Dawn and I walk toward the front door of the Robichaux mansion, and I stop to inhale the pine-scented air and gaze up at the clear blue sky. I haven’t seen Cade in two months, and my heart aches as much as it did the first day I spent without him since we bonded. But now that the time has come, I’m afraid.

Dawn says, “Stop stalling. You should be excited about seeing Cade again.”

I am, but I’m frozen with the fear it will be the last time. “What if we can’t prove Cade and I have a bond? What if--”

“Stop. Do you think I’m a good witch? Be truthful.”

I frown, wondering where she’s going with this, but tell her what I think. “You’re good. Better than I am, and I kind of hate you for it because you’ve only just begun to realize your powers.”

Dawn laughs. “Not true. We have many different gifts, but you and I share one. Knowing things. I know this is going to work out. Okay?”

I squint at her in disbelief, but I can’t stay out here forever. “Fine,” I say as I begin to move. “Let’s go find out if you’re right.”

Once we get through the heavy oak door, we’re greeted by Richard. “Right this way, ladies.”

He takes us to the parlor, where I’ve met with Marion many times. It’s decorated with old Victorian couches and overstuffed chairs that are some of the most comfortable I’ve ever sat in. But I don’t notice any of it the moment my gaze lands on Cade.

“Bella.” He holds out his hands, and I step forward to take them.

The moment we touch, my nerve endings jump, and it’s as if the tendrils of my love for Cade can’t wait to intertwine with his.

“Cade.” I breathe out a long, low sigh of pleasure as a golden light fills me and warms every inch of my body. I gaze into Cade’s eyes and see his love for me. I let it wash over, in, and around me because nothing else matters. I know I’ve finally found a piece of myself I’ve been searching for my whole life, and now that it’s been given to me, I’ve never felt more complete.

Cade says, “I love you, Bella.”

I smile at him as Dawn gushes, “Oh my god.”

“Well, isn’t that something,” says Richard.

I look away from Cade to see Marion and Richard have tears in their eyes, while Dawn is letting them roll down her cheeks.

“What is it?” I ask.

Dawn sniffs. “You just pushed your emotions on us. That’s new, isn’t it?” I nod, and she says, “We’re all feeling what you do.”

Marion smiles at me. “Bella, I’m not sure how you did this, but this is enough proof for me. What you and Cade have is as strong as a true-mate bond. I’ll allow you to be together.”

Cade lets out a whoop and lifts me up off my feet to swing me around. When he sets me back down, he kisses me and says, “I felt it too, Bella. And it’s what I’ve felt for you since the first time I laid eyes on you.” He presses his forehead against mine. “I hope you don’t have any plans for the next few years, because I intend to spend every waking minute I can with you.”

I thread my fingers through his hair and kiss him as a reply. The moment our lips touch, it’s clear to me that I don’t want to be around anyone else, and I pull back to say, “Take me home, Cade.”

* * *

Dawn had the foresight to drive me to the Robichaux home, so Cade and I will leave together in his truck. When we get to it, I notice the damage I did to the passenger door. It’s dented in so much that Cade says, “You have to get in on my side. The door won’t open.”

“Oh god.” I chuckle as I wonder why he hasn’t gotten it repaired. “I’m so sorry.”

Cade laughs and opens his door for me. “Don’t be. I might not ever fix it, because every time I see it, I remember how you love me so much you’ll break bones for it.”

I climb in the truck as I frown at him. “That’s horrible.”

“No.” Cade leans across the console and kisses me. “That’s passion, Bella.”

He takes me to his place. We pull up to a small log-cabin-style home set on a hill, and when I get out of the truck, I walk over to see the view. His land overlooks a valley of pine trees with the river winding through them.

“Wow. You’ve got an incredible view.”

Cade steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I’ll take you on a walk later because I have a different kind of view in mind right now.” He leans down and kisses my neck.

I sigh. “Me too.” I reach my hand up to hold the back of his head, and he moves his mouth up to my ear. His breath on my skin is warm, and he nips at my earlobe. “Inside.”

“Yes,” I say as he releases me and tugs me by the hand. He moves so quickly that I have to jog to keep up, and when we get inside, he slams the door behind me and presses me against it. The sheer power of him dwarfing me makes my heart beat faster as my insides begin to tremble.

“Feel familiar?” he asks as he grabs my chin in his hand, and he devours me with the kind of kiss we know. Our tongues intertwine as I move my hands under his shirt to map out the dips and planes of his muscular chest.

A low rumble comes from Cade, and he presses his groin against me and reaches down to the opening of my blouse. He breaks our kiss and gazes down at me as he grins. In a flash, he tears my shirt open, and buttons clatter across the wood floor.

My jaw drops. “You didn’t!”

He steps back from me with a smirk and tugs his shirt over his head as he says, “I believe I did. What are you going to do about it?”

I twirl my finger in the air. “You may have brute strength. But I’ve got magic.”

“Give me your best shot,” Cade says as he opens his arms and widens his stance.

“Have you forgotten your truck outside?”

“But you’re not mad at me.”

“Excellent point.” I bite my lip as I consider what to do, and then it comes to me. I run a line of magic down the sides of his pants to split the seams, and when he looks down to see what I’ve done, I whip his jeans off as if he’s a Chippendale dancer.

“Commando,” I say when I see what I revealed. “Nice.” And it is, because he’s a walking testament to what a fierce warrior should look like, and I can’t wait to get my hands on him.

I’m rewarded with a deep belly laugh, and I join him.

“God, I love you, woman,” he says as he walks over to me. “Should I rip off your jeans, or do we use magic?”

I shake my head. “I think you should stay in your corner and watch.”

Cade stops in his tracks and raises an eyebrow at me. I turn my back to him and unhook my bra. Glancing over my shoulder at him, I fling it. His eyes darken with desire as he lets out a small growl, and I unbutton my skinny jeans before I begin a slow side-to-side movement of my hips and peel them down over my bottom.

“God, that ass,” he says and lets out a groan as I bend over to tug my pants below my knees. I am wearing underwear, but my panties are cut high to show off a lot of skin. I step out of my jeans just as Cade’s hands land on my hips.

He pushes me against the door again and grabs my wrists. My hands slap against wood as he places them above my head, and he says, “Don’t move.”

I arch my back. “Are you sure? Because...” I wiggle my hips, and Cade lets out a guttural sound that would make me think he’s in pain if I didn’t know better. “I never took you for the kind of guy who likes a girl to just lie there.”

He steps close and puts his hands lightly on my belly. “You can move all you want. Later.” His drags his fingers up my stomach and then cups both my breasts before he pinches my nipples. I let out a small cry of pleasure, and Cade plants small kisses between my shoulder blades and down my spine until he’s on his knees. He hooks his fingers into my panties and drags them down for me to step out.

He moves back and says, “Turn around.”

I move slowly and fall back against the door as I strike a seductive pose.

“My god, you’re beautiful,” he says. He lets out a growl and pounces on me. Cade kisses me with the hunger we know well and then dips down to throw me over his shoulder.

“Finally,” I say to tease him, and he replies by biting my butt lightly. “Hey! I think the mark is supposed to be someplace people will see it.”

Cade laughs as he tosses me on his bed, and I lift up on my elbows to gaze at him. Every bit of me wants this man. His body is flexed and ready, but he appears to be holding back, and I’m afraid he thinks I want to move slowly. We have the rest of our lives for that.

I want him to take me with the true-mate bite, so I say, “I want you inside me, Cade.”

“No more foreplay?” he asks.

“We’ve been doing that for almost a decade. Come here and mark me as yours.”

He crawls on the bed and over me to look into my eyes, and I grab his cock to guide him into me. I let out a mewl as he fills me, and he groans. My body trembles beneath his as he begins to pump his hips. “Yes,” I say. “God yes, Cade. Don’t stop.”

I run my nails down his back and squeeze his butt as he moves. We move. With a dance of passion that’s all ours. And I open more than my body and heart to Cade. I open up my soul. Release is so close, and I pant as ecstasy rises in me.

“Bella?” Cade says as he looks down at me, and I nod.

I watch as his bear fangs extend and his jaw widens. I tilt my chin back to let him bite me at the base of my neck, and along with the burning pain of his teeth sinking into my flesh, I feel the warmth of our love fill my entire being. Suddenly, my orgasm crashes into me, and I cry out as I’m taken to a place I’ve never been. I ride the wave that doesn’t seem to end as Cade explodes inside of me.

For a few moments, there is nothing else in my world but the musky scent of us, the moisture of our sweat-slicked skin, the heat of our passion, and the glow of our love.

Cade rolls off of me. “Oh, Bella.” He sighs. “That was better than I could have imagined.” He props himself up on his elbow, and his eyes twinkle as he teases me. “Was it good for you?”

“Meh,” I say, and then I let out a yelp when Cade grabs me and rolls me on top of him.

“You sure you want to bring out my warrior side?”

I grin down at him. “You know how much I love a good fight.”

Cade lets out a low growl. “Yes. I do.” He kisses me softly and then says, “We’re going to do it all. Fight, make love, and have a family, because you’re my soul mate, Bella, and I’ll love you until we die.”

The mark Cade left on my shoulder aches a little, and I reach up to touch it. His bite will leave a scar, and it’s one I’ll wear with pride because I’ve found the man I’m going to be with for life. A truth as strong as any I’ve ever felt comes to me, and I say what I know. “Forever, Cade. We’re forever. Because that’s how long I’m going to love you.”

* * *