Enlightening Bloom(30)

"Fine." She smiles. "Tonight we'll focus on the happy and tomorrow we'll deal with the hell."

"How about we enjoy the happy in private?" I suggest with a grin.

I feel a shiver go through her just as she responds. "Private sounds good."

"Oh, it will be." I tell her as I lift her into both of my arms and storm out of the clearing.



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The room has no candles or flower pedals to mark the moment as special, but that doesn't take away from the beauty of the night. With a knee to the bed I lay her out on the simple quilt covered mattress and cover her body with mine. She takes my mouth in a soft, sweet kiss that even in its gentleness has my desire rocketing to new heights.

Her body arches against mine, giving me the ability to slip my hand to her back. The zipper comes down easily and I detach my lips from hers to press them to her shoulder as I slide the fabric down her arm. I expose the silky skin right above the swell of her left breast, knowing her heart beats directly beneath. I place a kiss there right as I tell her. "This is where I want my mark."

"I thought you had to mark my neck?" She asks with wide eyes.

"It can be placed anywhere. Some choose to have it in a visible spot like the neck." I kiss her neck as I explain. "But I prefer to think of a mark as an intimate thing between mates, so I’d prefer it to be somewhere only we'll see."

"Unless I start wearing hooker clothes or flashing the pack." She teases, causing me to growl.

"Spanking you is sounding like a better and better idea."

"I might like it." She sighs as she runs her fingers up my shoulders and neck, to lace them through my hair. I drop my forehead to hers as I warn. "Bonnie, I'm holding on by a threat here. You keep that up and there'll be a marking of your chest, and an accident in my pants. And no good stuff for you."

"So your telling me that I'm going to keep my V-card forever since my mate's an early releaser?"

"Early Releaser?"

"You know, you ejac..."

"I know what you mean." I run my hands down her sides, pulling more of the dress down as I go. "I guess I need to prove your assumption wrong."

"That would be good." She uses her grip on my hair to put my mouth where she wants it. "But first, I want my mark."

"It's yours." My teeth lengthen into my fangs and I sink them into her supple skin, claiming her with my mark from now into eternity.





Chapter 19 - Pike



The smell of coffee brewing draws me away from my sleeping mate and into the kitchen. Forrest and Heath are seated at the table, each with a cup in hand.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Come on in. Coffee's on the stove. There are cups on the counter." Forrest warmly offers

"Thanks." I reply as I go through the motions of making myself a cup. The steaming hot drink in hand I take a seat at the table, opposite Heath. Three gulps into enjoying the bitter brew Forrest speaks up. "We think we should accompany y'all back to Tennessee." He hesitates. "If you'll welcome us there that is."

I look up and over at the older wolf, sitting at the head of the table. He's watching me just as closely as I now am him. This would be a big step for his wolves, and a huge help for mine. But I need to know he's thought this through. Securing yourself in a mountain hideaway is one thing, doing so in the modern world is a completely different beast. "Coming out of these woods could put your pack at risk."

"We've been in hiding for way too long. I know it's a dangerous choice, but it's one we all feel we need we need to make. Amelia wants to help Bloom with her gifts. Tillie's mentioned training Bonnie. And these boys of ours need to be around the fairer sex if they ever hope to find their mates." The last sentence warrants a chuckle from Heath.

"Those boys are wild. There’s not a woman alive, human or wolf, who'll put up with any of their shit."

"Might be so, but we've got to give them a chance to find out. I sure as heck haven't seen any single females wandering into these woods for the boys to scoop up."

I break into their bickering. "If you're sure this is what you want, then we'd be more than happy to have you visit. We could sure use the extra help with a threat lingering overhead."

"I don't think I asked this right." He looks to his Beta for guidance. Heath shrugs his shoulders and grumbles. "Seemed straight forward to me." I have no clue what I'm missing. And these two aren't being very helpful in explaining.

Tillie walks into the room in the middle of this confusion. A couple freshly skinned rabbits hang from ropes in her hands. She tosses them on to the counter and starts the water running in the sink. As the sink fills she turns to us, leaning back with her elbows resting on the counter top. "So did you agree to let us join your pack?"