Shifters of Silver Peak: Mate For A Month (11 page)

“Seriously, it’s just a flesh wound,” Eileen said as Marcus hovered over her anxiously. They were in Silver Peak, sitting in the examination room at the clinic. It seemed like half her pack was there, pacing around the waiting room.

Her pack.

She was home.

Valerie, Chelsea, Roman and Erika had crowded into the room with her and Marcus, and they were standing by as the doctor cleaned the cut on the side of her head.

“Be careful with her,” Marcus growled at the doctor.

“Welcome to my world,” Chelsea said to Eileen. “Roman wants to roll me up in bubble wrap and keep me in a safe room.”

Roman brightened. “Bubble wrap! It’s actually a great idea. I mean, just until after you have the cub. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You’re hurt worse than I am,” Eileen pointed out to Marcus, wincing slightly at the doctor’s ministrations.

“Used to it.” He shrugged.

“How did you get away from that psycho?” Valerie asked with a sympathetic shudder.

“Well, he came strolling into the cabin, and it looked like he’d just been in some kind of fight. He told me that Marcus was hiding out because he’d killed someone, and I had to go with him to meet Marcus right away. When I tried to call Marcus, Damien grabbed my phone and hit me in the head.”

Marcus let out a snarl of fury, and Eileen said soothingly, “He’s dead. You win.”

“Anyway,” she continued, “I pepper-sprayed that sumbitch right in the face, then ran for it. Marcus and I have been running all over these woods these last few days, so I’m starting to know them really well, and I was able to stay ahead of him. I finally lost him.”

“So, tell us again how you’re like a hundred-millionaire,” Erika said to Marcus.

He shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t really care. I said don’t hurt her!” he growled again at the doctor when Eileen grimaced.

“Marcus! Stop that or wait outside,” Eileen chided him. “He’s putting a bandage on me. We’re done. It’s all good.”

“Did they find Samuel yet?” Eileen asked Roman. “Is he all right?”

“Yeah, he went into town and turned himself in. Of course, they let him go again right away,” Roman said.

“I want to know what he’s going to spend his hundred-millions on,” Erika complained.

Marcus flicked her a look of annoyance. “My life-mate,” he said.

“Ooh, really?” Eileen grinned at him. “Your life-mate is going to be super rich? I should probably make friends with her, then.”

Marcus gave a snort of amusement. “I could buy you a really nice wedding ring.”

Eileen shook her head. “No. I do not want to wear your wedding ring.”

Marcus’ eyes went wide with dismay. “You don’t?”

She stroked the side of her neck. “Human tradition,” she said dismissively. “I have something else in mind. A nice Mate Mark, right about here, where everybody can see it.”

“I can do that.” Marcus relaxed and his mouth curled into a big smile, and Eileen realized that she had never seen him smile like that before. Actually, genuinely, relaxed. The darkness was fading from him.

* * * * *

Three months later

“You are one stubborn son of a bitch,” Eileen said, watching as Marcus’ packmates set the windows in place in their new cabin.

“Me?” he said, looping his arm around her waist. “I let the pack help me build the house!”

“True, true,” she mused. That was huge. He was actually, voluntarily hanging out with the pack several nights a week – as long as she was there with him. Of course, he could only stand so much socializing. He spent the rest of the time in his workshop, hand-carving signage and furniture for Mr. Rosemont.

It was enough to satisfy the council. And his nightmares were gone. Vanished the day he killed Damien.

“But you could have hired your very own construction crew to build your house for you,” she pointed out.

“You could stay home all day long and have maids bring you chocolates.”

She shuddered at the thought. “Been there. You’re right, there is a certain satisfaction in doing things for yourself.”

She was still working for Mr. Rosemont – the temperamental, annoying bastard.

Ironically, because of the government reparations, Marcus was now as rich as her own family. Her father had contacted her to let her know that he would consider resuming contact with her, since Marcus was no longer a down-and-out bum. First Marcus would have to submit to etiquette training, and— She had cut her father off at that point, with a few choice words and a rejection of his offer to “forgive” her for her behavior.

Samuel, who also had received money for reparations, had proposed to Lily, and he had applied to and been accepted at a new college. He’d never really fit in with the rough-and-tumble Kincaid pack, but he was grateful to them for taking him in and kept in regular contact.

Beacham, Marisol and Ambrose were all on probation after entering pleas at the local courthouse.

Chelsea was going to give birth literally any day now, and everyone was on pins and needles. Roman was fairly unbearable to be around at the moment, but as soon as Chelsea had her baby, everyone figured he would relax.

“Just think,” Eileen mused. “We’ll have a real bedroom this time. Like normal people. And tables with multiple chairs. Madness, I say!”

“Don’t you start with me,” Marcus said in a gruff voice, but with a hint of a smile and a gleam in his eyes.

“You know what?” Eileen said, glancing over at the nearly completed cabin. “I think the crew could spare you for a little while. Don’t you?”

“Why? What did you have in mind?”

“Bedrooms are nice, but they’re kind of overrated. Remember what we told Verity? How we have that fetish for doing it outdoors? Remember that spot where we did it outdoors for the first time?”

Marcus broke out in a huge smile.

“Race you,” she said, and shifted in the blink of an eye. As she dashed off towards the treeline, she felt Marcus’ hot breath on her heels, following close behind.

THE END

I hope you enjoyed “Mate For A Month”!

If you’d like to be notified of future releases, freebies, contests and more, please sign up for my newsletter:

http://mad.ly/signups/83835/join