Page 37 of Promise & Artem

“It’s so gorgeous up here,” she said wistfully as the sun rose fully and they could feel the warmth on their skin.

He nuzzled her neck, silently promising to bring her back up here whenever she wanted to see the sunrise.

Putting her on his back again, he carried her down the mountain and right to his cabin, where he shifted into his human form and hugged her so tightly that she let out a little chuckle and squeak combined.

“Thank you for saving me, Promise,” he said gruffly, his face buried in her neck and inhaling her sweet scent.

“You’re welcome. I’ve never been so thankful for my healing powers, trust me.”

He chuckled. “I’m certainly grateful for them.”

He lifted his head from her neck and stared down at her.

“Um, Artem?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“You’re naked.”

“You’re not.”

She grinned. “I can fix that.”

“Let me.”

Lifting her into his arms, he carried her to the bedroom, plans to make her the happiest female on the planet swirling in his mind.

Promise watched Artem make breakfast, insisting she sit at the kitchen table while he “worked his magic.” Which seemed to involve scrambled eggs and toast. Not that she was complaining, because it was her very favorite sort of breakfast, plus he was so sexy she wouldn’t have cared if he burned everything.

“So how many kids?” he asked as he stirred the eggs.

They’d woken up after eight and snuggled in bed, talking about the future. On Friday, they were going to Allen to pack up her things and bring them to Little Hope. But today? Ally and her husbands had reached out to say how thankful they were he was okay and asked if they’d like to look at some of the three-bedroom cabins that were reserved for staff who were mated or had families.

She liked his cabin, but it had only one bedroom which wouldn’t be big enough for them to have a family.

Her stomach flipped just thinking about it.

Heck, she could be pregnant now. They hadn’t used protection.

“Well, it’s just me and Rio, but I always wished we had a brother. Did you ever wish you had more siblings?”

“Definitely. I grew up with the hyenas in the campground and they’re like family, but it’s not the same as having actualfamily. I love Isolde, but it would have been nice to have a brother too.”

“So…three?”

“That sounds good to me,” he said.

She grinned. “I can’t wait to look at the cabins. It’s like house hunting!”

“I think there are two that have three bedrooms, but we’ll have to see what Ally and her mates say. They set aside a dozen cabins for staff. This is the only cabin that has one bedroom, the others have two or three.”

“When did you move out of your parents’ place?”

“A couple of years ago. The first part of the aggression with my age and not being mated started happening when I was twenty-one. I didn’t sleep well, and Isolde complained that my pacing at night kept her up. I liked living with my folks, but it was easier to move out than explain how unsettled I felt with my beast always riding me to shift.”

“Rio moved into my trailer when I left, but she was living with our parents before that. I moved out a couple of years ago so I could come and go without being accountable to anyone.”

“I get that feeling.”

---