Page 16 of In the Line of Fire

“Crapity, crap! How did I miss that?” She took off running toward the stairs.

She was still muttering when the door flung open, and my mom called, “Damien, I’m so sorry things didn’t work out with Connor’s tip.”

My mom was too worried about the disappointment she thought I was feeling to pay attention to what her nose and ears were telling her. My dad didn’t have the same problem and glanced toward the top of the stairs as he paused just inside the doorway. His green eyes were full of joy when he turned to me. “You found her?”

“Oh my gosh, you’re mated,” my mom gasped, lifting her hand to cover her lips as her gaze locked on the claiming mark on my chest.

I glanced at the top of the stairs and met Soleil’s gray eyes. “Yes, I found her, and we’ve already mated and marked each other.”

My parents followed my gaze, and Soleil gave them an awkward wave before moving down the stairs and coming to my side. “Hey.”

“You’re so beautiful,” my mom squealed, rushing forward to throw her arms around my mate and give her a big hug.

My dad followed in her wake and clapped me on the back. “Congratulations, son.”

“I never thought I’d see the day when both of my children were mated,” my mom sighed, her eyes filling with happy tears as she sniffled. “And now here we are...Denica and Trey’s claiming ceremony put an end to your three-year-long search.”

I wasn’t surprised when my dad zeroed in on the logistics of how everything had gone down. “How did Connor figure out who you were?”

I hadn’t told my parents what kind of shifter Soleil and her father were before I left Tigerville. Without knowing if she was my mate, it hadn’t been my secret to share. Not even with my family. But I hadn’t had the chance to talk to her about how much she wanted them to know, and I never wanted to do anything to make Soleil doubt her faith in me. “His dad is friends with hers, so he knew something about her breed of shifter that explained why I kept losing her scent trail.”

My response was deliberately vague, but my father was damn smart and had lived long enough to pick up a lot of random facts about shifters. He quickly put the pieces together anyway. “Your mate is a phoenix shifter? Damn, I should’ve thought of that possibility years ago.”

Soleil stilled at my side, and I felt a pulse of concern through our bond. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her close before I answered, “Yes, and she’s been hunted for years because of what she is. Her secret stays just that. Nobody outside the family needs to know that she’s a phoenix.”

My dad pressed his hand against his chest, over his heart. Staring into Soleil’s eyes, he said, “You have my promise as the alpha of the Veles hold and the father of your fated mate. Your secret is safe with us.”

I held my breath, waiting to see how Soleil reacted to his vow. Now that I was mated to her, my alliances had changed. Even though my dad was my alpha, she came first in everything. I’d back her up, no matter what.

---