn't his idea of an idyllic proposal.
But it was somehow perfect anyway.
He wanted to say yes with every fiber of his being, yet practicalities held him back.
"But you're a werewolf," he blurted, not entirely certain that he could explain all of the problems swirling through his mind. Hell, he wanted to scream the word "yes" at the top of his lungs, but he'd never been one to deny the truth.
Life wasn't fair.
People rarely got what they deserved. Love went awry, death intervened, accidents happened. It didn't matter how much he loved Adrian, it wasn't fair to hold onto him. He was a long-lived werewolf with an important job and Tyler was just a fragile human.
When Tyler hesitated too long, Adrian started to take back what he'd said, trying to make a joke of his words.
"No, Adrian, please. Don't do that."
"It's okay, Tyler," Adrian said, leaning over to brush Tyler's hair out of his eyes. "It's a complicated situation. I get that." He leaned in to kiss him softly. "I can't give you the future you deserve. I'll find you a suitable Dom at Santutegia. You have a right to be happy, sweetheart."
"No," Tyler said sharply.
Adrian raised an eyebrow and waited for Tyler to explain.
"No, I don't want to be happy with someone else. I want you, Adrian. I want to be your husband and your sub. I don't care how complicated that is. We belong together."
"Well in that case," Adrian said with a wide grin. "Marry me, Tyler."
"Yes, Sir."
Epilogue
"The good news is that there won't be a trial," Lilly said as she walked into Adrian's office. "Brian's lawyer convinced him to plead insanity, and the prosecutor, the psychiatrist, and the judge all agree. Apparently Brian has been screaming that vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of other mythological creatures are real. I wonder where he got that idea…"
"So he'll be locked up?" Tyler asked, turning away from the computer he'd been using. With school out for a couple of weeks, Tyler had happily agreed to come into the office with Adrian whenever he needed. Adrian was technically on vacation time too, but there were just some responsibilities that couldn't be avoided. Tyler hadn't even blinked at Adrian's busy lifestyle, and had simply used the time to work on his lesson plans.
Truly when it came down to it, Adrian couldn't have asked for a partner who was better suited to him.
Lilly grinned at Adrian, apparently noticing his sappy reaction to the man he loved, and then nodded in answer to Tyler's question. "The psychiatrist diagnosed Brian as criminally insane and a danger to society, and recommended indefinite incarceration. It's very likely that if Brian ever is released, that he'll remember working for us as simply part of his delusion."
"Good to know," Tyler said with a brief shudder. Adrian quickly moved to pull his soon-to-be husband into his embrace. "Sorry, I want to be compassionate and forgiving, but the guy was willing to kill me just to hurt you. That kind of stretches my tolerance a little too far."
Adrian understood that. Even after everything he'd seen in his long life, he couldn't find it in himself to forgive the man. The fact that Brian had imagined a relationship between himself and a woman who barely knew him, and had then chosen to blame Adrian when things went wrong, were both very clear signs of mental illness, but even knowing those facts Adrian couldn't set his anger aside. The man had tried to take Tyler from him.
Tyler was human so they had a limited time together, anyway, but Adrian was hoping for decades not a few short weeks.
"So when are you going to make Tyler a werewolf?" Lilly asked casually, almost as if she'd been following Adrian's train of thought.
"You can do that?" Tyler asked in a neutral tone, not giving any indication of whether he might want that or not.
"I…" Adrian hesitated. "I'm not…sure if I can. We're not exactly regular paranormals."
"So you think Anaedra gave us these gifts," Lilly said thoughtfully, "but held back the one thing that might make you happy?"
Adrian shrugged. "It sure sounds like Anaedra's style."
Lilly didn't defend the goddess who'd made their lives both better and worse since they'd met her so long ago. She just grinned more widely. "I guess you'll never know till you try it. Of course, if it doesn't work we do have a few contacts in Lupinville who could help you with that." Lilly winked at Tyler. "Assuming of course that you actually want to spend five or six hundred years with this old grouch."
"Yes," Tyler said with a warm smile. He lifted onto his toes, pressed a kiss to Adrian's jaw, and then cuddled him tighter. Adrian was sure he was wearing the goofiest grin imaginable, and judging by Lilly's smirk she was well aware of his sappy thoughts, but when Tyler suddenly stiffened in his arms, Adrian's heart damn near stopped.
"Unless," Tyler said, trying to move out of Adrian's embrace, "you're…um… It's okay if you don't… I mean…"
"Stop, sweetheart," Adrian said, placing his hand under Tyler's chin and urging his gaze up. "I want you beside me for the rest of my life, but I'll be happy with however long you want. Human or werewolf, sub or lover or partner… whatever you want, however it works. I love you, Tyler. It's as simple and as complicated as that."
Tyler grinned. "Sounds absolutely perfect to me."
Adrian nodded in agreement. It sounded pretty damn perfect to him too. After more than four centuries of living without his mate, Adrian simply couldn't imagine a future without Tyler in it.
His human, soon-to-be werewolf, soon-to-be husband grinned happily, and then lifted up to kiss him passionately. "I love you, Adrian," Tyler said softly, "and I want to spend as long as I can beside you. How long will it take to find out how to make me a werewolf?"
"Hopefully a single phone call," Adrian said, his mind already leaping forward to the question he needed to ask. He laughed out loud when he and Tyler both found themselves standing on the front porch of the alpha's home in Lupinville.
Adrian held Tyler close just in case his first time traveling via "goddess" left him kind of woozy.
"Thank you, Anaedra," Tyler whispered softly.
The goddess laughed, the unusual sound making Adrian smile.
"Who am I," she asked in a lilting tone that Adrian had never heard from her before, "to argue with absolutely perfect?"
THE END
http://alicecainromance.blogspot.com
About the Author
Alice Cain is a pen name for an experienced romance author who decided to try something a little different. Alice writes gay erotic romance in several genres including contemporary, BDSM, paranormal, and science fiction.
For the latest news and upcoming releases please visit Alice at:
http://alicecainromance.blogspot.com
Other Books by Alice Cain
Lupinville
Book 1 - Liam's Unexpected Alpha
Book 2 - Aiden's Accidental Beta
Book 3 - Cody's Eternal Sheriff
P
aranormal Novellas Approx. 33,000 words each
Alateeka Protection Services
Book 1 - His to Protect
New Paranormal Series
The Kalpattaans
Book 1 - Alien Attraction - 21,000 words
Book 2 - Alien Seduction - 29,500 words
Book 3 - Alien Desires - 31,600 words
Sci-fi Novellas
In Dreams and Darkness
Paranormal Novella - 24,000 words
Club Stunhz
Book 1 - Their Master Sam
Book 2 - Their Master Don
Contemporary BDSM Novellas Approx. 32,000 words each
Claiming His Boss
Contemporary Short Story - 12,100 words
Saving his Soldier
Contemporary Short Story - 13,400 words
http://alicecainromance.blogspot.com
Copyright 2014 Alice Cain
All rights reserved. This ebook may not be reproduced, in whole or in part (except small quotes for review purposes) by any means, digital or otherwise, without the copyright holder’s express, written permission. Unauthorized duplication and/or distribution, with or without monetary gain, are violations of US and international Copyright Laws and are subject to criminal prosecution.
Please respect the hard work of authors and their need to earn a living from their craft.
Cover art is for illustration purposes only.
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Table of Contents
His to Keep
About the Author
Other titles by Alice Cain
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