Page 201 of Claimed

Stacy

Two Days Later

“Send me a text and if I’m done, I’ll pick you up,” Grey says, kissing me by the door to Roxy’s Bar. He opens the door and gestures for me to go in. “We’ll go for a run later.”

“And a swimming lesson?”

“Sure.”

“Sounds great,” I say and he kisses me sweetly before I turn and see lots of smiling and welcoming faces in the restaurant.

I drove to the restaurant from the house. Grey is teaching me to drive and to swim.

I immediately see the girls at a booth. Ivy, Amie, Bailey, and a pretty brunette shifter with striking blue eyes. This must be Cicely, Bailey’s bestie.

Erica couldn’t make it. She has an important meeting today with a vampire from the SCC and then she and Ronnie are meeting with Grey.

Grey says this whole SCC vampire situation has Riley acting like he could chew broken glass.

Riley wanted Grey to go with her, but Erica put her foot down so he’s backed off. I said she must be strong-willed! I spoke to her on the phone this morning and we’ve made plans to have them over for dinner in a few days. I’m excited to get to know her better. It started out with her inviting us for dinner, butapologizing for the fact she doesn’t cook. I offered to cook and it made more sense for them to come to our place.

The day after we got back, after Soleil and Wyatt died, Grey and I had a full uninterrupted day together. It was incredible. And I’m still sore from it. He made good on his threats. He did make a decision between teasing me endlessly and making me come so many times I pleaded for mercy. He chose to do the first, then the latter. And… oh, my stars… it was unforgettable.

This morning he made slow, sweet love to me. And we talked for an hour in bed. I talked about processing everything with my brother. He talked about processing everything with his birth mother. We’ve been through a lot. But we’ve got one another.

I told him how with his first purr I started remembering wonderful things about my grandparents. It felt like a gift. Grey talked about how meeting me brought him a gift too – new powers. How he plans to spend time with his cousins to learn all he can. And he made sure to remind me that I’m the greatest gift he’s received, that I (and our future children) are the most important beings in the world to him.

I know we’ll be okay despite what we’ve been through. And I know I’ll be there for him even if it’s hard on him to heal after what he went through with Soleil. He told me he made her a promise to make sure he’s not holding anything negative from their exchange of magic. She took some and he took it back. He’s going to have his cousins do an assessment. I have no doubts; there’s not an ounce of darkness in him. Only fiercely protective light.

Right now, I’m meeting Amie, Ivy, Bailey, and Cicely for brunch in Roxy’s Bar. Later, Grey has to go to town to take care of some things at one of his rental properties so I’ll get him to drop meat the library to visit with Aphra, Halla, Addy, Misty, and the others. See how everyone’s doing. See if anyone needs anything.

I’m nearly to the booth when I’m greeted by a shifter beauty in a black apron. “Nice to meet you, Stacy. I’m Roxy.” She grabs my hand and shakes it, continuing to talk, “and I know you’re new, you’re honeymooning, and you’re expecting twins – congratulations – but just sayin’… if you do decide you want to put in a few hours every week cooking, serving, or both, you’re hired. I could really use some help around here.”

I’m taken aback. She’s smiling and friendly and she’s offering me a job!

“Oh! Wow. I’d love that. Can I talk to Grey and get back to you?”

“Absolutely. What can I get you to drink?”

“Um… a big glass of water?”

“Comin’ right up.”

“Thank you so much.”

I approach the table of women waiting for me and the feeling inside me when I see their smiling faces has me ready to burst into happy tears.

Friends. A job offer. A pack to fit into. Knowing my former pack has lots of positivity to look forward to. And most of all, starting a family with my fated mate – the absolutely wonderful Greyson Blackwood who calls me his blossom.

I do feel like a flower who grew in a filthy, miserable junkyard, but thanks to Fate I’m getting an opportunity to flourish, to… blossom.

Cicely Oakes

Later that Day…

It’s dusk and I’m stretching, getting ready to shift and go for a run. I’m feeling the need to stretch my legs. I’m also feeling the need to examine the woods for a certain silver camper we talked about at lunch today. Because I had no idea there was a shifter living on our land that’s not in our pack, who’s alpha, that Lincoln was kind of cagey about when asked.

The owner ofsaidcamper has apparently been living here for a while, which is shocking. This detail was revealed by Stacy Blackwood, who recapped the details of what happened in Silver Hills to us at Roxy’s.

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