Page 48 of Bones

“I’ll probably need a lot of sessions with Dr. Grayback to even begin to unpack all of it,” I say with a smile.

My eyes flutter closed as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.

Silence fills the room, but it’s the perfect silence between two beings in complete trust and love. Two mates existing as one. My thoughts drift, the bedroom dark save for the light spilling in through the open doorway from the living room. The sun was set by the time we pulled up to Bones’ apartment complex. I hadn’t known exactly what to expect when we’d returned but Bones had me out of my clothes as soon as the front door had been closed behind us.

I jerk, like one of those twitches as you’re falling asleep, except my eyes fly wide open and I push myself up on his chest. His hands brace my waist, his face concerned. “Sydney!” Guilt and shame flood me as I realize I hadn’t thought about her since the moment I stood in the door of the plane and watched Bones kill Paul. “Is she okay? She helped me take on that stupid guard. He wasn’t expecting it but he still got in a couple hits on us.”

I yelp as Bones bolts upright, maneuvering my body like I weigh no more than a feather. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” He demands, running his hands over me again but this timesearching out any injuries. I shake my head, slapping his hands gently before bringing a hand to his cheek.

“I’m fine,” I swear. “I might have a few bruises show up tomorrow but other than being a bit achey, I’m fine. I’d have told you if it was serious. It’s Sydney I’m worried about. He punched her in the face.”

Bones runs a hand over my hair, his expression still troubled. “I shouldn’t have been so rough.”

I capture his hand in both of mine and bite one of his fingers with a playful growl. “I enjoyed every second of it. Don’t you dare treat me like I’m going to break.”

His cock thickens underneath me and I shake my head, astounded that he’s already ready to go again. I give him his hand back and try to get off of his lap. “I need to check in with her.”

He captures me around the waist, holding me in place and buries his head in the crook of his neck. “She’s okay. Reaper has her. He’d never let anything happen to her.”

I melt back against him, tracing the tattooed bones over one of his hands; I try to accept that. I cock my head. “She yelled something before hurling herself at the jerk who tried to take me away from her. Odantos? Orthanos? Do you know what that means?”

He breathes out roughly, the warm air fluffing my hair. “Odanatos. It’s Reaper’s real name. I didn’t know she knew it. Explains why he lost his shit when he heard it. He’s honestly why we took them down so quickly. Not that I wasn’t interested in the same. There was no point in dragging it out when we realized how little defense they had.”

I twist in his arms, my interest piqued. “What’s your demon name? I’ve honestly never thought to ask. To me, you’ve always just been Bones.”

His hesitation and unease bleeds through the love in our mating bond, dimming it. He goes to speak but closes his mouth. The conflict and pain in his beautiful eyes which shine like polished bronze makes my heart ache. When he starts to answer I press my fingers against his lips, quieting him.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I whisper, hoping he can feel my sincerity and full acceptance through our mating bond.

He kisses my fingers and I lower them. “I’ve never gone by since we escaped and came here. I never wanted to be that demon again.”

I nod, once, resolute. “Then that’s it. That name is no more. That demon is no more. It’s dead. You are only Bones. My Bones.”

He stares at me, awe on his face. It’s almost too much. He crushes me to him, plundering my mouth with his.

“Fuck, I love you, Sloan,” he tells me, his breathing labored. “I don’t deserve you. No one on this earth deserves you. But I’m going to spend every day for the rest of time making sure you are happy and safe and have anything you could ever want or need. You are the light which has brightened the darkness of my soul. You don’t just have my heart, youaremy heart.”

Warm tears roll down my face but I’m smiling so hard my cheeks ache. God, I feel like I’m going to explode with happiness. Who knew it was possible to be this happy?

“Forever,” I tell him. “I’ll love you forever.”

EPILOGUE

BONES

1 year later

Iknow exactly what Michael, Sloan’s father, sees when he looks at me. He sees someone he suspects is supernatural, a good six or seven inches taller than him, dressed like a biker with a face tattooed as a skull, back of his hands tattooed with bones. I stand straight, refusing to fidget as the silence between us grows. Michael Davis might be completely human without a lick of magic flowing through his veins but right now, he’s fucking more intimidating than Reaper in demon form.

It took Sloan a lot of work with Anna Leigh before she asked me to help her find her parents. Even when I found them, it was another month of weekly meetings before Sloan asked me to be with her while she called her mom. It was the first time they’d spoken in almost two decades. Sloan had been terrified her parents would be mad at her. The moment Sloan had said “Hi, mom,” Cindy, her mom, had burst into sobs and shouted for her husband. I held a crying and smiling Sloan, in my lap as she spoke to her parents.

Cindy and Michael had never moved in hopes that one day Sloan would come back. They had feared the worst, even if there was never proof of harm coming to Sloan. Their house is a six hour ride from Devil’s Haven and I was more than happy to drive her to visit the next day. Cindy hadn’t waited for Sloan to come up to the front door when we pulled up along the curb in front of their modest Craftsman style house. She’d run out of the front door, wrapping her daughter up in a tear filled hug.

My outward appearance clearly startled her parents, but Cindy hadn’t hesitated for more than a moment before dragging me into the hug as well.

Sloan also got to meet her adopted siblings: Matthew and Lexi. Brother and sister, they are in their early teens, in the system because they’d run away after a life of neglect. Cindy and Michael had explained that they didn’t know what had happened to Sloan and hoped that someone had offered her refuge. So they’d decided to do the same.

They’d decided to attend family therapy together, eventually bringing in her new siblings. So far, it seems to be going well since Sloan knows she hasn’t been replaced and her new siblings know Cindy and Michael aren’t going to kick them out because she’s back in their lives.

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