“Now, we wait for him to wake.” She jumps up and down a little, then kneels and presses her forehead to the ground. “By the ancient sky spirits, thank you for bringing my son home. May you bless him and my new daughter.”
A sucking noise brings her to her feet, and Saxon squeezes my hand. The door opens a fraction but rather than Pavil’s smirk, we’re greeted with a tiny hand.
Eisa sucks in a deep breath and, with trembling hands, opens the pod door wider. Toddling out like she’s always belonged there, a little girl no older than two jumps into her arms.
“Wait! Annie, get back in here. Shit, your mother’s going to kill me.”
The door to the pod swings wide as Pavil tumbles out looking for her. As soon as he sees her safe in his mother’s arms, his shoulders relax, and he sighs. “Oh, thank the stars you’re here. She’s a handful.” Eisa, tears in her eyes, is clutching the child like her life depends on it. “Mother, don’t cry.”
He lumbers over to hug her and she shakes him off, motioning for him to grab the Roshini cloth. Once he does, she wraps it around the little girl’s shoulders. “I am not crying. There is something in my eye.”
Pavil laughs. “I’m sure there is. My mistake.”
“She is so beautiful, Pavil. The ancients themselves could not have made a more perfect youngling.”
“That was all her mother’s doing. My contribution lasted a mere second.”
Saxon snorts as Eisa narrows her eyes. “I see some things have not changed.”
“Much to my mate’s detriment, no. I still offer a bounty of jokes. Thank the ancient sky spirits, she chose to love me anyway.” For the first time, Pavil notices Saxon, and if I’m not mistaken, he too gets a little bleary eyed.
All traces of humor drain from both their faces as they pull each other into a quick embrace. “It has been too long. Nearly two Earth years by my account.”
“One by ours,” Saxon answers, and the softness to his eyes is replaced by a hardened glare. “And not long enough to forget the foolish sacrifices you made.”
Pavil looks to me. “Is he still going on about this?”
“Hasn’t stopped since we left,” I answer, giving Saxon a wink.
A cacophony of frustrated groans and muffled curses float out of the pod, and my stomach sinks to my toes. I know that voice.
“How is your mate awake?” Saxon asks. “Is she not human? It took Leigh twice as long to rouse when we first arrived.”
“Oh, she is. That woman does what she wants, chemistry be damned.” He smiles and waggles his eyebrows. “She’s a reality bender, Saxon. And she’s done more than whip me into shape if you know what I mean.”
Eisa grimaces. “He knows what you mean. Unfortunately, we all do. Now bring her out here so I can meet her.”
Pavil’s gaze connects with mine a second before his mate peeks out of the pod. I run toward my best friend, nearly knocking her over in the process. Before we hit the ground, Pavil and Saxon are there to catch us.
“Anya? How? Why? Wait…you and Pavil?”
Ugh, I know that’s not her real name, but I can’t stop calling her that.
“Me and Pavil,” she says, smiling at her little girl. Eisa sets her down, and she runs for Anya.
“Hey, I’m not that bad. I only had to follow her around for two weeks before she agreed to spend time with me.”
“It was closer to three,” she says with a smile and leans in for a kiss. “He drove me insane, but I’m glad he did. He brought me out of the hell I was living and gave me Annie. He’s the best choice I’ve made so far. Most days, anyway. I still have moments where I want to backhand him.”
“Those are the days when the se—” Anya slaps a hand over his mouth to muffle the rest of the word, “is the best.”
“Watch your mouth around Annie.”
He throws up his hands. “Sorry, sorry. Seriously, come here and let me hold you. Traveling that far wreaks havoc on your body. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
She swipes a hand through the air. “I’m fine.”
“Why must you be so stubborn?” he asks, arms crossed.
“Why must you insist on coddling me?” she challenges.
Once Anya and Pavil stop bantering back and forth, he introduces her to Eisa and we all get to meet her sweet little girl. With three of them completely exhausted, our reunion is short-lived, and I opt to ride home with Saxon.
Pavil, Anya, and Annie go to Eisa’s house to recover before their welcoming since Pavil doesn’t yet have a home.
Five minutes into the drive, the reality of Anya’s arrival hits me, and I start to cry. I know I missed my sister, but in all honesty, Anya was family the second I met her, even more so than my own blood. The last year has been wonderful, but there’s been this weight I’ve carried around knowing that I left her, and for the first time in a long time it isn’t there.
Saxon pulls me over to his side of the roan and into a tight hug. Something tells me I’m not the only one who needed it, because he’s clinging to me just as tightly as I am to him.
Pavil coming back means more than just the return of his brother. It means he’s one step closer to achieving his dreams of a completed family. A family with me.
And Anya? I can’t even describe what her being here means to me.
We spend the entire trip home like that, crushed in each other’s arms. And when we arrive at our little piece of heaven and he carries me inside, an intense feeling of gratitude overtakes me.
This male, this being has given me a life I never thought to ask for.
“I love you,” I say, trying to put into words how I feel. It’s not enough, but it’s the best I can do.
“And I love you, mate.”
The bed is soft as he lays me down, and the brightly colored flowers he picked for me on our morning walk shine beautifully in the sunlight.
“These tears,” he gently drags the tip of his claw through the wetness gathering on my cheeks, “they are for joy or sorrow?”
“Joy,” I say. “Definitely, joy. I just realized today how happy you make me. I always knew, but it’s easy for it to become the norm. But to feel like this…to get to wake up to you every morning, I don’t think I could ever ask for anything else.”
“That is how I feel about you.”
I sniffle. “Yeah? You sure you won’t get tired of me?”
“Could anyone tire of living? For me, that is what you do, my everything. You give me life. The suns are brighter, my heart beats stronger, even the winds themselves seem to blow harder in your presence, and I will always feel the effects. You are the center of my universe, Leigh. Do not ever forget it.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Now, kiss me. You made promises of nakedness, and it is time for your debt to be paid.”
And so I will. Over and over. For the rest of my life.
THE END
Acknowledgments
First of all, I couldn’t do anything without the unwavering support of my husband and our family. If not for you, I’d still be typing one sentence at a time, then going back later and deleting it. I want to give a huge shout out to my wonderful editor and my team of alpha and beta readers! You guys are the best. Also, I want to thank every person who picks up Saxon and spends a little time in his world. I appreciate each and every one of you.
About the Author
About the Author
Annalise Alexis is a free-spirited mother of three who lives with her husband and kids in the heart of Texas. A huge fan of Firefly, Gilmore Girls, and anything with Jason Momoa, Annalise combines her love of all things sexy and strange by writing in several genres including: science fiction romance and paranormal romance.
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Also by Annalise Alexis
Unexpected (Her Illusian Warrior #1)
Unwelcome (Her Illusian Warrior #2)
Unmatched (Her Illusian Warrior #3)
Saxon (Shared Survival Book 1) Page 20