Rylee opened her eyes. They were radiant with reassurance and certainty, something Gage had never felt in his entire life.
“I am going to show you for the rest of your life how great of a man you are and how wonderful of a father you are going to be. I want you forever and always.”
Gage couldn’t believe what was happening. He reached out a second hand, then held her gorgeous face with both of them. She stared back at him, and within her wonderful, honey-shaded spirals, he saw the entire span of the universe.
She would be his, and he would be hers. Together, they would bring a life into the world and direct it with grace and love.
“You mean that, don’t you?” Gage said.
A smile wormed onto Rylee’s face, and she kissed Gage’s fingers, one by one.
“You know I do,” she whispered, her voice creamy and divine. “I love you beyond anything I have or will ever love again.”
Gage’s wounds still throbbed, but he barely felt them. The power of their love surging through his body was enough to heal anything that held him down.
“I love you so fucking much,” Gage said, his voice finally breaking completely.
Rylee began to giggle as he pulled her in for a sloppy kiss. Half the crowd roared in applause while the other booed in disappointment. But Gage didn’t care, either way, he had his beloved in his arms, and they would mate as one.
Rylee helped him stand. His legs felt like noodles, but happiness pumped through the rest of him to help him balance. He leaned on Rylee’s shoulder as they hobbled over to Elder Ramos, who was grinning in the center of the ring.
He held out the microphone to Gage, who took it in a hand that shook with contentment.
“I have found my mate,” Gage announced. “And we are going to have our official ceremony posthaste!”
The crowd went into a rush of applause, and Gage was delirious with joy. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this happy, perhaps when he was a child, a long time before the war ever happened.
Rylee pulled Gage into her body, his head resting on her warm shoulder. He felt weak, and she chuckled as she tried to hold him up straight. The blood was pouring out his nose like a waterfall, and he pulled up the towel to try to smother the rest to keep from staining her clothing.
“Sorry, love,” he whispered.
She tenderly held the towel to his face as Leo, Draco, and Talon came into the ring. Smiles were also glued to their faces as two of them took Gage by the arm, holding him so he could hobble out of the ring to get some urgent medical care.
The elder watched, giving Gage a solemn nod as he was carried away.
Gage made sure Rylee was close behind as they shuffled him into his car, returning him to the shifter clinic to have his wounds assessed. Talon tossed him clothes, and he dressed best as he could on the way there. Incredibly, his earlobe began to grow back rapidly, and the ribs that were slightly broken were already on the mend.
“Love heals all wounds,” Draco quipped in the doctor's office.
Once Gage was bandaged up, Talon took the lovers back to Gage’s place. He helped them inside, then left them at the door, sending Gage a wink as he parted.
“He’s injured, so go easy on him, girl,” Talon said.
When they were finally alone, Gage was bursting with a need to physically touch her. He knew he was still injured, so they needed to save the lovemaking for later. He wanted to go ravenous on her, but he knew, too, that there was another way to be intimate.
Rylee made tea while they sat on the couch together. She pulled her leg up next to him, leaning against the couch. She sighed at him but smiled. “Well, hi, there,” she said sweetly.
Gage reached out a hand to her thigh, squeezing it lovingly. “Oh, hi, there, babe,” he said.
Rylee shifted closer and pulled his head to her chest. He lay on her breasts which were the most perfect pillows. He breathed her peachy sand scent deeply, calming him and rocking him into a comforting slumber.
Gage wished he had known Rylee just after the war. Maybe her love could have saved him from so much heartache, so much disappointment, and confusion. But he was going to make the most of the time together, their blessed, glorious life.
TWENTY-FOUR
RYLEE
The words poured out of Rylee’s mouth like a waterfall. It sounded so easy, so simple, and so truthful once she was finally able to say it. All of her stress, her worries, or past pain about her parents fell away like leaves from a branch. All she needed was Gage to help her let go of everything holding her down and leave it in the darkness of the past.