by Bianca D'Arc
“I’ve never been so afraid in my life that you wouldn’t hear me and wouldn’t ever return,” he told her, bare emotion filling his deep voice.
“As long as you breathe, Adam, I will always return to you.” She leaned back a bit to look into his eyes. “I love you.”
“You do?” His expression seemed hopeful, which filled her with the same emotion. “I mean, I figured, in time… But I already feel it, so I guess it’s possible you do too.”
“Feel what, exactly?” She favored him with a squint that teasingly told him of her impatience to hear the words back.
“I love you too, Diana. I didn’t know it could happen so fast, but then, I’ve never found my mate before. I love you more than life itself, and I’m not sure I would have survived had you chosen to follow the sun.”
Well. He couldn’t speak much plainer than that. She rewarded him with a kiss, moving both arms up to tangle her fingers in the short hair at the nape of his neck.
Chapter Seventeen
How long they stood there, kissing as the sun sank below the horizon, she didn’t know, but the wash of headlights broke them apart some time later. A vehicle was heading toward them at a very slow rate of speed.
Only then did she realize there were golden-green haloed beings gathered all around them. Wolves sitting in a circle, around their Alpha…and Diana. Suddenly, being naked seemed a bit more embarrassing. She clung to Adam so the only thing everyone could see was her behind.
“It’s okay,” he crooned to her, whispering into her ear. “They heard my howl and came to find out what was wrong. I bet they’ve figured it out already, but we’ll have a formal announcement at the Pack house as soon as you and I figure out logistics. You’re the Alpha female now, as my mate. These are your people too. This is your Pack now as well, Diana.”
“It’s a lot to take in. And I’m not really comfortable with public nudity yet. Maybe I’ll never be. I never thought much about it before.” She raised her gaze to his, hoping he saw the humor in this that she did.
His broad smile was answer enough. “You’ve had a big day. Lots of changes. It’s okay. We’ll take this one giant step at a time, okay?” The vehicle had stopped a few yards away, and Diana heard a door open. Adam looked over at the big cab of the pickup truck and spoke to the driver. “Hey, Zeke, you got a blanket in your truck? My lady is learning all about her wild side today, but we’re going to take it slow.”
A minute later, an older man came over and draped a woolen saddle blanket over her shoulders. He looked at her kindly and smiled. She liked the man almost instantly.
“Shifting is always a little tricky the first time, but you’ll get the hang of it,” he told her gently, turning the edges of the blanket over to Adam’s care. “Welcome to the Pack.” The older man tipped his cowboy hat at her and stepped back as she smiled her thanks.
Adam wrapped the blanket around her the rest of the way and stepped back. He looked at the gathered wolves. “Everyone, this is my mate, Diana.”
A joyous howl lifted to the sky from the throats of a dozen or more wolves. Answering echoes sounded from farther away, and Diana felt tears gather at the beauty of the welcome. She felt the magic of their song. It vibrated through her body as she realized the enormity of what had happened to her.
Not only was she now a shifter—a firebird, like in the legends of her family—but she had gained a mate and a Pack. All in the space of a day or two. She wasn’t sure what all this would mean for the life she had led up to this point, but Diana knew Adam was fully aware of her commitment to her grandmother. Oma would be brought into the fold, too. Diana was certain of it, though she didn’t know exactly how it was all going to work out, just yet. That had to be part of the logistics Adam had wanted to talk about.
“Zeke will give us a ride back to our place,” Adam said as the howls began to fade. “We’ll see you all later at the Pack house. Tell everyone. We’re having a party,” he told the gathered wolves. As soon as they heard that, they got up and ran off, scattering to all points to do their Alpha’s bidding.
Only Zeke and his enormous pickup remained. He opened the door for Diana as Adam helped her up into the rear compartment of the crew cab. Adam followed her in, sitting in the back with her while Zeke retook his seat in the front and started the engine.
The ride home was easy. Zeke and Adam talked quietly while Diana closed her eyes. Her vision had stabilized, but she was starting to feel the stress of her exertions. She’d never flown before, and her arms and torso felt a little sore. It amazed her to think that the muscles she’d used as a bird had somehow shifted back to human and still retained a bit of soreness from the unaccustomed activity. That was kind of cool and weird all at the same time.
Adam’s arm remained around her as she snuggled against his side, and somewhere between the dirt road and the gravel driveway in front of his house, she must’ve dozed. The next thing she knew, he was lifting her out of the truck, blanket and all.
Stone carried her into the house, across the threshold, which he thought was fitting considering human traditions. She was his mate. His bride, so to speak, though they hadn’t had the official human ceremony yet. It was traditional to carry one’s bride across the threshold. He smiled as he kicked the door shut.
“First, I’m drawing you a bath,” he told her, wanting to pamper his mate to show her how much he cherished her. “You’re probably a little sore from using your muscles differently. That happens a bit in the beginning.”
“For wolves too?” she asked sleepily, seeming content to let him carry her through the house.
“For all shifters, I think,” he told her as he made his way to the bathroom. “The magic of shifting heals a lot, otherwise we’d be a lot sorer after running for miles or, in your case, flying for the first time. But the shifting magic doesn’t do it all. How do your arms feel?”
She made a little face. “You’re right. They ache a bit. And the muscles all along my sides, too.”
He bent to kiss her forehead gently. “A warm bath will help with that.”
Sitting on the closed toilet lid keeping her in his lap, he reached over and started the water flowing into the tub. He rubbed her shoulders a bit as they waited for the tub to fill. She looked so adorably tuckered out. He just wanted to care for her and make her spark again.
Tossing the blanket aside to return to Zeke later, Stone lowered her gently into the half-filled tub. Then he went to the medicine cabinet and found the Epsom salts. He added a generous helping to the water and swirled his fingers around to help it mix.
“How’s the temperature?” he asked. Her eyes were shut, her head resting against the rim of the tub.
“Perfect.” The word was a whisper of happy sound.
“Try not to fall asleep,” he told her, chuckling. “I’ll come back in twenty minutes to see how you’re doing, okay?”
A satisfied mumble was her only response. He still had the smile on his face when he left the bathroom, taking Zeke’s blanket with him. He dropped the blanket in the living room on his way to the kitchen. Once she stopped being sore, Diana was probably going to realize she was hungry. Shifting used a lot of calories.
He opened the fridge and started pulling things out. Then he picked up his phone and made a call he hadn’t been sure he was ever going to be able to make. He was calling his friend—his Alpha—Lance.
“How is she?” Lance asked without even saying hello when he picked up the phone.
“A little sore. She’s in the bath,” Stone told him.
“I saw her come back,” Lance admitted. “Is she yours?”
“Yeah. She’s my mate.” Stone found himself choking up a bit at the admission he’d always hoped to make, but had never been sure was in his future. “We’re having a little party at the Pack house later. Can you come?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lance told him. “I’m really happy for you, man.”
“Thanks.” Yeah, the emotion rising in his heart
made it hard to express himself, but he knew Lance understood. Lance had found his mate a while back and Stone had never seen his friend happier.
Ending that call a minute later, Stone made some quick sandwiches, which would keep until Diana was ready. He also had some meat ready to grill, but he’d wait to put it on until he was able to watch it. Right now, he had a mate to check on.
He found her just emerging from the cooling water. When she sensed his presence, she looked up, charming him all over again. His mate was the most beautiful woman in the world. Truly.
He plucked a big towel off the rack and opened it, walking toward her. She stepped into his embrace, allowing him to enfold her in his arms, wrapping her in the oversized towel at the same time. Rubbing lightly, he dried her arms, delivering a light massage at the same time.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, lowering his head to kiss her temple.
“Hungry!” she told him, laughing at her own words. “I feel like I could eat half of Texas right now.”
“I made a plate of sandwiches, but I’ve got meat ready to grill,” he revealed, eliciting a hungry rumble from the direction of her belly.
She pushed back and clutched the towel with one hand, using the other to push against his chest. “What are you doing here? Go grill that meat! I’ll join you as soon as I’ve dressed.”
He laughed at her urgency. “Impatient much?”
He teased her, but he understood. Shifting used a lot of energy. He was always hungry when he came back from a long run in his fur. He could only imagine what it was like for someone to fly halfway to California and back again.
He left the bathroom, still chuckling. He had his marching orders. Food. And plenty of it.
Diana found him in the kitchen. Her nose was sending signals to her growling stomach that told her a good meal was only moments away. Thank goodness. Who knew flying would make a gal so hungry?
“That smells amazing,” she said, moving to his side at the stove.
The meat was already on a platter, grilled to perfection, but he was fussing with some smaller pots on the stove, with what looked like side dishes. Vegetables and some kind of pasta dish. Apparently her man could cook. This mate thing just got better and better.
She sat down and he brought things to her. She almost lost track of how much she’d consumed, but eventually, she felt a little less like a starving carnivore and more like a human being again. He didn’t say much during her feeding frenzy, but the few times she looked at him, he had an almost goofy, indulgent expression on his face as he kept her supplied with food and non-alcoholic things to drink. Juice, mostly, which tasted sweeter than it ever had for some reason.
Everything tasted better, when she slowed down enough to actually taste what she was consuming. She wasn’t sure whether to attribute the increase in flavor to his cooking skills or to the changes that were still taking place to her body. Her vision had been first, and very obvious, but what if even her taste buds were becoming more sensitive?
“How are you doing?” he asked, sitting at the table, eating one bite of his steak to every two of hers. She consoled herself by noticing the bite-sized morsels on his fork were almost twice as big as the ones she’d cut for herself. She wasn’t a glutton or anything. She was just hungry.
Although, the raw feelings had left and she was starting to calm down. As if her metabolism was slowly starting to stabilize. The enormity of what had happened to her hit and she realized suddenly it was after dark.
“Where’s my purse?” she asked, verging on panic. Her grandmother would be worried. It was way past the time she’d expected to be home.
Adam reached back with one arm, stretching to the counter behind him, then returned with the little black purse that matched her dress in hand. He gave it to her with no comment. He probably realized why she was freaking out. He knew darn well Oma was dependant on her for a great deal.
Pushing her plate toward the center of the table to make room, she reached into the purse and pulled out her phone. No missed calls. That could be either good or bad. Either Oma was okay and didn’t need anything or she had gotten into trouble and didn’t have her phone nearby to call Diana. She hit speed dial for her grandmother’s number, praying hard.
It was picked up on the first ring and Diana felt an instant relief.
“Oma, are you okay?”
“I think that’s my question for you, pumpkin,” came her grandmother’s spry voice over the phone. “Something big happened. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine now. Oma… I… um… The firebird? It’s real.” Diana held her breath waiting for her grandmother’s reaction.
“Och. I always told you she was real. You’re the one who insisted it must be some made up story. She was as real as you or I. Now, are you saying this because you saw one or are you saying it because you are one?”
“The second.” Diana shook her head. She should’ve known. Her grandmother was always a few steps ahead of her when it came to magical stuff.
Chapter Eighteen
“Oh, my liefde schot, you’ve reclaimed the family birthright. I’m so happy for you!” Oma sounded more invigorated than she had in years. “I had a hard time interpreting what I saw for you. Flames. Lots and lots of flames. Which could have been a really bad thing, but considering our heritage, could have meant something else altogether.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Diana asked gently.
“And worry you? No. Not when I couldn’t be certain what the flames meant. It might have hindered you from the transition and I know better than anyone to not mess with Fate.”
Diana decided to let that go and turn to more practical matters. “Are you settled? Do you need help with anything?”
“I’m better than I have been in years,” Oma insisted. “I see a party in your future and it looks like that handsome wolf is glued to your side throughout.”
“Uh… That’s the other thing. Adam is…um…my mate.”
“Well, no wonder he’s staying so close to you. That boy is in love!” Oma laughed outright, with what sounded like pure joy. “I’m so happy for you. Now the other part of the vision makes sense. Tell your Adam to send someone around here to get me. I’m coming to your mating party.”
Diana noticed Adam reach for his own phone. Could he hear both sides of this conversation? She thought about werewolf senses and realized he probably could. That would take some getting used to.
“Seriously?” Diana was taken aback. Her grandmother was old and unable to get around well. She never ventured out after dark and usually went to bed early.
“Perfectly. You know, something about what happened today affected more than just you. I feel ten years younger already and I suspect the changes haven’t stopped yet.” Her grandmother paused for a moment. “Remember the second gift of the firebird?”
“Longevity for all those she loved,” Diana supplied, remembering the ancient chronicles of her firebird ancestor. Suddenly the implications hit her. “Do you mean…?”
“I think so,” her grandmother replied. “Which means it could happen for all those in your inner circle. Your mate, any kids you may have, the extended family.”
“The Pack?” Diana’s eyes widened as Adam’s gaze met hers.
“Is it a big Pack?” Oma asked.
“I haven’t met them all yet, but yes, there are a lot of them.”
“Shifters are already long-lived, but your presence will probably have an influence on them,” Oma theorized. Adam tilted his head, clearly curious. “But you’ll see what I mean when I get there. Send a car, since you have ours. Otherwise, I’d drive myself, I feel so good!”
Diana was nonplussed. What in the world had gotten into her grandmother? Was the second gift of the firebird manifesting in everyone she loved? If so, what were the implications for Adam and his Pack?
“Now, go and get ready. I’m putting on my dancing shoes,” Oma said into the stunned silence. Then she chuckled. “See you when I get there.” Om
a disconnected the call without waiting for a response.
Diana lowered the phone. “I can’t believe this.”
“She sounds good,” Adam said with a casual shrug, revealing he’d heard the other side of her call. “I’m going to send Zeke. He’s a bit older than her and he can give her a first-hand report on how you did on your first shift.”
“When you say a bit older, how much is that?” she wanted to know, her mind still stuck on the idea that shifters lived longer than humans and her newfound firebird magic might have an influence.
“Zeke?” Adam seemed to consider. “I think he’s about two hundred and fifty, give or take a few decades. I’ve never asked him.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “How old are you?”
He looked both amused and a bit chagrinned. “Honey, I’ve been Alpha of this Pack for about sixty years already.”
“You’re a centenarian, aren’t you?” she asked, feeling really out of her depth. “Adam, I’m only thirty!”
“And now, you’re the next best thing to immortal, so really, what does age matter?” He tried the charm, but her mind was exploding.
She had taken everything else that had happened today reasonably well, but this was the last straw. The enormity of the change in her circumstances was something that was going to take time to come to terms with. And her grandmother! She’d sounded so strange on the phone. So young!
Diana shook her head. Then she lifted her hands and rested her face in her palms for a moment. This was going to take some adjustment.
*
Stone arranged everything. Zeke was only too happy to go get Diana’s granny. That old wolf had been single a long time and older magical women weren’t thick on the ground. Stone suspected Zeke wanted to check out the new lady in the extended Pack first, before any of the other older bachelors got a chance. It was a wolf’s nature…to never give up looking for that perfect mate.