“If one more woman asks for your autograph and to take a picture with you I’m going to call Jen so she can make fun of you.” Sally laughed as Costin turned away the fifth or six—she’d lost count at this point—woman who’d asked if he was a model on some paranormal romance cover and blah, blah, blah. They’d landed at Houston International Airport, which really just looked like a big freaking mall with a runway, and from the moment they’d stepped off the plane, eyes, mostly belonging to females, were fixed upon her mate.

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but weren’t you that model on the book My Mate the Vampire?” a woman with a fake Southern accent gone wrong asked Costin.

Costin simply smiled and shook his head while saying something in Romanian, pretending he didn’t speak English. Sally growled under her breath, emitting a chuckle from Costin as the woman walked away.

“A vampire?” he asked as he placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her through the crowd.

“You should have told her no, you were the model on the front of the cover of the book My Mate the Werewolf.” Sally barked, pointing to herself.

Costin smacked her on the rear, and she had to laugh because of the envious looks she got from women who just couldn’t take their eyes off of him. They were envious because he spanked her?

“Seriously, I think you could spit in my hair right now, and they would be envious of me.” She scoffed as she pulled her phone from her back pocket.

“No, they’d be envious of your hair because it had the privilege of having my spit on it, which was previously on my tongue. It’s all about the tongue, Sally mine. That’s what they’re envious of.”

She bit her lip trying really hard not to laugh. “I just need you to know that I recorded what you just said, and I will be sending it to Jen and Jacque.”

As they stepped up to the baggage claim, Costin winked at her. “To see that smile on you and hear that laugh, I’ll go say it over the intercom for you.”

Sally grabbed his arm when he turned and acted as though he was going to make good on his offer. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m smiling. See?” She pointed to her face.

Costin took her face in his hands and leaned in close so their foreheads were nearly touching. “I do see,” he whispered. “I see the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and I get to call her mine.” He pressed his lips to hers, and Sally felt the airport and all the envious stares fade away. All she could feel was him. One of his hands slid into her hair while the other slid down her side and around her back, pressing her against his body. She felt his fingers dance on her spine as he traced the tattoo-like markings that matched his own, markings only he had the privilege of seeing. Sally ran her hands up his chest and around his neck as she rose up on her tiptoes to get closer to him. Someone clearing their throat and standing very close to them finally broke her from the Costin bubble she’d been sucked into.

Sally pulled back and turned in the direction of the noise, and her eyes widened. “Hi, Mom and Dad. Jen said we were meeting you in Coldspring.”

“Costin bubble? Sounds kinky,” her mate said through their bond just as he turned and held out his hand to her father. “Mr. Morgan, I’m Costin Miklos, Sally’s husband.” He turned to her mother and stepped forward, gently placing a kiss on her cheek. “Mrs. Morgan, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Sally grinned when her mom blushed. She couldn’t blame her. The dimple, the accent, the freaking-model good looks. She’d have to be dead not to blush under Costin’s attention.

“You’re not blushing, and I just made love to your mouth,” he said, at the same time he was having a conversation with her parents.

“Do not say things like made love to your mouth while you’re talking to my parents.”

“Why? Do you think they can sense I’m telling you I made love to your mouth, and I’m disappointed that you didn’t blush?”

“Husband?” Sally’s mom was no longer blushing. “So, Jen wasn’t kidding? You really are married?

Sally nodded as she chewed on her bottom lip.

“I knew when Costin called and asked me for something old and I sent him the locket you two would be getting married at some point, I guess the reality just never sank in. I assume he gave it to you as a wedding gift.”

“I did,” said Costin. “And I would like to say that I have an incredible excuse for marrying your daughter without asking your permission,” Costin said as he wrapped an arm around Sally’s waist and pulled her tightly against him. “But I don’t. And, in all fairness, as you said, I did tell you that I was going to marry her. I knew she is my soul mate. We didn’t really see a reason to wait once we both realized we were meant for each other.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Mom,” Sally said softly. “I wanted to, but things just happened so quickly. I really—” She stopped when her mom held up a hand.

“You’re a grown woman, Sally. I will admit I hate the fact I missed my only daughter’s wedding, but I suppose I’ll live.”

Sally turned to her dad who seemed to be lost in thought. “Dad?”

He looked from Costin to her and then back to Costin. “You love my Sally?”

Costin looked down at her, his eyes filled with every ounce of the love he felt for her. “I do, Mr. Morgan. I love her, adore her, and I even like her most of the time.”

Her dad gave a single nod. “That’s all any father can want for his daughter. To be loved and adored and taken care of. You’re happy?” He turned to Sally and smiled.

“I am.” And in some ways, she was happy. There was no need to emotionally vomit her baggage onto her parents right now.

“As to why we are here,” her mom jumped in. “We just thought the drive would be a good time for us to talk and get to know Costin,” her mom said, wrapping her arm through Sally’s and leading her daughter toward the exit.

Sally glanced over her shoulder to see Costin and her dad retrieving the luggage from a rotating conveyor belt. Her mate looked up at her and winked. Damn winking, hot mate.

As they climbed into the car, the time change and thirteen-hour flight began to catch up with Sally. They’d left Romania at three in the afternoon, but that meant it was seven in the morning in Texas. With the time change, they were knocked backward eight hours, so even though it was a thirteen-hour flight, when they arrived in Texas, it was only eight in the evening. But to Sally’s body, it was six in the morning the next day, and she’d had very little sleep. It was going to be tough staying awake.

The drive home was a little over an hour, and Sally had no doubt her parents were going to use every minute of it to interrogate her mate, not that she could blame them. It wasn’t as if they got to meet him before she’d married him. And he was older than her. And they got married literally less than a year after they’d met. So maybe they had a small amount of reasons to be suspicious of him and his intentions. Just think if they knew he was a werewolf. She snorted to herself. She wondered if her dad would have wanted him to sit up front if he’d known that little bit of information.

“What do you do, Costin?” her dad asked as he pulled out of the airport parking lot.

“Don’t you dare say me.” Sally hissed through their bond before he could speak, which caused her mate to laugh. He recovered by disguising the laughter as a cough. Perhaps staying awake wasn’t going to be too hard after all, if it meant preventing her mate from giving ridiculous answers to her parents.

“I own a bar,” Costin finally answered.

Sally watched her dad’s face as he processed the information. “A bar?”

Costin nodded, and she could feel his pride in owning his own business and at being a darn good bar tender.

“It’s probably not the kind of bar that you are thinking of,” Costin explained.

“So … it’s a family bar?” her mom asked, always trying to put a positive spin on things.

Sally couldn’t help but laugh. “Y’all, it’s a bar, not a strip club, or honky tonk, or biker hang out,” she assured them. “Costin keeps it a respectable establishment.”

“With the help of your amazing daughter,” he added.

“Fishing for brownie points?” she teased.

“Your dad is looking a little horrified, and I don’t know that the markings on my neck are giving me any points.”

Her parents would think Costin had a dark, large tattoo on him since they had no clue he was a supernatural being and the markings actually meant something.

“Are your parents in Romania?” her mom asked.

Sally felt his sorrow immediately.

“My parents are no longer living.”

“Oh.” Her mom reached up and patted his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. You’re so young to have lost them.”

“Yes, speaking about that, how old are you exactly?” her dad asked.

“Yes, Costin, please tell them exactly how old you are.”

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” he said with a mental sigh.

“I’m twenty-four,” he answered. “Though with as many hours as I work, it feels more like sixty- four.”

Sally coughed to cover her own laugh. Her parents were going to think they both had some sort of condition that caused sporadic jerky motions.

“Have you ever been married before?”

“Dad!” Sally groaned. “He’s twenty-four, not forty-four.”

Her dad shrugged. “People are married and divorced by twenty-four these days. How about kids? Got any children with other baby mamas?”

Sally smacked her hand to her face. Did her dad seriously just say baby mamma? “Mom, make him stop, please.”

Her mom laughed. “Chris, that’s not something Cost—”

Costin cut her off. “Your daughter is actually the only woman I’ve ever shared the marriage bed with, and that only happened after we actually married.”

No. He. Did. Not. Sally knew her face was every shade of red on the color wheel.

“Really?” Her dad’s voice rose in admiration. “A virgin at twenty-four?”

She could feel Costin’s delight at her embarrassment. “But Sally has thoroughly corrupted me.”

“Stop!” She nearly shouted. “You two”—she pointed between her dad and Costin sitting up in the front seats—“should not be discussing marriage beds or Costin’s virginity or me corrupting him. Seriously, Dad.”

“Actually,” Costin said slowly, “there was a time in history when the status of a female’s maidenhead was very public knowledge.”

“NO!” Sally held her hands up and shook her head. “Do not even go there. Just stop.”

Her mom was absolutely no help, giggling like a damn school girl. Sally shot a glare at her, and Cindy Morgan simply shrugged and mouthed, ‘I like him.’

“Any more talk about sex, maidens, or the like, and I will physically throw myself from the vehicle.”

“Dramatic much, Sally mine,” he murmured in her mind.

“Maidenhead, Costin? Really?”

“Don’t be embarrassed, sweet thing. It’s not a secret that yours is definitely not intact.”

“I’m going to smother you in your sleep. Just letting you know ahead of time so you aren’t surprised.”

He laughed out loud, and her dad looked sideways at him. “Sorry, I just thought of a good joke.”

“Oh, I love a good joke. Please, share,” her dad said, sounding very much like the nerd he was.

The rest of the car ride was spent with her dad and Costin trading corny jokes. Costin’s were usually bar jokes, and her dad’s were nerd jokes. Costin found them hilarious.

Her mom leaned over with a sly smile. “He’s gorgeous, has a great personality, and he’s ambitious. What’s wrong with him? No male is that perfect,” her mom whispered.

Sally grinned. “Well…” she began.

“Sally,” Costin’s voice was warning.

“He’s bossy. He’s possessive. He’s a tad clingy. He says inappropriate things just to see me blush…”

“She adores all of those qualities, Mrs. Morgan,” Costin interrupted. “Just yesterday she was telling me how she loved it when I ordered—”

Sally jumped forward and slammed her hand over his mouth. “If you ever want to go there again, do not finish that sentence. So help me, Costin, I will go all Jen on your dimpled ass.”

“My ass isn’t dimpled, beautiful.”

“Not the point, my love.”

“You two are just too cute,” her mom said with a beaming smile.

Well, at least her parents didn’t want to pack him up and send him back. That was something, right?

* * *

Cindy Morgan watched as Costin helped her daughter from the car. She watched how his eyes lit up when they landed on Sally and how his hands were almost always touching her in some way. It all made sense now that the spell had been lifted. When the girls originally left for Romania, Alina Lupei had used some sort of pack magic on them to convince their parents all was normal. Then, months later, a woman named Peri came to them and used magic on them again. Four months ago, the magic Peri had used to distort their beliefs in regard to the location of their daughter and what she was up to, broke. With a little bit of digging into the few history books she still had from her own kind, Cindy got the answers she needed. She and Chris realized that there was a lot Sally was keeping from them, but she was a grown woman and could make her own choices. Cindy couldn’t help but regret not telling Sally the truth. Then she wouldn’t have had to run off to Romania with a bunch of werewolves without telling her parents what was going on.

From the look of things, Sally had a werewolf mate, which meant she could only be one of two things: a healer or a wolf, and since Cindy knew her daughter wasn’t a wolf, then Sally had been chosen to be a gypsy healer. It was an incredible honor but, at the same time, a huge burden as well. She could admit part of her wished that Sally hadn’t found herself a part of the supernatural community, but, then, the odds were against her. Their family was steeped in supernatural ties, and it was only a matter of time before one in Cindy’s family line was chosen.

“Mom?” Sally’s voice caught her attention. “You okay?”

Cindy smiled. “I am. And it looks like you are quite okay as well.”

Her daughter smiled, but there was a light missing from her eyes. Cindy saw past the mask Sally had been trying to wear to the sadness that was attempting to overwhelm her. She wouldn’t ask her any questions in front of her mate, but soon enough, Cindy was going to find out what had happened four months ago that broke the spell and put that haunted look in her daughter’s eyes. She didn’t think it was Costin. He was completely head over heels for Sally. But if for some unimaginable reason it was the werewolf who’d hurt Sally, Cindy wouldn’t hesitate to make wolf stew and give it as a treat at the local animal shelter.

* * *

Costin liked his mate’s parents immediately. Though he’d already talked to Cindy Morgan on the phone just before Sally and he had gotten bonded and married, he hadn’t been able to get a feel for what she was like. Now, being in front of her and watching how she interacted with Sally, he could tell Mrs. Morgan was not nearly as clueless as she was attempting to appear. He saw the keen intelligence in her eyes and the interest that piqued them every time she looked at him and Sally. And she looked at them a lot. Part of him wanted to grab his mate’s tempting backside just to see how her mom would react.

“Don’t you dare. There will be no grabbing of the backside.” Sally growled into his mind.

“What about your breasts? Can I grab your breasts to see how she reacts?”

“Sure.”

“Really?” He was so shocked he didn’t even realize he was speaking out loud and not through the bond.

Sally turned just as she reached the foot of the stairs that lead to the second floor. “No, not really, you butthead.”

Costin threw back his head and laughed as he carried their bags and followed his mate up the stairs.

“I’m sure y’all are tired, Costin.”

Mrs. Morgan’s voice brought him to a halt just as he reached the top step. He turned to look down at her.

“We’re going to call it a night,” she continued. “If you two need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Morgan,” he said. “I look forward to visiting more with you and Mr. Morgan.”

She gave him a small wave and turned, heading in the opposite direction. He realized that meant the master bedroom was downstairs, while his mate’s old room was upstairs. A grin spread across his face as he turned to follow Sally’s scent down the hall.

“You can wipe that grin right off your face, Costin Miklos. There will be no hanky panky in my parents’ house.” Sally had her arms folded in front of her chest and a frown firmly in place when he entered her room.

“So let me get this straight,” he said as he set down their bags. Costin stretched his arms above his head, trying to get his tired muscles to relax. “There will be no grabbing of backsides or breasts and no hanky panky?”

“Exactly. My parents live here, Costin. They could, like, I don’t know, walk in or something.”

Costin took a step toward his irritated mate. “Sally mine, you do remember that we’re married, right?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course, I remember.”

He took another step toward her. “And that means we are allowed to, neigh, we are expected to participate in lots of hanky panky. Your parents aren’t going to scold you for having a boy in your room, beautiful.” He took one final step and then cupped her face in his hands. He leaned down, his lips barely touching hers as he whispered, “Hey.”

She breathed out a laugh. All the irritation seemed to melt out of her at his touch. “Hey, yourself.”

“You okay?”

She nodded. “I just don’t want my parents knowing we’re having sex.”

“We’re married. I’m pretty sure they already know.”

“Knowing in theory and knowing because of actually hearing or seeing are two totally different things. How on earth would I be able to look my dad in the eyes if he heard something?”

Costin chuckled at the aghast look on her face. “What exactly would he hear?” His voice had dropped lower, and he felt his wolf stir as their mate reacted to them. Her scent shifted slightly, and it was a smell he could get drunk on.

“Hey, Dad.”

Costin froze. “He would hear ‘Hey, Dad?’ Sally, I know we’ve never really discussed what words turn us on, but I’m just going to throw this out there. ‘Hey, dad’ doesn’t flip my switch.”

She huffed and pinched his side. Damn that hurt.

“My dad is at the door,” she said when Costin pulled back to glare down at her.

Her words finally registered through the lust-induced fog. Costin turned and forced his wolf not to growl at the man, father or not, who’d interrupted his hunt.

“Your hunt?” Sally asked through their bond. “Do I want to know what you were hunting for?”

“As soon as your father leaves, I’ll gladly show you.”

“Sally.” Her father’s voice drew both of their attention. “I just wanted to tell you both that your mother and I are so glad you’re here.”

Costin glanced at his mate, whose eyes were looking a little wet.

“Thanks, Daddy. I’m really glad we’re here too,” Sally said and hurried across the room. She embraced her dad, and Costin’s wolf growled. He couldn’t stop it. He wasn’t used to seeing his mate show another man affection, even if it was her father.

She stepped back quickly, and they said their good nights. When the door closed and the lock clicked into place, Costin was no longer thinking about how he didn’t like seeing his mate hug another man when he so desperately wanted her to be inviting him to her bed. He wasn’t thinking about the fact that Sally had just, moments ago, expressed her desire not to be intimate in her parents’ home, and he really wasn’t thinking about the fact that maybe she had a point. All he was thinking when his glowing eyes turned on his mate was that she was entirely too clothed, and she wasn’t nearly close enough to him.

“Costin,” Sally said his name slowly, a warning.

His wolf heard a challenge and perked up even more. “Mate,” he rumbled.

“I told you no,” she said, as if she were scolding a damn puppy.

Costin smirked. He needed to remind his mate that he wasn’t some whelp for her to command. His feet were moving before he even made the decision. His lips found hers as his hands began to remove the offending clothing he’d helped her put on that morning.

“Still want to tell me no?” he whispered into her mind as she gasped. His teeth had sunk into his mark on her shoulder, and her taste flooded his senses.

“We should…” She started to speak into his mind but stopped when Costin picked her up and carried her to the small bed that was pushed against the furthest wall. He laid her down and immediately covered her body with his.

“Bite me.” He growled as he licked clean the wound he’d reopened.

“That sounds so wrong.” Sally breathed out.

Costin lifted her head and tilted his own, bearing his neck to her. “You know you want to,” he taunted. Several heartbeats passed before he finally felt her teeth sink into his flesh, and all was right with the screwed-up world.

“Mine.” He growled through their bond. He felt her love flowing into him even as his blood flowed into her mouth. He loved knowing his scent would be infused in her veins, and hers in his.

His beautiful mate didn’t put up any more of a fight as he gave what was hers and took what was his. Her fingers were like tiny flames dancing across his skin, and the soft sounds she made nearly drove him mad with desire. He should probably have been worried that her parents would hear her, but he was too busy making sure his female was taken care of in every way possible. When all of their clothing was finally gone and they were skin against skin, Costin’s wolf howled inside.

“I love you, Sally,” he whispered into her ear as he made love to her. Words of love poured out of him as he marveled at what an incredible gift she was.

“I love you back, dimple boy.” She sighed an hour or more later. Loved and satisfied, Costin pulled her close and listened to her heart beat as she slipped off to sleep.

Half an hour later, he was just starting to fall asleep when he felt something dark growing inside of him. His wolf began to feel agitated and restless as he shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. The uneasiness continued to grow, and, within minutes, his chest was tight, and he felt as though he was suffocating.

Costin felt Sally shift next to him and then felt her fingernails dig into his arm where she had a death grip on him.

“Sally?” he whispered as he turned to look at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was still sound asleep. He pushed past her sleep-idled mind, using their bond to allow him to see what was going on in her sleep that was causing her to leave scratches in his flesh. He was immediately surrounded with darkness and filled with despair.

“Sally, mine,” he called to her, but she didn’t respond. There was another groan, and then he saw the dream, or nightmare rather, in which her mind was immersed. Sally was standing in a dark room staring at a bed. It wasn’t empty. In the bed were two bodies. One was the male wolf that Costin had ripped apart, and the other was his mate.

He growled, and Sally turned to look at him. Her eyes grew wide as they filled with sheer horror.

“Costin? You can’t be here! You have to go. Wake up,” she pleaded with him. Her head was swiveling back and forth between him and the couple on the bed. She looked like a cornered animal ready to strike at anything that moved.

“Sally, come here,” he said gently, trying to ignore the sounds coming from the bed. He would like to just tell himself it was just a dream, but he knew that, more than likely, it was a memory.

“You have to go!” She roared at him. “You can’t see this. Please, please, I don’t want you to see this.”