Shadow Mated(45)

“What is it?” Layna asked, pulling the t-shirt Ryan had shucked over her head.

“A night rainbow. A moonbow. Adira, do you see it?”

Gash watched the Sorcera as she squinted upward. “I see it, sister. I see it.”

But somehow, he had the feeling she wasn’t telling the truth.

Adira and Thames disappeared into the forest with Nastia. Renner and Owyn gathered the fallen panther. Doc examined wounds, ordering people to go directly to her office or home, depending on the severity. Theron and Mason ran the property to ensure all the human cats were gone, while Layna and Ryan went to relieve Clara from her desk duty at the lodge. Boy were they going to get an earful too. The tiny human hadn’t been happy about her role in this showdown. She was feisty and she wanted to be in the fray.

Magic strolled over, careful not to get too close to Bailey. Confucius say: smart man stay far away from pregnant mate, lest ye lose hand, eye, tongue, and any other appendage available.

“It’s over,” he said, relief written in the way his shoulders sagged. “You’re free.”

Gash nodded, swallowing hard. He needed to say the words clogging his throat but it was damn tough. “Thank you. For fighting for me. And Bailey. And...” The young. He couldn’t say it. Not without tears choking his voice. So he let it fade.

A lazy smile quirked Magic’s mouth. “It ain’t no thing. We defend our own.”

“I owe you a life.”

“You don’t owe me shit. And… congratulations, man. You’re going to be a daddy.”

Gash breathed deep, still not able to scent the young. But soon. He’d pick it up soon. Maybe when he got his mate home and in bed.

“Congrats, Bai,” Magic added.

She murmured a thank-you and he jogged off toward the lodge.

Silently, Gash and Bailey walked back to their cabin. A huge weight had been lifted. And even though Ouachita would no doubt face more obstacles while helping the witches, tonight they had come together in the most miraculous way. This was what family was all about. Fighting alongside each other even if their demons weren’t yours.

Gash would never forget what Ouachita had done for him, and he’d be first in line to help any one of them, no questions asked.

They were his.





Chapter Thirteen



Weeks later, Bailey huddled in the kitchen over her cell phone, staring at the screen as it flashed an alert. 1 New Message. A happy smile curved her lips and she slid her thumb around the screen to open it up.

Since the battle with the Alley Cats, things had settled around the Ouachitas. The bears and Gash shared security duties, and they were making a home with the cats. Thames’s chapel had been erected, and not surprisingly, the guests liked to visit it as much as he did. Theron’s piano was moved into the lobby, and he played it sometimes when he thought no one was around. He wasn’t very good, but Bailey still liked to hear it. To her, it seemed like a symbol of survival and growth. Listening to him hit wrong notes always made a smile appear on her face.

Adira and Mirena stayed in the lodge, learning the ways of the shifters and helping wherever they could. Magic hadn’t given them jobs yet, but Bailey figured that was coming soon. Maybe after they survived the autumnal equinox. Then they’d officially belong to the Ouachita clan. If they wanted to, that is.

The one dark spot on the horizon was Nastia. Her condition hadn’t worsened as Adira had suggested. Which actually left everyone more on edge. It was like waiting for a dreaded blade to fall. Even Nastia had been sure the darkness would take her by now. So she sat, locked in Thames’s cave, waiting for it while the sisters and Mason researched ways to find her anchor.

But Bailey knew the clan would find a way to free her. Together, they could conquer any foe. Even dark magic. Somehow, she knew it deep in her heart.

Peering at her screen, she read the message.

I love you. Are u tired of it yet? Be honest.

Gash had kept his promise to tell her whenever he wanted to. Which was often. And every single time it gave her flutters in her chest that she knew wouldn’t fade with the passing of years.

I love you back. Not even close to tired of it.

I know bc I’m watching u smile.

She grinned up at the security camera and blew it a kiss.

There, she typed. A kiss for my mate.

“Bai,” Eagan called from the front station. “You get the dessert in the ovens yet?”

“Working on it,” she hollered back.

“Sometime today would be nice,” he grumbled.

“Heard that.”

“Meant for you to.”

She checked her phone again, but still no reply from Gash.

Just as she was tucking it back into her pocket, he pushed through the kitchen door, leaving it swinging on its hinges. He stalked to her, ignoring Eagan’s protests.