Page 13 of Griffen's Mate

Hope laughed as he’d stated everything he intended to do. “I think meeting your family and bragging might be a bit hard as I’ve already met most of them. I’m not too sure what you’d have to brag about either.”

She wasn’t human. She wasn’t even a shifter. Sure, she had some good qualities like being able to tell them a lot about the demons, and she supposed her chameleon could come in handy if they needed a spy maybe, and if she trained, but other than that she couldn’t think of much else for him to brag about.

He guided her to a line for a restaurant that had an upstairs and down. The tables all looked full. “Don’t sell yourself short. There is plenty to brag about you. For one, you have given us life-saving information on the demons. I learned...” He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “...that I’m just as much an alien to Earth as you.”

Hope turned to him and brushed her hair with her fingers, making sure it hid her ears. “You were born here, and so were your parents. So that makes you an Earther. Like our children will be.” She muttered the last bit, unsure if they ever would get what she hoped for…children. He hadn’t had sex with her. They still didn’t sleep in the same bed.

“Children? You want them? I mean, we can have children?”

His voice rose, and the people in front of them turned to stare at them. She could feel the ones behind them staring as well. She clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and concentrated on staying the way she was…in human form.

Griffen groaned loudly, and he lowered his voice so only she could hear. “I’m stupid. Sorry. You said that we could have children.”

Hope shook her head. “No. I said humans can have children with almost any species. Remember, you’re not human. I’m hoping, because you’re my mate, that means we’re a match to be able to have children.” Hope stared into his light blue eyes. She reached up with the hand not gripping his and brushed his hair over toward his ear. “All I have ever wanted was a family of my own. From the moment I saw you, I started to hope, to dream, to pray, that I got to have a life with you, that I got to have a family like the ones I saw your brothers, sisters, and friends have. I wanted to be loved. I wanted to give as much love as my whole being would let me.”

“Oh, Hope. I’m happy to try and give you as many children as you want, but you don’t need them to have beings that love you. You know my family is growing to feel that for you now.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, lingering when he spoke. “I am falling too.”

She felt hope swell within her, and she knew she was already in love with Griffen. She’d been in love with him for years, after seeing everything he’d done, and she fell more every time she had a vision of him. She was ecstatic that he was starting to fall in love with her.

A waiter holding an iPad cleared his throat. “Sir, ma’am, did you have a booking, and if so, what name would it be under?”

Griffen had a booking, and because of that they got in and were guided to a table located on the top balcony. It had a stunning view of the ocean at night. She gazed out at the water, watching the waves crash to the shore.

Griffen leaned over and used the tips of his fingers under her chin and turned her head to face him. “I love watching you experience all these new-to-you things.” His hand dropped, but his smile stayed in place. “I want to experience all these firsts with you.”

Her heartbeat skyrocketed, and she knew that in this moment she couldn’t love Griffen any more than she already did. He was her dream man, and she was lucky to have him. Reaching over, she grabbed his face and leaned in and kissed him.

“Thank you for this. Thank you for wanting to give me all the firsts.” She let go of him and leaned back in her seat, beaming at him.

“Sir, ma’am, I’m Jeffery, and I’ll be your waiter tonight. Here are today’s specials.”

Hope looked down at the menu on the table and the extra gold-and-white paper with the specials on it, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She was on her first date and at a fancy restaurant. She was living her life. She was being normal.

* * * *

Dinner had been amazing, and everyone had been right—going to the movies was so much better than watching it at home. Now they were walking along the beach. The perfect ending to the perfect night. She held the sandals Remy and Ava had made her wear.

“I know what we haven’t done…basics.” Griffen stopped and faced her.

“What do you mean basics?” She had no idea what he was talking about.

He started walking again and pulled her along for a moment before she fell into step beside him. “Basics. You know, like favorite color, food, and animal.”

Hope didn’t know why it would be basic to know her favorite animal or food, but she shrugged. “I like blue. Light crystal water blue. Your eyes go that light color when you look at me sometimes.” She spotted a red tinge touch his cheeks before a grin spread over his face. “Food. I love anything you cook me. I didn’t get much food from the demons, and the food I did get wasn’t very tasty. Animals. Well, I know of a lot of different ones. I even know of animals from other worlds, but I never actually saw any of those.” She shrugged. “I don’t have a favorite. Do you?”

They kept walking and passed by other couples, and even a dog or two on leads, but she didn’t pay them much attention, all her focus was on Griffen.

“Well, you should guess what my favorite animal is…” He stopped, turned her to face him, and winked. “Wolves.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

She giggled, and they sat on the sand. She placed the sandals on the sand between her legs. “I should have thought of that. Well, wolves are my favorite too. White ones, with light blue eyes.”

His arm settled around her waist. He leaned in and tucked her hair behind her ear, kissed its pointed tip, and then placed the hair back over it. “Gold is a favorite color of mine—rich, bright gold with a tinge of yellow slashed through it.”

Hope lost control of her skin color for a moment as his words penetrated. She gazed at him, and she knew her eyes, which she changed to a light brown when she looked human, flashed to her true gold color. His chuckle was music to her ears. In the months since meeting her, with all the drama that had happened, he hadn’t laughed much.

“I like that you lose control,” he said. “It gives me a tell. You never did it before.”

“It’s harder now that I gave Faith what she needed. It takes concentration and energy to stay in human form.”

His hand was stroking her back, but it paused at her words. “You’ve never said anything. You don’t always have to be like this. Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shrugged. “At first I didn’t know how giving what I had to Faith would affect me. Then when I did, I didn’t want people uncomfortable with me.”

His stroking of her back continued. “I hope I’m not lumped in with those people. I’m your mate.”

She darted a look around her, making sure she wasn’t being watched as she kept her human skin. “How about, I’ll be me at home?”

Hope watched him as his gaze seemed to search hers and his teeth nibbled on his bottom lip in thought. “I understand around here, and places where people don’t know what you are, that you can’t be yourself, but I want you to let go at our home and even at my family’s. They are safe places. Shifters will understand. We have two forms. You shouldn’t have to hide who you are.” He groaned. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Remy is right. Now that I’m used to it, what you can do is really cool.”

Her heart soared, and she leaned against Griffen. She was starting to be accepted. Maybe, just maybe, everything would work out how she’d dreamed.

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