by Angel Nyx
Emelise felt tears stinging her eyes. She’d been so afraid of letting him into her heart because she didn’t know if he wanted a commitment with her and now here he was asking her to marry him. He said the one thing that let her know it was coming from him and not his cat. This isn’t about us being mates. He wasn’t being guided by the connection of their animals. “You mean it? It’s not your cat talking? This is all you? Because, I swear to all that is holy, if this is coming more from your leopard than it is from the human part of you, Caine, I just might have to hurt you. I don't want to get married just because we're mates.” She needed to know for sure.
“I really mean it, Angel. Dis is all me. You would make me da happiest, and luckiest, man in da world if you said yes.”
Eme laughed softly. “I’m sure every man who has ever married feels the same way,” she teased before she grew serious. “Yes. It scares the hell out of me but you make me crazy too. I want all those things, too, Caine. I want to wake up with you every morning, I want to fuss at you to stop working so hard when you get caught up in your office and forget to eat.” She bit her lip a moment. “I want to watch you playing in the backyard with our children. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“WOOHOO!”
Emelise blushed clear to her hairline. She’d completely forgotten that they weren’t alone. She looked over to where Dempsey and Auguste were grinning at them. “I take it you two approve?”
“Hell yeah we do! We’ve all been waitin’ for dis’. You’re a good influence on him, Cuz,” Auguste said and Dempsey echoed him.
Emelise laughed. “That’s good to know.” As much fun as she knew the boys were having with their football game, it was getting late. “You two should get on home. It’s late.”
“Uh huh, you just want to be alone,” Auguste teased. He winked at her. “But, yeah, it is late. Dis was fun. You should come out again. We can get a few more together and have a real game,” he added to Connor, Gavin, and Jaxon.
Connor looked to Emelise. “Do you think we could do that?”
Eme smiled. “Of course. You guys will be welcome any time.”
“Cool. See you later, then,” Connor said to Auguste and Dempsey before he ushered his brothers inside. They would take quick showers before heading to bed.
Caine wrapped his arms around Emelise and nuzzled her neck. “When do you want to pack up all your tings and move dem here?”
Emelise leaned back against him and sighed. “I don’t know. I like being in my own place. When Mama was still alive, she was always so worried about something happening to me that I couldn’t bring myself to move out of the house I grew up in. The few months I’ve been here, this is the first real freedom I’ve had and it’s not going to be easy to give that up.”
“I don’t want to take your freedom from you, cher. I just want to wake up wit’ you every mornin’.” He kissed her jaw. “Dere’s no rush. We’ll go at whatever pace you’re comfortable wit’.”
“Thank you.” She turned in his arms so she was facing him. “You know, I’d resigned myself to the fact I would likely never find my mate. Living in Phoenix, there weren’t that many shifters there, other than a group of coyote shifters. Talk about an annoying group of people. They were a bunch of tricksters, I swear. It’s like they heard native tales about Coyote, in them he is a trickster who frustrates all the other spirit animals, and they decided to emulate him.”
Cain chuckled. “I’ve met a couple coyote shifters during Mardis Gras. I tink you’re right about dem emulating da spirit animal.”
“Anyway, as I was saying, I’d resigned myself to most likely never meeting my mate. Yet, here we are. It’s crazy and scary and thrilling all at the same time.”
“I know what you mean, Angel. I didn’t think I would ever meet mine either. None of da females in da Pard were my mate and as Alpha, I couldn’t just go to other Pards to search for one.”
“Am I a bad person for sort of being glad my Mama isn’t here anymore? I never would have come to New Orleans, never would have met you, if she was still alive.”
“No, cher. Or, if it does, then I’m just as bad. Come on, let’s go to bed. You’ve had a rough day.”
“Yeah. I’ve definitely had better.” She let him lead her inside and down the hall to his bedroom. She paused to check in on Sophie and Ava, then, once they were in the bedroom, she stripped and crawled into bed. She curled up in Caine’s arms when he joined her and half draped herself over him. “Goodnight,” she murmured softly.
“Goodnight, Angel.” Caine pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and caressed her side, which soothed her into slumber.
Chapter Eighteen
Emelise
The following morning, Emelise was awake before anyone. After a quick shower she called Angela at the hospital. She wanted to check on her father and ask her what the kids liked for breakfast because she didn’t want to fix something they wouldn’t eat. Once she was off the phone she headed to the kitchen to get started.
By the time everyone else was up, she’d made blueberry pancakes, sausage, scrambled cheesy eggs, hash browns, and beignets. She surveyed the spread she had set out on the table with a satisfied nod. There was coffee for her, Caine, and Connor, and juice for the others.
“Wow. That’s a lot of food.”
Eme turned to the speaker and smiled a little. “Well, there’s a lot of us to feed this morning. I called your Mom when I got up so I would know what you guys liked. Dad is doing better and will be going home later today. The doctor had originally said he might have to stay a few days for observation but they’re confident he’s on the mend enough to go home today.”
Connor heaved a heavy sigh. “Thank God.” He looked at Emelise a moment. “I wanted to thank you for inviting us to stay with you and Caine last night. I don’t think I could have taken Ava’s mind off Dad being in the hospital, not the way you did. You were really good with her.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that, Connor. We’re family. I want to get to know all of you. Yeah, it would have been nice if we’d gotten to grow up together instead of meeting now, but it is what it is. As for Ava, she’s a sweetheart.”
Jaxon and Gavin came down the hall together with Ava and Sophie following them. “Something smells good. Please tell me we have sausage?”
Eme laughed. “We have sausage, Jaxon.”
“Awesome.” Then he changed gears. “Have you talked to our Mom, yet? How’s Dad doing?”
“Yeah, how’s Daddy? Is he okay?” Ava bit her lip in worry.
Emelise went to her and knelt down so she was eye to eye with her. “I talked to your Mom before I started breakfast. I wanted to be sure I didn’t make something you guys either wouldn’t or couldn’t eat. Dad is doing much better and he’ll get to go home later today.”
Ava sniffled. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“Really and truly. Do you want me to call your Mom so you can hear it from her?”
“No. It’s okay. I believe you.” Ava brightened. “Can we see you change today before we have to leave?”
Eme had partially hoped she’d forgotten about that. “Of course, sweetie. But, we have to eat first before it gets cold.”
“Dat sounds like a good idea to me.” Caine was leaning against the opening between the living room and dining room watching them. “Breakfast smells delicious, Angel.”
“Thanks. Take a seat, guys, let’s dig in.”
There was light banter over breakfast. Mostly it was talk between Connor, Gavin, and Jaxon about the football game they’d played the night before. “I have a question.” Gavin looked to Emelise and then Caine before he continued. “Last night, when we were playing ball, did Auguste and Dempsey go easy on us because we’re human?”
“Yes and no.” Caine decided to field this one. “Dey can’t hit you as hard as dey can each other because dey could have hurt you. But when it came to ever’ting else, no, dey didn’t go easy on you. Well, besides dere speed. Dey moved a little sl
ower too, but Auguste is used to dat since he’s on da football team at school. He’s followin’ in his big brother’s footsteps.”
“Okay. Cool. I was just curious about that.”
Once the breakfast dishes were done Emelise went into the bedroom and stripped. She wasn’t going to get undressed in front of her siblings just so they could see her in her leopard form. Her fur was on the paler end of the color spectrum. It was such a pale yellow it was almost white, but not quite, and her black spots stood out as a result. When Caine opened the door for her she padded out on four legs, her movements slow to keep from scaring anyone.
Four pairs of eyes stared at her with a mixture of wonder and trepidation. It was sweet little Ava who moved first. “Wow. Can I touch her?” She looked up at Caine.
“A’course, cher. Emelise can understand you and she would never, in a million years, hurt you.”
Eme huffed softly at Ava and gently butted her with her head.
Ava giggled and began petting her. “Oh. So soft.” When Emelise licked her cheek she giggled even more.
Connor, Gavin, and Jaxon finally moved closer and touched her too. “Wow, you’re right. Her fur really is soft. This is so...weird. Cool, but weird.” Connor shook his head. “If someone had told me a month ago that I’d be petting a leopard that was also my half-sister, I never would have believed them.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Jaxon put in.
“Why don’t we let Emelise shift back? Since Miss Ava wants to see some gators, why don’t we give you a tour of da bayou?”
“Yes!” Ava hopped with excitement.
“Can I come?” Most of the other children in the Pard were boys and Sophie was lonely for another girl to play with.
“A’course you can. Run along and let your Mama know and come right back.” Caine gave her an encouraging smile.
Eme slipped into the bedroom, shifted back, and got dressed again. “I’ll grab some bottles of water to take with us in case anyone gets thirsty. And the insect repellent for those of us who don’t turn furry. For some reason, the mosquitoes don’t seem to like us very much.”
“Why do you have repellent then?” Connor gave her a confused look.
“We don’t really have a big mosquito problem in Phoenix so I wasn’t aware I didn’t need it until I’d already bought it.” Emelise shrugged. “I didn’t want to just throw it away and now I’m glad I didn’t.”
Twenty minutes later they were all settled in the boat. Ava sat on one side of Emelise while Sophie sat on the other. The boat moved slowly through the water and every now and then Caine pointed out things of interest to them. When the boat slowed even more until it was barely moving he pointed to the nearby shore. “Dat gator, right dere, we call him da grandaddy of gators.” The reptile was huge. He was easily as long as the boat they were in. “He’s a wily old ting. More den a few gator hunters have tried, and failed, to catch him.” He chuckled. “Myself included.”
“You’re a gator hunter?” Eme arched a brow at her mate because that was news to her.
“Not so much dese days, but once upon a time, I was. Almost lost a hand to one of da buggers, once. Decided I was done wit’ tryin’ to catch dem. I had other tings to worry about at da time.” Like defeating Zachary and becoming Alpha.
“Learn something new every day.”
“How do you catch an alligator?” Gavin gave him a puzzled look.
“It’s a dirty job, and a dangerous one. Dat’s all you need to know. Don’t you go tinkin’ you can catch one yourself.”
Gavin looked embarrassed. “I wasn’t. Not really. I was just curious.”
“You just keep it at dat.”
Just as they were returning to the compound Emelise’s phone vibrated. A quick glance showed she had a text from Angela. Derrick was just released and we’re heading home. You can bring the kids back any time. Thank you, again, for letting them stay with you last night.
She sent a quick text back, assuring Angela she’d enjoyed having them over and that she would bring them home soon, before she turned her attention to her siblings. “That was your Mom. They’re on their way home now so whenever you guys are ready to go, we’ll take you back.”
They returned to the house where Emelise helped Ava to pack the bag she’d brought with her. The ride back to New Orleans was quiet. Even though their father was released to go home, he was going to have to take it easy for a bit.
“Hey, guys. Did you have fun hanging out with Emelise and Caine?” Angie smiled warmly at her kids and when Ava cuddled up to her she hugged her close.
“Uh huh. Emelise invited her cousin, Sophie, over for a sleepover and we built a fort out of tents and got to sleep in it. And today, we got to go see some alligators in the swamp!” Ava grinned up at her mother. “And Emelise shifted to her leopard and let us pet her. Her fur was sooo soft, Mama.”
“I’m glad you had so much fun, Ava. Did you guys remember to say thank you?”
All four of them looked sheepish before they turned to Caine and Emelise and almost in unison, said “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I loved having you guys over.” Eme was genuine about it.
“Emelise said we can come back any time. We played football with two of her other cousins and next time we go, they said they’ll get more to play so we can have a real game.” Jaxon grinned. “It was a lot of fun.”
“I’m glad. Okay, I know you want to see your father,” Angie said and moved out of the doorway so they could go inside. “Please, come in, Emelise, Caine.”
Eme followed her inside and waited until the others were done greeting their father before she approached him. “Hey. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Me too. Angie told me you let the kids stay with you last night. I hope they weren’t any trouble?”
“No, not at all. It was fun. We’ve invited them to visit any time they want to.”
Derrick reached out for her hand and when she let him take it he squeezed it gently. “I’m glad you’re getting along with them. We’ve still got a lot of catching up to do, kiddo.”
Eme felt tears stinging her eyes and blinked several times. “Yeah. We do. But right now, I’m going to let you rest. I’ve got some stuff I need to get done.” Like call Lily and Malcolm, and hell, Julius, and fill them in on how her father was doing. She also had a couple of interviews for the soon to be open bartender position in the VIP Lounge. And she wanted to check in on Izzy Catalini. She hadn’t been able to get her, or her daughter Lexi, out of her mind.
“All right. Come by soon though, so we can talk more. I want to hear all about your childhood.”
“I will.” She leaned down and kissed his cheek before she let Caine lead her out of there.
“So...Caine proposed to me last night.” When she’d called Lily to fill her in on how her father was doing Lily had invited her over for lunch. She’d tried to wait until after they were done eating but Emelise just couldn’t keep it to herself.
Lily blinked. “Oh my Gods. You said yes, didn’t you? Wait, where’s your ring? I know that leopard did not propose and not bother to get you a ring. Alpha or not, I will kick his ass for that.”
Eme laughed. “No need to kick his ass. I’ll have my ring this weekend. He wasn’t exactly planning on asking me when he did it. He had this big, romantic plan to propose once he had the ring, but...it just kind of happened.”
“Tell me. I want the deets!”
Emelise laughed. “Well, I’d invited my siblings to stay the night because I didn’t think they should be alone. Sophie came over for a sleep over with Ava and while I got them settled down, Auguste and Dempsey came over and got into a football game with Connor, Gavin, and Jaxon. Caine was watching them when I went out on the porch. It started with him suddenly asking me to move in with him but then he dropped the bomb and proposed. It was so spontaneous and so fucking perfect. I know most women envision a big, romantic deal complete with candlelight and music, but I’ve never needed anything like that.
As long as it’s from the heart, that’s the only thing that really matters. I swear, girl, when he started talking, everything else disappeared. It was like he and I were the only two people in existence. It was...perfect.”
“I am so happy for you, Eme. I know this scares you...”
“It scares the fuck out of me,” Emelise interrupted.
“I know. Like I said, I know this scares you, but that man is wrapped so tightly around your little finger he’s not ever going to stray. You’re it for him, girlfriend.”
“What about you and Declan? Do you think he’ll ever pop the question?”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. I like to think so, when he’s ready. We’re still feeling our way around being a couple who are also the Alphas of a Pack comprised of several species of shifters. He’s also working on getting his personal security company up and running so he’s got a lot on his plate at the moment. I just have to believe that when he feels like the time is right, he’ll propose.”
“He will. Have faith. That wolf’s been hung up on you from the moment you two met. Between him and Caine, I don’t know which one is worse.”
They both snickered. “They’re probably ab out even.” Lily sighed softly. “Ugh. I’m having way too much fun just chilling here. It makes me wish I didn’t have to go to work even though I love my job.”
Emelise laughed softly. “I know what you mean. Part of me wants to blow off the interviews I have to give today, but I’ll need a new bartender soon so I have to get to it.”