Page 72 of Of Magic and Murder

I’m heading back to pack territory. That’s what he said. My stomach twists, and I have to wonder: have I been dumped already? I’m his bonded mate. That’s not supposed to happen⁠—

Riordan holds out his hand. “Penelope?”

Swallowing the nervous lump in my throat, I place my hand in his. His warm fingers close around mine, and without another word, he leads me out of the kitchen and into the back alley behind Dough You Believe in Magic.

The moment the door shuts behind us, Riordan takes a second to make sure there are no threats nearby. Once he assures himself that the dumpster has garbage in it and not a ‘dead’ opossum shifter, he uses his hold on my hand to tug me into him.

Next thing I know? He’s kissing me.

It starts soft and hesitant, which makes sense considering I’m not sure what’s going on with our mate bond at the moment. Still, it’s obvious that we do have one. At the very least, Riordan has obviously decided that being newly mated to me means he no longer has to pretend he doesn’t want me or that he doesn’t have my permission to deepen the kiss until I’m keening softly before he abruptly pulls back and away.

I follow him, eyes trained on his lush lips before I come to my senses.

Falling back on my heels, I suck in a breath, and only when I feel like I can talk without gasping do I say, “What was that? Not that I’m complaining, but I thought you wanted to talk to me.”

“I do,” Riordan admits. “But I’m scared shitless you’re going to say something I don’t want to hear, so I thought I should kiss you first.”

“You want me distracted for this chat, Chief Deputy?”

His eyes blaze at my attempt at a tease. “Desperately,” he grates out, and while I’m teasing my mate, he’s dead serious.

I brace my hand against his chest. Beneath my palm, his heart beats a rapid tattoo.

“It’s okay, Riordan. I should’ve thought about all of this before last night, but I was⁠—”

“Distracted?”

Big time. “Yeah. You could say that. Doesn’t change things, though. I want to be your mate.”

“You are my mate.”

Goddess damn it, the way he growls like that… I have to squeeze my legs together to keep from jumping him. Not like it helps. With his senses, he knows exactly how much he turns me on when he does that, and I lost any shame I felt when it comes to that realization after I let him strip me down and mate me.

“I am,” I agree. “And that means something to me. So let me just put this out there: I’m not going back to Salem.” I don’t know who’s more relieved to hear me say that and know that I one hundred percent mean it: me or Riordan. Probably him. “I’m just so used to thinking of Massachusetts as home. Moonburrow is home now because you are home for me. You’re my mate, and I’m staying with you.”

“Forever?”

“That’s what being bonded mates means, isn’t it? Now,” I say, holding up my hand to stop Riordan from kissing me again. He grumbles softly, but, hey, he’s the one who said he wanted to talk. “That doesn’t mean I’m leaving my coven. Serena did so much for me after Mom died. She’s like a second grandmother to me, and if she needs me, I’m going to help her. But I’ll try my best to help her from Moonburrow. Same as how I’d like to work in the library when you’re doing your thing as the chief deputy. We have a bond now, Riordan, and I’m not going anywhere, but I’m also going to use my abilities when I can. Is that fair?”

Riordan is an overprotective, predatory wolf. ‘Fair’ would be me spending all of my days naked in his bed, but since I’ve made it as clear as possible that I’m not flying out to Salem as soon as he turns his back on me, that’s probably a concession he can make.

But then he brushes a damp tendril of hair from my forehead, tucking it behind my ear. “Move in with me, Pen. Today. Now. You don’t even have to pack your stuff. We can do that later if you’d rather go resume our search for the lodestone afterward. But I want you in my bed today, relocated to my territory as fast as we can make it to my place. Car, walking, my sweet witch hitching a ride on my back⁠—”

“Riordan…”

“You already have a place to live in Moonburrow,” he continues. “I know that. And I’m not trying to be all possessive⁠—”

I arch my eyebrows at him.

He chuckles. “Okay. I was full of shit there, but you can’t blame me. I’ve waited thirty-five years for my one true mate. I’m also a predator, and a born alpha. My wolf is whining at me to pick you up by the scruff and carry you off to our den. This is all happening so suddenly, and I get that. I should give you time to realize what it means to be a wolf’s mate… but I can’t, and I think you know that,”

He’s not wrong, is he?

Moving into me again, Riordan strokes his thumb lightly over the height of my cheek. “There’s still a killer in Moonburrow. Until we know who murdered Olivia, I want you somewhere I can protect you. I can sleep at the bottom of the stairs in my fur if that’s what you want, Pen, but I’d much prefer to hold my mate in my arms while we both sleep together. I’m stronger on my territory, too. If anyone steps onto it, I’ll know.”

That’s actually a pretty good selling point, and I don’t just mean the idea of sleeping peacefully in Riordan’s bed…

He must be able to tell that I won’t be hard to convince because some of the tension leaves his wide shoulders.