Page 56 of Hellhounds Never Lie

I leaned closer to look at his marking. “Do that again.”

“What? Why?”

“It moved.”

His eyes dropped to mine again. “Yours is moving too, not a lot, but enough that it doesn’t look like a regular tattoo.”

I blinked. That was… Magic, I guess. “Are you okay with being bonded to me? I feel like we didn’t talk about it. It’s a pretty big thing, right? We probably should have talked about this. I mean, I’m okay with it, but what about you? And what does it mean? Do you know? Are the myths true do you think?”

Dillon smiled at me as he pulled me into his arms. “It’s okay, firecracker. I’m thrilled to be joined with you. And it is an honor to receive a blessing like this from the Eternal Magic. I am humbled and so damn happy.”

I relaxed in his arms. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. As for what it means? I think our lives are joined now. My parents were bonded like this. They said it was a rare gift from the Eternal Magic. Our energies are combined now so that our lifespans will match from this moment on. Unless one of us meets an unnatural death, we will never have to live without each other.”

“Wait, how old are you? I feel like we should have had this conversation a while ago. Maybe I was too scared to ask. And, let’s face it, we had a lot of shit going on. But it seems like something I should know.”

Dillon pressed a kiss to my head and hugged me tighter. “I’m a little over three hundred.”

My jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“My parents weren’t big on birthdays, so they never really tracked my age. But my appearance hasn’t changed much since I hit about thirty. I don’t know much about hellhounds and how they age. My parents left when I was thirteen and I haven’t seen any other hellhounds until I met Van.”

“They left you when you were thirteen? What the fuck?” I pushed up on to my elbow and looked at him, ignoring the ache in my side. I couldn’t imagine being abandoned at that age.

“I’m not going to lie. It was hard in the beginning. And I don’t really know what happened to them. One day they were there, then they weren’t.”

“They disappeared?”

“I searched for years for them. I’ve never found them. Eventually I realized they weren’t coming back, and I’d have to live my own life.” He looked at me. “But I never stopped looking for a place to belong again. And I found it, with you.”

“I love you so damn much,” I said. “We’re going to have the best fucking life together. I want to spend an eternity with you. Mages live a long time, but not as long as a lot of other supes. But with this bond, we can, can’t we?”

“I think so.” Dillon swallowed hard. “It’s something we can ask around about. Your mom’s coven might have more information about hellhounds or mixed mate bonds. If not, maybe Van or even that couple, Mercer and Oak, might know something.”

“I hope we’re right. I don’t want to leave you alone.” I hugged him so damn tight.

“But I don’t want to think about dying right now,” he said. “I want to enjoy every second of the time I have with you.”

ChapterTwenty-Two

ASH

An hour or so later, I managed to drag Dillon out of the house. I was feeling fantastic. My magic had never felt stronger. Dillon was my mate. It was time to celebrate and shout it to the world. When we arrived at the parking lot at the Willow Lake Inn, Dillon’s hand tightened over mine.

“Are you sure?” he asked. Again. For the millionth time. Like going to the place where I’d been shot would be traumatic for me.

Weirdly, though, I wasn’t worried about that, which probably had a lot to do with how safe I felt with Dillon, even though he was always quick to point out he’d been right there with me when I’d been shot and hadn’t been able to protect me.

Someday, I hoped to convince him he needn’t feel guilty about that. None of it had been his fault.

We walked very slowly toward the ornately carved wooden doors of the Willow Lake Pub.

Okay, so maybe I wasn’t fully ready for all the sex and all the walking and all my regular activities all at once, but I was getting there. I’d already called Parker about going back to work and was scheduled for half-days starting next weekend. Parker assured me I didn’t have to rush my recovery and that my job would be waiting for me when I was ready, but I wanted to get back to normal. Dillon, my grumpy, over-protective hellhound, hadn’t been impressed by my back-to-work plans.

Unfortunately, I wobbled a little as we crossed the last few steps to the door. Damn it. Now he was going to worry even more. His hand rested lightly on my back—carefully avoiding the spot where I’d been shot—and he stayed slightly behind me, as if ready to catch me if my legs suddenly decided to give out.

“If you’re tired, we can leave.” He was so predictable.