I woke with the full knowledge that I wasn't where I was supposed to be. The floor was hard and cold below me, and my muscles screamed as I sat up. I was in Asher and Jesse's home, I realized quickly. A look around revealed Nick sleeping on the couch close by. I looked down and was startled to see the red gashes lining my arms. There were a few on my chest, but not nearly as bad as my left shoulder and arm. 

As if they'd been simply waiting for my acknowledgement, they started burning sharply and immediately, making me aware of similar feelings along my legs. I lifted the blankets to reveal similar patterns on them. That's what I got for jumping through a glass window. Better than being burned alive, that was for sure.

I crawled over to Nick and nuzzled my face into his chest, relishing the comfort of his lemon scent. Nick groaned, and his eyes flew open suddenly. He scrambled and would have fallen off the couch if I hadn't caught him.

"You're okay," he breathed.

"I'm okay. More or less."

"Meredith said you would be, but it was hard to believe completely until you woke up."

"Well, here I am." I tried to spread my arms and winced. "Is there any reason we can't go back to my bed?"

"No one said anything about it."

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission, then." I knotted the sheet around my waist and slung the comforter around my shoulders. "I'm already dreading the cold. Let's go quickly."

"Don't you want to put real clothes on?" Nick eyed my garb skeptically.

"Nope. Now come on." I scooped him up and strode to the door. "You'll have to open it. My hands are full."

Nick laughed, but managed to open it and close it behind us, even if I had to move a little awkwardly. I had planned on running across the yard, but my cuts yelled at the first stride, so I had to content myself with shuffling quickly. I set Nick down once we were safely inside the double wide and shook myself. "Brr!"

"Let's hurry back to bed so I can warm you up," Nick suggested.

That sounded like an excellent idea.

We crawled into bed and Nick diligently tucked the blankets around us, curling tightly against me on my less injured side.

"I was so scared when you passed out," Nick said.

"You felt that?"

Nick nodded. "I... I imprinted on you. I think. Maybe. I've never had it happen before, so I'm not sure."

I shifted a little so I could look into his eyes. "I know I imprinted on you. I'm not sure exactly when, but I realized it that morning I woke up, before we came here."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nick asked.

"Really? You think it would have been a good idea to tell the guy you accidentally knocked up, 'Hey, I think I imprinted on you, so now I want you to be my baby daddy and my mate?'"

Nick's head popped up. "You want me to be your mate?"

Damn it. I just had to go opening my big mouth and spoiling things. "Well, yeah, but—"

"I accept," Nick interrupted me before I could continue.

I blinked my eyes in surprise. "You do?"

"Of course," Nick said. "If I hadn't already known that before, last night would have cinched it. I can't imagine a day without you in it, let alone a life."

"But I don't have a home for you and the baby. Outside of this room, I don't have anything of my own, other than my car."

Nick climbed on top of me and perched his chin in his hands, his arms braced on my chest. "Are you kidding? This is an amazing home. A home isn't a house, Dallas. A home is people. A house is a roof and four walls. A house can be empty when its full of people. A home is always full."

My bear rumbled in agreement, and Nick smiled. "Oh," he said. "I have a secret to share with you. We're having a little boy. And he's a kit." His eyes sparkled with excitement.

"How did you find that out?"

"Meredith."

That made sense. Ever since Caspar had brought her by to tend to Jesse during his pregnancy, she'd become our main healer. No one other than Caspar knew how to find her, which was frustrating, but somehow, she'd always managed to turn up when needed. If the system wasn't broke, don't fix it.

"What do you mean by we're having a Kit? We're going to have a clone of your cousin?"

Nick laughed. "No, a kit is a baby fox!"

"So, your aunt and uncle basically named Kit... baby?"

That sent Nick into a fit of hysterical laughter. "No," he finally managed to say. "It's a nickname. She's the baby of the cousins, so we always called her that, because her real name is just terrible."

"What is it?" He had piqued my curiosity.

Nick shook his head, still laughing. "I can't. She'll kill me."

"Please?"

When he shook his head again, I pulled out the big guns. "Aren't you supposed to tell your mate everything?"

That did it. His eyes went soft, but then lit with that mischievous grin I loved so much. "It's Geraldine."

I winced. "Kit is definitely better."

"You can't let on that you know," he warned. "She'll kill us both."

I make no promises, I mindspoke to Nick for the first time, relishing the shiver of his body against mine at the intimacy. At least, not where Geraldine is concerned.

You're a terrible man, Nick reprimanded me.

Your terrible man. Now let's get to sleep.

As our breathing slowed, Nick asked me one last question. Dallas, when do you want to...

Consummate the mating?

Nick nodded, and I could feel that strange shyness that came over him sometimes, the one that made my bear rise up and want to dominate him, but right now, I was content to simply enjoy his presence. And I was in too much pain for much else anyway. When I'm healed, I promised, and I held him until he fell asleep, and then I followed.