Page 48 of Eden and her Mercenary
"And funding. Legal protection. Connections to rescue networks."
"The MacGallans can help with all of that," I assured her. "If you're serious about this."
Eden looked at Stella, whose intelligent eyes seemed to understand every word. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life. These animals deserve a chance—a real chance, not just survival but healing."
I reached for her hand, careful of the IV bruises still visible on her skin. "Then we'll build it together. The Pearl Lake Sanctuary for Traumatized Animals."
"Terrible name," she laughed softly, wincing as the movement pulled at her stitches.
"We'll workshop it," I promised, gently tucking a blanket around her legs.
Stella sighed contentedly, resting her chin on Eden's thigh as if she'd never been separated from her. The dog's surgical scar had faded to a pale line, barely visible beneath her fur—a reminder of what she'd endured but no longer defining her.
In that moment, watching Eden and Stellatogether, I felt something I'd rarely experienced in my complicated life: peace. Not the temporary absence of conflict, but something deeper—the certainty that whatever came next, we would face it together.
"Royal?" Eden's voice was soft, already edged with the fatigue that still plagued her healing body.
"Hmm?"
"When I was in the hospital, drifting in and out... I kept hearing your voice. It anchored me, kept me from slipping away."
I swallowed hard, remembering those endless hours by her bed, talking until my voice grew hoarse—about Stella, about the cabin, about the future I desperately wanted us to have.
"I meant every word," I told her.
"I know." She leaned against my shoulder, her eyes drifting closed. "That's why I fought so hard to come back."
Outside, rain began to fall, a gentle patter against the roof that seemed to cocoon us in our own private world. Stella's breathing deepened into sleep, her body relaxed against Eden's legs. For now, at least, we were safe—three damaged souls finding healing in each other.
Tomorrow would bring challenges: Eden's recovery, the sanctuary plans, the constant vigilance needed to protect what we were building. But tonight,I was content to simply be here, holding the woman I loved while she slept, a loyal dog at her side.
I pressed a kiss to Eden's hair, whispering, "Welcome home."
She smiled in her sleep, fingers tightening briefly around mine.
It wasn't the ending I'd expected when I first encountered a desperate woman with a gun in that motel parking lot. It was better—messy and complicated and real, with all the danger and beauty that entailed.
For a man who'd spent his life in the shadows, it was more than enough. It was everything.
Epilogue
Royal
Six months after Eden's hospital discharge, you'd never guess she'd been at death's door.
The afternoon sun catches her engagement ring as we sit hand-in-hand on our cabin's front porch, waiting for the next delivery of rescued animals. All she's told me is that we're receiving some "traumatized menagerie."
"Give me a hint about what's coming," I say, squeezing her hand.
Her eyes sparkle with mischief. "One is quite massive. Plus, three dogs, two cats, and a horse."
"So, the horse is the massive one."
She shakes her head, lips curving upward. "Not even close."
"Not even close, huh?" I lean forward, scanning the dirt road that winds through the pines toward our sanctuary. "Don't tell me it's an elephant."
Eden laughs, the sound warming me like summersunshine. "Not that massive. But you're thinking in the right direction."
