“Ne-ma...”
Gramma folded her arms and huffed. “We did no such thing. We never said anything to her.”
“We never uttered a word to you,” Ne-ma said stubbornly. “Did you hear us speak to you that night, Suzanne?”
“Um...no, not exactly. You didn't say the words out loud, but I saw...”
“There! See? She said it herself!”
“Whatever it is you're accusing us of…”
“We didn't do it.”
“It's not us!”
The two diminutive witches stood shoulder to shoulder and mulishly faced their four burly grandsons.
“But—you made the wish, right?” Aidan said slowly, staring straight at Suzanne.
“What wish?” Suzanne said nervously.
“Did you or did you not make a happily-ever-after wish, Suzanne?” Tristan asked.
“I...I did. It was after that disastrous date with Balestair. I wished that I could just meet the man of my dreams, and...live happily ever after with him,” Suzanne answered, worrying her lower lip. “Was it...wrong to have such a wish?”
“No, no, of course not.” Tristan rounded on Gramma and Ne-ma who were doing a little fist bump and hip bump when they thought no one was looking.
“And you say this has nothing to do with you,” Tristan deadpanned.
“Free will, Tristan. She made the wish of her own free will.”
“We weren't even in the restaurant,” Gramma emphasized as Ne-ma began chuckling gleefully.
Gramma and Ne-ma giggled together as they winked at Suzanne. “You, my dear, are awesome!”
“We love you, but you already know that, right?”
Suzanne blinked at them.
They did love her. All of them. She could feel it.
What began as a slow, shy smile broadened into a grin. Her heart soared with hope and wonder.
Could her wish really have come true?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Suzanne got out of the car and stood uncertainly at the front of the house. She smiled nervously as Mason held her hand. Tristan and Alisa had come to fetch them home from the hospital. Gramma and Ne-ma were busy at Broomstick Inn, the cozy little inn they ran together, and Aidan, Elle and Jackson were all busy at work.
“Your chocolate cake is in the oven,” Alisa said to Mason. “Elle popped it in the oven before she rushed off to her bakery. And I'm going to make you the biggest, juiciest burger ever. Don't eat it all by yourself. It's meant to be shared,” she said pointedly.
“Half the cake is for you,” Alisa told Suzanne. “That's what Elle said. And you're to let her know if Mason refuses to share.”
Suzanne laughed. “Thank you, Alisa. I'll thank Elle tonight when she gets back from her bakery.”
Mason tugged her up the front steps and into the house. “Ah! Home sweet home! I'm so sick of hospital food.” He sniffed the air. “I can smell food, real scrumptious, hearty food!”
“Sit down.” Alisa gestured to the kitchen table.
“I'll help,” Suzanne said immediately.
“No, I'll help her,” Tristan answered. “Sit and eat. That's all you have to do.”
“But...”
“You've got to build up your strength. The two of you need lots of food,” Alisa said.
“And lots of love,” Tristan added, winking at his brother.
Suzanne felt herself blushing as Mason stole a heated glance at her.
Tristan and Alisa laid out the spread on the table and came to give them quick hugs before they left.
“Eat and rest,” Alisa said. “I have to get back to the inn now. And Tristan has to get back to the construction site. They have a deadline to meet.”
“I'm sorry I can't help,” Mason said. “But I should be able to get back to work in a couple of days. I know we have to finish the houses by...”
“Don't you worry about that,” Tristan said. “I've hired an extra set of hands. Josef's cousin was looking for some part-time work so he came in handy.”
Tristan and Alisa encouraged them to finish all the food, and closed the front door behind them. Suzanne heard their car pull out of the driveway and zoom off.
Mason tucked into his half of the burger and finished it in a couple of bites. Then he cut two generous slices of chocolate cake and gave one to her.
“Mmm.” He licked his lips. “Try it, go on!”
Suzanne took a bite and closed her eyes. “This is heavenly!” she gushed. She bit into her burger and moaned, “Ooh, oh, this is just so good!”
“Yep. It's good to have a chef and a baker in the family.” Mason grinned.
“I'm not really good at cooking or baking,” Suzanne admitted.
“Neither is Gramma,” Mason chuckled. “She tries, but her pies are usually burnt and harder than rocks. Still, she enjoys trying her hand at creating new whimsical dishes. She has fun in the kitchen, and that's what's important. Enjoying what you do, and doing it with love.”
Suzanne smiled. They chatted easily over the kitchen table, eating and laughing and telling each other small tidbits about themselves and the people around them.
“I'm a fire fae,” Suzanne said as she put down her fork. “That's what the witch doctors at the hospital told me. They said that's why I wasn't burnt in the fire. The fire razed my house to ashes, but I was untouched by the flames. There's fire in my blood. And it repelled the fire around me, thus protecting my body.”
“That's amazing,” Mason said. “A fire fae. That is really, really rare. There are some fae folk in Shadow Point but most of them are light fae and water fae. I don't think there's another fire fae in this town. You're the only one.”
Suzanne smiled and said softly, “And you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. The doctors told me that when your blood entered my veins, a little of my fae blood flowed to you. It was like a two-way transfusion. From me to you, and from you to me.”
Mason grinned. “So now we really are an inseparable part of each other!”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They washed the dishes together and put the rest of the humongous chocolate cake in the fridge. Mason knew the cake wouldn't be there in the morning. When Aidan and Jackson got back this evening, they would drag the cake out after dinner and finish everything up in front to the TV. Elle might try to stop them, but those two were unstoppable when it came to food.
“You tired?” he asked softly.
“Just a little,” Suzanne smiled.
“Come to bed,” he said, taking her hand.
She blushed as he led her to his bedroom. He heard her gasp in surprise as he opened his cupboard to show her all her things.
There were new clothes and feminine items on one side of his cupboard. Alisa, Elle, Gramma and Ne-ma had been busy shopping for her while they were in the hospital.
“Oh,” Suzanne cried. “You guys...thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you!”
“We're family,” Mason answered simply. “We do things for one another.”
Suzanne touched the new clothes, cosmetic bottles and pretty accessories reverently. “They're lovely,” she said, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
“They're yours.”
She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him on the lips. “I really don't know how to thank all of you,” she whispered. “How can I repay you?”
“Repay?” Mason frowned. “Suzanne, you are my mate. You could accept my blood because you are my true mate. You are my greatest gift. You are all I ever want and need. And my family wants us to be happy. That's all they want.”
Suzanne threw her arms around him and hugged him hard. “My wish did come true,” she said, biting back a sob. “It did! I found my true love! I thought that happily-ever-after was something that only happened to other people. Not me. Never me,” she whispered.
Mason tilted her face up and thumbed away her tears. “Don't doubt, Suzanne. Don't doubt any of this.
I love you.”
“I love you too, Mason,” she whispered, and kissed him again.
Mason took her mouth and deepened the kiss slowly, sweeping his tongue across her lips and tasting her thoroughly. Her lips parted and he tangled his tongue with hers, their moans mingling as they moved towards the bed.
The heat and hunger grew between them as Mason undid the buttons of her blouse with one hand. He cupped her heaving breast and squeezed. Suzanne moaned into his mouth, and fumbled clumsily with his buttons and zipper.
Throwing her blouse to the floor, he unhooked her bra to reveal her beautiful, luscious breasts. God, his mate was so beautiful!
“Suzanne,” he rasped. He tugged her skirt and panties down her legs and threw her naked onto the bed.
Her deep violet eyes were heavy-lidded with lust and want. Breathing heavily, she pulled him down to her. Her hands were hot and greedy as she clawed at his shirt and jeans.
Mason let her slide his shirt down his shoulders as he shucked off his jeans and came to her.
His mouth covered a dusky nipple and he sucked hungrily. His tongue twirled and teased the erect peak as she arched her back and cried out for more.
The scent of his mate's arousal clung to his skin as he trailed his hand down her soft, curvy body and fingered her folds. Her juices squirted onto his palm as he cupped her hot pussy.
Mason pushed a finger into her body and stroked languidly. She was so wet and hot, and he growled as he pushed another finger into her pussy. Her channel tightened as he fucked her with his fingers, slowly at first, then increasing the pace until he was plunging into her hard and fast.
Suzanne whimpered with need and fisted the sheets. She was so close to the edge, her pleasure spiraling to a climax. When he tapped her pink, engorged clit when the tip of his tongue, she made a keening sound as she exploded with ecstasy.
Before her shudders could subside, Mason threw her legs over his shoulders and nudged the head of his cock into her pulsing pussy.
He inhaled sharply, his entire body throbbing and tensed with need and hunger for his mate. He stared down at her quivering, luscious body, awed and amazed at the beauty before him.
His beautiful mate, spread out on his bed, for his taking and his pleasure. His, all his. Every lush inch of her was his.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Suzanne struggled to catch her breath. She was panting hard, her body shuddering with the most intense pleasure. She looked up at Mason, and saw his green eyes glowing with the power and lust of his beast.
His bear was rising, and pushing to the surface to claim its mate. Suzanne's pulse quickened together with her breathing. Mason was going to claim her completely. She knew his bear would take her and mark her, and Mason would claim her body and her heart. She already had his blood in her. She wanted him, wanted to feel him fully inside her.
“Mason,” she breathed.
He gripped her hips and she could feel the tips of his claws digging into her flesh. The tingle of pain heightened her lust and maddened her desire and hunger for him. She wanted him, needed him now.
“Mason...please...” she whimpered.
Her words were lost in a cry as he plunged into her. Her entire body shook as he filled her completely. His cock was big and thick and hard, and it stretched her walls and forced her to spread her legs wider for him. She gasped and panted until her vision cleared.
Mason held himself still, his muscles and veins throbbing as he resisted the wild urge to start thrusting into her. Suzanne reached for him, and he bent down to kiss her and take her in his arms.
“You feel...so good, Mason,” she whispered. “So amazing...”
He kissed her slowly as his hips began to move. She could feel herself growing impossibly wetter as he slid in and out of her body.
“Touch me,” she whispered against his lips.
Mason covered her breast with his huge, rough hands and thumbed her nipples. Suzanne arched into his touch, wrapping her legs around his hips as he surged deeply into her.
Trailing his hand down her body, Mason circled her sensitive clit with his fingers, smearing her juices over her swollen nub. Suzanne dug her nails into his biceps and raked down his arms. Mason was driving her out of her mind with lust. Her body was burning with desire, every nerve ending sizzling and pulsating with a mate's hunger.
Mason was hers. He was inside her, a part of her, now and forever. She clawed down his back, proudly and possessively leaving her mark on him.
Mason's eyes were fully feral now. His claws and fangs had descended, and his rock hard muscles bulged and rippled. She was staring right into the eyes of his bear, and she embraced and loved the strength and power she saw in his eyes.
Mason lurched forward and grabbed her, and she instinctively bared her throat for him. It was an act of submission, surrender and pure trust and love.
His sharp fangs clamped down on the base of her neck and she quivered at the sudden pain and pleasure. With a scream, she shattered completely beneath him.
She heard Mason's thunderous roar as he released his hot seed into her body. Their bodies quaked and shuddered together as they took each other over the edge.
Suzanne could still hear the echo of her mate's ferocious roar when her eyelids fluttered open. She was still trembling at the force of her intense, mind-blowing orgasm.
She let out a sudden sob as Mason gathered her in his arms and kissed her eyelids. She couldn't understand the powerful emotions that were welling up in her. She had never ever felt like this before, so loved and so cherished.
Curling into Mason's big, broad body, she wept quietly as Mason stroked her back and kissed her hair.
He dried her tears gently and whispered, “I love you, Suzanne.”
She sniffed and managed a smile. “You are amazing, Mason. Truly. You make me feel so good, so wonderful and beautiful...”
“You are wonderful and beautiful,” he said. “You are perfect, Suzanne.”
She kissed his handsome face and wound her arms tightly around him. “I love you, Mason. I don't doubt any of this. I know it's real...but I almost can't believe you're mine,” she whispered.
“Do I look like a dream to you?” he teased.
Suzanne let out a joyful laugh. “Oh, you are my dream, Mason, my wish come true!”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Suzanne laughed happily and returned all the hugs from her colleagues. They had all been to see her at the hospital, and her bosses, Mr and Mrs Jones, had told her to come back to work when she had fully recovered. “We're all here for you,” Mrs Jones assured her. “I've reassigned your files to the others, but don't worry, we'll bring you up to speed when you get back.”
Suzanne understood that Mrs Jones was assuring her that her job was secure, and she was very grateful to her understanding bosses and colleagues. Jones & Co., was a small, family-owned firm. Mr and Mrs Jones were the partners of the firm, but they treated all their employees like family. Some of the older staff had quipped that the office was their home away from home. Mrs Jones would order takeout for the whole office if they had to work late.
Suzanne was back at work now. She had been away long enough. Suzanne assured her bosses and colleagues that she felt well, in fact, better than before.
“I have bear shifter blood in me,” she said, flexing her muscles. “I'm strong as a bear. I think.”
Her colleagues laughed.
“Who would have thought that the firefighter who saved you is your true mate, eh?” Molly, a junior accountant, sighed. “That's so romantic!”
“Yeah. He even transfused his blood to you,” Evie said.
“So now you have his heart, his blood and his hunky body,” David quipped, licking his lips. “But he's not as hunky as my Richard though.”
Suzanne laughed. “Yeah, yeah, we know you only have eyes for your sexy tiger!”
“Richard's a tiger in bed all right,” David purred.
Mr Jone
s clapped twice. “Okay, people, shall we get back to work? We have deadlines to meet. Tax time is just round the corner. It's going to get real crazy again. Come on, snap to it!”
“Yes, boss!” The staff grinned and dispersed to their cubicles.
“Come to my office, Suzanne,” Mr Jones said. “I'll pass you some new files. These are all simple cases. Take your time, and don't be afraid to ask for help.”
“Thank you, Mr Jones.” Suzanne smiled. “I'm ready.”
Suzanne worked steadily through the morning. When lunch time rolled around, her colleagues came to her cubicle and asked her to join them for lunch.
“We're checking out the new fried chicken place,” Evie said, rubbing her hands. “Looks real good, and there's always a queue. Can't wait to get my hands on those juicy, crispy drumlets!”
“You guys go ahead. I'd like to pop over to Matchbox Inc.'s office. I have to inform them that I'm no longer interested in their matchmaking services,” Suzanne said, picking up her bag.
“Oh. We're so sorry we made you sign up for that,” Molly said, looking distressed. “We never thought they would set you up with a homicidal, arsonistic vampire...”
“No, no, it's not your fault,” Suzanne said quickly. “It's not the fault of the agency either. There's no way they could know that Balestair had a fae blood fetish. Even if they had this question—Are you a psycho? on their questionnaire, no one would tick 'yes'!”
Molly laughed uneasily. “I guess. But if we hadn't pressured you into signing up, you wouldn't have suffered this horrible ordeal...”
“And I wouldn't have met my mate,” Suzanne answered firmly. “I met Mason. I almost lost my life, but I found my mate. It's meant to be, Molly. I don't regret a single thing. You guys meant well, and I appreciate it. Truly I do. But I'm off the market now.” She grinned.
“Congratulations.” David gave her a hug. “When your man comes to fetch you from work later, I'll give him a big bear hug too!”
“You keep your hands off Suzanne's bear,” Evie admonished, slapping his arm.
Mating The Bear: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 3) Page 4