Conqueror, p.17
Conqueror, page 17
Billy looked thoughtful. “Well, Dad always did get a little stubborn when anyone opposed his ideas.”
“So, maybe they both thumbed their noses at their families and broke away to be on their own,” she offered.
“Yeah, that’s probably exactly what they did. And wouldn’t it be funny if they’d lived to see these times and us working alongside Clan Kinkaids? Dad would’ve…” He trailed off, not really sure what his father would have thought about their recent activities.
His dad had been a fair-minded man, even if he did hold a deep resentment against the Clan of his birth. Billy thought his father might have approved of Billy’s burgeoning friendship with Gavin. When a man saves your life, you don’t turn away his friendship. Dad would have agreed with that.
And Gavin wasn’t such a bad guy. He was a little younger than Billy, and his lion couldn’t help but see him as a sort of younger brother. Kind of like a version of Colt, though more distantly related. If the lion approved, who was Billy to argue?
Everything he’d seen of Gavin, including their time in the fey realm and his insatiable curiosity about everything he saw there, had impressed Billy. The fact that Gavin, young as he was, had opened talks with Amalie’s father on behalf of his Clan was downright impressive. Gavin had seen an opportunity and hadn’t passed it up.
Billy wasn’t so sure he would’ve been half as on top of things when he was Gavin’s age. Maybe there was something to growing up in a supportive Clan, though Billy would never know for sure. His chance for that was long gone.
“So, have you changed your mind even a little bit about the Kinkaids?” Amalie asked gently after the silence had stretched a bit longer than he had intended.
“Don’t ever tell Rich, but yeah.” Billy marveled at his own words. “Not the entire Clan, per se, but Gavin impressed the hell out of me. And I like the way Lester took him under his wing, even though it’s pretty clear Gavin wasn’t ever under Lester’s command before. They seem to have this bond. A bit like the bond between me and my brothers, but somehow…bigger. I don’t really understand it, and I probably never will. But being part of the Clan seems to connect them, even though they’ve never worked together before. Part of that is familiar,” he allowed. “It’s the bond of brothers-in-arms. Being in the service, you tend to form these connections with guys who’ve served in the same areas, or the same branches, or just shared certain experiences with you. Human, shifter, it doesn’t matter. We’re all brothers under the skin. It seems there’s some aspect of that kind of thing with those Kinkaids I’ve met recently who are part of the Clan.”
“I guess I can understand that,” Amalie replied, her heart going out to this man that she had come to love in such a short amount of time.
Billy was so well put together in so many ways, but there was this raw open wound surrounding his family that showed at times like this. It made her want to help him. Help them, in whatever way she could. She just wasn’t sure how.
It seemed so obvious to her that the brothers should probably just reconcile with the Clan. Whatever had happened in the past with their parents and the elders of the Kinkaid Clan was over and done. The brothers had a chance to start fresh, if only they would take it.
Of course, she couldn’t force them to do anything. The decision and effort had to come from them. If anything, she was surprised Billy’s friendship with Gavin had progressed so quickly. She was also surprised that Billy acknowledged it. Her lion lover wasn’t quite as stubborn as she’d believed. It might take them some time, but she hoped they’d all get there in the end.
For now, all she could do was support him and listen to him, and enjoy this beautiful night on the water, under the stars. He reached out to refill their champagne glasses then sat back and was still for a while. Apparently, the subject was closed, for now. She could live with that.
Amalie thought about her current situation. She’d been on the go for so many hours that she hadn’t really had time to sit still and think about things. There were a lot of loose ends she had to take care of before she could settle back to life on Long Island among the coven.
“I’d like to go back to Ohio briefly and pack up my stuff,” Amalie said, thinking aloud.
“Do you think that’s safe?” Billy asked. She liked that he wasn’t saying no to her idea right off the bat.
“For a quick port in and out, I think it would be safe enough. I could always port right out if something’s amiss there. But I can call my next-door neighbor, I suppose, and ask if she’s seen anything odd. She’s a nosy old lady who keeps tabs on everything. I bet she’s speculating all sorts of things with your truck parked in my driveway all this time.” Amalie giggled a bit.
“And we can check the alarm system remotely,” Billy put in.
“We can?” That was news to her. The alarm had been old when she’d moved in and didn’t hook up to the wifi, but it had been good enough to warn her if someone tried to break in and that was all she’d really needed.
“I meant to show you this before, but events overtook us.” Billy reached for his smartphone and brought up a view of her house that amazed her. It was from the backyard—probably the guest house he’d slept in—and it showed her the entire garden and the back of the house.
“Is this in real time?” she asked, flipping through the various camera angles. These were all new cams that they had installed together for the most part.
“Yep,” he nodded. “I checked when we got back, and nothing has disturbed the alarm since we left except a curious squirrel who posed for a selfie in front of the camera we stuck in that old oak tree.” He chuckled, touching the screen until he brought up a photo of a very curious squirrel face looking directly into the camera. She laughed out loud when he showed it to her.
“That’s great. So I can port in and pack up my stuff tomorrow.”
“You could, but I’d like to go along with you if possible. And, forgive me for asking, but word is, around shifter circles, that fey don’t much like to use magic to poof from place to place in our realm because it causes some kind of ruckus among those sensitive to magic. Would you be drawing attention to yourself by using portals?” He looked genuinely concerned, and her heart warmed.
“My kind of magic is a little different from what other fey might use to get around,” she told him. “The true beauty of being a Portal Master is that nobody can detect my portals. They are part of the fabric of the realms and not the same kind of magic as what other fey might employ to move from place to place.”
“Really?” He looked both surprised and pleased.
“And I can take as many people with me as I want with no additional strain. My portals are like doorways. Once open, anybody can go through until I close them. The other sort of traveling takes power from the mage themselves, and unless they are super strong, they can’t move more than a couple of people, and the recovery time is significant if they overstretch.” She smiled a bit smugly. “I’m not subject to those limitations. I could move an army through one of my portals, and it wouldn’t impact me at all.”
“That’s good, because if it comes down to it, you might just have to do that,” he reminded her, his smile disappearing.
She nodded, her mood darkening a bit. “Yeah, I realize that now. Good thing I know I can do it. I’m ready to use my powers for the side of Light wherever and whenever they need me.”
“And that’s just one thing I love about you,” Billy murmured, moving close.
Wait. Did he just use the L word?
“When do you want to port back to Ohio? I’d like to go with you. Maybe take down some of the surveillance gear,” he offered.
“After we put in all that work putting it up.” She sighed. He’d glossed over his use of the L word, but she was still a bit rattled by it. Had he meant it the way it had sounded? Oh, man. A little part of her hoped against hope that he did!
“Even if you owned the place, the location is blown. It wouldn’t really work as a safe house, and living there would just invite attack,” he reasoned.
“Yeah, I know. Even though I only lived there a short time, I’m going to miss the place. I have more than a few loose ends to tie up, including quitting my job and finalizing things with the landlord.”
“I’ll help where I can,” he offered immediately. “If you’ll allow me, that is.” He smiled, and she felt her insides melt.
“I’d be glad of the help, and of your company. If you don’t mind, we can load up your truck with my stuff then drive to someplace secluded, and I’ll port us, truck and all, back here.”
“You can do that?” He looked incredulous for a moment then shook his head. “Yeah, of course you can. You just told me you could march an army through one of your portals, so I guess a pickup truck won’t be a problem.”
She shrugged, liking the admiration in his eyes. “I could use the practice. I haven’t done any big portals since my father pronounced me fully trained and I left home to come live here with Gran.”
“Speaking of living here…” He seemed hesitant, and she wondered what he was getting at. She waited to see what he wanted to say. “You know, my brother and Meg are going to stay here and live in her house for the time being, but I know there are at least two other houses in the development for sale at the moment. I was thinking…”
Oh, boy. Was he going to move here too? Did he want their relationship to continue? She tried not to get her hopes up too high, but it was nearly impossible.
“I was thinking…” he repeated, moving closer to her on the bench seat along one side of the boat. He put his arm around her shoulders, and they turned to face each other. “Amalie, I don’t ever want you to port out of my life. My lion—and my human side—agree. You’re my mate, and I will never love another. Only you.”
Amalie was floored by his declaration. Struck almost totally speechless. Her mind scrambled. He wasn’t just staying in the area. He was saying they were mates? Sweet Mother of All!
“You love me?” she squeaked out. That was really the only thing that mattered. Her heart leapt in anticipation and hope as he nodded solemnly.
“I do love you, Amalie. I want you to be my mate. That’s like asking you to be my wife, only with no possible end date. Mates are for life. Forever.” He moved closer and put his lips on hers in a chaste, yet molten kiss that reminded her of their time together, brief as it had been. Everything in her jumped in joy as he drew back.
“Um… Yes. I love you too, Billy. I honestly didn’t think it could happen so fast, but I know my heart, and you’re in it so deep, you’ll never be loosed.” She blushed a bit as she put her heart on her sleeve, but he’d just done the same, so she didn’t feel silly.
This time, she’d fallen for a man who would never hurt her in any way. She knew that deep down in her soul. This time, her love was returned, and it wasn’t some flight of fantasy. It was real, and it was deep and true.
Forever. That’s what he’d said, and the word reverberated deep down in her being.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Billy kissed her then, and it was deep and joyous and hungry. At some point, he’d taken the glass out of Amalie’s hand and put it on the table. There wasn’t much in the way of waves tonight, but the table had a little lip to help prevent things from sliding off.
Her ward prevented their words from being heard, but she and Billy could still be seen, sitting on the deck of the boat in the dim light. And Amalie could hear the engine of the occasional car driving past. Not that she noticed much when Billy kissed her, but when one of the passing cars full of teenagers decided to honk their horn and send wolf whistles in their direction, she was shaken from the spell of desire Billy so effortlessly wove around her.
Billy raised his head and looked at the car full of kids, then shook his head. His smile made her feel even warmer than his kiss had, if such a thing were possible.
“Some Cassanova I am. I thought this setting would be romantic, but I didn’t count on having an audience. It was bad enough that Gavin was always around the past couple of days.” He straightened up to sit beside her, but kept his arm around her shoulders.
His words made her think. “You knew so soon?”
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about the future since the first time we were together,” he admitted, looking at her with such a loving expression in his eyes that she wanted to melt into a puddle right there. How had she lived so long without this man in her life? “My lion knew there was something special about you the moment we met. I admit, my human side was perplexed by the lion’s response when you opened the door and went immediately into verbal combat mode with me.” He chuckled, and she blushed, remembering their initial meeting.
“I’m sorry about that. I’d literally just gotten off the phone with Gran, and she was being what I thought was a bit high-handed about my privacy.” She shook her head. “As it turned out, she was exactly right to send you, and I’m going to have to apologize to her. And to you, for being so prickly when we first met. I don’t know why you put up with me.”
“My inner lion thought you were adorable at first sight. Like a kitten testing out its little claws. I felt protective and indulgent of you from the get-go. The human side of me wondered if we were having the same conversation at first, but by the time we straightened things out in the backyard, I knew you were something special. You captivated me, Amalie.” He brushed his fingers lightly over her hair which had come loose and was wafting around her face in the slight breeze.
“And I have to confess, I thought you were the most handsome man I had ever seen up close, and your patience with the crazy lady I presented you with at first cinched it,” she told him, and they both chuckled, but then, she turned more serious. “And when I saw you fighting that Tauror and that old witch was jinxing you, I knew then…” She swallowed before she could go on. “I knew I couldn’t watch you die when I might be able to do something about it. That’s why I went downstairs. I knew it was a trap, but I also knew if you died, a part of me would be forever lost.”
“Oh, sweetheart…” he whispered, gathering her into his arms again and letting her rest her head against his chest, her ear of the steady beat of his heart.
They sat like that for a long moment. Finally, he broke the silence. “So, just for the record, you’ll be my mate? I swear, we’ll find a way to make this work. We can live here, which would actually be pretty nice for me too, since I’d be close to at least one of my brothers.”
She lifted her head to look up into his eyes. “Yes, I will be your mate. You won’t be able to get rid of me,” she promised teasingly, hardly believing she was having this conversation. It felt like a dream. A really, really good dream. “And I’d like to stay in this neighborhood and be near Gran, so that works for me. I’d like to get to know your brothers better too, since you’re so close to them, and I’m already friendly with Meg.”
“That settles it, then. We can take a look at the available houses tomorrow, and I’ll put in an offer as soon as we decide which one we want.” He reached forward to grab the half-full champagne glasses and handed hers back to her. “To the future, which I know will be fantastic now that you’re in my life,” he toasted.
She clinked her glass against his, feeling very blessed, indeed. They both drained their glasses, and he stood and grabbed the bottle. Then, he looked at her with one raised eyebrow and a sexy grin on his face. She could see the deviltry dancing in his eyes, and her blood heated in anticipation.
“Shall we adjourn to the state room so we can have a few more toasts in privacy?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she replied, feeling decidedly coquettish. She’d never felt quite this way before but there was just something about Billy that brought out new facets of her personality and made her want to explore.
And speaking of exploring, she wanted to explore him. Tout suite. He led the way belowdecks and opened the door to the forward state room. Amalie was impressed by the large, triangular bed that took up most of the space in the bow of the boat. It was luxuriously appointed with soft fabrics and crisp white sheets. There were lights in the curved walls that gave off a gentle glow in the private space. And beneath it all, there was the gentle rocking motion of the boat that made this encounter a bit more intriguing.
All in all, it was a very romantic atmosphere. Billy moved past her to put the remaining wine in an ice bucket that was waiting on a side table. He must’ve prepared this earlier when he’d first gone below. Smart, confident, strategic-thinking man. And he was all hers. Forever.
Oh, how she liked the sound of that. Turning to him, she moved into his arms, taking him a little by surprise. Good. She wanted to keep him on his toes.
She reached for the buttons on his shirt, focusing on that task until every last little button on the shirt was undone. When she slid the fabric off his wide shoulders, her hands lingered, loving the soft, white cotton of his undershirt that molded itself to his sleek muscles.
Amalie tugged the hem of the T-shirt out of his waistband and slid it upward, over the washboard of his abdomen and toward those amazing shoulders. He helped her, raising his arms and shrugging off the T-shirt, tossing it aside.
“Have I ever told you how yummy you look?” she said, moving into his embrace and kissing his collar bone.
“Yummy?” he repeated, chuckling. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before.”
“Maybe the women in your past—who, by the way, I want to turn into newts—didn’t say it, but I can assure you they were thinking it.”
“Newts?” He laughed again, a little louder this time. “I didn’t know you had such a vivid imagination.”
“It’s not really my imagination. I can do it, you know. I’m half-witch, remember. So, just be forewarned. You’re mine now, and there will be no other women allowed.” She was teasing, but he gripped her upper arms and drew her away to look down into her eyes.
“That’s not possible, Amalie. I thought you knew. You’re my mate. I can’t be with any other woman ever again. There is no cheating among shifters. Not after a true mating, like ours.”
