Chapter 46

Gryph

I’d hurt her. That was my first thought when I removed my teeth from her neck. When I’d bitten Julia, all I could think about was my need to finish the mating process. I needed to make her mine in every way imaginable. Now, guilt washed over me. I’d heard her cry out and felt her struggle to free herself at first.

I stood so I could dispose of the condom, and when I returned to the bed, Julia was still lying on her belly facing away from me. Lying beside her, my hand moved along her back. She shivered under my touch.

“Don’t be afraid, Sass,” I murmured, pulling my hand away since it seemed to bother her. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Sobs shook her body. “Ah, fuck. Please don’t cry. I swear I’ll never hurt you that way again.”

It was then that she looked at me, and I realized she was laughing. “You’re such an idiot, Gryph.”

“So, I didn’t hurt you?” I asked hesitantly.

“Of course, it hurt,” she replied. “When you first bit me, all I could think about was getting your teeth out of me. It still hurts.”

“Now, I’m really confused,” I admitted. “If it hurt so much, why are you laughing?”

“I’m laughing because you think that would be the thing that scares me,” she explained, rolling to her side to face me. “You are the big bad wolf.”

I laughed at her favorite description of me.

“Don’t laugh at me,” she said with a laugh of her own.

“Or what?” I asked, quickly rolling until she was on her back beneath me. “What are you gonna do if I laugh?”

She opened her mouth to respond before closing it. “I don’t know. What exactly am I supposed to threaten you with? I could pretend I’ll deny you sex, but we both know that would only be denying myself. I can’t exactly threaten to stop cooking.”

“You cook?” I asked with genuine surprise.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, leaning up to bite my chest.

“Ouch!” I complained playfully as I rolled off her. She had to notice her little bite wasn’t a bad thing since my dick took instant notice.

“See,” she began with a grin. “It hurts, but it also feels good. In the future, I’d prefer if your teeth don’t actually break skin.”

“Marking you was a one-time thing,” I assured her. “You do know I love you, right?”

She gave me a shy smile. “I got that impression, but it’s still nice to hear. I was afraid to fall in love with you.”

“Because you didn’t think you could have a future with a werewolf?” I asked.

“It seemed impossible,” she explained. “Who ever heard of a werewolf and a witch making it work? In the beginning, I didn’t even consider that you had magic for me to bond with. How could I have believed that?”

“You don’t know many other werewolves,” I reminded her. “Most witches don’t spend any time getting to know us. They treat our injuries at their hospitals. Some will hire us for security when they need more than magical protection, but few really talk to us or make any effort to learn about what it means to be a werewolf.”

“That’s true, but it’s not all the fault of the witches,” she argued.

“You’re right,” I agreed. “As near as I can tell, demons are the only preternatural creatures that make a real effort to socialize with other species.”

“That’s not always a good thing,” she pointed out.

“I suppose it’s not,” I agreed with a chuckle. “We’re lucky I don’t have any pack ties. It’s going to be hard enough dealing with the reactions of the witches you know. After what happened today, I imagine there’s plenty of gossip going around. I’m sorry for any trouble being with me causes you.”

“The witches who matter won’t care,” she assured me, snuggling into my side with her head on my chest. “As you can already tell, my family is pretty accepting.”

“I was surprised by your father’s reaction,” I admitted.

“How did you expect him to react?” she asked.

“More like your brother did at first,” I replied.

“Trevor only reacted that way when he thought you were just using me for sex,” she reminded me. “My dad’s never been nearly as overprotective as Trevor. Hopefully, Trevor never has daughters. I shudder to think how he’d react to them dating.”

“I imagine I’ll be the same if I have a daughter,” I mused.

Julia was quiet.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“We may not be able to have children,” she replied. “I’ve heard it’s near impossible for a witch and a werewolf to have a child.”

“How do you feel about that?” I asked, hoping that being with me wasn’t stealing her dreams of motherhood.

“I like the idea of having children, but it’s not essential to my happiness,” she replied. “Hearing you talk about having a daughter made me realize I never asked how you feel about the idea.”

“I’d never thought about having kids before,” I admitted as I brushed my knuckles against her cheek. “That dream never fit in with the reality of my life. Now, I can’t deny that the thought of a little witch who looks just like you appeals to me. If it’s meant to happen, it will.”

Julia smiled before yawning. “I love you, Gryph,” she murmured sleepily.

I smiled as she dozed off using my chest as a pillow. I finally had my sassy witch, and no one was going to take her away from me.