Page 145 of Freed By the Witchbone Knife

We didn’t make it to the door. He maneuvered us to the porch swing instead, sitting with me straddling his lap. I took his face in both hands, staring down at him, tracing his scar, his damaged eye. I pressed a gentle kiss there and he hummed.

His hands slipped beneath the hem of my dress. His fingers found the top of my striped stockings and paused there, tracing the edge with his thumb. The porch swing creaked softly beneath us.

“I believe I made you a promise,” he said.

“You did.” My breath caught as his thumb dipped beneath the fabric of my panties. “Are you a man of your word?”

His smile was slow and wolfish. “Always, little witch. Always.”

EPILOGUE

Three weeks later…

Main Street was already decked out for the holidays. Garlands wrapped around streetlights. Window displays showcased turkeys and cornucopias alongside early Christmas decorations. It looked like something out of a Hallmark movie.

And certainly something Axel’s mate was already obsessing over. Normally, he would have scowled at the decorations but call him a changed male because he didn’t…hate it? How could he when Rebecca had already put together a list of decorations she wanted. Including two Christmas trees, which he planned to cut down himself. One for their bedroom and one for the great room of their cabin.

Their cabin.

It gave him immeasurable pride knowing the home he’d built with his own hands was now his mate’s home, too. That it would be for the rest of their lives.

He kept his hand at the small of her back as they walked, guiding her around a family with strollers clogging the sidewalk. Late November carried its usual chill. He’d worn a heavy jacket just in case Rebecca got cold, since it didn’t generally affect him the way it did her.

“There’s Frank,” Rebecca said, lifting her hand to wave.

The older man from The Pet Pantry was arranging a display of holiday-themed pet toys in his window. He spotted them and waved back, a broad smile on his face. “Professor Miller! Axel! Good to see you both.”

“You too, Frank,” Rebecca called.

They kept walking, her easy familiarity with the town still something that made his chest tight. She belonged here now. Had carved out a place for herself in a way he never had in two decades of living on the outskirts. People knew her. Liked her.

They passed The Roost, and he felt the shift in her immediately—a tightening, a flicker of something sad and complicated. His gaze followed hers to the “Seasonal Help Wanted” sign in the window. A replacement for Iris, who was still awaiting trial. While Becca had emphatically dropped charges against her, the community college hadn’t. She was likely facing probation, restitution damages, community service, and possibly a short stint in jail.

Last week, when he’d collected the mail, he’d found a letter addressed to Rebecca. A written apology letting her know Iris was getting professional help. The fallout weighed on his mate, even if she didn’t talk about it. He could sense it through their bond.

“You all right?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah.” She squeezed his hand. “Just hate how everything turned out.”

“Not everything, I hope.” He lifted a teasing brow, hoping to lighten her mood.

“Not everything.” Her smile was soft. “Just, you know.”

He hummed.

They walked in silence for another block, passing more shops with their festive displays. Rebecca slowed in front of Harrison’s Outfitters, studying something in the window—a compass with an ornate brass casing. Beside it, a leather journal and a set of fine pens.

He filed it away as potential Christmas gifts. He already had a very long list and planned to get her everything on it.

“Oh! There they are!”

Axel’s attention snapped forward. Standing outside the Mountain View B&B were two figures he’d only seen in photos—Rebecca’s friend and her mate.

Elle Kennedy was impossible to miss. Cotton candy pink hair caught the afternoon sun, bright against her dark jacket. She was petite—shorter than Rebecca—but the way she bounced on her toes and waved suggested an energy that more than made up for her size.

Beside her stood Bastian Croft—a name he’d heard whispered about in the past. Not surprising considering the goblin had a reputation as a supernatural bounty hunter. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Arms covered in tattoos that extended from beneath his rolled-up sleeves. His hair was shaved on one side and long on the other. Bastian’s intense green eyes currently locked on Axel with the kind of assessment one predator gave another.

“Becca!” Elle launched herself forward and Rebecca let go of Axel’s hand to catch her friend in a tight hug. “Oh my God, I missed you so much!”