by Leela Ash
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. It’s mine. I should never have…”
“Stop!” Greyson demanded, the strength returning suddenly to his voice.
Molly jumped as his strong hand wrapped around her wrist. He looked deeply into her eyes, his handsome face serious. “I don’t want you to blame yourself for anything that has happened here. It’s my responsibility. It was my choice to bring you. But I swear, I’m going to do right by you from now on. I should never have been so stupid.”
Molly swallowed hard. He seemed so passionate about what he was saying. She wanted so badly to fall for it; to be the stupid girl who let the sweet-talking man win her over and just surrender to the blissfully uncomplicated desire of giving in to her deepest, most forbidden longing.
“I don’t think either of us should waste any time with regret,” Molly said, her voice shaking. “Let’s just see to it that you get better and hope that things will improve from there.”
Greyson nodded, his face a little bit crestfallen. Could he tell that she was still conflicted about him? It’s not that she wanted to be. Every night, she wished that their relationship could just work itself out so she could finally find peace in the unbelievably strong feelings that this man invoked within her. But sometimes things just didn’t work out like that, and she was beginning to feel like she had been stupid to ever hope for the best in a situation like this.
“Water for you, Master Bleuth. You gave us quite a scare,” Baron said, bursting suddenly into the room. Molly swallowed and backed away from Greyson so that Baron could check his wounds.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Molly said sincerely.
But that was all she was able to say.
Greyson watched her leave, unable to speak or go after her with Baron tending to him. Mollyrushed down to her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. Why were things so stupidly complicated between them? She wanted him so much, but Haley was right. She couldn’t be optimistic all the time. Some things only looked right in the harsh light of the stark cold truth.
The problem was that, so far, she had no idea what the stark cold truth with Greyson was going to turn out to be.
17.
“I don’t know about this…”
“Please. Just consider my offer. For Molly’s sake,” Greyson pleaded.
“All right… I’m going to have to consult my family. You understand.”
“Of course, Mr. Ferguson. But one last thing. If you agree, and even if you don’t, please don’t tell Molly about this. I want it to be a surprise for her. Because whether she agrees to marry me or not, I don’t want her to think that I’m just trying to buy her love.”
Molly’s father chuckled slowly in disbelief. “You’re quite a piece of work, Mr. Bleuth. But you have my word. Molly won’t hear anything about this from me either way.”
“Good. Thank you, sir.”
Greyson hung up the phone and stared off into the long rows of bookshelves thoughtfully. The idea had struck him late in the night. The Serah ceremony was set for two days from now, and he felt a little bit guilty that he hadn’t told Molly about the rehearsal. Still, he stood by his conviction. He wouldn’t marry her unless she truly wanted to be with him. There was no point in having a bride that resented him.
“Greyson?”
Greyson started at the sound of Molly’s voice. “Yes? Come in.”
Molly entered the room shyly, offering Greyson a small tray full of the little shifter concoctions that were meant to speed up healing. He smiled gratefully and moved a book from his desk so that Molly could set the tray down in front of him.
“Thank you,” he said.
She smiled at him, a radiant, beautiful smile that made Greyson’s eyes linger upon her longer than either of them were probably comfortable with.
“How are you feeling?” she asked him, sitting down in the armchair across from his desk.
“I’m feeling much better,” Greyson said, hoping she hadn’t overheard any of the conversation he’d been having with her father.
“Good,” she said. “I was really worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” Greyson said, smiling at her reassuringly. “I’m pretty strong-willed.”
“I noticed,” Molly said, laughing easily. She cut herself off and frowned suddenly. “Actually, there’s another reason I came up here.”
Greyson tilted his head, silently prompting her to proceed.
“I was just wondering what would happen if… I don’t understand the Serah ceremony. What if we go and we don’t end up getting married afterward? Is that bad?”
“It wouldn’t hurt anything,” Greyson said. “There are some things that can’t be set in stone. But I want you to know, I’m not going to force you into marrying me. I asked for a second chance, and I’m not going to mess it up. Even if you don’t want to be with me, everything will be all right. I will give Jeffers the rest of the money that he’s owed so that he won’t out your family to the authorities. And if he still tries to give you guys trouble, just tell me and I’ll take care of him.”
Molly seemed intimidated by the wolf’s willingness to jump in to violent solutions, but at the same time, he could sense that she felt relieved by it as well. However, there was something else on her mind. Greyson could tell.
“What else?” he asked.
Molly looked up at him, apparently surprised that he had noticed. She laughed quietly to herself.
“It’s kind of stupid,” she said quietly.
“What is?” he insisted.
“It’s just that… I want to do something fun. Like a real boyfriend and girlfriend would do. It seems weird that we would be engaged without even having a real date first.”
“You mean saving your life from a bunch of no-good shifters doesn’t count as a good first date?” Greyson joked. But Molly clearly wasn’t sure whether or not he was joking until he laughed. “Lighten up. What kind of things do you like to do?”
“I don’t know,” Molly admitted. “There was never much to do in the town I grew up in. It was pretty small.”
Greyson smiled. “I’ll surprise you, then.”
Molly smiled and stood up. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Greyson watched her go, his chest feeling oddly warm. She was really growing on him, more and more every day. Especially now that the wolf understood that her human boundaries were something important to respect. Sometimes, he and the wolf just had to learn how to trust each other.
Once Molly was out of sight, his mind began to race. He had planned so many dates over the past few years that it almost seemed redundant. He kind of liked not having had an awkward date night with Molly. The wolf was comfortable with her just staying at home. But she should have at least one real date with him. That was the least he could do for her.
Greyson spent the rest of the night ignoring his research and planning. If Molly wanted a date, he was going to give it to her. She would see just what kind of man he really was.
***
The next morning, Greyson dressed up in his best suit and knocked on Molly’s bedroom door. She opened it, her eyelids still heavy with sleep.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Greyson said, smiling charmingly. “I’m here to pick you up for our date.”
Confusion, then understanding, dawned on her face, and Molly laughed. “Our date? I didn’t know they could start so early.”
“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, so I guess that it worked.”
“Yes, it definitely worked,” Molly said, slowly closing the door on Greyson. “I’m going to need a little bit of time to get ready.”
“Yes, most women do. A date scheduled for 8:00 rarely begins until 9:20.”
Molly grinned and shook her head at him, and Greyson glowed as she disappeared, re-emerging about ten minutes later, looking radiant in a form-fitting white dress he hadn’t seen before. The very picture of beauty.
�
��Is this appropriate for where we’re going?” Molly asked, looking down at the dress self-consciously. Greyson turned away; he hadn’t realized that he was staring. Apparently, it had made her second guess herself.
“It’s perfect,” Greyson said, bowing graciously at her and taking her hand in his to kiss it tenderly. The air between their bodies immediately became charged with undeniable electricity, and when he glanced up at Molly, he saw that her cheeks were flushed. “You look beautiful.”
Molly slapped him away and he grinned, leading her outside. He opened the front door of his car for her pointedly and she stepped inside. It pleased him to know he was probably the first man to have ever done such a thing on a date with her before, and Molly seemed amused by the whole ordeal.
Greyson sat behind the wheel and started the car, glancing at Molly through the mirror so she wouldn’t catch him staring. He could look at her for hours. He had to admit, the wolf had impeccable taste.
“What is this place?” Molly exclaimed when Greyson finally turned the engine off. Greyson smiled at her.
“This is my favorite place.”
“I can’t believe it…”
Greyson hurried out of the car and opened the door for Molly, offering his hand to her. She took it graciously and stepped out into the beautiful golden light of the sunrise.
They walked together to the top of the flower-scattered hill that looked out over a sparkling blue stream. In the distance, rolling mountains full of sprawling green trees and forest were visible. It was the second-best view in Stonybrooke, the first being his own balcony. At least as far as Greyson was concerned.
“I know I haven’t been the best man,” Greyson said, holding Molly’s hand gently in his. “But I hope that, in time, you will learn to forgive that and see who I really am.”
Molly laughed, turning away from him as if she were embarrassed.
“I know you’re capable of better than what you showed me when I first arrived. I can feel it. And I know all about why you confronted your father. It was all for me. You are a good man at heart. There’s just something… you have no idea how badly I want this to be the right thing.”
Greyson smiled. “I understand. If nothing else, you’re going to have one good date with your mail order fiancé before you go back to your family. How does that sound?”
Molly’s eyes misted over and she nodded, biting her lip. “This whole thing is beautiful, Greyson.”
She surprised them both by turning to Greyson and hugging him tightly. The heat of her body against him instantly woke the wolf, and as he pulled away, it took every ounce of self-control he had not to taste the sweetness of her lips. He would save that for their honeymoon. If she would have him.
“Thank you,” she whispered, as if she had witnessed the inner struggle between Greyson and the wolf. “I know you can surprise me.”
Greyson nodded and walked back to the car, where he popped the trunk and pulled out a basket. “Breakfast picnic?” he suggested.
Molly laughed in delight and Greyson smiled. Even if the rest of the date was a complete dud, this was a good start. He couldn’t ask for anything more.
18.
Molly went through the day as if in a dream. Greyson was the perfect picture of charm and charisma, and she could hardly believe all of the lavish affections he was showering upon her.
The entire day was completely beautiful, and he took her all around Stonybrooke, showing her all of his favorite places and telling her, in hushed tones, about all the bad ones and what he didn’t like about them.
This was the man she had expected to meet when she’d heard him speak so briefly on the phone the day that Jeffers had gotten them in touch. It was this toneand hopeless romanticism in his voice that had made her believe, really and truly, that she wasn’t just walking into a death trap.
“And this is where I went to school as a kid,” Greyson said, slowing the car to a halt in front of a distinguished looking grey building. He allowed Molly to study it for a moment before he continued on the tour. “I had the worst teacher of all. He absolutely adored my father and gave him details of every little thing I did wrong. He probably hoped it would save him some money on his property taxes or something. Poor fucking idiot.”
Molly laughed quietly and Greyson grinned at her. “What did he have against you?”
Greyson shrugged. “I was kind of a troublemaker back in the day,” he admitted. “I made teachers’ lives really hard.”
“I can sort of picture it. I bet you were a really cute kid, though,” Molly said, chuckling at the mental image of Greyson in a little prep school uniform, wreaking havoc on serious-faced teachers with no sense of humor. He had probably been quite the terror. “It probably drove all the girls crazy.”
It was surprising how jealous the thought made her. Who knew what kind of life Greyson had led before they’d met? He could have any woman he wanted. And girls fell especially hard for bad boys. She would know, unfortunately, considering the impossible attraction toward Greyson she still fell victim to at some of the worst of times.
“I never paid any attention to the girls around here,” Greyson said with a dismissive laugh. “They were far too desperate for me. I focused my attention on researching and figuring out the best way to make my teachers’ faces turn purple.”
Molly couldn’t help but laugh at the thought and Greyson continued.
“The real goal, though, was to see if we could tempt them into letting their wolves show. Sometimes, I’d get a glimpse of the wolf’s eyes during class and I would spend the rest of the day so pleased with myself, knowing that I had some power over them that they very much didn’t want me to have.”
“You sound like you were such a brat,” Molly said, her voice still quaking with laughter.
“I could be,” Greyson admitted with a charming grin. “But that was then, and this is now.”
Molly nodded. It sure was.
“Yeah,” she said. “Now you’re a big brat. So what’s next on the agenda, Mr. Bleuth? It’s starting to get late.”
Greyson smiled. “I have the best spot of all planned for last.”
Molly’s heart tremored in excitement, and Greyson took off down the road, not stopping until he reached the city limits. He turned off the car and got out, and Molly frowned in confusion when he opened her door for her.
“Come on,” Greyson said.
She felt nervous about this. The whole forest around them was pitch black, and she clung to Greyson’s hand as he led her up, and up, until they finally stopped.
Greyson had been carrying the picnic blanket with him and laid it down on the ground. Molly looked at him fearfully.
“Here? But Greyson, I can’t see anything…”
“Shh,” he whispered into her ear, exciting every single one of her nerve endings. “Just trust me.”
She had no other choice and followed as Greyson sat down on the blanket and laid on his back.
“Close your eyes,” he said quietly. “And when I tell you to, open them again.”
Molly’s body was alive with electricity, and she hoped this wasn’t some kind of sneaky attempt at sex. But she tried her best to trust Greyson and closed her eyes tightly.
“Now!”
When she opened her eyes again, Molly gasped. The world had somehow lit up magically, and the moon above them was illuminated with iridescent colors unlike anything she had ever seen before.
All around them, fireflies came out of hiding, and their little comforting golden lights flashed around them as if they were laying amongst the billions of stars that had suddenly appeared in the lavender sky above them.
“But how?!” Molly gasped, squeezing Greyson’s hand tightly. “Where are we?”
“A special, sacred place,” Greyson whispered, his lips inches from her ear. “Known only to the most powerful of shifters in Stonybrooke. It is here that it’s rumored the shifters and the Serah stone fell from the sky. This is said to be the birthplace of my people.”
They gazed at the sight for about half an hour, neither of them saying a word. They simply held hands and enjoyed the night, until Greyson finally spoke.
“Please marry me,” he said quietly, his deep, masculine voice sending a jolt of fire through Molly’s body. She closed her eyes. There was nothing she wanted more than to claim this man for the rest of her life. If he stayed just like this, as he had been for the past week, he was truly perfect for her.
“I will,” she whispered. “If you stay like this with me.”
“I promise,” Greyson said, and his lips were suddenly on hers, their bodies toeing the sensuous line that nearly made her moan out loud in longing. She wanted to be his, officially, and see where these feelings led. But it was too soon.
“We should get back,” he said softly, helping Molly to her feet. “The ceremony…”
Molly nodded and they walked silently back to the car. She had never expected to fall for a man like this, but now that she had, she couldn’t see any other way her life could feel more complete.
***
Molly stood in her place quietly as the solemn Serah ceremony began. Deep chanting filled the room, and she kept her head bowed down toward the candle. Baron had instructed her on her place the night before, after Greyson had walked her to her bedroom and kissed her good night tenderly after their date. She got butterflies in her stomach any time she thought about it, and his proposal rang in her head again and again. Marry me. And she had agreed.
Not because it would save her family. In fact, her family was the farthest thing from her mind in that moment. She had agreed because she had sincerely started falling in love with Greyson. There was nothing she wanted more than to be his wife.
A sudden burst of light pulsed from deep within the clear spherical stone that was placed on an ornate table in the center of the platform, and all the stars began to glow the same iridescent colors that the moon had shone in the spot Greyson had brought Molly to the night before. The air was sucked from her lungs suddenly as a powerful flash of light pulsed through the circle of bodies and seemed to land inside of her, making a home of her womb and resting there. It was then that she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the powers rumored about the ceremony were real.