Chapter 23 - Cliff

Faye tore the seam of my jacket while yanking me away from the cage. "Leave them alone. She has to come back by herself. If you wake her—"

I whirled around on my heel. "You're the one who put her under. Bring her back now ."

"Back down, Clifton. You're letting your emotions get in the way."

"Of what!"

She grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard. "Of logic, you idiot. Sit down. Take a breather. I'll check on them."

To say I felt furious was an understatement. Fury came as a mild emotion compared to this crushing irritation. "I can't believe you did this behind my back."

"She wanted to do it, Cliff."

"I'm her mate. She should have come to me."

Faye traced the keyhole on the padlock that kept the cage locked. When it popped open, she flung open the door and sidled inside. She ran her fingers over Robyn's forehead. "She didn't want to bother you. She knew you had your hands full."

"I'm her mate."

"You ever think about how you do so much for Robyn that you never let her make her own decisions?"

I took a step back as I processed the question. "She makes her own decisions."

"Cliff, I know better than anyone how an unexpected mate bond can turn your entire life upside-down. I'm sure Robyn feels the same way." She drifted away from the sleeping pair. "Any minute now. It's almost over."

"Is she okay?"

Robyn and Jillian gasped like mummies waking from a long slumber as they shot up from the cot. Chains rattled as I flew into the cage and tended to my mate while Faye helped Jillian out of her five-mile-long chains.

I bruised Robyn's head with kisses. "You made it."

"Yes." Robyn grabbed my face. "And we've got some mega great dirt for you when we're not both dying for water." She flung me aside. " Water ."

My mate toppled out of the cage and landed on the banister of the stairs. She shakily climbed a few steps, wobbled, and squeaked when she started to fall backward. I sped over to catch her, keeping her still by crushing my arms around her shoulders. "Alright, chill out. You're on an adrenaline high. Calm down."

"I'm sorry. I just—" She sucked air between her teeth. "How did you know I was down here?"

"My neck started burning."

She touched the area that was scarred over. "It must have been the bond."

"Did you do some kind of magic?"

"I don't think so. But maybe I did." She bounced from my arms back to the cage, hobbling on legs made of clay. "Faye, did you hear that?"

Jillian rubbed her wrists where impressions sat in her flesh from the chains. Faye applied lotion to the area, taking over with a mild massage. "I heard something about magic."

"We were supposed to use magic to defeat Urkod ," Jillian explained, "but we can't do magic. I don't know how we won."

Faye beamed. "All bonds are powerful. Even friendships."

Robyn collapsed next to her best friend and plopped her head on Jillian's shoulder. "I think the mate bond helped make me stronger."

"That's definitely its own kind of magic. Mate bonds aren't a new thing, but they're still not fully understood by our species," Faye explained.

I lingered in the doorway of the cage with my hands in my pockets. "It was weird because it felt like Robyn was biting me. I thought I was about to faint."

"She was pulling energy from you," Faye observed, "and that enhanced her ability to strengthen her friendship with Jillian. That must have been how the demon was destroyed."

"It's gone for good, right?" Jillian asked weakly. "I can't handle another fight like that."

Faye held Jillian by the chin. "Yes, she's gone. You don't have to worry about Urkod returning. We named her. You fought her. I will perform a cleansing to protect you from new invaders."

"Invaders," Jillian repeated with disdain. "Yeah, that describes them."

She slumped against Robyn, who held her, cherished her, and embraced her like she would a sibling. I witnessed in her then the beauty of her love and care. I saw her as a truly compassionate woman who wanted to save her best friend without letting anyone get in the way.

I fell to my knees next to her. "I see your heart."

She caressed my cheek. "Babe, what are you talking about?"

I want you to marry me . "I just…"

But I couldn't get the words out.

Instead, I exhaled slowly, took her hand in mine, and kissed it. "You're everything to me."

Words failed me after I finished speaking. Faye took charge from there, collecting the group of us and ushering us into the living room upstairs, where it wasn't stuffy. Once Jillian reclined on the couch, the air around us eased. I kept looking at Robyn and inspecting her left hand, eyeballing her ring finger.

She must be a size four or five. She has slim fingers. I smiled when she touched my cheek. "Hey."

"Hey, I've got more good news."

"Yeah?"

She grinned. "We came back with a list of names—a few other people in the pack are possessed, and Urkod gave Jillian the names of those demons."

"How?"

Robyn shrugged. "She says it must have happened when the demon exploded."

"That's useful information."

"I was thinking we could head out and exorcise those demons before dinner."

I pulled her into a hug. "It's a date."

"We might need back-up."

Faye jumped from the couch and held out her phone. "I got Angora's number. Call her."

No arguments there. We needed all the help we could get.

***

Angora was a tall, thick, and thunderous woman with ashen brown hair and copper skin. She had double nose rings, black jeans with gigantic blue boots, and a gray college sweater that was a size too big on her. She popped a stick of gum into her mouth. "Y'all got a demon problem of epic proportions."

I held up the list with a frown. "It's three people."

"Three people too many," she said with her index finger fixed on me. "And before that, you said your old Alpha and his boys were possessed, too. That's not three people ."

"Fair enough."

Robyn spared a smile for us. "We appreciate you flying in at such short notice. We wanted to get this done before dinner."

Angora beamed. "I'd be happy to stick around for dinner if you're offering."

I chuckled. "We weren't offering. We were just—"

"Sure!" Robyn interrupted. "The more, the merrier. You can show me how to speak fast like you did with the last exorcism."

Ahead of us, the street curved to the right, and we walked past the trails and a few other houses to get to Robyn's home. I nearly crumbled on the porch from sheer exhaustion. "It's been like a week since we've slept here."

"Yeah, I kind of miss my house." Robyn paused near the door with her key. "Let me just check my phone really quick."

Angora stepped aside and nudged me with her elbow. "You two are going steady now, yeah?"

"As steady as we can."

"Are you going to buy her a fat diamond ring?"

I laughed. "I don't know. I guess that depends on whether she likes diamonds."

Robyn smirked while peering at me over her phone. "I like diamonds. I like fat diamonds the most."

"You never liked diamonds," I claimed. "When did this happen?"

"Hey, things can change." She tucked her phone away and unlocked the door. "Like me asking you to move in with me."

I sputtered over a response as Angora chuckled. She slid past me, sidled through the doorway, and disappeared into the house as I tried to get a grasp on reality.

I stared at Robyn. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, you mentioned a ring." She gestured to the house. "I guess this is my way of proposing to you."

"Don't I already live here?"

She chuckled. "Did you put your toothbrush in the bathroom?"

I shook my head.

"Then, you haven't fully moved in." She stepped inside and waved. "Now, are you coming or what? I'm hungry."

My stomach growled. I was hungry, too. And when I sniffed the air, I could have sworn I smelled food and people. Perhaps there were a lot of people cooking up some good stuff at the park—or it was my imagination playing on my hunger.

I stepped toward Robyn with a sigh. "Burgers sound nice right now."

" Surprise! "

There wasn't much in this world that could make me jump out of my skin like a house packed full of shifters screaming at me to, presumably, make me feel happy. I patted my sternum to jumpstart my heart. "Sweet Gods, I will never sin again if you prevent that from ever happening."

Robyn laughed while sliding her arm around mine. "Come on in, Honey. Welcome home." She beamed up at me. "Are you surprised?"

"I need a new pair of pants."

"Well, we have to get past Sonya and the girls to make it to the stairs, so…"

People gathered around us as I made my way through the living room. Larry shook my hand and passed me off to Sonya. In her arms was my daughter, the little girl who I had always wanted, reaching for me. Tears trickled from my eyes as I pulled her into an embrace that seemed to last an entire century.

My sister greeted me with Sierra snoozing on her shoulder. "Adrian is here."

My chest grew light. "Really?"

"Yeah, he brought friends—and all your stuff."

I stared at her. "How did you do this?" I investigated my mate's eyes next. "How did you two pull this off without me knowing about it?"

Robyn blushed. "Actually, Sonya put the party together, but her backyard flooded when Timmy broke the hose on the side of the house."

The crowd parted like a curtain to show a pimply teenage boy with large glasses and messy hair on his face shrugging into his hoodie. "What? I was just checking to see if it worked, sheesh. Sonya told me to do it."

I chuckled while turning back to my sister. "I'm glad it could be held here. Much more effective, and uh…" I faced the crowd. "I was starting to think you guys didn't like me."

A round of chuckles went around the room.

Sonya opened her arms. "You were strange at first."

Larry chuckled while stepping forward. "But you've grown on us."

Joyful energy burst around me as the crowd broke into applause. I hugged Sydney and Robyn close, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall again. When the clapping died down, Adrian materialized near the kitchen with a giant tray of food.

He held it up and asked, "Who's hungry?"

Some people converged on the tray while another group started to trickle outside. Through the porch doors, I saw the rest of the party unfolding, with a bounce house rising from the ground and a DJ starting up a music set. Everyone was packed into the house and yard. It was now or never. When would we all be in the same place without it being all about business?

I handed Sydney off to Hector and turned to Robyn with a gleaming grin. "I wanted to do this with a ring, but…"

Her eyes bulged. "A what ?"

"Robyn Wade, you're the most logical and fiercely loyal person I've ever met in my life." I held her hands gently. "I broke your heart when I left you behind. I'll never do that again."

"I know, sweetie. I believe you."

My smile wavered with guilt. "I left Sydney, too. I promise that will never be an issue. In any lifetime. I'm here forever, Princess. You know that, right?"

She grinned. "Of course, I know that."

"Forgive me for doing this in such a backward way, but we always did go against the grain together." I knelt on my right knee. "Robyn, will you marry me?"

The universe seemed to hold its breath. Silence resonated through the house as I waited with a clenched heart for Robyn's response. Even the DJ had stopped his set. Whatever noise remained didn't originate from the party.

My brows pinched together when she clutched my hand. She grinned, chuckled lightly, and kissed my knuckles. "It's no diamond, but it's worth keeping."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

I whooped loudly and scooped her into my arms, shouting to the heavens as the party once more shattered the sound barrier with their applause. After a quick spin, I dipped my mate and kissed her lips, enjoying the wondrous way she clung to me. Everything was perfect.

Almost .