What was supposed tobe a short visit developed into a party as word of his dad’sawakening spread through his siblings. Kyle worried Melanie wouldbe overwhelmed as more of his siblings and their children arrivedat the house. She knew his siblings, but she’d never beensurrounded by all of them, their mates, and children at the sametime.
However, though she didn’t throw herself intothe center of it all, she smiled, laughed, and talked witheveryone. She didn’t look uncomfortable. Instead, she was at easeand happy, even if she occasionally looked overwhelmed.
Every time she smiled, he did too. Shelaughed while they watched Charlie’s son, Dylan, and his niece,Hope, chase her dog, Dawg, around the yard. The shaggy mutt boundedafter the ball they threw before knocking Hope to the ground andslobbering over her.
As the day progressed into night, the two ofthem slipped away to shower before dressing again and returning tothe party. Laughter filled the air, drinks flowed freely, and whileMelanie remained happier in smaller groups, Lucy threw herself intothe festivities. She crushed Mike at quarters, arm-wrestled Jack,and at two o’clock in the morning did cartwheels around the yardwith Vicky.
As he watched Lucy and Vicky’s antics, Kylespotted his mother and father standing near the edge of the oceancliff. Their bodies were silhouetted against the thick, full moonhanging above them.
They held each other as they gazed at thestars before starting to dance. This sign of their enduring,endless love was one of the staples of his life.
When he was a kid, their PDA sometimesembarrassed him. He’d roll his eyes or rush from the room, but nowhe hoped his and Melanie’s love was as enduring as theirs.
As the night wore on, Kyle found himselfstanding beside Stefan on the porch. The fading red mark in thecenter of his forehead was the only indication he’d taken a bulletto the head.
“How are you feeling?” Kyle asked.
“I still get occasional headaches and blurredvision, but a lot better,” Stefan said. “I’ll be back to normal inno time.”
Kyle grinned at him as he clasped hisbrother-in-law on the shoulder. After Stefan saved his life as akid, he’d always felt a stronger connection to him; he wouldn’t behere without him.
“Good,” Kyle said. “By helping to save her,you’ve saved my life twice now.”
“That’s what we do for family. You would dothe same for me.”
“Without a doubt.”
Isabelle ran over and threw her arms aroundher mate. Her face was flushed from dancing, and her violet eyessparkled with joy. She laughed as he carried her down the porchsteps before dancing across the lawn with her.
Melanie came to stand beside him, and hedraped his arm around her shoulders as the laughter and musicstarted to fade. The sun was lightening the horizon when he walkedback to the guest house with his mate. Some of the others werestill celebrating, but most had gone to bed.
Melanie rested her head against his chest.Beneath her ear, she listened to the steady, reassuring thump ofhis heart. “I love it here,” she murmured.
Kyle’s grip on her tightened. “Good.”
They slipped into the house and climbed thestairs to their room, where she undressed before collapsing on thebed. Kyle studied her unmoving, lush form as he removed his clothesand slid into bed beside her. She was sound asleep when he settledthe blankets over them and pulled her into his arms.
Melanie had no idea what time it was when shewoke to discover herself draped across Kyle’s chest. The wall ofmuscle beneath her cheek caused her to smile. She’d gladly spendthe rest of her life waking up like this. No, she would gladly dothis foreternity.
She had no idea where that idea came from,but once it crossed her mind, it dug in deeper and deeper until itbecame a certainty she couldn’t deny.
With everything that happened since Kyle’scapture, she hadn’t considered their future. She never had the timeto process his revelations about being his mate or what he wantedfrom her.
She’d been too focused on surviving, but nowthat focus had shifted, and faced with the prospect of theirfuture, she couldn’t deny it looked bright. Smiling contentedly,she stroked his chest before tracing the muscle etching hisabdomen.
Touching him awakened something more insideher, and her mouth watered. As her hand slid down his body, hispalm rested against the back of her head. His erection pressedagainst her thigh until she shifted away to enclose her hand aroundthe thick, heavy length of it.
When she lifted her head, she discovered redseeping into his eyes. At one time, that red would have sent herscreaming from the room, but now it quickened her pulse and curledher toes.
Releasing his cock, she hooked her leg overhis waist and pulled herself on top of him. The red in his eyesdeepened, and his fangs glinted in the moonlight spilling throughthe windows. He was hungry for more than her body, and she couldsatisfy his hunger in every way.
She clasped his face in her hands and loweredher mouth to his. Savoring the taste of him, she ran her tonguealong his lips as she took his shaft into her and settled him deepinside her.
Neither of them moved while they stared ateach other and cherished the wonder of their joining. Unable totake it anymore, she started to move. His hands gripped her waistas he guided her up and down the rigid length of him.
Kyle nipped her lip but resisted the impulseto bite down. The thick length of her hair tickled his skin as itfell forward to skim his shoulders, and the spring scent of herweaved its way into his soul.
This beautiful woman was everything he’d everwanted and so much more. She was his hope, his future, and hissavior. Without her, he’d still be adrift in the world and at themercy of the demon steadily gaining control of his life.
