by Zoe Chant
She stared at him wide-eyed. Her hair was tangled from sleep and non-sleeping-activities, her cheeks pink and her lips soft and kissable. To him, she looked perfect. But he wasn’t stupid enough to think she’d feel the same way.
“Oh God,” Chloe gasped. “Now?” She winced as he nodded. “I need a shower—I need clothes…”
“Did you bring some?” It was a fair enough question, Mathis thought; it wasn’t like he would know. She hadn’t needed any since she arrived.
Chloe glared at him. “Yes. I brought a bag. I left it—in the entrance hall…”
She groaned and dropped her head into her hands as voices filtered through from the rest of the apartment.
“I don’t know what will be worse. Going out there in your clothes, or sneaking out to grab my bag while they’re not looking…” Chloe gave a tiny scream and the voices in the other room paused. Her eyes went wide. “Oh shit…”
Mathis laughed and pulled her into a kiss. She slapped playfully at his arms, but she couldn’t even pretend to fight him for long. Her lips were soft and hot against his, but not gentle. She was as hungry for him as he was for her.
Chloe slammed her palms into his chest and pushed herself away. “Damn it! Parents—shower…”
“I’ll get your clothes,” Mathis reassured her, pulling one of her hands from his chest and kissing the palm. “Take as long as you want.”
Chloe grumbled wordlessly. “You say that now. Wait until it’s next week and I still haven’t emerged.”
Mathis kissed her fingertips. “If you want to hibernate in my en-suite, I’m sure Mom and Dad will understand.”
“Oh, God. Parents.” Chloe’s eyes flickered to his. “Mathis—you know I’ve never had the whole real-family thing, and…”
“They’re going to love you.” Mathis brushed a stray strand of hair off her forehead. “Every shifter parents’ greatest wish for their children is that they find their mate. They’re going to ask me what the hell took me so long to find you, and they’re going to love you.”
Chloe’s tense expression melted into a smile. “Okay. But… shower.”
Mathis watched her skip to the bathroom, enjoying the view. They’d shared a few showers since he came home to find her in his bed, and the temptation to join her now was strong, but…
“Mathis?” Mathis winced and rubbed his forehead.
“Out in a minute, Mom!” he called back.
He grabbed pants and a shirt and slipped them on, then sauntered casually out into the living room.
His mother was lounging on the sofa nearest the window; as usual, she’d nabbed the best sun-spot in the room. His father, just as typically, was rummaging through Mathis’ fridge.
“Son!” he called out cheerfully as he spotted Mathis. “Thought I’d put on breakfast. You eaten?”
“Hi, Mom, Dad.” He knew there was no point trying to wrestle control of his kitchen back from his father; Jacques Delacourt had very strong ideas about whose job it was to provide for his family, and if he had to break into one of his children’s homes to make sure they were eating, he’d do it.
Which was one of the reasons he had a key for Mathis’ place.
Mathis’ mother, Donna, smiled languidly up at him. “Leave your father to it, dear,” she murmured.
“I know better than to get between my alpha and a hot stove,” Mathis joked back. “But—not that I’m not happy to see you—I thought we were meeting later…”
He’d always been close with his parents, but since coming back from the island he’d seen them so often he was beginning to think they wanted him to move back home. But they’d never met for anything earlier than lunch before. His mother hated early starts.
Mathis narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his parents just as the shower started in the en-suite.
Mathis’ parents exchanged a look of pure glee.
“Now this is worth getting up early,” his mother purred.
“Mom…” Mathis groaned. “Who’ve you been talking to?”
“That nice young Lance MacInnis,” his mother drawled at the same time his father said, “Harley, you know, the Ames boy.”
He stared at them both, and his mother cleared her throat delicately. “I believe I missed a call from your friend Grant this morning, too. Really, you boys are worse gossips than my shooting circle…”
“How did Grant know…” Mathis waved his own question away. From Lance or Harley, clearly. Damn it. When he saw them…
“You can bite their heads off at lunch, dear, but we did rather want to be the first to meet her.”
“And breakfast!” Jacques waved a skillet for punctuation.
“And breakfast.” Donna blinked slowly at her son. “And coffee!” she added, turning to her husband. “Remember, he keeps it in that little cupboard above the plates…”
Mathis took advantage of his parents being distracted by the possibility of coffee to dart by the entrance way and pick up Chloe’s bag. He hadn’t noticed it that first night because she’d tucked it under the coat rack.
He picked it up, and his stomach lurched. The bag was light—it couldn’t have more than a few days’ worth of clothes in it.
She wasn’t sure whether I’d want her to stay. The thought hurt, and he tightened his grip on the bag’s strap.
She knew now, though. She knew he would never leave her again.
And if he didn’t get her bag to her in the next few minutes, he knew he was in trouble.
Mathis hurried back through the living area toward the bedroom. His father waved a spatula at him as he darted past. “Herbs?”
“Garden on the balcony!”
“Aha! Fancy!”
Mathis put his head down and barreled into the bedroom before either of his parents could interrupt him. He slipped into the en-suite just as Chloe was turning off the shower.
“Oh, good, you got—” The rest of her sentence dissolved into a hum of pleasure as he pulled her into a kiss. “You got yourself wet,” she finished after a few minutes.
Mathis looked down at himself. She was right; her wet body had left some… interesting… wet marks on his clothes. “I’ll change.”
Chloe grabbed a towel and her bag, and then bit her lip. “The clothes I brought… they’re not terrible, but they’re not…”
Mathis glanced down again. His shirt was soaked—but it was also fine cotton, tailored for his body. “My family aren’t snobs. But if you’re worried about your wardrobe, we can go shopping. And if you’re not, we can go shopping anyway, because you’re going to need more clothes than there are in that bag.”
“I do need to buy something for the trial…”
“I’m going to do the buying.”
Chloe’s eyes flashed at him, her lips curling into a delighted smile. “All right. If you insist. Just—no slinky red dresses.”
Mathis grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I promise. Just yoga pants. Lots of yoga pants.”
Chloe snorted and snatched her hand back. “Oh hush.”
She was still smiling when they had both gotten dressed. Mathis folded his hand around hers. “Ready to meet my folks? Remember, hibernating in the linen closet is still an option…”
Chloe groaned. “Let’s go.”
Mathis couldn’t help the protective urge that rushed through him as he led Chloe into the living room, and he didn’t fight it. Chloe was his mate. She was his, and if his parents didn’t accept her—
He shouldn’t have worried. The moment his parents saw Chloe, they practically glowed with pride.
“Mom, Dad, this is Chloe.” He slid one arm around her waist, his lion purring as she leaned against him. “If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be alive today.”
Chloe twisted to look up at him, her dark eyes questioning. “What? You saved me.”
“I would never have made it off that island without you.” He cupped her cheek in his free hand and kissed her. “You know that, right?”
Chloe grumbled, but her cheeks went pink. Mathis’ li
on purred.
“And, Chloe, these are my parents—Donna and Jacques Delacourt.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all ours, dear. It’s so wonderful to see our Mathis happy again.” Donna smiled and, to Mathis’ amazement, actually got up out of her sun-spot to come and take Chloe’s hand. “He probably hasn’t figured it out yet, but he’s been looking for you for a long, long time.”
Mathis blinked. She was right. All those years of feeling like there was something missing, the need to find meaning in his life—it was Chloe he’d been looking for. His mate.
And now he had her, and everything was perfect.
“All right, Dad,” he said, grinning. “How’s that breakfast?”
Chloe slipped her hand into his as they headed for the table, and Mathis changed his mind.
Perfect made it sound like this was as good as things would get, and he knew that wasn’t true. Every moment of every day that he loved his mate, every time he touched her or looked at her, his life got that much brighter. There was no limit to how wonderful their life together would be.
EPILOGUE
CHLOE
“I don’t know why I thought you’d be more worried about this,” Mathis muttered in Chloe’s ear. She giggled and bumped her hip into him. They had just left Harper’s sentencing, and despite the heavy traffic outside the courtroom, the air seemed that much sweeter knowing he was going to spend the next few decades behind bars.
Chloe grinned. “Worried? You should have been worried about me shifting and dive-bombing the asshole. Now I’ve missed my chance for good.”
Mathis snorted. “Now I’m just relieved I didn’t have to see you face-plant in the middle of the courtroom.”
“Hey!” Chloe jabbed him in the ribs. “I’m getting better at flying—remember, I made it all the way down the block the other day!”
“And almost gave me a heart attack,” Mathis grumbled. “The next time you want to somersault off the roof, give me a bit more notice. And some Xanax.”
Chloe grinned and stretched her arms up above her head. “Six months ago, I rode a dragon off a collapsing tower. A week after that, I turned into a goddamn piping plover. Now I can fly, and Harper is locked up for life, and I’m never going to be afraid of anything, ever again.”
Chloe snuggled into his side, glancing up at him through her eyelashes. Now that the trial was finally over, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her back. And looking at Mathis only made her feel more light-hearted.
His healing abilities had recovered once they left the island… and once they’d started living together. Now the only physical reminder of their captivity was a small scar on Mathis’ cheek, so faint it could only be seen in certain lights.
Mathis had told Chloe he was worried it would hurt her to see his scar, but it didn’t. The mark wasn’t just a reminder of the island—it was a reminder that they’d escaped, and found each other.
And one of the best things about having found Mathis was being able to tease him.
Chloe threw her head back and cackled. “I’ve been talking to Harley…”
“About—oh, God, no. Please do not talk to Harley about flying. Anything but that. I—hey, Lance! Great job in there.”
Lance nodded to Chloe. “Same to you. Harper’s going to be inside for a long, long time.”
“Good.” Chloe’s stomach clenched as she remembered the evidence that had come up during the trial. Harper had hurt so many people. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone now, but that didn’t fix the damage that had already been done.
Mathis squeezed her hand and Chloe looked up at him. His protectiveness made her heart swell in her chest, and the smooth band of the ring around her finger was a constant reminder of his love.
“I hope you can both join us for one last debrief,” Lance said briskly. His eyebrow twitched. “Some other representatives from the defendants will be there—we’re finalizing compensation packages this week. And there’s something in particular I’d like to discuss with you, Chloe.”
Chloe frowned, then glanced at Mathis. He nudged her encouragingly. “Sure,” she said. “So long as we get to pop open some bubbly afterwards to celebrate this all being over.”
“We’ve all got a lot to celebrate.” Lance nodded again. “I’ll see you both back at the Manor.”
An hour later, Chloe stepped through the door Mathis held open for her. They were at Lance’s workplace: the Meerkat Manor, as Mathis called it.
“They can’t all be meerkats,” Chloe whispered as they walked through to the meeting room.
“Well, Lance isn’t,” Mathis said, opening the door and ushering her through. “And I hear they have a hummingbird on board now, too…”
“Thandie!”
The hummingbird shifter looked better than Chloe had ever seen her. She grinned widely and waved across the table.
*Chloe! I heard the good news—congrats!*
*Which news? The ring, or the fact that I am a shifter, like you thought?*
Thandie rolled her eyes. “Both, silly!”
Lance cleared his throat and Thandie pinched her lips shut theatrically. *Whoops. Time to act professional. But we are totally hanging out later!*
*You bet!* There was no way Chloe was finishing this day without some celebratory champagne. And the more people she could celebrate with, the better.
She looked around the table as she and Mathis sat down. Apart from Lance and Thandie, she recognized Lance’s aunt, General MacInnis, who greeted her with a stiff nod and a warm smile; Nora, her old manager, who kept sniffing and looking at her lap; and a few of the Manor’s other staff. Like all the meerkat shifters Chloe had met so far, they were jumpy, with sandy-colored skin and hair.
She also knew the last two people at the table, a mated man and woman. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, with the languid grace and sense of power Chloe had come to associate with cat shifters. The woman with him was tall, too, with generous curves and curly dark hair that spilled over her shoulders. Chloe had met them at lunch the day she’d been introduced to Mathis’ parents: Irina and Grant Diaz.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.” Lance was sitting at the end of the table, shuffling papers.
“Wait—what about Julian? He was the primary witness for the case, shouldn’t he be here?” Chloe burst out.
Lance’s mouth went into a thin line, and he stared at his papers. “Mr. Rouse has agreed to stay in custody until certain other matters have been attended to.”
Chloe frowned. “But he was as much a victim as we were.”
Lance sighed and rubbed his forehead. “True, there are extenuating circumstances—but there are many who don’t see it that way. Mr. Rouse is being held as much for his safety, and that of his family, as anyone else’s.”
Chloe opened her mouth to say But he’s a dragon—who could hurt him? and closed it again. Maybe that was the problem: Julian didn’t want to be forced into another situation where he had to hurt someone. It was the suggestion that someone else might use the eggs as leverage that made her blood run cold.
“Where are his eggs now?”
Lance checked his files. “Ah, his sister’s offspring. To keep them from being exploited, they’ve been placed in protective custody with another family until Mr. Rouse’s sister and her husband are located.” A shadow passed over his face. “More of Harper’s victims. They’re still alive, according to Harper’s records, but where, we don’t know. Mr. Rouse said they live full-time as dragons and that, along with their powers of invisibility, are going to make the mission somewhat… tricky.”
“I guess that makes sense,” she said softly. Mathis took hold of her hand under the table.
*Julian will be fine,* he said privately. *Lance has it under control.*
Lance pulled out his tablet and set it down with a click.
“The trial’s over, but that doesn’t mean we’re done here. There’s still the question of the repercu
ssions on the lives of Harper’s victims…”
Chloe held Mathis’ hand as Lance detailed the support being offered to Harper’s ex-employees… and captives. As Chloe had guessed, and the trial had proved, even his employees were captives of a sort, trapped by the same threat of violence that kept the fighters in line.
Harper was going to be in prison for a long, long time, and while he was there, his fortune was being put to good use. Along with the prison sentence, the shifter judge had forced Harper to pay into a fund that would provide ongoing assistance to everyone who had ever been hurt by him.
Lance pushed his glasses up his nose. “Harper’s tentacles reached longer than we expected. We’re still digging up buyers he sold the dragon’s scales to, and as for his guests—” He snarled the word, and just for a moment, Chloe glimpsed the wild snow leopard behind the dapper man. “—They’re continuing to protest their ignorance of Harper’s activities, but we’re working on them.”
“You mean it’s been half a year and you still haven’t tidied this mess up?” Mathis grinned at Lance. “You’re slipping.”
Lance narrowed his eyes, but a predatory smile danced around his lips. “We’ll get there. Don’t you worry about that. I always thought there was more to the Diaz kidnapping case than we knew, and now we’ve got proof—and leads. And an office of agents to hunt this asshole’s contacts from their hiding places.”
Chloe squeezed Mathis’ hand at the mention of the kidnapping case, sending love and support to him through their bond.
Mathis had been right back on the island, when he told her his sister Francine would sense he was in danger. His twin sister had noticed that something was wrong. But after Mathis had revealed his true identity to Harper, the bastard had sent people to put her on the wrong scent. Harper’s minions had convinced her that Mathis had been murdered by one of his old friends—and had kidnapped and threatened to kill his friend’s mate as revenge.
Mathis cleared his throat, looking away from where Grant and Irina were sitting. “Will this have any effect on my sister’s situation?”
Lance shot him a sympathetic grimace, and Chloe remembered that Lance had been friends with Francine, too.