Page 79 of Starlight

“You’re not asking because your parents are here?”

Akai lowered his gaze. “No. I have thought about asking you since the monster house. But I am asking you to give up a lot because I cannot pass in your world. I will always be the wolf on your back seat.”

“More like the wolf with his head in my crotch.”

Akai laughed. “I want you to be happy.”

“I want us to be happy. When we were at the cabin, I remembered what that felt like. I wanted to stay there and never leave, pretend that the rest of the world didn’t exist.”

“So did I. It was easy, and it felt right in a way I haven’t felt before.”

“Are we cursing the fate lines and blood debt again?”

“Perhaps we should be thanking them?” Akai asked, hope lacing his voice.

Cole remembered his aunt claiming that everything happened for a reason when he was still in hospital. At the time, he’d been too hurt and angry and was convinced she didn’t know shit and was only trying to justify her own situation. Both could be true, even if he didn’t understand why he got lucky and her family got shit. Had they hunted and killed monsters in the past and gotten cursed?

“I still wish we had met under better circumstances, both times.” But if they had met in any other way, it would have been easy for them both to run away and ignore what was right in front of them.

“Agreed, but I do not regret crossing your path again.” Akai gave his wounded wing a twitch.

“So what do you want to do about everything?”

Akai pulled him into his lap, and Cole went willingly, turning so his back was to Akai’s chest and resting his head against Akai’s shoulder.

Akai wrapped his arms around him. “I think we should set up the nest and then talk to Bob. We can make it official before we meet my parents for dinner.”

Cole pulled away enough to look at him. “Dinner?”

“I was ambushed!”

“So that makes it okay to ambush me?”

“Are you more worried about meeting my parents than being my mate?”

“Yes.” It should be the other way around as one was forever. But making it official wouldn’t change anything between them. It was everything else that needed to be settled, and they could take their time sorting that out.

Akai laughed. “They do not bite. They want to meet you, and they will probably invite us to come and see them, but we don’t need to rush.”

“No rushing.”

“Except now, so we can finish unraveling this mess before dinner.” Akai kissed the side of his neck and gave him a little push to get him up.

Cole stood, ducking his head to avoid banging it on the sloped roof. “Ugh, fine. If you’d told me to grab the bedding, I would’ve done it in one trip.”

“This way, I can show you the markers, so you don’t get lost.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The moon was high by the time Akai was able to escape from dinner. As nice as it was to see his parents again, he wanted to spend this week with Cole. After explaining that Cole only had this week, and would miss the main solstice celebration due to his human job, they had agreed they’d catch up with their friends while Cole was there.

They did not understand why Cole still had a human job.

They also wanted an explanation about how they were going to travel and if Cole was going to help with the jewelry making and selling. All things they hadn’t decided on. His mother had tutted and sighed and blamed him for leaping before he was sure he could fly.

However, they had liked Cole, and Cole seemed to like them.

Akai and Cole walked hand in hand through the woods, taking the long way back to their nest, the starlight filtering through the trees and casting deep shadows. Around them was the noise of other monsters as they ate and talked and enjoyed their solstice.