Chapter 5

5

CELESTE

" I wish it were that simple." Rubbing my cheek against his broad chest, I heaved a deep sigh. "Sleeping with you will diminish my value in the eyes of the coven, including Arthur. He won't get the added boost from taking my virginity, but my magic is still a good match for his. I don't see him letting go of what being paired with me could mean to him. Not without a fight."

Ren's hold on me tightened. "Then that's what he'll get because I'm never letting you go."

He said it so simply, with no hesitation in his voice at all. As though it was no big deal that he was willing to go up against my coven when we'd only met like an hour or two ago. My own parents had never even fought for me, so I wasn't sure how to react. "It won't just be Arthur and my parents who try to cause problems for us."

"I assumed," he murmured, brushing a kiss against the top of my head.

The part of me waiting for him to rethink our situation and decide I wasn't worth the trouble eased up a little. "You don't sound worried."

He rolled me onto my back, and when our gazes met, there was no missing the determination gleaming from his bright blue eyes. "There's no reason to be. The Bancrofts have faced off against bigger threats than your coven and come out unscathed."

"My coven isn't huge, but we still have too many witches for just the two of us to take on by ourselves," I warned. "No matter how powerful I might be or whatever kind of vampiric magic you have up your sleeve."

"Except we will not be on our own, love." He stroked his thumb across my cheekbone. "My family will have our back, and there's a lot of us. Between my parents, aunt and uncle, brothers, cousins, and their consorts, the Bancrofts are a formidable force that most people are smart enough to back down from."

I shook my head with a laugh that held no humor. "I'm not sure that description will fit my parents, fiancé, or coven. Their egos won't let them believe they can be defeated by a family of daywalkers."

" Former fiancé," he growled, lowering his head to claim my mouth in a deep kiss that left me breathless.

His jealousy wasn't anything I had ever experienced before. Before Ren, I would've thought I would be irritated by a guy being so possessive of me. The thought of Arthur acting the same way made me shiver—and not in a sexy way. But the man who I'd been destined for was completely different from the one my parents had tried to pair me off with.

Knowing how much Ren hated even the slightest mention of Arthur gave me a feminine thrill. "Very much former, as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately, neither he nor our families would agree with me about that."

"Mine will." He grinned at me, his eyes twinkling. "They will be thrilled that I finally found my consort after more than five hundred years."

I had grown up around magic, but knowing that Ren had been alive for so long blew my mind. A witch's lifespan was longer than a mundane, but nothing like a daywalker. "Hearing stuff like that will take some getting used to."

"Just wait until you get up in years like me."

I tilted my head to the side as I stared up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Damn, I guess I forgot for a minute that just because you're a witch doesn't mean you know everything about daywalkers." Stacking the pillows against the headboard, he leaned his back against them before pulling me into his side. Once we were settled, he explained, "When we perform the ritual to complete our bond, you will be changed into one of us. Your body will transition to immortal, and you'll get fangs similar to mine. And the bond between us will strengthen to the point where we'll be able to feel each other's emotions and communicate telepathically."

My eyes widened as I breathed, "Holy moly. Really?"

"I would not joke with you about something like this, love," he confirmed with a nod. "Although, I should probably also mention that the process can be painful for the consort. But I promise to make it as enjoyable as possible by making you come as often as you like."

Considering the mind-blowing orgasms he'd just given me, I had no doubt that he would follow through with that promise. "I like the sound of that, but I don't think that I'm ready to take that step yet. While this might be normal for you, relationships don't move quite so fast in the witch world."

"I look forward to the day when you'll be immortal—because I want you tied to me forever, and also because it will lessen the risk of anything happening to you." Pressing a finger under my chin, he tilted my head back for a kiss. "But I am not going to rush you into anything. Having you in my bed and by my side is more than enough for me."

I was relieved that he was so understanding, especially after he had waited so long to find his consort. To find me.

"Thank you."

His lips curved into a mischievous grin. "However, I cannot guarantee that my mother won't be a little pushy."

"Then I guess it's lucky that I'm used to dealing with pushy parents." Which was an understatement when it came to mine.

"I'm glad you're not worried." The muscles in his abdomen clenched as he sat up, taking me with him. "We don't have time to waste with the threat of your coven looming, so I would like for you to meet them tonight if you're up for it."

I glanced down at our naked bodies, which were only covered by a sheet. "As long as my outfit survived you getting me out of it, I guess that works for me."

Sliding off the mattress, he gathered my clothes from where they were strewn across the floor. When he padded back toward me, my gaze greedily explored his body as the muscles in his thighs bunched with each step. Ren was the walking, talking epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. And I was the lucky woman who got to be with him.

Knowing that I was the only one who would ever see him like this was a heady feeling.

My clothes were a mess, but Ren didn't seem concerned when he examined them. I understood why when he waved his hand, and an almost identical outfit covered my body. "As good as new."

Crawling off the mattress to stride over to the mirror leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, I twisted and turned to take in my reflection. "I can do some pretty cool things with my magic, but I have to admit that your vampiric gifts are a lot more useful when it comes to day-to-day stuff."

"Just think, after we complete the claiming ceremony, you'll have both kinds of magic." Ren was dressed casually in black jeans and a long-sleeved black Henley when he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I hope you don't mind that I lent you mine for now. Since I'm the one who destroyed your clothes, and my parents will be here in a few minutes, it seemed only fair. But I probably should have asked before I dressed you."

"I have zero complaints about you helping me get ready in less than a second." Turning in his hold, I tilted my head back to smile up at him before asking, "Do they live nearby?"

"Close enough, but they'll teleport since we have urgent matters to discuss."

"Gotcha." Being able to go wherever I wanted in the blink of an eye was another perk to being a daywalker that I was looking forward to.

Ren led me downstairs, and by the time we made it to the living room, the space was filled with people who could only be Bancrofts. The males all had dark hair and bright blue eyes similar to Ren's, and the ones who weren't by themselves were all hovering over the women at their sides.

One of the women rushed over and wrapped her arms around both of us. "You must be Ren's witch."

"Give her some room, Mother," Ren grumbled, tugging me from her embrace. "I haven't even had the chance to introduce you to Celeste yet."

"Such a pretty name," she murmured, stepping back to grin at us. "Much better than what my parents stuck me with—Talulla."

I returned her smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Talulla."

"And such good manners." She twirled around to beam up at her husband as he slid his arm around her waist.

"I'm Ren's father, Basil."

As I shook his hand, Ren's brothers and cousins introduced themselves as well, including the five consorts that were with them. I learned that Callidora was the only one missing when Braeden explained, "The children are all enjoying a spooky movie while my consort watches over them. She wanted me to tell you that she's excited to meet you soon instead of just from across your front yard."

Amaia clapped her hands. "We should do a girls' night out this weekend!"

I'd never been on one before, so my heart was heavy when I replied, "I would love to, but I don't think it will be safe for me to do something like that quite so soon."

"Not safe?" Basil echoed, his eyes narrowing.

Ren explained about the marriage my parents had arranged with Arthur, and how I didn't think the coven would let go of me easily. Their reaction to everything we shared with them wasn't what I expected. Instead of trying to distance themselves from the danger I brought with me, Ren's family crowded close and offered their unwavering support.

"You two will not stand alone against your coven," Basil assured. "The family will have your back."

"Cian mentioned that he and the twins were thinking about coming for a visit soon. I'll see if they can come now," Kieran offered.

"It wouldn't hurt to have a few more daywalkers on our side," Jareth agreed.

I was stunned by the easy acceptance Ren's family had shown me. There most likely was a war between them and my coven on the horizon, but they didn't play the blame game. The risk to each of them didn't color their opinions of me. They didn't care that I was a witch and my kind and theirs rarely mixed.

The only thing that mattered to them was that I was Ren's destined consort. That was enough for them to put everything on the line to keep me safe. To ensure that nobody interfered in the future they wanted Ren and I to have together.

I owed fate a debt of gratitude for bringing Ren and the rest of the Bancrofts into my life and showing me what it truly meant to be a part of a family.