AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you,” I said at last. “That means a lot.”
“Anytime.” Abi leaned in and hugged me.
This was all I'd ever really wanted. To belong. To be cared for unconditionally. To be a part of something bigger than myself. These people were becoming the family I’d always dreamed of.
I’d continue on my own path, too. School would be a welcome diversion, an escape back to reality, and back to a world that made sense. I knew it was going to be tricky navigating this new world and balancing my own aspirations, but I was committed to it, and excited to embark on a journey that was uniquely mine.
“I’ll let you get back to your book,” I told Abi, then went back in to check on Sofia.
Once she woke from her nap, I spent the rest of the day with Sofia, playing and enjoying being together again. But as the day wore on, I worried over some of the things Abi had said. Our worlds were so different. So far, we’d managed to navigate every difficulty, but things were becoming more serious. Evan was talking about claiming me while I was still figuring out exactly how I fit into his world.
I found myself in a corner of the kitchen, aimlessly shaking Sofia’s baby bottle when Evan strolled in, evidently finished with work.
“Hey, baby,” he said, slipping an arm around my waist and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You okay? You seem distracted.”
I looked at him. "What do you mean?"
He nodded toward the bottle. “Looks like you've been shaking that for a while," he said, smiling a little. I glanced down, only now noticing the small cyclone I'd created, the milk frothing and bubbling. As I let out a sigh, I set the bottle down on the counter, glancing over to where Sofia played contentedly in the family room.
He moved closer, his presence heating up our shared space. "What's on your mind, Mariah?"
A million thoughts swirled in my head, but how would I put them into words?
Evan said he wanted me in his life, as his mate, but what did that really mean for us? As much as I was learning, it all felt so foreign.
I forced a smile. “It’s nothing, Evan.” I didn’t want to burden him with my confusion, at least not right now when there was so much already going on. He’d made it clear that we’d discuss it all once Tomas were taken care of.
“Nothing?” He looked thoroughly unconvinced.
“Okay, maybe not nothing. It's just…the college applications. I submitted them this morning, and I guess I'm just anxious about the responses," I said, choosing to share a smaller part of the storm within me. As excited as I was about starting this new chapter of my life, of having something that was entirely my own, it was causing a blend of excitement and trepidation I hadn’t expected. That just felt more manageable than the maze of questions surrounding our future.
"Are you sure that's it?" he said gently. Those dark dragon eyes studied me.
I nodded. Something flickered in his face, but he didn't press further. One of the many things I loved about Evan was his ability to sense when to push and when to step back.
Evan took the bottle, then lifted me so I was sitting on the counter, eye to eye with him as he braced an arm on either side.
“I know there’s more, but I won’t rush it. You can tell me when you’re ready.” He glanced out the window to the sky streaking with orange as the sun set, then he was quiet for a moment. “The full moon is tonight.”
I tilted my head. Where was he going with this?
"The clan will be gathering.” He looked tentative, searching, even. “I want you to join us."
A clan gathering? There’d only been one other gathering since I’d arrived, and I’d stayed inside the whole time. I’d met a few shifters outside the family in my weeks here. It was impossible not to when living in the alpha’s home. They’d all been friendly. Curious, too.
But they’d all been in human form.
Unless I’d been mistaken, the clan usually shifted and flew together when they gathered as a group. I’d seen Evan in dragon form, and it was magnificent, but to see an entire clan of them, enormous, mythical creatures that could fly and breathe fire…
I felt light-headed. It was hard to imagine. Logically, I knew everyone that surrounded me was a dragon shifter, but seeing it was something else entirely.
“Our power is at its strongest on the full moon,” Evan explained, watching me closely. I wondered what he saw on my face as I tried to process what he was asking of me. “Flying under the full moon has regenerative powers for all shifter species. It restores our power and energy more than any other lunar sighting. I want to share this with you. I want you to be part of this and understand this part of who I am.”
“Evan, I…” I shook my head, my teeth sinking into my lower lip. Part of me was intrigued, wanting to know more of him, yet while I was curious, there was a very real concern holding me back. I let out a sigh. “I’m not like you, Evan. I’m human. I can't shift or fly. I'd be…" I hesitated, searching for the right words. "I'd be more of an outside than ever.”
His hand felt so gentle on my cheek, even as his stare sharpened. “Don’t ever say that again. You’re not an outsider. You’re my mate, which means you belong with me, wherever that might be. You belong here.”
I wanted to believe that, but there was no way for him to know exactly how I felt. “That might be true—”
