21. Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

F ury

Shaddai's excited yips greet us even before the cabin door swings open. The little furball bounds over, tail wagging frantically as he jumps to cover Tally's face with sloppy kisses while she bends to remove her boots.

"Okay, okay!" Tally laughs breathlessly, staggering a bit as she tries to balance on her good leg. "I missed you too, buddy!"

Gently disentangling her from the pup's enthusiastic welcome, I cinch an arm around her waist, taking some of her weight. "Easy there, killer. Let's get your mom to the chair before you bowl her over, yeah?"

Mom. The word slips out, natural as breathing, and it warms something deep in my chest. After I settle Tally on the couch cushion, she gives a relieved groan as her ankle is finally freed from supporting her.

Shaddai immediately scrambles onto her lap, burrowing close with a contented sigh. Tally cuddles him close, murmuring soft endearments into his thick fur. The scene, so simple and domestic, feels like a snapshot of impossible intimacy after the freezing darkness outside .

"Let me get your boot off first. It must hurt like the devil. Then let's get you out of those soaking clothes." My voice is gruff, all business, even as my movements are tender. Layer by layer, I divest her of clothing, silently relieved she at least put on warm clothes before barging into the worst storm I've ever experienced—looking to save me.

Although I'm desperate to kiss her, to express my affection, I don't allow myself the indulgence. First, I need to divest her of all her sopping, icy layers. My warrior form slowly disappears just as she's down to a white, long-sleeved tee that clings to her like a second skin and a pair of white panties.

Even though I want to pounce on her, devour her, and take all she has to give, I keep those impulses in check and grab her a flannel nightgown from her dresser.

"Crazy woman. Rescuing me." I scold softly as I unwrap her soggy bandage, then tear new strips to replace it.

"I might have been a tiny bit impulsive." She's smart enough to look sheepish.

I chuff as I gently grip her ankle with both palms, loaning her frigid ankle my body heat.

As I re-wrap her ankle, I keep my gaze glued to hers. There's a lot we need to say to each other, but right now, the silence enveloping us is more healing than words.

I press a kiss to her bandage, then place a kiss on each chilly toe, which, for some reason, brings peals of laughter and her attempt to wriggle from my grip.

Rising, I throw a few fresh logs onto the embers and poke them back to crackling life. In minutes, warmth seeps into the chilled room, chasing away the last icy reminders of our trek.

I fill the kettle that hangs on a peg in the fireplace, waiting impatiently until it's hot enough to add to the cocoa, sugar, powdered milk, and vanilla I've measured into our mugs .

"Prepare for the best hot chocolate of your life, Buttercup. Secret wolven recipe coming at you the moment the water boils."

"Oh, really?" Tally's voice is tired, but tinged with amusement. "Do share your ways, oh wise one."

Flashing her a fang-filled grin over one shoulder, I pour the water into the waiting mugs. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Tally gives an exaggerated gasp. "You wouldn't dare! Not after all the trouble you went to, hauling my frozen butt back here."

My rumble of laughter is rusty but genuine. A minute later, I hand her a mug, sink down beside her, and command, "Drink up. Doctor's orders."

She takes a cautious sip, her eyes widening. "Okay, wow. That is amazing. What's your secret? Fairy dust?"

Tapping the side of my nose, I wink at her. "Ancient wolven magic. Handed down through generations."

She rolls her eyes but smiles into her mug, taking a longer pull.

"They have cocoa on An'Wa?"

"Not actually. I perfected the recipe here on Earth."

"Your teeth, they're back to normal."

"Yeah. The changes are temporary."

"Oh."

"You sound disappointed."

"It was kind of… sexy. All those teeth, those wide shoulders." His gaze drops south of my waist and I don't have to be a mind reader to know she's wondering if the changes affected my cock.

"I've never checked, Tally, but I don't think it made that bigger."

"Oh. Not that you need any improvements in that department, wolven. "

Her cheeks, which had been bright red from the cold, were fading to her regular color but now pinken again, although her gaze doesn't shy from mine.

"Miss Marsh, now is the time for cocoa and rest. You'll have to inspect my… equipment after you recover from your ordeal."

"Okay. I'll take a raincheck. Or… snowcheck."

Outside, the wind still batters the sturdy walls, but in here, cocooned in fire-warmed air with Tally a solid presence at my side, the rest of the world feels distant. Insignificant.

Shaddai dozes half in, half out of Tally's lap, occasionally letting out soft, huffing puppy snores. One of my hands finds its way into his downy scruff, stroking gently. The other is slung around Tally's shoulders. I don't know what I was thinking, leaving her. I can't bear being physically apart from her.

We sit in silence, sipping our cocoa and watching the flames dance. Gradually, Tally lists sideways until her head rests on my shoulder, a warm weight through the dry Henley I changed into.

My breath catches. Such a simple thing, this casual touch, this easy closeness. My fingers slide through Tally's hair and she hums contentedly, nuzzling deeper into the curve of my neck.

"Thank you for coming after me," I finally murmur, the words soft but heavy with sincerity. "For not giving up on me, on this . Even when I was too pigheaded to see straight."

She presses a drowsy kiss to the underside of my jaw. "I'll always come for you, Fury. You're kind of stuck with me."

Turning my head, my lips brush her forehead, lingering there as emotions too vast and tangled to name well up in my throat. "Yeah?"

"Promise." Lifting her head, she meets my gaze with sleepy green eyes gone soft and knowing .

She leans in, her lips a hair's breadth from mine, a clear invitation. I accept gladly, capturing her mouth in a kiss that starts slow and sweet but quickly turns heated.

Tally sighs into it, her fingers curling into the front of my shirt as she angles for deeper contact. The kiss is at once an apology, a reconnection, and a pledge, pouring everything we can't quite say into the press of lips and rasp of tongues.

Pulling back just slightly, our foreheads rest together, and I pant into the scant space between us. My hand slips under the hem of her sweater, skimming over the smooth skin of her lower back.

"Your promise that I'm stuck with you… are you sure?" I search her face, needing her to understand the enormity of her commitment. "About us… it's not going to be easy. We come from different worlds in every sense. We'll have to fight for this, every step of the way."

Her gaze never wavers as she frames my face between her palms. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Fury. I know it won't be easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. But this, what we have, what we could build together… I'm all in. Although we've only known each other a matter of days, I've been on this planet for a long time. I've never felt this much attraction, this much affection for anyone or anything before. I'm in this for the long haul. For as long as you'll have me."

Hearing her words is like falling into a pool of warm water. It envelops me, soothes me. I crush her closer, until there's no space left between us, just the pounding of our hearts.