Skylar’s Devotion

by Marisa Chenery

  Chapter Eleven

  It wasn’t until after everything had been taken care of that Skylar tried to get Braelyn all to himself. The midwife had arrived and taken over, declaring Roxie and her newborn daughter had managed to get through the birth with no complications. Both mother and baby had then been bundled up in another one of Bev’s cleans sheets, and Beowulf took his wife and child home with the midwife accompanying them.

  As for Braelyn’s stalker, after a phone call to Saskia explaining what had happened, Jager and Daylen had been sent over. Being an ex-cop, Daylen had put a call in to one of her friends at her old station. He’d come with another police officer who took the stalker away in handcuffs. Daylen’s friend then questioned Braelyn. Skylar didn’t know whether he wanted to shake her or hold her tight when he heard how many threatening letters she’d been sent and hadn’t gone to the police about.

  Her statement given—minus the part where he’d shape-shifted into his wolf form—the police officer had left. Jager and Daylen followed shortly behind him. That was when Skylar decided he needed to get Braelyn alone to talk to her. She had to be having a hard time accepting what he was. Every time he caught her watching him, she quickly pulled her gaze away. At least she didn’t have fear in her eyes when she did it, but her reaction didn’t reassure him too much.

  Skylar went to the kitchen where Braelyn and her mother sat at the table. That was where Braelyn had given the officer her statement. His head still hurt like a mother fucker from the blows he’d received, but he pushed the pain aside. He went to stand beside Braelyn’s chair and held out his hand. “Will you come and talk with me?”

  She shook her head. “Whatever you have to say you can do so in front of my mom.”

  Bev cleared her throat. “Braelyn, I think Skylar would be more comfortable if it was just you.”

  “But I wouldn’t be, Mom. You know what he is. It’s no longer a secret.”

  Skylar dropped his hand to his side and sat in the chair beside hers. “All right. We’ll do it your way. So now you know the truth. I’m a werewolf, and I’m over a thousand years old. And we are mated.”

  Braelyn swallowed. “Roxie said that our being mated means a part of our souls joined, and that there’s no going back.”

  “That’s true. And it’s true I knew you were the one meant for me when I first saw you crossing that street. When a male werewolf encounters the scent of his would-be mate, it jump-starts his mating urge. It’ll ride him until the mating bond is in place. And once it is, mated couples literally can’t be apart from each other unless they want to suffer separation anxiety. An hour away from your mate feels like months. Your mind will play tricks on you, making you believe something bad has happened to the other. All you’ll be able to think about is getting back to your mate.”

  “That’s why you wanted me to come with you when you had to watch over Roxie,” Braelyn said softly.

  “Yes.”

  “If that’s the case, why didn’t Roxie go through it? She wasn’t with Beowulf for at least an hour and didn’t seem to suffer for it.”

  “That’s because they’ve been mated for a little while. After a year or so, it isn’t as bad as it is for newly mated couples. Roxie and Beowulf can be away from each other for a couple hours before it starts to set in.”

  “Roxie also said she’s the special someone you know who can use the spell to turn me.”

  “It will be your choice to make. And Roxie is special. She is the foretold one and rules over all the werewolf packs. My family has trained for hundreds of years to be her Protectors.”

  Braelyn’s mother, who had remained quiet, spoke up. “That is a big decision you’ve put on my daughter’s shoulders, Skylar. I know you said you knew she was your mate when you first saw her, but I have ask, do you love her?”

  Skylar locked gazes with Braelyn. “I’ve already told her that I do, but I’ll say it again. I love her with every fiber in my being. I started to fall for her the instant I saw her. If that hadn’t been possible, my mating urge never would have kicked in. And I will continue to love her for the rest of my very long life. I’m utterly devoted to her and would do everything in my power to keep her happy.”

  “That’s all I needed to hear.” Bev pushed back her chair and stood. She kissed her daughter on top of her head. “Braelyn, hold onto this one and don’t ever let go. He’s a keeper.”

  Braelyn looked up at her mom with a shocked expression on her face. “You have no problem with Skylar being a werewolf?”

  “Honey, if it weren’t for him being a werewolf, you would more than likely be dead at the hands of that sick stalker. And the way he looks at you is the same way your father looks at me. He truly loves you. Also considering this mating bond he talked about is more permanent than a marriage license, you’ll never have to worry about him only being with you for your fame.”

  “And what about me being turned into a werewolf? Can you accept that as well, Mom?”

  “Yes, I can. To be honest, I’m all for it. What mother wouldn’t want their child to live for a few thousand years? Heck, if it were possible, I’d be getting in line right behind you for the spell. After I convinced your father to go through with it, of course.”

  Skylar cleared his throat. “Ah, that could probably be arranged. My sister-in-arms, Saskia, her mate, Eli, was a mortal like you and comes from a big family. His twin and his sister, Billie, also took werewolves for their mates and decided to be turned. They have two older brothers and a father who have remained mortal, but Roxie offered to turn them to keep the family together. They’re all thinking about it.”

  “You would do that, Mom?” Braelyn asked. “You’d become a werewolf if I decided to go through with it?”

  “I’m not going to say I don’t find the long life aspect of it unappealing. Who wouldn’t like such a long life? We’d have to convince your father to do it, though. But that is something we can talk about later. Right now, I think it’s more important you and Skylar talk. Alone. I’m going to go clean up the mess in the living room.” Before she left them, she added, “And if you want to take him up to your bedroom to have more privacy, I won’t stop you.”

  Skylar was tempted to follow Bev out to the living room and give her a big kiss. Agreeing to the turn would hopefully make it easier for his mate to make the same decision as well. After what had happened here today, the thought of Braelyn not being a werewolf scared him. If she’d been turned, she would have been faster and stronger than the sicko who had wanted to kill her.

  He met Braelyn’s gaze. “Will you go upstairs with me? If you’re not comfortable with that, I can take you to my place.”

  She shook her head. “That would just delay things. We’ll finish our talk in my room.”

  Skylar followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Inside her bedroom, Braelyn shut the door behind them. He made a point of not sitting on the bed. He stayed in the middle of the room and waited for her to make the next move. He ached to hold her, to make love to her, but since she’d made no move to touch him since the truth about what he was had come out, he wouldn’t push her until she was ready.

  Braelyn shoved away from the back of the door she’d been leaning against and slowly walked toward him. She stopped when she stood in front of him. “So much has happened today—the stalker, you being a werewolf, and Roxie having her baby. I feel as though I should be sitting in a dark corner with my legs drawn to my chest while I rock myself, mumbling incoherently as tears run down my cheeks. But one thing is stopping me from doing it.”

  “What would that be?”

  “You. Any time I start to feel panic setting in, I look at you and remember how safe I feel in your arms. How protected. And that you’ll do anything to keep me that way. Knowing you’re a werewolf just adds to that feeling.” He went to reach for her, but Braelyn stopped him by holding up her hands. “Wait, I’m not finished yet. I know you love me, and that I love you, but I’m not exactly thrilled you mated us without telling
me beforehand.”

  He blew out a breath. “I had the best intentions in the beginning, I swear. Roxie has a set of rules she tries to impose on male werewolves who have found their mortal mates. One of them is we have to tell them what we are and what it means to be mated to us before we claim them. Unfortunately, it’s a counterproductive rule when it comes to the mating urge. Being female, Roxie doesn’t really have a clue how bad it can get. And then you booked the hotel room and I was lost, especially after you bit me on the neck.”

  “Why does my biting you have anything to do with it? And you were the one who told me to do it, I might add.”

  “A bite where the shoulder meets the neck during foreplay is the biggest turn-on for a male werewolf. And if the female bites hard enough to leave a mark behind, we like to proudly show it off so other females know we’re taken.” Skylar watched Braelyn’s gaze land on the exact spot on his neck he’d been talking about.

  She stepped a little closer until they were toe-to-toe. “You mean like this?”

  Braelyn went on tiptoe, tugged the collar of his shirt away and bit him where his shoulder and neck met, hard enough that there was no question of whether she’d marked his skin. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around her as his cock went instantly rock-hard.

  “Braelyn. God, I have to be inside you.” She bit him again, and he clutched her tighter, his cock jerking inside his pants.

  When she lifted her head, he took her lips in a bone-melting kiss. He poured all his need and love he had for her into it. She returned it with the same heat. With teeth and tongue, he deepened the contact. After coming so close to losing her, he needed the earthly affirmation of lovemaking to show him he hadn’t. He wanted to hear his mate’s cries of passion echoing in his ears as he took her over and over again.

  Breaking the connection with his mouth, Braelyn grabbed the bottom of his shirt and yanked it up. “Naked. Now.”

  With little finesse, they both managed to strip all their clothes off. Naked, they fell on her double bed in a tangle of limbs, their lips meeting once again. Braelyn pushed him on his back and then straddled his hips.

  She looked down at him. “Your eyes are glowing.”

  “It means I’m aroused.”

  “Then I’d better do something about it.”

  She reached down, took hold of his cock and held it in position as she slowly lowered herself on it. Once she’d taken him to the hilt inside her pussy, she started to ride him. Low growls of pleasure rumbled out of him as she arched her hips to take him deeper. He reached up to cover her breasts, kneading them when she put her hands on top of his.

  Faster she rode him, her inner muscles gripping his shaft tightly until he couldn’t hold back any longer. At the first flutter of her orgasm, he let out a howl and surged up one final time as his cock emptied deep inside her pussy.

  Braelyn collapsed on top of him. He put his arms around her and stroked her back when she started to shake. “Braelyn? Talk to me.” When she didn’t say anything and he felt wetness against his chest, he shifted them until he sat with his back against the headboard. He cupped her face and forced her to look at him. “Don’t cry.”

  “I was so scared,” she whispered. “My mom was right. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive now.”

  He kissed her forehead. “It’s over now, and I won’t let anything like that happen again. I am a Protector, after all.”

  She gave him a watery smile. “You might be one of Roxie’s Protectors, but you belong to me now and I’m not giving you back.”

  “I’ll make sure she knows that.”

  Braelyn wiped her eyes with her hand. “Good. Now kiss me and show me just how devoted you are to me again.”

  Skylar did just that and then some.

  Epilogue

  Skylar sat a table away from the three people he watched at a small coffee shop. Miles and Jaden were deep in conversation while Leif sat next to his mate, his stern gaze never leaving Miles. Both father and daughter ignored him.

  It had been a month since Miles had first contacted Saskia about seeing Jaden. Since then, they’d met up at least once a week in places like this coffee shop. There was no question about Miles ever being allowed near their home in Marin County. They didn’t need the risk of him seeing Roxie there and somehow figuring out she and not Jaden was the true foretold one. So far it hadn’t been a problem. Miles seemed more interested in being with his daughter than what she was supposed to be.

  Skylar pulled his gaze away from the other table when Braelyn sat next to him and put one of the coffees she carried in front of him. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. He still found it hard to believe she was actually his.

  In this past month, a lot had changed for her, besides becoming his mate. They’d both flown back to LA for her to do the couple of photo shoots she couldn’t cancel. After that, they’d come home and begun to settle into their life together. She’d allowed Roxie to turn her, as did both of her parents. It turned out Braelyn and her mother hadn’t had to do much convincing to get her father to go through with it. Once Skylar had explained everything werewolf to him and what it all meant, he’d been quick to agree since the women of his family were for it.

  “I still find it kind of surreal that I can hear Jaden and Miles’ conversation as if I were sitting at their table,” Braelyn said.

  He gave a quick shake of his head and lowered his voice. “Remember, the same can be said about them being able to hear us.” Miles didn’t know much of anything about the spell, and they wanted to keep it that way.

  “Oops, sorry.” She quickly glanced over at the others. “Do you think Leif will ever unbend when it comes to Jaden seeing her father?”

  Skylar chuckled. “I can’t see that happening any time soon. To be honest, I don’t blame him. We all know what Miles is capable of. We’d be stupid to let our guards down now that he’d decided to play nice.”

  “For Jaden’s sake, I hope he stays that way. And before I forget, you know who called and said she wants us and my parents to come over for dinner tonight.”

  The “you know who” was Roxie. She’d grown quite close to Braelyn and her mom. “All right. I just hope this time she doesn’t make me change any messy diapers.”

  Somehow, whoever was on protection duty ended up getting roped into diaper duty at some point. Not that Skylar minded all that much since he loved little Jessie as if she were his own daughter. Holding her made him want one of his own. But that would have to wait for a little while yet. Braelyn wasn’t ready and wanted a few more years of her career before they started a family and she retired to become a full-time mom.

  Braelyn laughed. “You never know. I do have to say I love watching you with Jessie.”

  Skylar turned his attention back to the other table when Leif, Jaden and Miles stood. “Time to go, it would seem. At least Leif behaved himself again.”

  There had been a few close calls during the first couple of meetings, which was understandable since Miles had taken Leif hostage not all that long ago. Skylar and Braelyn followed behind them as they left the coffee shop.

  Outside on the sidewalk, Miles hugged Jaden. From where he stood, Skylar easily saw the love Miles had for his daughter showing in his eyes. Saskia was right. Leif didn’t have to worry about her father ever trying to harm Jaden. Miles might have chosen to walk the dark side, but there was still a good part to him that seemed to come out only with his daughter. If only that could mean Miles wasn’t a total lost cause.

  Putting his arm around Braelyn’s shoulders, Skylar kissed the top of her head as they waited for Leif and Jaden to join them. When the other couple did, he started them walking toward the parking lot where they had parked. He sent up a silent pray, grateful he never had to worry about Braelyn’s father ever turning into one of the bad guys. He was just happy to have found his mate and been given the chance to share his very long life with her.

  The End

  About the Author:

  Marisa Chener
y was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.

  After trying her hand at writing historicals, she now also writes paranormals.

  Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and four children. Check out Marisa's website at www.marisachenery.com. She would love to hear from you, so drop her an email while you're there.

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