He was wearing a pair of brown cargo pants, holding an olive green ribbed turtleneck. His abs—rippled, muscled, with scars here and there from the past—led up to a chest that looked strong enough to bend bars. He probably could, being part dragon.

I glanced over at the bed where his boots—hiking boots—sat on the floor. I licked my lips, staring at his feet. They were handsome feet…and many a times I’d grappled those ankles in cat form. He’d just laugh and scoop me up and rub my belly while I purred, and then he’d throw my fur mice for me.

The sight of him standing there, a soft, slightly sly smile on his face, made my heart stand still. Maybe it was the fact that Iris was getting married. Maybe it was the realization that we’d lost five members of the Supe Community to some mad bomber. But right now, right here, all I could think of was how happy I was that Shade was with me. He was here, alive, and I loved him.

I slipped over to him, dropped my towel, and reached out. He took my hands in his, leading me back to the bed, where he sat down and I straddled his lap, staring into his eyes.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“For what?” His gaze was heavy, lidded, sultry. I ran one finger down his nose, then hooked it into the corner of his mouth gently.

“For being here. For being with me. For becoming my anchor. My rock.” And then, leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his, feeling the creamy velvet of his hands catch me around the waist and pull me to him. His fingers sizzled against my skin, lazily tripping up and down my spine.

As he stood, I wrapped my legs around his waist and he turned around to lay me on the bed. I let go of his neck and fumbled with his belt, unbuckling it and unzipping his pants. He slid them down and off, standing between my legs still, staring down at me with a gentle smile as his erection grew.

I sucked in a deep breath, staring at him, feeling the pulse in my stomach grow as my nipples stiffened. I bit my lower lip, waiting, as he ran his gaze over my body, his eyes lighting up as he knelt between my legs, his arms on either side of my waist.

“You up to this today?” Shade always waited, always let me take the lead. I hadn’t been used to it at first, but now I welcomed the question. I was growing stronger, and he seemed to recognize that I needed to learn how to be in charge.

I nodded. “Oh yes. The damishanya twisted my stomach, but the shower made me feel better. I need you.”

And I did. The loss of my friends, the attack on the hall, the realization that Iris was growing away from us—that she was not just here to make our lives complete but that she had a life of her own—had all conspired to bring the tears to the forefront. I tried to blink them away, but they were stubborn and before I could help it, they spilled out, trailing down my cheeks.

“What’s wrong, baby? What’s wrong?” Shade stared at me for a moment, and then, quick as a cat, he was by my side instead of looming over me, taking me in his arms and holding me.

“I…so much has happened. The explosion…Iris is pregnant…Camille’s assault—and our father didn’t even give a damn.” The pressure in my chest was hitting me hard and I ducked my head as I cried, leaning into his arms, shaking.

Shade scooted so he was up against the headboard of the bed, pulling me with him till we were leaning back against it. He brought the covers up over us and tucked me against his shoulder.

“Camille will be okay. Your father will—or will not—come around.”

“You don’t understand. All our lives, Camille was the strong one. If she can be hurt so badly, then anything can happen. You know how you always rely on someone to be there? To be the backbone? That’s gone. She’ll be okay, but there was a time when…I really thought she was dead. And everything changed.”

“But don’t you see, my love, that means that you have to step up and be the strong one. For yourself—not for anybody else, but just for you. And you’ve done that without realizing it. Do you know how strong you are? How incredibly proud I am of you?”

I looked into his face. His eyes were ancient—and I could smell the soft hints of bonfire smoke in his aura, a comforting scent that had become, for me, a cologne.

“Thank you.” I let out a sigh. “I do know that I’m stronger. I do know I’m growing up and I’m actually happy about it. But…it’s just…”

“Just what?”

Sucking in a deep breath, I finally shook my head. “Nothing. I just don’t deal with change well.” I shrugged, coughing off the phlegm that had gathered thanks to my waterworks. “I’m a cat. You know that we have trouble when our routines are interrupted.” As I tried to dash away the tears, he caught my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently.

“Shhh…no—no, don’t blow this off so quickly. Don’t shortchange your emotions. Tell me everything.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. There was no getting out of it—that much I’d discovered about Shade. Once he wanted to know something, he made sure to find it out. He gave persistence a new meaning.

Searching inside for the right words—for the right meaning—I finally let out a long sigh. “Okay. Last night, at the bar, we were up on stage singing to Iris. It was a lot of fun, but the song—‘We Are Family’—set me off. I realize now I was starting to slide into a depression, but then Iris threw up and the stripper got pissed and the bar wanted us out. So I pushed it away. By the time we got home and Chase called, I was primed to spiral down.”

“Why did the song depress you? You aren’t that bad a singer.” Even as he said it, I knew he was joking, trying to goad me into a smile.

I shrugged again, not wanting to admit the truth, even to myself. But the words took on a life of their own and burst out of my mouth.

“Are we really still family? Oh, we love each other and we’re here for each other, and I’m not unhappy that we’re each finding our niche, but damn it, we used to be so close. So tight. And now, now we’re lucky to eat meals together. We hardly ever have time to sit around and talk. We plan movie and shopping dates when we used to just take off whenever we wanted. I hate that things are changing so fast.”

Even as I spoke aloud, I blushed. “I don’t mean to sound like a little girl hanging on the coattails of her sisters. I’m not that anymore, but damn it, I miss the days when we were first in the Y’Elestrial Intelligence Agency, when Father still loved all of us, before Menolly was turned into a vampire. Before…before…”

“Before you came Earthside?” Shade didn’t flinch, didn’t pull away.

Feeling embarrassed, feeling selfish, I nodded. “Yeah. Before we came Earthside. It’s like, we got sent over here and everything changed. The spirit seals started showing up. The demons are pounding at the gate. Camille got married—three times. Menolly found a girlfriend—and apparently, a steady source of party-hearty vampire invitations. We met Iris and now she’s getting married. I know it sounds petty, but who the hell is going to remind me to clean out my cat box? I need those things. I need…a mother. And until now, Camille filled that spot and Menolly was the one who pushed me into trying new things.”

Shade laughed then, a deep, honey-rich laugh that echoed through my body. “Honey, you don’t need a mother to remind you of those things. You need a personal assistant. I’ll do it. I’ll remind you to clean your cat box and pick up your clothes. For one thing, if I don’t I’ll be doomed to sit around smelling—and looking at—cat poop. As for your sisters, be happy for them. And before you say it, yes, I know you are. But, I also know that you want the impossible. You want life to be as uncomplicated as it was before you came over Earthside. Yet you also want the good you’ve encountered here. It can’t happen, love. It just can’t.”

I dashed away the tears. “Do I sound horribly selfish?”

He shook his head. “No, no, sweetie. Just confused and set in your ways, and looking for a hidey-hole in which to crawl. But, Delilah, my love, life moves on. It has to evolve. Look at you. Look how far you’ve come.”

Biting my lip, I couldn’t help but agree. “I guess I want my own changes, but not for them to have theirs. I want them to be there for me when I’m ready, not the other way around. And you’re right, it can’t be that way. We all grow or we all don’t. But it’s hard to face…”

“And it will be harder to face over the coming months. But I’ll be here, to help you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not afraid of the challenge you present. In fact, I rather enjoy it,” he whispered, nibbling on my neck.

“You really like me?” My voice came out smaller than I’d expected, and I realized that I needed to hear him say it. I needed the reinforcement.

“Really like you? No, my sweet. I really love you. Now kiss me, fuck me, and then get your ass dressed so we can go help one of your best friends on the happiest day of her life.”

He rolled on top of me, hard again, and I opened my legs. As he stroked my body, he lowered his lips to my nipples and I gasped, purring as he licked and tugged them. We fit together, like the pieces of a puzzle, and he slid inside me, jostling from side to side to find the right rhythm. We settled in, gently rocking, and then he picked up the pace, thrusting deep into me, liquefying my center, his cock pulsing inside me. I gasped as his hips ground against me, Shade’s fire igniting my own.

I ran my hands down his back, my nails digging in, and he flipped me, rolling with me till he was beneath me and I was straddling him. Smiling now, I slid my hands up to cup my breasts as he held my waist, his eyes glistening with delight. I rubbed my nipples, my head dropping back, feeling freer than I ever had with Chase or Zach.

“Oh yeah, that’s it,” he whispered. “Come on, baby, give it to me.” His hands slid around to hold my butt, and I moaned, suddenly out of my funk and fully in the moment. I leaned down and pressed my breasts to his chest, reveling in the feeling of his skin against mine. The scars on the side of his face and forehead gave him a rakish look. He moved his arms up to coil around my waist, holding me tight on top of him, then wrapped his legs around mine and once again, we rolled over.

Unfortunately, we had apparently been on the edge of the bed and rolled right over onto the floor with an unceremonious thump.

“Ouch!” I hit my elbow on the corner of the nightstand as we tumbled apart. As I rubbed the offended body part, Shade started to laugh.

“You’re not getting away that easy. Unless you broke your funny bone, get your ass over here.” He started crawling toward me, on hands and knees, and delighted, I flipped over so he could enter me from behind. Rear entry was my favorite position—though I wasn’t much into butt sex. I knew Camille liked it, but for me, it was a once-in-a-while treat…like rich food. Good now and then, but too much just ruined the effect for me.

As he rubbed against me, his cock sliding back inside, I peeked over my shoulder. “Oh gods, that feels so good. You can get so much deeper this way.” With Shade, talking during sex seemed natural.

He let out a chuckle. “Deep is good, baby. Definitely good. And I’m going as deep as I can, love. Up to the hilt.” As he began to thrust harder, I forgot about talking and, bracing myself on the floor with my hands, I closed my eyes as the fire grew and his hips swiveled against mine, spooning my butt as he slid in and out of my pussy.

Catching my breath, I let out a low moan. “Oh yeah, that’s it, sugar. Deeper…deeper…I can’t believe how delicious you feel inside me. Never leave me…never stop.”

“I’m here for the long haul, baby. I’m yours…and I’m not going anywhere.” And then he picked up the pace, and everything fell away in the raw heat of our passion as I came, and came again.

By the time we were dressed and headed downstairs, it was nearing eight. Iris and the others were up and in full swing. Camille looked like she had the headache from hell, and she was shoveling in the waffles and bacon like she hadn’t eaten in a week. Menolly was, of course, in bed for the day, but looking out the window, I could see Smoky, Roz, and Vanzir erecting poles for the long tents we’d be putting up for the ceremony.

Once the tents were up—pale blue awnings and walls—we’d cover them with wreaths and silver ornaments.

Iris hadn’t wanted to hold her wedding in a fancy hall. She wanted it here, at her home, with all of her friends and family attending. Bruce’s mother and father were coming in via the barrows from Ireland and she was nervous. Time to meet the in-laws. Right now, though, she was holding Maggie, rocking back and forth with a cup of tea.

Hanna and Trillian were preparing breakfast. In the past couple of months, Hanna had adapted quickly, learning to use most of the household gadgets without fear. Trillian was teaching her how to read, and she’d learned enough English that her broken speech was passable in stores. She’d thrown herself into the task, grateful to be away from Hyto’s madness, away from the unending cold and gloom that had accompanied her indentured servitude.

I sat down at the table, Shade sitting beside me, and grabbed a clean plate off the stack. I stabbed two waffles and eight slices of bacon. Shade loaded up, too, and I blinked, suddenly thinking about our monthly food bills.

Even with the gardens Iris had put in, and the occasional cow Smoky brought home to fill the freezer, we were going through quite a bit of money. I also knew that Smoky supplemented the budget from his treasure trove. No one knew just how much he had stashed away, but he was a dragon, and over the centuries he’d accumulated quite a nice haul.