“That’s it. Take more, and when you feel me inside you, grab on and don’t let go. You need to lock us to you, to fill the holes we’ve left in your soul. If you don’t, we’ll slip through your fingers. You’ll lose us.”
Rafe clamped his mouth over her shoulder while she closed her eyes and drank, but she didn’t feel anything, only the warm liquid sliding down her throat and the sharp pinch of his teeth. She swallowed another mouthful. Something brushed along her skin. Fur. It tickled. She squirmed, but Rafe held her firmly to his chest, his wrist to her mouth.
“Reach for them, baby. You need to accept them as they’ve accepted you.”
Trusting in Rafe, Jazz closed her eyes and focused on the sensation. It felt as if Rafe’s cats were rubbing against her, except it wasn’t just her legs getting the gentle strokes. Their caresses touched every inch of her body. They were inside her. Not Rafe. She tensed and shoved away from them.
“No, don’t you dare freak out on me. My cats love you as much as I do. You have to allow them to join with you. They’ll protect you. Comfort you.”
Join them how? Rafe had said he would do that. He never mentioned what she’d need to do other than trust him.
The nudging in her chest increased. Demanding her to look at them. Rafe’s cats wanted her to pet them. With her eyes shut, she called to them, coaxing them closer. A tiger slammed into her. A vortex spun around her, sucking her down. She fell into the abyss. Lights danced across her vision. Green, brown, blue, gold. The colors swirled until Rafe’s eyes became her world.
She sighed and let the last of her fears fade. When the next two thumps came, she dug her fingers into thick fur and tugged them close.
Heat surrounded her—the warmth of three feline bodies curled around her. She snuggled into the cocoon they made.
Through them, she saw the goodness that existed in Rafe. He truly was her knight in shining armor. His love, strength, devotion. It was all exposed to her. She knew without being told he saw the same in her soul too. Together. They were literally two halves of a whole, joined by the three big predators who shared them.
“I love you, Jasmine.”
“Love you too, Rafe.”
Another wave of misery swept through her, but she didn’t fear it. She wasn’t alone. She had Rafe and their cats.
“Remember, my mate. Don’t let go.”
“Never, Rafe. Never. You’re mine.”
Epilogue
Jazz woke to the sounds of her kids’ favorite animated movie playing in the background. She looked around the empty bedroom. The television was on, and coloring books were scattered on the floor, but Rafe and the boys were nowhere to be found.
“Hello, my Jasmine. Did you sleep well?”
She smiled. Hearing Rafe’s voice in her head always made her happy. It was a benefit of their mate bond.
“I did, but I hate waking up to an empty bed.” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “It’s only noon.”
“And I couldn’t amuse the munchkins any longer. They were hungry.”
And that was his secret code for saying he was hungry. The man could easily eat six to seven meals a day.
“Really? And what were they hungry for this time?”
“Chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and bacon.”
She rolled her eyes. “Bacon. Again?”
“Bacon is good, woman! It’s full of protein. Now be nice or I’m eating your share.”
“Okay, I’ll be right down.”
Jazz slipped on a robe and followed the scent of food to the kitchen but stopped dead in her tracks at the sight that met her.
“Puppies?” Jazz looked at the four little Rottweiler pups rolling around on the floor with Seth and Levi. “When did we get puppies?”
Rafe rubbed the back of his neck. “This morning. Josh dropped them off.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Peggy Sue was lonely. She needed friends.”
At the mention of her name, the older dog came over and bumped her hand. Jazz gave the dog’s head a scratch. Because of the severity of Mr. Wilkins’ injuries, he’d been forced to move into a nursing home. Until he recovered, they were taking care of Peggy Sue while the younger dogs stayed with their neighbor.
Jazz glanced from Peggy Sue to the puppies. “But four?”
Rafe wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her against him. “Sure. One for each of us.”
One of the pups ran across the floor and skidded into the wastebasket next to the desk. Balled-up papers and loose scraps tumbled out, scattering over the hardwood. As if the trash was a brand new toy, all four dogs descended on the mess.
She sighed. “Do you know how much work they’ll be? They’ll need training and until they’re housebroken, constant babysitting.”
Rafe cleared his throat. “Devin and Mira are going to stay with us for a while. I figured between us and the dog trainer I contacted, we’d be fine.”
She ran her fingertips over the muscles in Rafe’s arms and rested her head against his chest. “So does this mean we’re not moving back to Virginia?”
She hoped, at least. They’d talked about it for hours, discussing all the pros and cons.
“No, we’re staying. I decided you’re right. It’s best not to uproot the kids. Besides, I’ve realized living apart from humans isn’t always best. Had I left our property more often, our paths might’ve crossed sooner.”
“True, but sometimes things must play out the way fate has it planned for us.”
“You’ve been talking to Kade again, haven’t you?”
She shrugged.
“His trust in the goddesses’ plans for us is unfounded. They’ve failed us.”
“They brought us together.” Or maybe sheer luck had, but either way, Jazz was glad she’d met Rafe.
“And what have they done for Nina? She’s still missing.” He lowered his voice to a mere breath of sound. “Or Seth?”
Jazz dropped her gaze. She didn’t have an answer. In the few weeks since Jon was killed, there’d been many discussions
