Seventeen

“There were coyotes everywhere,” Eve said as if Arlin hadn’t heard the story already. He just smiled and stared, listening to her retell the tale of when Bane and his band of miscreants invaded their Friday night ritual of a bonfire to celebrate the coming weekend. Of course, Arlin hadn’t heard anyone mention jobs as of yet, so he wasn’t really sure how the weekend was any different from the weekday, but he’d take any reason to celebrate with his mate. “They backed down quickly, however, when Adira sparked some of her magic at them. You should have seen it.”

“I don’t think that’s how it happened,” Adira said, the small dark-haired witch glued to the alpha of Bull Creek’s side. “I didn’t use my magic until they tried to accost us at Everglades.”

“And then at the final battle,” Dimitri added. “You used a lot of magic then.” He pulled her into himself, squeezing her tight. “For which I’m glad. They were a right nasty bunch.”

“Wanted to take over the area, huh?” Arlin asked. From the scent the witch and panther put off, it was obvious they had recently mated, which meant they could probably scent his mark on Eve as well. He was glad Dimitri was there, however, when Bane tried to put an end to the human population in Bull Creek. Arlin didn’t know what he’d do if he weren’t able to find his mate. If he could be honest with himself, he was lost up until the time he met Eve at Everglades. If it weren’t for that encounter, he’d probably spend years searching for someone, bouncing from one cheap, pointless encounter to the next until he finally settled down with someone he pretended to love, but really only tolerated to cure his loneliness. He glanced over at Eve who started the tale of Everglades again and couldn’t keep the smile from pushing his cheeks up. No, this, this was much better.

“What’s all the chatter about over here?” Turning, Arlin saw Alanna and her boyfriend, Josh Rayburn, walking over to them, a behemoth of a man he had yet to meet following in their wake, each carrying a beer bottle and wearing a smile.

“Eve is regaling us with her storytelling capabilities,” Dimitri said, smiling over at Eve and winking.

“Stories I’d rather forget, to be honest,” Adira added. Arlin couldn’t blame her considering she was abducted and had the crap knocked out of her. He’d want to forget that story, too.

The giant man reached out a powerful hand to Arlin. “Welcome to Bull Creek. Nathan’s brother, right? I’m Ezra.”

Arlin took the hand, noting the more-than-human strength in the grip. Ezra wasn’t trying to be intimidating; it was just a natural trait of his. If Arlin had to guess, he’d say the man was either a bear or a gorilla shifter. “Arlin. And yeah, I came to visit my brother, and he’s not even here.”

Ezra nodded, laughing. “That man comes and goes faster than anyone can keep track. Where is he off to this time?”

“With Nathan, who knows?” Arlin said with a laugh. He then turned to Dimitri. “So, you do these every Friday night?”

Dimitri nodded. “We do them as often as possible. It’s just a way to celebrate life, bring the community together. For some people here, we’re the only friends and family they have.” He shrugged. “It’s a way to check in without being intrusive and pounding on doors.”

Arlin nodded as Dimitri spoke. “Nice. I like it. A diverse family feel.”

“That’s what I’ve come to love about it,” Adira said.

“Me, too,” Eve agreed. She turned to Arlin, wrapping her arms around his. “I’ve found everything I need right here.”

Leaning down and kissing her nose, he said, “As have I. Who would have thunk it?” They both laughed at his comment. “I’ll need to send Jed a thank you note for kicking me out of town for a while.”

Adira laughed. “The Paranormal Council back in Draven Falls has a habit of sending people where they need to be when they need to be there. I’d swear they have an inside scoop on this mating business.”

“Well, I think I need to call them,” Ezra said, laughing. “Maybe they know where mine’s hiding.”

Arlin noticed Josh and Alanna doing everything they could not to look at each other. He just smiled. That was one battle the two of them would have to fight sooner or later.

“Hey, I notice you have no knives at your waist,” Alanna said, quickly changing the subject, as she pointed to Eve’s waist and the missing sheath. “That knife is always at your hip. What gives?”

Arlin watched as Eve reached for her hip and the absent knife. She laughed softly as she felt it missing. “Well, to be honest, I wore it as a means of protection, but since…well, you know…since I’m now my own form of protection, I decided it was time to store it away.” Her smile grew timid with the admission as if she bragged too much. Yet, Arlin was glad to know she felt that confidence within herself. It brought a glow to her that Kyle’s appearance had dimmed.

Dimitri grinned as he nodded. “Well, I thought I detected a familiar scent.” He squeezed Adira to him as he said it. Then he glanced over at Josh and Alanna. “Maybe it’s contagious.”

Alanna rolled her eyes, but Arlin noticed Josh shuffling his feet at the idea. Perhaps, Dimitri’s comment hit closer to home than the other panther shifter was ready to admit. How Josh and Alanna were able to deny the call of fated mates so far was beyond Arlin’s imagination. The minute his tiger scented Eve, it took everything Arlin had to resist marking her for as long as he did. Sooner or later, he knew something between the others would snap. He just hoped they were both ready when it did. Denying the call could be torture, a torture he was glad he didn’t have to endure. If Eve had decided she didn’t want anything to do with him, Arlin wasn’t sure what he would do.

The night went on without incident, which Arlin had to admit surprised him. He truly thought Kyle would have made some sort of appearance to try and prove himself to Eve, to show he wasn’t intimidated. Yet, it seemed like he wasn’t going to be so brazen. Or so stupid.

As the party started to wind down, Arlin and Eve offered to help clean up, but Dimitri told them to go ahead and get out of there. New people apparently got a pass the first bonfire night. Arlin wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he grabbed Eve’s hand and headed out of there. The moon was high, the sky clear enough to see Orion’s Belt, and a cool breeze blew through the surrounding trees—a perfect night for a moonlit stroll with his mate. Grabbing her hand, he led her away from the cleanup crew and down the dark street, the wind pulling at their hair. His tiger wanted to bust loose and run, and he was sure Eve’s gave her the same temptation, but not tonight. Tonight, he wanted nothing more than to be alone with his mate in a slow stroll through what would be his new home.

“I like this tradition,” he said, after they walked for a few minutes, the bonfire clearing behind them. “It’s a great way to bond the community together.”

Their arms swung back and forth in slow motion as they walked, Eve giving a soft nod. “It is a fun tradition. I’ve been going to them since I arrived here. It’s where I met most of my friends.” She remained silent for a moment, but Arlin could sense that wasn’t the end of it. He was right. “This is actually the first place I’ve actually felt like I belonged. No one judges you or cares that you’re not like everyone else.” She giggled, and it stirred his heart. “Actually, they prefer that no one is like anyone else.”

“It must have been hard, starting over.” He couldn’t imagine what she went through when she finally left Kyle. It seemed as if she left everything and everyone behind, truly starting over. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”

“Me, too, but in a way, it worked out. It brought me here and got me to you.”

They turned the corner, an animal scurrying in the underbrush off to the side. Arlin stopped, twirling her until he had his arms wrapped around her, holding her against him, her breasts pressed to his chest. He was sure she could feel his growing cock against her. “I’m glad at the destination, but I hate the path you had to take to get here.” He leaned down, kissing her softly, first her lips, and then her nose. “Of course, that only means I’m going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you and proving to you how a lady should be treated.” He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she gazed up at him. “Eve Hartlow, you make my heart happy.”

He felt her squeeze him to her, her head on his chest. “You make me happy, too. I never thought it possible, to be honest. Or that I deserved it.” She leaned back and stared up into his eyes. “But I do deserve it, and what’s more, I’m ready for it. I’m ready to finally be happy. I’m ready for us.”

“So am…” And that’s all he got out before he felt a skull-cracking thud against his head, stars flashing across his vision before darkness swallowed him, his legs turning to jelly, no longer holding his weight. The last thing he heard was Eve’s scream.