Page 25 of Promise & Artem

“Well, I think the tattoo is the first thing.” At her curious look, he unbuttoned his sleeve and rolled it up to reveal the black symbols inked on his skin. “This is ancient Greek used by minotaurs for millennia. The symbols mean: loyalty, honesty, and bravery. When my dad mated my mom, he added two more: family and love.”

Promise traced the symbols with her fingertips, and his skin felt like it was on fire from her simple touch.

“I love the meaning behind the symbols,” she said. “Okay, so wolves use sacred oil, blood from a fresh kill, and ash froman olive tree to mark each other, and a leather tie is wrapped around their joined hands as a symbol of unity. What do owls do?”

He wasn’t a fan of owls because his mother had been treated so badly by her people. With a grimace he told her the story of how her mother was nearly forced into a mating with a male who’d beat his first mate to death. “If it wasn’t for a wolf and her hyena mates who came through the owls’ territory and rescued my mom, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Ah, okay, so probably we can skip owl mating stuff then.”

“Definitely.”

When they’d finished their meal, they opted against dessert because they were both stuffed. He laid enough bills in the black folder to include payment plus a generous tip and rose from his seat. He stood next to Promise and looked down at her, rubbing his fingers up the nape of her neck. She shivered and held his gaze.

“I have an idea for the rest of the night. How do you feel about a little adventure?”

Promise raised an eyebrow. “What kind of adventure?”

“A walk through the woods,” Artem suggested, “to a secluded hot spring. It’s a beautiful spot, especially under the moonlight.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

She stood slowly, her body bumping against his, and took his hand. They left the restaurant and got into the truck. As the engine roared to life, he glanced at his mate and smiled, then put the truck in gear and pulled away.

Heading toward the campground, Artem’s excitement grew, his thoughts filled with the possibilities of where the night could lead, and the promise of a deeper connection to his beautiful mate and a future he couldn’t wait to explore.

Promise could hardly contain her excitement at the prospect of the hot spring. She’d never been to one, and thought it sounded romantic as hell.

Artem drove them through the campground and parked near her cabin. He got out and gathered a blanket from behind his seat, and then took her hand and led her into the woods. “If you turn on your phone’s flashlight, it’ll be easier to find the path in the dark,” he said.

“Gotcha.” She turned on her flashlight and shone it ahead of them, but didn’t see a path.

“That’s because this isn’t an official trail. It will take us about ten minutes to get to the spring, but in another minute we’ll pick up a path that we cut through the woods.”

When the path appeared, they followed it, talking quietly. Fireflies dotted the night, flickering like golden stars.

The night was cool, and she was thankful the hot spring would be warm and that she also had her lightweight wrap around her shoulders.

She felt the heat of the spring before they walked out into a small clearing. She let out a soft gasp at the beautiful scene before her, with the steam rising off the water and the moonlight and stars dancing on the water’s surface.

“This place is magical,” she whispered.

Artem smiled, looking at her with a softness in his eyes. “I thought you’d like it.”

They stood there for a moment, taking in the tranquility of the scene. Then with a playful grin Artem laid the blanket at the water’s edge and began to unbutton his shirt. “Skinny dipping?” he suggested.

Promise laughed, feeling a thrill of anticipation. “I’d love to.”

They didn’t take their eyes off each other as they undressed. She’d never stripped so boldly in front of a guy before, and she couldn’t stop watching as he slowly revealed every sexy inch of his body. He had muscles on top of muscles, and oh my, his whole body looked like it was made for pleasure.

Just for her, because they were truemates.

He stepped into the pool and pointed to a shallow ledge that ran around the perimeter of the water, explaining it was around six feet deep in the center. His eyes were glowing scarlet when he offered her his hand.

“You’re the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen in my life. Come here, gorgeous. The water’s perfect .”

She joined him, the water slightly warmer than bath water. Her heart fluttered as he stepped down another carved ledge that brought the water up to his hips and pulled her to him. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and her skin prickled with awareness.

“This is perfect,” she whispered. “You’re perfect.”

---