Chapter Seventeen: Tamsin

"We're leaving," Mason announced as they left the large living room and headed back to the kitchen, where the others were all enjoying their tea party. Even Burt seemed to have a nice time from where he had been chatting with Morwenna and Silas.

"Oh." Burt looked down at his coffee and walnut cake, which was half eaten. "Okay."

As Burt placed his fork down on his plate and made to get up, Tamsin held up her hands. "No, we are leaving. Alone. So stay here and finish your cake."

"But what about Valaky?" Stan asked through a mouthful of cake. "Don't you need a vampire hunter to help you find him?"

"No, we've got other things to deal with," Mason looked knowingly at Morwenna, who stared back innocently. "Besides, I feel he will find us when he's ready."

"You do?" Tamsin glanced sideways at Mason.

"Whatever he's up to involves you, or the prophecy, or…" He shrugged.

"But why?" Tamsin asked, although Mason was perhaps right since Valaky had gone out of his way, and risked his life to come find her at the cabin. If Sophie's spell had failed, he'd have been toast.

Or at least, ashes.

"Next time we see him, I intend to ask him," Mason said, his expression darkening. "And I do intend to get some answers."

"Well, if you insist," Harry said, looking somewhat relieved as he raised his teacup to his lips.

"We do," Tamsin said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Not that they were likely to get one as the Regulars all dug into their cake.

"Is there anything I can do?" Merri asked as she got up from her chair and followed them out of the kitchen.

"No, thank you," Tamsin told her while trying not to stare. She was still somewhat bewildered by how Silas had won the heart of a woman like Merri.

"You are welcome to stay here," Merri offered. "No one would try to enter this house. No wolf pack, no coven. No vampire."

"Valaky did," Mason replied.

"Easily remedied," Merri reminded him.

Yes, she was sure that either Merri or especially Silas would be more than capable of stopping that vampire in his tracks. But even though Merri's offer was tempting, Tamsin was craving some peace and quiet. Some alone time.

She never thought she would hear herself say that after spending so much time on her own. But it was as if when the tavern brought her back to Wishing Moon Bay, she'd been caught up in a whirlwind and she needed to stop and ground herself.

Not that she wanted to be entirely alone. She wanted Mason by her side.

Because they were mates.

His admission had only confirmed what she'd known to be true in her heart. Yet hearing him say the words, feeling the meaning behind them, and knowing how much he had sacrificed in his attempt to keep her safe had stripped away all the animosity she'd held toward him.

He truly had tried to save her. In his own way.

And perhaps in his own way, he might still. He was offering her everything she had dreamed of while she was alone on that beach, gazing up at the stars.

Now, if they could only survive until after the conjunction had passed, then they might get to have their happily ever after.

She might even find a way to forgive those who wanted her dead.

Or maybe that might be a stretch. But Tamsin had always believed in the power of new beginnings, and perhaps this was hers.

"Thank you, Merri," Tamsin said, her voice resolute. "But we'll be fine."

"I have no doubt." Merri nodded, a soft understanding in her eyes. "Just know that our door is always open should you change your mind."

Tamsin gave a grateful nod, then turned to Mason. "Shall we?"

Mason glanced at Merri and opened his mouth to speak, and for a moment Tamsin thought he was going to insist that they stay here. But then he gave a curt nod and said, "Thanks for the offer, Merri."

"You are welcome," Merri said. "And if you need a new pack, I'm sure my sister's mate, Clancy, would have room for a man like yourself."

"A tempting offer," Mason said. "The ShadowMoon Pack is one of the most well-respected in Wishing Moon Bay. But I'm not ready to give up on the DuskWood Pack just yet."

"Aren't we?" Tamsin asked and then regretted it as he pressed his lips together. Despite everything, they were still his people, his family, his father. Just as a part of Tamsin would always belong to the DawnLight Coven.

"And I am sure there are members of the pack who are not ready to give up on you," Merri replied, then reached for Tamsin's hand. "It sounds like you have been through so much, Tamsin. But remember to be true to your heart."

"I will," Tamsin said. It seemed that the tea and cake provided to the Regulars had loosened their tongues and they had been spilling the tea on Mason and Tamsin's secrets.

"Come on." Mason slipped his arm around her shoulders as they made their way along the hallway, past paintings she assumed were Silas's ancestors. But then she stopped and turned to face a painting of a happy family.

Merri, her children…and Silas. Smiling, looking nothing like the vampire she had known before. Before Merri. Before he had obviously found his happy ever after.

Perhaps happy endings were possible after all.

"A picture paints a thousand words," Merri murmured, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of the frame. "There was a time I thought such happiness was just a fairy tale. But Silas showed me that second chances are possible, and they come from the most surprising of places."

Mason's arm tightened around her shoulders, his warmth seeping into her skin as they carried on down the corridor. "A second chance. I'd settle for that."

"Me, too," Tamsin said. She could hold on to her anger and pain and let it eat away at her. Or she could let it go and once the conjunction had passed, live a life of love with Mason. With or without the coven.

"I'm glad you have found each other," Merri said as she stood in the doorway, framed by the light from inside the mansion, while Mason raised his head and sniffed the air, seeking out anyone who might be ready to attack. "There is nothing like the bond between a shifter and their mate. One I believe has been denied too long, in this case."

"Not anymore," Tamsin said as she threaded her hand through Mason's.

"That's what I like to see," Merri said. "To hell with that prophecy. You two are meant to be together. And no one has the right to say otherwise. I mean, who writes these things anyway?"

"Exactly," Tamsin said and tugged on Mason's hand. "Come on, I know where we can go."

"Is there food?" Mason asked hopefully.

"We'll grab something on the way." She turned and waved at Merri, who waved back at them before she closed the door. "But first…"

Tamsin stopped walking and let go of his hand for a moment as she summoned her magic. Muttering a spell under her breath, she hid them from prying eyes and senses.

"Something feels different," Mason said and held out his hands in front of him.

"I have been working on a spell to make us invisible. Kind of. People can still see us, but they can't sense us or follow our scent." She tilted her head to one side. "I can change the way we look, too, if you want?"

"I think I'm good," Mason said as he held out his hand to her. "I can still sense you. But it's dimmer."

"I don't think it's possible to shield a mate from a shifter," Tamsin said as they walked away from Silas's mansion, heading toward town. "The pull is too strong."

"Because it's soul-deep," he said and glanced down at her. "You're okay with it all?"

"Do I have a choice?" she asked.

"Do you wish you did?" he countered.

"No. Probably not. It's not as if it would have changed anything. The coven and the pack didn't even wait until I'd met my mate to get rid of me," Tamsin said.

"I suppose if the prophecy had them thinking we would bring about the end to all those witches and wolves, they feared that they couldn't risk us finding one another," Mason said.

"Is that your plan?" Tamsin asked. "To abstain from taking our relationship any further until after the conjunction?"

"I have abstained this long," Mason said, his voice thick with emotion. "I suppose I could wait a day or two longer. At a push."

"You find me that desirable?" she asked, and then he took her breath away as he pulled her into his arms and held her close.

"You have no idea how much self-control it takes not to make love to you right here, right now," Mason ground out.

And she believed him.

"Here on the sidewalk." She glanced around. "A wolf shifter sure knows how to treat a girl."

Mason chuckled. "Someday you'll stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Tamsin asked as she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him, feeling the heat of his body and the beat of his heart. How had she not seen that this was how they should be?

"Pushing me away." He lowered his head and looked into her eyes. "One day, you'll let your defenses down and let me in."

"Will I?" she asked, breathless.

"Yes." The moonlight shimmered in Mason's eyes, reflecting the raw intensity of his emotions. Desire spread through her, a sensation she hadn't allowed herself to feel for far too long. For a moment, she let herself sink into the comfort of his embrace. "One day," he repeated softly, his lips brushing against her temple. The touch was electric, sending shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes, allowing herself the luxury of imagining a future where a prophecy didn't threaten their happiness.

"But for now," Tamsin whispered, pulling back just enough to look into Mason's eyes, "We should be careful. The spell I cast is not infallible."

"You mean Charles might be lurking in the shrubbery." Mason let her go and went to the nearest bush and parted it with his hands. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. Or is that you lurking in the bushes, Valaky?"

"You shouldn't joke about vampires," Tamsin told her. "They are a strange bunch with egos bigger than the tallest mountain."

"Do you have any clue as to what Valaky is up to?" Mason asked as they held hands once more and continued toward town.

"No, and that worries me," Tamsin said. "He's always been a good friend. When he heard I was the chosen one from the prophecy, he offered to protect me."

"He did?" Mason tensed, and she half-turned to him and placed her hand on his chest.

"Like I said, he is a good friend, but nothing more." She had no interest in dating a vampire. Not that she had anything against them. But Valaky could never give her what she wanted—a mortal life with children and change. "Perhaps he has just been trying to help."

"Just trying to help?" Mason snorted. "Maybe he should think his actions through more thoroughly."

"He said that Valaky sent him to track me down," Tamsin replied. She was not ready to throw Valaky to the wolves just yet. "He did not tell the guy to attack me."

"Okay." Mason threaded his hand through his hair. "I smell food. So let's forget about vampires, and prophecies, grab something to eat…"

"And?" Tamsin asked.

"I don't know. Where are we going to go?" Mason asked.

"You wanted to accept Merri's offer," Tamsin said as they walked through the streets, heading for the smell of scrumptious-smelling food. She hadn't had a proper meal since her return and was even beginning to miss the taste of the fresh fish she had eaten every day while she was stranded.

"It would have been sensible," Mason said.

"It would have been," Tamsin agreed. "But…"

"But?" he prompted.

"I don't know if you would understand," she replied.

"Try me."

"I've been alone for so long. And I have dreamed of having other people to talk to." She smiled wryly. "There is only so much conversation you can get out of a palm tree."

"I can imagine," he replied.

"But since I came back, it's been full-on. The crowds in the tavern, the people in the kitchen at Silas's. It's all…"

"Too much," he finished.

"It is." She nodded as they approached a food stall selling exotic street foods and savory pies. The aroma was mouthwatering, and Tamsin's stomach rumbled in anticipation.

They each grabbed a pie and a couple of side dishes to go and continued their conversation as they munched on the flaky crusts filled with succulent vegetables and herbs.

Mason looked thoughtful as he chewed, then swallowed. "I get it. And if you want, we can find somewhere safe for you, and my wolf will sleep outside."

"That is cute," Tamsin said. "And I would love to meet your wolf properly. But you are the exception to what I was saying."

"You're saying you like my company?" Mason cracked a grin.

"Let's just say you are growing on me." She stopped walking and inhaled deeply. "I know where we can go."

And with that, she led him through the streets toward the beach, and the familiar smell of salt and sand.