by Emma Dean
Chapter Seventeen
Bonnie
The next few hours were a blur.
Bonnie felt completely dazed as the bodies were taken by the witches to wherever the raven’s flock was. Part of the agreement to void the blood debt was the return of the bodies for whatever ritual the ravens did for the dead.
It was hard to focus, but she remembered Shane telling her that Kai had negotiated and now the ravens could call on them for assistance once – in a life or death situation. They were bound by oath and magic to save a raven life now.
So…all was good.
Except she’d fucking killed someone.
What bothered her the most though was how easy the choice had been. She hadn’t even hesitated when the raven shifter had his poisoned knife at Shane’s throat. The terror through the bond had been enough that she never wanted to feel it again.
In that moment as she watched him struggle – still more afraid for her safety than his own…Bonnie knew she loved him no matter how irrational it was. The bond between them wasn’t just magic and genetics. It was true harmony. Opposites didn’t always do well together, but her and Shane? He was strong where she was weak, and she was his strength when he battled his own demons.
They were so right for each other it hurt.
But what if he thought she was disgusting now that she’d killed someone?
“Bonnie?” Shane asked. “Come with me to my house?”
She didn’t ask why. Bonnie just nodded and followed him out to his truck. It didn’t matter that Amelia would be there in a few hours. She refused to be parted from Shane. His presence kept the image of the dead shifter bleeding in the snow from her mind.
The drive, getting out, walking into the house…she didn’t really remember any of it. It wasn’t until she was sitting on the toilet in the master bathroom with Shane running the water for the bath that she blinked and focused on the world around her.
“A bath?” she asked.
His sigh of relief washed through the bond and his worry hit her hard. Shane had been terrified when she’d disappeared into herself. “How are you doing?” he asked, feeling the water.
“Like I killed someone,” she stated matter-of-factly. “But your life is still worth more than his. I don’t regret it.”
And Bonnie realized that she didn’t at all. She only wished the situation had never happened in the first place.
“Shane…” This day was a sharp reminder that time was short. She needed to tell him what she felt inside even if it terrified her with how quickly it had developed. “I love you. I want this mate bond. And before you ask, no I’m not moving in with you yet. I still need to feel independent a little while longer while I accept all of this.”
For the first time since breakfast he smiled. “And I love you too, mate. You know whatever you need is fine with me.”
Hearing him say it…a shudder ran through her body as the bond strengthened and then hardened, becoming permanent.
“You’ve already accepted it?” she asked. It was the only thing that made sense. It sealed so quickly.
“I did,” Shane told her, slowly removing her boots. “The second I realized how perfect you were, how much you settled me, and made me a better person…I accepted it. But I would have waited as long as you wanted for you to accept it as well.”
He removed the rest of her dirty clothes in silence. When she was naked she looked into those mesmerizing blue eyes of his. His broad shoulders surrounded her when he picked her up and placed her in the tub.
A moment later he joined her, sitting behind her in the tub so he could wrap his arms around her. “How are you doing?” he asked again, burying his face in her hair.
“Better than I should be,” Bonnie confessed. “I think that’s part of the reason I’m so upset. Am I a monster?”
He squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her shoulder. “Surviving is ugly,” Shane murmured. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like for the ones we love. If I’d freed that raven before the Alpha killed him, Liam and Noah wouldn’t be here. It’s never an easy call to make.”
She nodded and sighed, accepting the weight of her guilt coupled with her relief that Shane was still alive because of what she’d done. “Will you make love to me?” Bonnie needed that reassurance that he still loved her, that he wasn’t disgusted by her.
“Babe, I will do pretty much anything you ask of me.”
That made her smile, and Bonnie knew that the mate bond and Shane – they were the right choice.
Shane had made love to her in the bath, washed her hair, and then gave her a massage once they got out. The warmth, his touch, and her exhaustion made her fall asleep at some point. When she woke up from her nap Bonnie was snuggled under the blankets alone.
Irked Shane would leave her while she slept again she sat up straight and looked around.
The sun was still out so she hadn’t slept away the day.
“Think I’d run off into the forest again?” Shane asked, walking into the room with a steaming cup of tea.
Bonnie scoffed. “Obviously.”
She took the tea from him gratefully and sipped. It was some kind of fragrant black tea that had a hint of peaches to it. “Thank you for this.”
Shane lounged across the bed and her eyes narrowed when she realized he was fully dressed and she was naked. “Of course, mate. Amelia is at the main house by the way. She got here early.”
Bonnie lurched forward and barely managed to not spill tea before she set it on the nightstand. There was a pile of clean clothes on the chair and she got dressed as quickly as she could, feeling a pang as she realized Shane probably had issues after she’d fallen asleep.
Turning around she eyed him as she sat down to slip on her socks. “Are you okay?” she asked. He’d been so busy taking care of her…Bonnie felt a stab of guilt.
“I’m okay,” he told her, standing. “Helping you fall asleep, taking care of the laundry, it was exactly what I needed. The threat is done and over with, you’re safe, and you accepted the mate bond. I couldn’t be happier.”
Bonnie stood and took his outstretched hand. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” Shane said, tugging her into his arms. “I really wasn’t positive you’d accept the bond. It was…not easy those days after you left.”
She smiled up at him. “Luckily you stripped naked for me in the middle of the Chinese botanical gardens.”
“Definitely lucky.” His kiss was soft and sweet. Bonnie melted into him, breathing in his scent and feeling safe and secure in a way she never really had before.
“Ready to go back to the main house?” Shane asked.
Bonnie grumbled but nodded. It was insane how much she wanted him. All. The. Time.
Shane held her hand the entire way through the house and into the mudroom. It was a little bit silly but it was also sweet. Bonnie wasn’t ready to be very far from him yet. And it would be a little while before she’d feel comfortable walking alone on the property.
“You think Kai will let me live in the main house?” she asked as she tugged on her boots.
Shane waited patiently for her. “If he doesn’t you can always stay here.”
She laughed. “You’re so stubborn.”
“So are you.”
Pulling on her jacket and gear she grinned at that. “Can’t argue with that.”
The drive to the main house was short and Amelia was running down the stairs toward her before she’d even opened the truck door. “Are you okay?” Amelia demanded, yanking her out of the cab so she could look her over.
Bonnie hugged her tight. “I’m just fine,” she reassured her. “We took care of it, and I heard Kai took care of the rest.”
Amelia pulled back and looked up into Bonnie’s face, searching for something. “I heard…what happened.”
She grimaced and nodded as they started walking toward the main house. “Yeah, but I’ll be okay. Shane is…my family.”
It was st
range to say out loud. Bonnie knew it would sound ridiculous to anyone else, but Amelia nodded her understanding.
The house was bustling as everyone cooked for dinner or did something to assist. They were a well-oiled machine. The air was more subdued than it was that morning, but there was still a sense of camaraderie and belonging.
Jacob handed a stack of plates to Bonnie like she was one of them, and warmth spread through her at the acceptance. She wasn’t a guest anymore.
Then the silverware went to Amelia and the two of them set the dining room table together.
“So I wanted to let you know,” Bonnie murmured. “I’ve decided to move out here as well. I’ll sell both condos this month. Shane wants me on the property, but I told him I needed time before we moved in together.”
If Amelia were the type, she’d be shrieking her joy, but instead she grinned at Bonnie like this was some kind of underhanded deal where they were going to secretly rule the world. “Yes! I’m glad,” Amelia told her. “It’ll be nice to have my best friend as part of the pack.”
Shane was talking to Jacob in low tones but he smiled at her when she glanced at him over her shoulder. Everything was so different than it was a few days ago when Amelia had tried to tell her about the paranormal world.
“Are you going to let Shane claim you?” Amelia asked.
“You mean make me a wolf or whatever?”
“Yeah.”
Bonnie shrugged. “I want to take the rest of this slow, but I’m not opposed to the idea. And who knows with a mate bond, maybe slow will be a few weeks, maybe a few days.”
Amelia snickered at that. “Seriously, this shit is no joke. It’s like, okay now you’re bonded forever. No big deal.”
At least she had someone else who understood her situation in all this madness.
“I accepted the mate bond,” she whispered to Amelia.
“She did and as a thank you I have a present for you,” Shane said, interrupting their girl talk.
He handed Bonnie a tiny velvet box and her heart stopped. “This better not be a fucking ring,” she snapped.
“Just open it.”
Bonnie opened it slowly, like something might jump out at her. She was surprised to see a key nestled in the box. “What’s this?”
Shane wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “It’s a key to my house. You’re welcome whenever, or not. It’s up to you.”
“Do you even lock the doors out here?” she asked, unable to help her smile, or how choked up her voice sounded when tears started to well in her eyes.
“Yes, we do. Do you want it or not you stubborn harpy?”
“Harpy!”
Amelia was laughing so hard tears streamed down her face. “It totally fits.”
Shane chuckled. “I can always take it back.”
“No, I want it,” she grumbled.
“Good.”
Someone slapped her back hard enough to sting. “Welcome to the family,” Jacob said with a laugh, carrying a plate full of food. “Now come eat.”
The others congratulated them and welcomed her as well. Bonnie couldn’t stop smiling and she was intensely grateful no one said anything about the tears still running down her face. Shane wiped them off and kissed her.
“I love you,” she murmured against his lips. “Thank you for putting up with me.”
“Anytime, babe. I am a patient man, and I get what I want,” he told her, leading her to the dining room table.
Bonnie grinned and followed him, knowing she’d found her family and her home.
Don’t miss Wolf Moon, the next book in the Blue Mountain Pack series.
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Other Books by Emma Dean
Blue Mountain Wolf Pack
Alpha Wolf
Broken Wolf
Wolf Moon
Reverse Harem Shifter Romance*
Spotted Her First
For Fox Sake
All Foxed Up
The Draga Court Series
Princess of Draga
Crown of Draga
Jasmine of Draga
Heir of Draga
Queen of Draga
Fate of Draga
Prequel – Royal Guard of Draga*
*Can be read as a standalone before or after Princess of Draga.
*All paranormal stories are in the same world - the Council of Paranormals.
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About the Author
Emma Dean lives and works in California with her husband and son. She loves romance but needed something different so Draga Court was born. With too many stories to write the schedule has been filled through 2019.
When she’s not writing she’s reading, or spending time with her family.
With publishing now at least she has an excuse for not folding the laundry ;-)
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www.emmadeanromance.com