She belonged to him. With him. He was irrevocably part of her now—she would always carry his magic, a part of him inside her, even when he wasn’t actively filling her with his cock and lavishing her with his love. He was home and family and love all bound into one being and one magical bond.
She had been running all this time—from shifters, from the shifting world, from the possibility of mating—and it suddenly dawned on her that this was exactly what she needed all along. This sense of belonging to someone. Jace was still inside her, slowing his movements, releasing his ardent hold on her body and her hair, and she had a flash of the future—small children that looked like her and him. Pups they would raise together. Their children would have their father’s incredible strength and their mother’s independence, and they would be surrounded by love all the days of their lives.
Jace pulled out of her with a delicious groan and fell back on the grass, pulling her down with him. She buried her head in his broad chest, but she couldn’t stop the hot tears from cresting and sliding down her cheeks. His chest rose and fell, and she could hear the mad beating of his heart, but it wasn’t long before he picked up his head to look at her.
He gently lifted her chin. “Why are you crying?” There was a tremor of fear in his voice, one she wanted to wipe away instantly… but she settled for grabbing his face and kissing him hard.
He was shocked and flushed and gorgeous in the moonlight. “Happy tears, my sexy beast. Just thinking about you and our future—that’s enough to rip them out of me. I’ll be okay in a minute.”
A wide smile slowly grew on his face. “Our future?”
She propped herself up on his chest and stared down at him. “You know, the one where take me from behind, again and again, biting me with that insane magic high you’re packing in those fangs. I mean, damn, Jace. You should have warned me mating was like this.”
He chuckled and drew her closer. “You mean, you seriously didn’t know?”
She snuggled into him. “Well, sure, I heard the stories. But there’s a difference between the lewd gestures your friends make in high school and a screaming orgasm so out of this world that you see stars.”
“Stars?” The laugh in his voice warmed her heart on top of the magic that was already there.
“Literal bright white shooting stars. I am not even kidding.”
His fingers idly played along her back, then swept up to cup her breast. “I take it that means you liked it.”
“Um…” She pretended to think about it. “Yes.”
He grinned. “I’ll have to work hard to top literal shooting stars. Probably need lots of practice.” The joy on his face stole her breath.
“Lots and lots and lots of practice.” The wind rustled the grass next to them, and she was quiet a moment, envisioning all the ways they would make love. All the places and positions and screaming orgasms that would fill their future. And then, one of those times, they would decide to let their love grow into something more—a child. Their love would create a little boy or a little girl, and that small one would be the embodiment of everything that was good in the world.
Jace touched her cheek, and she was surprised to see his finger glisten with one of her tears.
His smile was replaced by a solemn look. “Thinking of our future again?”
She nodded, but she had to swallow down the tears before she could whisper, “A little girl, maybe. Or a boy. I don’t care which.”
His face opened in surprise, then he rolled over fast, taking her with him and pinning her against the grass. “Piper, I—” He choked up, paused a moment, then cleared his throat. “A daughter. I want a daughter.”
The tears were coursing down her cheeks now, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away, she just reached up to pull him down for a kiss. When they stopped again, she said, softly, “Then we’ll have to keep trying until we have one.”
A grin lit his face again, and it made her heart swell.
“You know…” he said. “Jaxson and Olivia are getting married soon. How about if we make it a double wedding?”
She struggled to shove the joy off her face and replace it with a serious look. “Absolutely not.”
He frowned. “Please?”
She scowled at him. “I’m going to be busy making babies. No time for a wedding.”
He laughed, hearty and whole, and it brought fresh tears to her eyes. “You’re going to kill my mother with that kind of logic.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “All right, then. A wedding. If we must.”
He smiled wide then lowered his sights to her breasts. Her nipples were tight, reaching up to him, begging for his touch. His hooded eyes returned to hers. “Maybe I should make it up to you, having to tolerate this wedding business.”