mated.” He glanced at Sebastian and smiled. “I’ve never seen power like that before. You didn’t draw it from the pack until the very end. Aldo had you blocked. Where did you get the power to call the lightning?”
“The goddess Eve was here. I felt her, but most came directly from the Mother.” He glanced toward the tree. It was nothing more than an oak now. There was no sense of the spirit within. “She’s always come when I’ve needed her. I just never realized what a tough old broad she was.”
Oh, Sebastian. Lily’s eyes actually sparkled. Don’t let Eve hear you say that. Smiling even as he fought tears of relief, Sebastian held the woman he loved in his arms.
“Eve already heard that.”
“Eve?” Sebastian watched as the goddess knelt beside Lily.
“I sensed your spirit, but I didn’t know you could physically leave the astral.”
“Sometimes, when I’m needed.” She brushed Lily’s tangled hair back from her face and touched her fingers to the gaping wound on Lily’s throat. “And it appears I am needed tonight.”
The sun was high over the Rockies before they were able to return to the house. The sheriff’s department had sent out their forensics team to collect samples from the dead wolves and to take Aldo Xenakis’s body away, but Sebastian was still so wound up he doubted he’d ever sleep again.
The trip off the mountain had been slow, as he’d carried Lily the entire way down in his arms. He wasn’t ready to turn his mate loose. Neither, it appeared, was Alex, who held Annie close against his chest. It was an unusual procession of naked men and woman along with a few wolves and a pair of snow leopards, but Sebastian realized it didn’t seem as odd as it might have just a few days earlier.
His life continued to evolve.
He stopped by Lily’s cottage and wrapped her in a beautiful copper-colored sarong, though she had to show him how to tie the knot. He found another pair of Alex’s jogging shorts to wear.
“Does Alex actually go jogging?”
Lily just laughed and held out her arms. He picked her up and carried her through her mother’s beautiful gardens, aware on some instinctual level which grasses he might want to nibble on. Then he carried Lily through the sliding glass door off the back deck and took her directly to Anton’s den. Stefan, Alex, Annie, and Keisha already sat in front of the bar. Alex’s mom, Xandi, slept in one of the big overstuffed chairs, and Anton was behind the bar, opening a new bottle of Hennessy.
He nodded toward the leather couch, and Sebastian set Lily there. “I can sit at the bar, Sebastian.”
“Humor me.” He leaned over and kissed her. “You just got your throat torn out and almost killed by a rogue wolf.” He trapped her between his extended arms and pressed a tender kiss against the healing marks before kissing her soundly.
She came out of the kiss with a dreamy expression on her face. “Okay. I guess.”
“Thank you.” He turned and walked over to the bar. Without a word, Anton handed him two snifters with healthy shots of cognac.
Then Anton did something totally out of character. He grabbed his own glass, walked out from behind the bar and across the room, and sat on the couch next to Lily. Sebastian took the other side, but he slung an arm over her shoulders. It was going to take a long time before he felt like turning her loose.
“I want to propose a toast,” Anton said. His gaze slipped from Lily to Sebastian, and then settled on his daughter. “I always wondered how I would feel when my daughter took a mate. Would I be jealous that another male had her attention? Would I worry he wasn’t strong enough to protect her? Would he be confident enough as a man to let her be the powerful woman she has always been? Lots of questions for a father to ponder as his daughter takes that huge step away from his protection.”
He turned his gaze to Sebastian. “All of my worries, it appears, are for naught. You, Sebastian, have proven your strength, your honor, and your magical ability beyond all expectations. I welcome you as a member of our family and as a valued new member of the pack. To you, Sebastian Xenakis, and to my lovely daughter Lily. May you love long and love well, and always find laughter together.”
He held his glass out. Lily tapped the