A Kitty in the Lion's Den(40)

“No, no, Kettah. You need to stay lying down for a while. You are far too weak, and the rest of your IV fluids are not done. I promise once you’re stronger enough I’ll move you to a more comfortable place.”

Yeah, like my place. But no, they couldn’t go back there because of the massacre of blood. He would build them a house, made of all new things so she would never have to look at anything that reminded her of the horror that happened. Luke checked her vitals, gave her a few sips of water, and then left them alone again. Maverick rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “You’re okay.”

“I am.” The light touch of her hand on the side of his face had him opening his eyes and pulling back. “And I love you.” Tears started to form in her eyes, and he brushed them away with his thumbs.

“No crying, baby.” He leaned in, kissed her softly, and whispered against her mouth, “and I love you, too.” He had never uttered those words before, never thought he had that kind of emotion inside of him, but it was clear that with his mate by his side, there were a lot of fucking surprises in store for him, and ones he was looking forward to.





Epilogue



Six months later



Kettah put the last box down in the living and stood up straight. It was half a year after everything had gone down with Konstantine and her father, and although it wasn’t that much time, it seemed like it had been years already. She was alive; Maverick was alive, and there was nothing that could change that, not anymore. She looked around their house, one that had just been finished being built last week. Everything was new, and not because that was how it worked when building a home from the ground up. Maverick wanted to have a fresh start with her, and didn’t want what happened at the garage to be a constant reminder. So, instead of just buying one in Sweet Water, they had purchased land in the mountains, built a home they designed themselves, and here they were, unpacking their new life.

After Maverick killed Viktor and Konstantine, there had been a moment of peace, but also of her fear mounting. Yes, her father and brother were gone, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be someone else to take their place. But the vendetta that her father had with Maverick died with him. Viktor had ended up being far too blood hungry, and because of it he had made a lot of enemies, far more than anyone had initially thought. There were always others that wanted to take control, but they were smart enough to stand down when it came to Maverick, or at least that was what her lion said, and she trusted him with her life. There was no sorrow for losing her father and brother, no tears shed and no cries to fall from her lips. When her father died, everything that had been connected to her had died with him, even the arranged marriage.

“Hey, baby.” The feel of Maverick’s warm breath brushing along the nape of her neck had her closing her eyes and smiling. She leaned back against him and rested her head on his chest. They held each other for several moments, neither saying a word, but it was one of those moments where nothing needed to be said. He lifted her left hand, and the engagement ring caught the glow from the sun, sending a million little shards of light throughout the room. “You sure you don’t want to take back your answer?” Maverick’s voice was gruff and low, and as much as he tried to hide his emotions from her even now, there was nothing about him that she couldn’t pick up on. He was her mate, and because of that his feelings were like a bright neon sign flashing right in front of her.

“You know I meant it, just like you meant to ask me to marry you.” She turned and rose on her toes to kiss him on the lips. He tightened his arms around her waist, brought her closer to him, and ground his erection into her belly. A marriage didn’t change the fact they were bound together irrevocably, but Maverick wanted that “little slip of paper”.

“Yeah, I sure as hell did mean to ask you.” Maverick murmured against her mouth. “Now, how about we break in the new bedroom?”

“The bed is in pieces in there, and doing it on the floor doesn’t sound like much fun.” She grinned against his lips. Well, it did, but teasing him was far more satisfying than just surrendering.

“I think you like being difficult, mate.” He nipped at her mouth, and her grin widened. In one move he scooped her into his arms and was striding down the hallway and into their new bedroom. Over the past six months a lot of things had changed. They were engaged, and although being mated was a far bigger commitment than a human tradition, she really didn’t think Maverick would have been ready for that. He had surprised her, as he tended to do on a constant basis, but that was a good thing. Maverick no longer worked at Dakota Dark’s, but that didn’t mean they didn’t see the male Trace any longer. They had dinner at the grumpy polar bear’s house every Sunday, and Kettah had grown close with Trace’s mate, Candace. When their home was being built that was where they had stayed, even when they said they didn’t want to intrude. But Trace and Candace had insisted they had plenty of room, and if Kettah was being honest she liked being surrounded by them. It was always happy and cheerful, if not a little loud when two alpha males lived under the same roof. It was even more of a treat because she got to play with their little wolf shifting girl, Alivia. Their daughter wasn’t even a year old yet, but she was the spitting image of her father with thick black hair and bright green eyes. Maverick still had his garage that he ran, but he had moved location, made it bigger, and it was doing better than ever. Kettah was even looking into going back to school so she could help manage the garage. Sweet Water was Kettah’s home now, and the friends she made in this quaint little town were the first ones she had ever had. She may be young, and others may still see her as a child, but Kettah had seen a lot in her short lifetime.