The Mate Mistake(The Woolven Secret 3)(57)
“No. You need them all.”
“Belle. You put life back into me, once. Please, take one of these somehow, and give it to him. I can spare it.”
She swallowed hard and he heard the break in her voice. “You don’t look like you can spare it.”
“Before it’s too late.”
“I love you, Parker. I don’t know how we’ll make it work, but I love you.”
Parker crashed to his knees. “Promise. Me.”
“I promise.”
The world went dark.
Chapter 17
The first thing she did when Parker opened his eyes was slap him hard. Relief and joy flooded her.
“What the hell was that for?”
“For trying to die. For not saying you loved me.”
“I kind of thought the whole dying for you thing was declaration enough,” he grumbled. “Put your hands on my face again.”
“No.”
“What is this?”
“You’re being punished.”
“For what?”
“Almost dying. Not. Cool. Twice in one week. That’s unacceptable, Parker. I won’t tolerate this in the rest of our long, long, long lives together.”
He took her hand, and she let him, turning his cheek into her palm. He nuzzled.
“I’m not scratching behind your ears.”
“Oh, woman. There’s so much you won’t do. What will you do?”
“Love you.”
He smiled. “I like that. Say it again.”
“No. You say it.”
“I did. A whole bunch. I got tired of getting my teeth kicked in every time you reminded me this was a fake marriage.”
“Fine. I love you, Parker.”
“Aha! I got my way.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“I had no plans.” He kissed her palm. “I love you, woman. More than my own breath.”
“I guess I did know that.”
“Tell me.”
“That I love you?”
“Yeah, I want to hear that all the time. But, Warner?”
“Is in the tender care of his mate. He survived. Because you gave him that piece of your life force. I didn’t know you could do…what you did.”
“Yeah, me either. I hope it was just a freak accident and never happens again.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Parker. I might like it if you wanted to double time me.” She straddled him.
“That’s it. I’m officially in hell. I’m too wounded to even think about an erection and you drop this one me. Yeah, I already died. This is hell.”
She laughed and looked down at his face. The one she wanted to see until the stars burned to the nothing and the sun blinked out of existence. “Are you sure about that?”
“Actually,” he said, grabbing her hips. “It doesn’t matter. Anywhere that you are, I want to be.”
“Even if it meant going to the Asakku for a while? My father needs me. I know your family needs you—”
“You. You are my family. I am yours. You are mine. This pack is yours, and you belong to it, even though you also belong to another.”
“Really? You’d come with me? A dog among leeches?”
“Anywhere you go, I go.”
“Sorry to interrupt,” Blake said from the doorway.
“We were getting nowhere fast,” Parker drawled.
She slid down on the covers next to him.
“I guess you’re going to Egypt?” Blake said.
“Isn’t it hot there?”
“The sun is amazing.”
“Listen, I’m not a cold blooded thing like you. I have fur. Goddess, this is going to suck,” he sighed.
But Belle knew he was only bellyaching to bellyache. He would go wherever she went. He’d hold her up when she fell. He’d let her stand on her own. He was her foundation.
And she was his.
“Can you spare me, Blake?”
“You brought us something much more valuable than the Nevada mineral rights. You brought us Tirigan and a victory in this war. We took some heavy losses, but nothing like the massacre we would’ve faced without Tirigan. I’d say you can do whatever you want. So will the board. Get some rest, brother.”
“How’s Randi?” he asked.
“Eating truffles, of course. Everyone’s fine. Just worry about getting better. I love you, brother.”
“I love you.”
Belle was touched by the emotion that passed between them, and she couldn’t resist adding her own brand of teasing.
“I love you, too, brother,” she grinned.
But to her surprise, Blake came over to the bed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You too, little sister.” He headed toward the door, but turned back to them. “We all know what needs to be done for a healing. So you should get started, but try to keep it down. Tirigan doesn’t need to hear all of that. He’s all jacked up on ancient werewolf blood and doesn’t need any encouragement.”