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Nova nudged my side, leaning into me while I stood there speechless, wrapped in my mate’s embrace. Elias nuzzled my neck, nipping at the skin. “I like the sound of that,” he murmured.
“Which one? The title or the suggestion?” I asked, turning my cheek so I could see him in my periphery.
“Both,” he answered, lightly digging his fingertips into my abdomen and scrunching my sweater dress beneath his palm.
“Mm-hmm. I figured as much.”
“Does it bother you knowing everyone can hear us?”
I twisted my lips, considering it for a moment. For a brief second, it had thrown me off. But I was mated. I was queen. I was a woman in love. So, no. I didn’t give a damn if they heard my orgasms. I shook my head.
“Nope. I’ll get them earplugs. This is my home—our home. And I’m going to bed.” Elias chuckled into my neck, and I unraveled his arms from my waist as I pushed against him, teasing. He growled at the friction, and I walked toward the exit slowly. With one hand on the door, I glanced over my shoulder. “Are you coming, my king?”
A devilish grin crept up Elias’s face, and hunger flashed in his eyes. “Not until you do, my queen.”
Elias
The setting sun spilled warm colors over the Tiber River, casting shades of orange, pinks, and red over the water. I leaned over the balcony railing, resting my elbows on the stone.
Rome in December was a tradition, one I had been excited to share with Danni and her family. It was never a long trip, but it was one I always looked forward to. It was Claudette’s favorite place in the world, and the entire compound reminded me of her. My mother would likely never leave. I didn’t know what it was like to be a parent, but I knew I missed my sister, and that was all that was needed to understand Mother’s connection to this place.
Danni had spent a lot of time overseeing the construction of a home on the Mt. Rainier property. Everything had to be just right. She wanted the very best for her moms, and she knew they would be more comfortable in the forest . . . and out of earshot of us. She wasn’t very good at staying quiet, and I loved hearing her, so I wasn’t going to encourage it.
While we had territory to tend to all over the world, the one gift that I could give her that mattered more than anything was making Mt. Rainier our home base. Vampire hybrid or not, she was a shifter first. She was different when she was buried in nature, exploring and hunting. She never needed to ask. I could see it in her eyes that the estate there was her home. My home was with her. It was simple.
“Have you seen this?” Danni asked, coming out to join me. She was holding a framed picture. I smiled at her, taking it from her hand to admire it. My mate and I were sitting by our waterfall, and she’d tilted her head onto my shoulder while she’d laughed. Nova was lying next to us on the shore, and there’d been just enough sunlight spilling through the clouds that day to shine down on us, making the water sparkle.
“I have,” I said, handing it back to her. “I’m the one who sent it to her.”
“I haven’t even seen this picture.” She held it in both hands, looking down at it. “When was this?”
“It was the day Adora came with us, and she was sitting up in the trees. She took it.” I turned, leaning my back against the railing. “It was a perfect day. Look at you. You were in your element. Authentic. Beautiful. Carefree. I love seeing you in moments like that.”
“Your mom has this with all the other family photos and paintings.” Danni blushed, twisting her lips. “There are more too. A picture of my moms with Adora and me. One with all of us together.” A touch of shyness filtered through the bond between us, amplified by her empath abilities to not only feel others’ emotions, but to push hers onto them as well.
“You feel like you don’t belong?” I asked, turning to face her fully.
She shook her head. “Oh, no, that’s not it. I think it’s just the new feeling of belonging in general. I know my place with you, with my House,” she said, placing a hand on my arm gently. “But to have my entire family loved and accepted too . . . It’s amazing, honestly, but it’s still different.”
“Well, your moms fit right in with mine,” I said with a chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve seen her this happy and engaged for a long time. Did you know Abbey is teaching her judo? And my mother is teaching both of them all about gardening and how to make limoncello.”
“My mom is teaching yours how to make beer,” she muttered, looking away.
“A threesome of trouble, that’s what they are,” Adora said, coming to join us on the balcony. Her blue hair lifted off her shoulders to dance in the wind, large sunglasses that reminded me of Ysabeau perched on her head. “Going to end up like a bunch of drunk fools by midnight.”
“Well, that’s great,” Danni said. “I wasn’t worried they’d embarrass us by telling stories about the time you licked a shoe or got into a fight with a rooster, but now I am.”
“That stupid rooster had it coming. You’re the one who shit in the front yard when you were three,” Adora said, crossing her arms. “Wait till they get going with that.”
Danni’s mouth dropped, but I bit my bottom lip, trying not to laugh. “I was three,” she whispered harshly. “And?—”
“I know, I know—you wanted to fit in, and other shifters did it because they could shift.” Adora shrugged, smiling. “Doesn’t make it any less funny.”
I couldn’t stop. I bent forward, busting out laughing. “Maybe I’ll go drink with them if these are the stories being told.”
“You will do no such thing,” Danni said, but she couldn’t hide the smile. It was amusing, no matter which way you looked at it.
A piercing howl cut into our conversation, and we all looked at the cobblestone road leading to the courtyard. Ysabeau had arrived, and she always knew how to give Nova just what she wanted. With a stoic expression, she reached to the pack on her back, pulled out a freshly dead plump rabbit, then tossed it to the wolf. Nova jumped, catching it, sending a loud crunch into the air. A tiny smile made its way to Ysa’s face.
