Natalie stepped out of the shower and towel dried her hair, vigorously rubbing it until it fell around her shoulders in soft, damp waves. She breathed in deeply, savoring the fact that she could breathe.

She was alive. She was safe. The events of the last several hours almost seemed unreal. She could hardly believe that she had almost died, and yet she knew that she had been so close. Too close. And she had Kurt to thank for the fact that she was still alive. If it hadn’t been for him, she would never have found that bomb. She would never have known what kind of bomb it was and what spell she needed to defuse it. He had come through for her, and she owed him everything. She owed him her life.

And then there had been the battle at the Dark Warriors’ headquarters. Natalie had been skeptical that attacking tonight was really the best idea. She worried that the Dark Warriors wouldn’t be all that surprised, and that they would fight back more fiercely than Wyatt thought they would. But she’d been wrong. The Dark Warriors hadn’t stood a chance, and good once again prevailed. The city of Chicago would be safe now, at least for a while. And the information that was recovered from the ruined headquarters building would give the side of good the upper hand against the Dark Warriors. The Dark Warriors had managed to keep their operations relatively secret from the side of good for a while, but now they had grown too large to hide. They were suffering growing pains and having trouble staying organized. Natalie knew that she couldn’t count on the disorganization to completely bring down the Dark Warriors, but it had been nice to win a battle tonight.

And that battle had reminded her that it felt good to be part of a team. A crew.

A clan.

She had known for sure as soon as she and Kurt survived the bomb that she wanted to give Torch Lake a chance. For him, and for her. If what he said was true, and the High Council there was as great as he claimed, then she wanted to be part of that. Especially since she knew that moving there would make Kurt happy, and give them the opportunity to be together. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere except with him. He was her life now.

All she had to do was tell him.

Natalie quickly pulled on some flannel PJ pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and made her way out to the kitchen of her small condo. Kurt was there, bent slightly over the stove and peering into a pot. He was wearing sweatpants and t-shirt, but even in those casual clothes he looked sexy. Especially in those casual clothes.

“Whatcha making?” she asked.

He turned around and smiled, looking her up and down. “Damn, you look good. Feel better now?”

Natalie nodded. “It’s nice to not have flour falling out of my hair every time I move my head. Are you gonna tell me what you’re making.”

“Stovetop hot chocolate. Want some? It’s just about finished.”

“I would love some.” Natalie went to her cupboard and pulled down two mugs. She glanced at the clock on the microwave as she did, somewhat surprised to find that it wasn’t quite one in the morning yet. She felt wired and awake, even though she knew her body was exhausted. It didn’t matter how late she stayed up, though. She didn’t have to get up early tomorrow, because she wasn’t going to work. Natalie was pretty sure she’d never be able to show her face in that call center again, but that was fine by her. She was going to be hunting for a new job in a new city, anyway. A city named Torch Lake.

“Thanks,” she said, as Kurt handed her a mug of steaming, rich hot chocolate. “This smells amazing. You know your way around the kitchen, don’t you?”

He laughed. “I can make a few things, like omelets and hot chocolate. Don’t be expecting any five star dinners, though, because you’ll be disappointed.”

“Fair enough.” She laughed, and made her way to the living room. He followed her, and they both sat on the couch for a few minutes, sipping their hot chocolate in contemplative silence. She had so much to say to him, but she felt suddenly nervous. It was a big deal, to tell a man you wanted to move to another city with him and start a life together. She wanted to use the right words, but she felt like her tongue was all tied up. When she finally did speak, he spoke up at the same time as her.

“I’ll move wherever you want,” they both said in unison, then looked at each other and laughed.

“I mean it,” Natalie said, but Kurt raised a hand to stop her.

“Wait. Before you say anything, let me apologize. I shouldn’t have been so resistant to the idea of moving here. I love Torch Lake, yes. And I’ll be sad to leave. But when I said I was committed to you for life, I meant it. And if being with you means moving, then I’ll move. I’ll move a thousand times. I just want to be close to you. I wish you would give Torch Lake a chance, because I think you’d find it truly is a different place. But if you don’t want to do that, I understand. I know what it’s like to only want to live in a human town. And if that’s truly what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

“You would really move to Chicago for me?” Natalie asked, her voice quavering. She hadn’t expected him to offer this, and the fact that he had moved her deeply. How had she been so lucky to find a strong dragon of a man, who saved her life and was willing to give up his own life to be with her? She had thought when she moved to a human town that she had completely given up on love. After all, she couldn’t reveal who she truly was to anyone, and that made it hard to have a real relationship. But now she had the opportunity to truly have it all. She could have love, and a life in a human city.

Kurt put his now empty mug down on the coffee table and took Natalie’s face in his hands. “Yes. I would move anywhere for you. I’ve moved a lot in my life, and I know I can handle being anywhere. But now I know that I can’t handle being away from you. I feel so lucky that you came back into my life, and there’s no way I’m letting you go again.”

Natalie bit her lip to keep it from trembling. The feeling of Kurt’s hands on her cheeks was both calming and electrifying. He made her heart flip-flop in her chest in unbelievable ways, and she knew she would never again ask him to give up the clan that had come to mean so much to him. If he believed Torch Lake was different, then she would trust him.

“Kurt, I’ll move with you,” she said.

For a moment he stared at her as though he hadn’t heard her properly.

“You…you will?” he finally managed.

“Yes. I won’t lie: it’s scary to think about going back to clan life. But life in Chicago hasn’t been perfect either. It’s been lonely, and I’ve still had my fair share of brushes with the shifter and wizard world, as evidenced by all the craziness of tonight.”

“I think you can never truly escape being a wizard or a shifter,” Kurt said. There was no judgment in his voice, only resignation. “You can never escape who you truly are.”

“You’re right. I didn’t want to admit it before, but it’s true. And I have to say, I’m impressed with how quickly Torch Lake sent a group to help us. And not just a small ragtag group of shifters and wizards they thought they could spare. A whole group of star wizards who really know what they’re doing, and not just one but three more dragon shifters. Counting you, that means they sent four dragons. That’s unheard of these days. Any clan with dragons wants to hoard them.”

Kurt smiled. “I know. But that’s the point. Torch Lake is different. They care about protecting their own town and citizens, of course. But they realize that they have to look at the bigger picture. They want to stop evil wherever it’s found. They understand that if you turn a blind eye when darkness is infiltrating another city, it won’t be long before that darkness grows stronger and takes over everything.”

“It’s true.” Natalie dropped her eyes, feeling somewhat sheepish. “And these last few days have made me realize that I’ve been turning a blind eye to evil. I thought I could escape to a human town and not have to think about the forces of darkness, but it wasn’t true. If you don’t stand up to evil, it will eventually stand up to you, no matter how well you think you’re hidden.”

Kurt nodded. “The good news, though, is that there are a lot of people willing to stand up to evil. And the Torch Lake High Council is filled with those sorts of people. You’ll be safe there, Natalie, and happy. You won’t have to hide who you are. The High Council is very welcoming of all types of shifters and wizards, and they listen to their citizens. They want life to be happy and fulfilled for everyone.”

Natalie took a deep breath. “Do you think I could find a job there? I mean, I don’t have a lot of skills. I’ve just been working in a call center.”

“Which means you must be good at communication and customer service, right? There are lots of jobs for skills like that in Torch Lake. In fact, I know the Advocacy Bureau needs a lot of help with that sort of thing.”

“The Advocacy Bureau? Really?” Natalie’s eyes widened. Advocacy Bureaus were considered prestigious places to work. She could hardly imagine that she would be able to find a job there. But Kurt was nodding enthusiastically.

“The Advocacy Bureau in Torch Lake is trying hard to communicate with the citizens of the town. They want to be transparent and keep everyone in town up to date on their work, instead of hiding behind a wall of mystery like so many other Advocacy Bureaus. They employ a lot of customer service agents to help them answer any questions people in town have about the Bureau.”

“Wow.” Natalie was impressed. “You weren’t kidding when you said Torch Lake is different from the other clans I’ve known.”

Kurt grinned. “So does that mean you’ll give Torch Lake a chance?”

His face looked so hopeful that it made Natalie’s heart ache.

“Yes,” she said, her voice filling with confidence. “I know it means a lot to you to live there, and I trust you. I’ll admit the idea of moving took me by surprise at first. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. But I’ve had time to think about it now, and I’m sure. I’ll move with you.”

Kurt pulled her into a giant embrace. “Don’t apologize. I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you for wanting to stay in Chicago. But I’m so glad you’re going to give Torch Lake a chance. I know you’re going to love it. And if you don’t, I promise we can move back. But I’m pretty sure you’re going to love it.”

Natalie snuggled against his chest. “I don’t think I’m going to want to move back. There’s not much left for me here anymore. I can’t exactly go back to my job at the call center, after everything that happened tonight. Besides, I have a feeling you’re right. If everything you’ve said about Torch Lake is true, then I’m going to love it for sure.”

“You have no idea how happy that makes me,” Kurt said, pulling back to look into her eyes.

Natalie grinned at him coyly. “Hmm. Want to show me?”

Kurt grinned back. He didn’t need to be asked twice. He leaned forward and put his lips on hers, quickly slipping his tongue into her mouth as he began to reach for the hem of her t-shirt. They were both tired, Natalie knew. But there was an energy and electricity in the air. More than ever in this moment, they needed each other. They had been through so much together, and they had just decided that whatever adventures lay ahead they would share together. Natalie felt the need to celebrate. She wanted to be as close to Kurt as humanly possible. She craved his body. She needed it. She was hungry for him.

He must have felt the same way. He kissed her greedily, his hands already reaching to unhook the clasp of her bra. She pulled back for just a moment then, her breath coming in heavy gasps.

“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she said, standing and pulling him along with her. “The bed’s more comfortable.”

“Anywhere’s comfortable, as long as I’m with you.” But he obliged, letting her pull him along. He kept stopping to kiss her, though, making the short walk take several times as long as it should have. He tugged at her pants, pulling them down around her waist. She responded by pulling his shirt up and over his head. They left a trail of clothes behind them as they kissed their way toward Natalie’s bed. By the time they got there, they were both completely naked. And both completely turned on.

Kurt’s erection stood out straight from his body, stiff and proud, and pointing directly toward Natalie. Natalie herself was dripping wet, unable to contain her passion for Kurt. She yelped in excitement as he pushed her onto the bed, then slid up over her, once again plunging his tongue deep into her mouth. His rock hard dick pressed against her thigh as they kissed, and she felt her whole body burning like it was on fire, just as it had the first time they made love. Was that the lifemate bond, she wondered? He’d said it felt like a heat in your core, and Natalie’s core was hotter than it had ever been. So was the rest of her body. She felt a tingling pressure building within her, and she moaned with delight.

There was something undeniably sweet about making love when you thought only hours earlier that you were going to die. Natalie had never felt so alive. Kurt’s hands moved over her body with a gentle familiarity. This might only be the second time they had slept together, but he knew her. Perhaps it’s because they were destined to be together. Perhaps it was because they had been such good friends so long ago. Whatever the reason, Natalie had the blissful sensation of everything being right in the world. Here in Kurt’s arms was where she was meant to be. It was where she had always been meant to be.

When Kurt slipped into her, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. She squeezed her eyes shut and drank in the sensation. He pushed against her inner walls with a deep urgency that only turned her on more. She could tell he was desperate for her, which was only fitting since she was desperate for him.

He moved in her with a steady, powerful rhythm. Each thrust sent more heat through her body, and increased the tingling pressure she felt. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and let the passion of the moment take over her. She could hardly believe he was here in her arms, and inside of her. They were alive! And they had a long, sweet future ahead of them. She had a lifetime of feeling this wonderful.

He seemed to sense her joy, or perhaps he was just overcome with joy of his own. He moved faster, thrusting harder and going deeper and deeper into her. Her whole body tensed as she felt herself on the precipice, and then, she let go. Her release took her like an earthquake, her body shaking with tremor after tremor of pure pleasure. She felt him come as well, stiffening and then pulsing into her. Together, their bodies gave in to the electricity that shot through them, reaching to the ends of their fingers and toes, and everywhere in between. With each quake of Natalie’s body, she felt herself squeezing around Kurt’s rock solid dick inside of her. She felt herself trembling from his fire that filled her.

But most of all, she felt alive. And the best part was, that as they finally untangled themselves from each other and she met his love-filled eyes, she knew that life was just beginning.