Page 39 of Owen

“And we’re not finished yet.” He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye. “This is what you want? I’m what you want?”

There went that feeling again. That complete certainty. Nothing could’ve changed my mind. Not even a Gwydion—whatever that was.

“You’re what I want. We are what I want.”

His smile was slow, sweet, full of promise. “I can think of something else I want right about now, Miss Molly. I believe we have a matter to settle between us if this is to be official.”

“Do we now?” Somebody had taken out my heart and replaced it with a bass drum, pounding away in my chest.

“Mm-hmm. Have you seen my bedroom yet? It’s a lot like the one you were in earlier.”

“Is it? Hmm. Maybe I should check it out?” I suggested, but I couldn’t help giggling. “I mean, just to compare the two of them. And there’s something I think we should do after that.”

He pulled me close, his hands on my waist. “We won’t have to think about afterward for a while, since I intend to take my time. Over and over again.”

The most delicious shiver ran down my spine, but I managed to hold it together instead of melting into a puddle at his feet—the way I wanted to. “Okay, after that, then. If you have the energy.”

“It depends,” he laughed. “What did you have in mind?”

I bit down on my lip but couldn’t hold back a smile. “I’ve always wanted to go flying.”

Epilogue

She stirred against me when I made a move to separate myself from her. There wasn’t so much as a hitch in her breathing to indicate that she’d woken up. She simply wanted to be near me.

I understood the sentiment, as I’d struggled with it for the last several hours as I held her in my arms, going in and out of light sleep while knowing all the while that I ought to check on the others. I’d left Pierce with the task of spreading the word to the rest of the clan and coven but had yet to follow up on any further progress.

Now that my mate was mine, fully and truly, I could turn my mind to other matters.

But only for a short while. I would need her again, and soon. It seemed there was no end to the wonders of her body and her mind.

A body which was at that moment draped over me, arms and legs akimbo. I did what I could to extricate myself without waking her, then pulled together some clothing and slipped as quietly as I could from the room.

The cave was quiet, which told me most of those who made it their home were in bed. But there was always someone on watch, both in the control center and out in the sky.

I padded down the long hall in my bare feet, wondering who I would see upon reaching the last room across from the kitchen.

Sitting with his ankles crossed atop the desk was Pierce himself, hands folded on his chest. On the monitor before him was a face I recognized.

She looked at me when I entered. Uncanny, that.

While the camera could only have picked up a limited amount of space, she somehow noticed me on the other side of the room.

“Owen. How nice to see you. I understand you met a special young woman.”

Pierce shrugged. “I thought she should know. We recovered part of the coven’s treasure, after all.”

I mirrored his shrug and pulled up a chair. “You won’t hear any complaints from me. Did you tell her our theory?”

Mary answered for him. “He did, and I must say I find it intriguing. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. We know by now that the Gwydions were behind the attack in Scotland, and they forced the coven into hiding. I could imagine this—I know not what to call it—this grudge could easily go back that far.”

“I certainly remember them from those days,” Pierce muttered. “Always trying to one-up the coven, trying to prove their might. They were never able to establish their superiority.”

“Because of us,” I added. “Once they had the coven separated from us, however, they were able to wipe them out.”

“I only wish we could’ve made it here sooner,” he said. “Here I am, regretting something that took place a thousand years ago. We were separated by storms. I’ll never forget how intense they were. The flooding afterward, the lives lost—the area wasn’t nearly as populated as it is now, and still there was so much destruction.”

“Storms.” I leaned in closer. “Such as the storm we just endured upon our arrival?”

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