Irwin didn’t think that Dagwood would actually keep the vampires out of his explanation. He strongly suspected that Dagwood was going to find someone to speak with who had knowledge of shapeshifters, to tell them the whole story. Even though that would have gone against the vampire’s wishes, it would also have completely abolished all the criminal charges against Kevin. After all, the man hadn’t been in control of himself, not when he was trashing Dagwood’s hotel room and leaving that note, and not when he was shooting people.

But that wasn’t what happened.

Dagwood ended up informing the police that he had learned someone was goading Kevin into doing all this, leading him on. He gave a description of Nightshade, and said that she had escaped from that weird room shortly before the police arrived. He explained that he hadn’t wanted to follow her because both Kevin and Irwin were in bad shape.

The police seemed to take all of this in stride, more or less. This whole case of theirs had been nothing but one weird event after another, so why not continue the trend by having an equally-weird resolution? As it was, Dagwood’s description of Nightshade seemed to match that which several other witnesses had given over the past several months or so—reports given by people who weren’t affected by her charms.

He did not tell them that she was dead. That would have complicated everything a bit too much.

However, it seemed like the manipulation angle would allow Kevin to make a plea bargain for less prison time when his trial date came around.

“Do you think he actually deserves prison, though?” Irwin asked softly.

It was the night after the crazy adventures of that day. Technically, it was very early the next morning, but the sky was still dark enough to be classified as night. He and Dagwood sat on the couch, simply taking comfort in the other’s presence. Occasionally they talked, giving voice to a dilemma which was bothering them, but mostly they just cuddled and let their love for the other pass back and forth between them.

Dagwood stroked his hair and Irwin leaned his head against those gentle, loving fingers. After a short time during which Dagwood mulled over the question, he gave his answer. “I think he needs…something. I don’t think he’s entirely to blame for what happened. He was under Nightshade’s control. Maybe if he had really wanted to, he could have broken out. I don’t know. It’d be bastard-y of me to assume he had a choice to leave, if he really didn’t.”

Irwin listened quietly to this. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Kevin might have been able to resist the viper’s charms. He thought he had read somewhere that a person placed in a hypnotic state wouldn’t do anything that went against their true nature. Perhaps being controlled by a vampire was the same way. Perhaps some part of Kevin had wanted all along to do those things, and that was how Nightshade got to him in the first place.

Or perhaps not. There was no way of knowing, because Kevin’s memory was filled with more holes than a block of Swiss cheese right now. He was currently being kept under wraps in the low-risk section of a Norfolk mental hospital.

Dagwood cleared his throat and kept speaking. His voice emerged quietly into the darkened room. “But let’s think about it this way. Prisons aren’t torture chambers anymore. He’ll have food, a bed, and all the comforts he could ever want if he behaves. He could get a job, enter into a rehabilitation program. They have therapy and counseling sessions now.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“I think after what he’s gone through, he might be a danger anyway. To himself, or to others. Maybe best to keep him under wraps for a bit.”

“Also true.”

“Or, hell.” Dagwood shrugged. “Maybe they’ll decide he’s better off in that mental hospital. More therapy. More rehabilitation. Either way, I don’t think he’s going to get as raw of a deal as he could.”

Feeling better now, Irwin cuddled even closer to Dagwood. His alpha was right. While it might not be the place Kevin would want to be, the man needed to be watched to see how this experience had affected him. Depending on what he remembered, he could develop a variety of mental disorders. Depression, or maybe even PTSD. He might try to kill himself, or he might have developed Stockholm Syndrome and would try to reclaim the bond he felt with Nightshade by killing more innocents.

No one knew. And they needed to.

After the events which took place in the sewer, Irwin found himself also in a hospital. The emergency room staff was incredibly displeased to see him for the third time.

“It’s almost like you want to lose this baby of yours,” the burly nurse scolded him as she wheeled him into the back. He finally caught sight of her nametag. It said Gertrude, because of course it did. Irwin had never seen a woman who fit the name Gertrude before, but this was definitely the one.

He didn’t reply to her because of course he didn’t want to lose the baby. That much was a given. He would fight tooth and claw to defend his unborn child. It was just that there were so many other things in his life which he also felt a need to defend, and it was impossible for him to just sit idly by while those things were put in danger.

After being checked over meticulously, it was revealed that he had a nasty bruise in the middle of his back and on the nape of his neck. He had strained himself past his limits, and the doctor informed him that he would be more sore than ever now. A few of his larger wounds had been reopened, but they were so far into the healing process by now that they closed up easily enough on their own.

Basically, he was fine except for some strain and chronic exhaustion.

The baby was, as usual, absolutely fine. Hardly anyone in the room could believe it, except Irwin. He was convinced by now that he was carrying a very troublesome, willful child who would make every day of the rest of his life both a joy and a challenge. Privately, he also thought the baby was going to grow up to be an alpha. Its stubbornness sure as hell pointed to that.

After he was examined thoroughly and pronounced healthy and able to go home, Irwin didn’t go home. There were cops in the waiting room who carted him along to the station for a “brief” interview, which lasted for half an hour.

During his time in the hospital, Irwin had decided that he would tell the truth.

Janis faced him with her recording device as they sat on opposite sides of the table. Irwin had looked at her and said, “I’m getting really tired of seeing your mug, Officer.”

“You and me both,” she replied. However, she was smiling. “You’re looking rather well. I’m pleasantly surprised.”

“I heal quickly,” he said.

“Yes.” Janis nodded. “Yes, I bet you do.”

It was only at this point that he considered she might know something of the existence of shifters. This was information that hadn’t been revealed to him before, and perhaps he was wrong; or, perhaps, she kept that information to herself. A wise person always revealed less than they really knew.

“So, why don’t you tell me how it came about that you were in the sewer with Dagwood? Wearing nothing but your panties, at that.”

He couldn’t help it. He laughed. Such a damn serious situation and yet he’d stayed true to himself by running around in his underwear. Maybe, just maybe, the old Irwin and the new and improved version were more similar than he suspected.

He told the truth. He related everything exactly as it had happened. He got suspicious after Dagwood’s phone call and decided to investigate for himself. Upon finding the way to Dagwood blocked, he had tried another avenue, and stripped off all his clothes to help him fit down the storm drain. From there, he had wandered until he arrived at the scene.

This was where he embellished things. Only slightly. The core of the matter stayed the same.

“When I got there,” he had said, “there was that woman with the snake’s face lunging for Dagwood. I just reacted. I ran at her, and I pushed her. And I guess she thought that she was outnumbered now—didn’t get a good look at me—so she ran away.”

He finished telling the tale shortly after that and sat back to wait on the questions that were surely going to be thrown his way. Instead, Officer Janis just regarded him with a piercing gaze.

He looked back at her, trying to seem puzzled about the scrutiny. His heart was pounding however, and he wasn’t sure how good at appearing calm he was in comparison to Dagwood.

Eventually, she just sighed. “It’s quite miraculous that you were able to locate Dagwood, first without knowing where he went after the grocery store.”

Uh-oh.

“Lucky guess,” Irwin said. “I know how he thinks.”

“And then to run across him in the sewer…It’s almost as if you were guided somehow.”

“More lucky guessing,” he had repeated, though he knew he sounded less convincing the second time.

The truth was, he had wondered about that himself. It was nearly impossible for him to have found his way from one sewer entrance to the other so that he could pick up on Dagwood’s trail. Maybe he had just gotten lucky, or maybe it was something different than that. Something to do with the bond between them, which was rock-solid despite the fact that they weren’t officially mates yet. If he was able to sense how to get Dagwood, that would account for a lot of the mystery.

But he didn’t venture to say any of this out loud, because he still didn’t know how much Officer Janis really knew.

They went back and forth for a time, as Janis asked questions to confirm what he said. Irwin answered as best as he could, though his best was occasionally lacking when he had to skip over something a little too supernatural.

When the process was done, Janis helped him stand and walked him down the hallway to the waiting area by the front door. Dagwood had lurched up from his chair and came barreling towards him, grabbing on with firm gentleness; Irwin clung to him, leaning in, suddenly too tired for words.

“If I need anything else from you two, I’ll give you a call,” Janis had said. Suddenly, she stuck out her hand and shook Dagwood’s. Irwin had watched this with surprise, because he was pretty damn sure the two of them didn’t like each other.

Dagwood had seemed equally surprised, but he didn’t resist. In any case, Janis didn’t explain what this sudden change of heart was all about. Instead, she said to Dagwood, “Take care of this one. He’s pretty special.”

Dagwood blinked with surprise but nodded. “Trust me, I will.”

Then they went home. They ate a very late dinner of frozen pizza, and the cuddling had begun.

As time went on, Irwin felt his eyes growing heavy, but he resisted the urge because he wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible.

Dagwood sighed and broke the companionable silence which had fallen between them. “If the baby is a girl, can we name her Miracle?”

Irwin blinked and then tried to sit up a little, surprised. Even making an attempt sent a bolt of pain shooting up through his chest, so he slumped down again. “It’s funny. I was going to suggest that, too. But what if it’s a boy?”

“What about Miraclo?”

“That sounds stupid.”

Dagwood smiled. “I gave it my best.”

Irwin snorted a little. “Maybe we should give it a normal name. I’m Irwin and you’re Dagwood. What if we have a little Anne running around? Or a…a Steve?”

“That would completely disturb our aesthetic.”

“Or would it keep people on their toes? Never know what you’re going to get when it comes to us.”

Dagwood’s body shook with soft laughter. “What if we have another baby? We’ll have so much fun introducing them. Yes, hello, this is my son Leopold, and this is my daughter, Anne.”

Irwin laughed, too. “I like it. Let’s do that.”

Those arms holding him so gently tightened a little, pressing him in deeper to Dagwood’s chest. “I love you so much,” Dagwood whispered.

Irwin tilted his head back and looked up at his alpha, the one who belonged to him when no one else had ever felt right. “I love you, too,” he said. “I don’t know what turn of events brought us together but I’m glad.”

“I’m more glad than you are.”

“Probably.”

“Irwin!” Dagwood said, laughing. “You keep ruining the romantic mood! How the hell am I going to propose to you if you keep this up?”

Irwin blinked and looked up at him again. “You’re going to propose to me? But our courtship has only just begun. You haven’t met my parents yet. What about my dowry? And what about our living arrangements? Will your home in Nevada be enough to accommodate all our extended family under the same roof?”

Opening his mouth to reply, Dagwood suddenly stopped. “You remember my house?”

“Of course I do. You said that to me when I was in the hospital for the first time.”

Dagwood’s arms tightened around him again, squeezing him with affection and love. “I didn’t think you’d hear me,” he whispered. “Would you like to live with me, Irwin?”

“You haven’t exactly told me anything else about it.”

They nestled deeper together on the futon. Dagwood started to play with his hair again, caressing him. “Well, it’s almost like a ranch-house kind of thing. I don’t spend a lot of time there so it feels a little empty most of the time. I’ve got some rooms that are unfurnished. I just never knew what to do with them.”

Dagwood’s hand wandered down to Irwin’s stomach, gently loving on him and the baby within.

“For starters, we’re going to need a nursery,” Irwin said. “And a room where we can hide from the baby when it annoys us too much.”

Dagwood chuckled, then looked down into his eyes. “Does this mean you’ll come with me? Will you marry me, Irwin?”

“Yes, and yes.”

Their lips pressed together sweetly and it was a kiss like neither of them had ever experienced before. It was chaste and yet deep, full of promise and warmth.

Irwin felt his body start to respond, and he would have suggested sex, but the gentle arousal in his manhood was echoed with pain as his groin tightened. Other parts of him tensed up in response, and it was generally just not a fun time all around. He would have shoved through the pain in the hopes that a bit of exercise might loosen him up, but Dagwood was already pulling away from him.

“I think we should save that for when you feel better, don’t you?”

Irwin sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “I could do it.”

“I’m sure you could, but it’s been a damn hard day for all of us. I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely wrecked. I was just about to suggest that we go to bed.”

Bed seemed like a very good idea to Irwin, but he hesitated. The level of horniness he was experiencing was easy enough to manage but there were other sensations inside him which were less easy to satisfy. Some deep, primal part of himself couldn’t be silenced.

“Dagwood? Will you mark me?”

Dagwood’s broad body tensed with surprise. “You sure you don’t want to save that for our wedding night? Or just…when you’re feeling better? I don’t want to hurt you.”

Irwin felt breathless, but it was the good sort of breathlessness that seemed full of anticipation and promise. He wasn’t afraid of the pain. He just wanted to go to bed tonight knowing exactly where he belonged. He wanted to wake up tomorrow to walk around as proudly as he could, displaying the fact that he was loved and had been claimed.

The fact that he would be limited to his apartment—and that he had plans to actually stay within the confines of his apartment this time—made no real difference. He wanted tomorrow to be the start of the rest of their lives.

There was some other part of him, some omega part, which wanted to sleep next to someone who was actually his mate, instead of almost his mate.

“I want to be yours. Forever and ever. Do it now. Please?”

Just as it had always been, Dagwood couldn’t resist him. They kissed again, briefly, and then Irwin felt himself being shifted around by strong, gentle hands. He tilted his head forward to offer up his neck.

Dagwood kissed the back of his neck with extreme tenderness, just a slight brushing of his lips against the skin there. Irwin felt the fine hairs on his nape tingle.

Then, fangs were pressed against him, pushing in him, marking him forever. Irwin felt something in his soul shift around, making room for the presence of another. Dagwood pulled back with blood on his mouth, and they kissed again, their foreheads together, the wolves inside them rejoicing in their bond.

Nothing would ever be the same again after this.

Irwin wrapped his arms around Dagwood and whispered, “Take me to bed.”

Dagwood was only too eager to obey. They lay in bed together, their bodies curled so that no amount of space remained between them.

“Tell me more about our house,” Irwin said.

In soft whispers, Dagwood informed him of the wrap-around porch and the long driveway, and how annoying it was to have a mailbox practically a mile away from your house. He described the view of the rolling high-desert plains which surrounded the house on all sides, broken only by glimpses of their distant neighbors. He talked about how he had decorated the living room and the kitchen, and how many unfurnished rooms there were.

And while he spoke, Irwin imagined it all, filled with love and light and family. As Dagwood moved on to talking about how far away it was to the nearest town, Irwin drifted away.