Page 41 of Her Reborn Mate

“People can be such hypocrites sometimes,” I said.

“I have missed you more than you can ever know,” Will said, coming close to me, and holding my body, sending that familiar electric surge through my extremities. “The real you.”

“Do you mind doing this in a place with no blood, no Maurice, and no smuggled shit?” I asked, breaking into a tired grin.

“I would very much like that,” he said, taking my hand.

Now that there was no immediate danger—other than the explosives that I had planted all over the caves—finding my way out of the caves was easier than when I’d first tried to escape.

The second we got out, I breathed deeply and took in the fresh, salty sea air and let it revitalize me. I had never thought how much I would miss the smell of the sea.

“Before we do anything, just witness this,” I said, holding out the detonator in my hand. “This ought to be satisfying.”

Will’s eyes lit up as he realized what I was going to do. We eagerly ran away from the caves until we were a safe distance away, tucked behind the tree line.

“Press it,” Will said a little too excitedly.

I pressed the detonator.

Nothing happened at first. I came out from behind the tree line, followed by Will. Just as we had both stepped outside, the ground started quaking, followed by a deep rumble that resounded heavily until, all at once, an explosion happened, sending flames billowing out of the cave entrance. At first, the fire was just coming out as if from a furnace, but then another series of explosions took place, and right before our eyes, the cave imploded, falling upon itself.

“Holy shit!” I yelled, unable to hold myself back after witnessing such a spectacle. It was even more fantastic and chaotic than when we’d burned down Beckett manor.

I turned to face Will, who stood looking at me with the most sincere expression on his face.

“I would like to begin by saying how sorry I am for everything that happened,” he said.

I hurriedly went to him, putting my fingers on his lips. “Listen. Fuck the apologies. I am so done with the sorrying and the apologizing. We’re human, after all. Humans err. I do not hold you responsible for whatever it is you did. It wasn’t even anything that big, either. It was just me being a huge drama queen. In that cave, when Maurice had imprisoned me, I had so much time to reflect on my behavior. I was wrong. You love me. You’ve only ever loved me. I know this now. I love you too. Just…let’s just move past the apologies.”

“I never should have called out her name. I never should have died and left you alone. I am your mate, your protector, and I love you so much. You know this. I would move heaven and earth for you,” Will said, holding me in a delicate embrace.

“Come kiss me. I have longed for your touch,” I said, placing my hands on his face. “I…”

I couldn’t finish my thought. I didn’t even know what I was going to say. At long last, after such trials and tribulations, here was Will, kissing me again. And here I was, relishing the taste of my mate in my mouth, feeling the warmth and wetness of his lips as they plucked my lips, sucked on my tongue, and caressed the inside of my mouth.

I moaned quite loudly as he held me strongly and pinned me against a tree while still kissing me.

“I love you,” I said between the kisses.

“I love you so much,” Will responded, feeling my back and my breasts and planting his hands firmly on my hips as he kissed my neck, licked my chin, and then resumed kissing me with unending fervor.

There we stood, in the aftermath of the madness, amidst the flaming wreckage of the caves and the smoldering carcasses of the smuggled goods.

“Maurice is no more,” Will said after we managed to let go of each other. “This leaves only Blair.”

“Yeah, but what about all the fucked up shit that Maurice said before he died?” I asked, my heart made uneasy by thinking that if Maurice’s statements had any underlying truth to them, it meant that someone far more ancient and bigger than we had imagined had been toying with our lives all this time. Who could it be?

“I am not worried about such a person,” Will said, and I could tell he had reached into my mind through our bond. “If such a threat exists, it should know by now that we are a force to be reckoned with. We have forever changed the topography of this place. Look around you. The vampires have fled. The evil werewolf who had wreaked havoc on this town is no more. I killed Ralph myself. What good is a puppet master without his puppets?”

“What about Blair?” I asked.

“He has fled as well. There is no sign of him in the city,” Will responded gravely. “As to where he’s fled, that’s unclear.”

What mattered most to me was that I had accepted Will back as my mate and had chosen to let go of the trauma that was serving as a hindrance in our relationship. It did not matter anymore. Not in the face of life and death. Not after what we had been through.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Will said, taking my hands in his and pulling me close. “I have a way of putting your mind at ease once and for all. I open my mind and soul to you. Use the bond and see within. I will hold back no secrets from you. Just access my consciousness and see for yourself whom I love, want, and desire.

It was so sudden, this invitation, that I didn’t fully understand what he was offering me.

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