Clark’s eyes just went wider, perhaps not expecting mercy a second time.

  “The rumors I’d heard from Clawson’s Creek were true. Finding a mate did change you monsters. Somehow,” Clark said, marveling.

  “Not enough to stop me from doing this,” Diesel said, and he cocked his fist back and slammed it into Clark’s face one final time, knocking him unconscious.

  He left Clark in the dirt, knowing Ajax would keep an eye on him, and turned around to face the two people he hadn’t expected to show up for a monster like him.

  Morgan. And Grace.

  He hadn’t even made it a step forward when Morgan ran into his arms. The feel of his mate right here, safe and sound, calmed the beast in him instantly.

  A second pair of arms, clutching Diesel and her mom, joined them a second later.

  Diesel growled. “I told you to run.”

  Morgan sniffled slightly into his shoulder. “I couldn’t run. Couldn’t leave you behind. Not when you’re everything I hoped, everything I wished for.”

  He pulled back a bit and saw sparkles of tears in Morgan’s eyes, though they looked to be tears of happiness. “You’re mine. You’ll always be mine. And I’ll always be here to protect you.” He kissed her once, letting his lips seal over hers before breaking away and looking down at Grace as well. “And our family.”

  “And Wendell too?” Grace asked.

  “Even Wendell,” Diesel said with a chuckle.

  There was commotion off to the right. And when Diesel looked, Gunnar had appeared beside Clark’s unconscious body and was putting a gold chain around his neck.

  It snapped on almost magically, and Diesel wondered what it meant as Gunnar hefted Clark’s huge body over his shoulder and addressed the others.

  “Now he’s collared so he won’t be causing any more trouble. Ajax will clean up the rest of this mess and get him to Troy and Jack,” Gunnar said seriously. “I’m sorry it all happened this way. I’m glad you’re okay, friend.”

  Diesel just grunted. “You sure you don’t need my help?”

  Ajax just rolled his red eyes, folding his arms as he nodded in the direction of the Crater. “Get out of here, you dense basilisk. Go be with your family.”

  He wanted to say something back, but it was—intentionally or not—the nicest thing he’d ever heard the quiet basilisk say.

  Gunnar and Ajax walked off, talking between each other, and Diesel looked over at Morgan’s car.

  “I can’t believe you drove all the way out here to make sure I was okay.”

  Morgan blushed. “It was Grace’s idea first. But… thinking about leaving you, my heart couldn’t take it.”

  “I’ll just have to keep your heart safe from now on, then,” Diesel said.

  He squeezed Morgan closer to his side, feeling her get warmer just by his closeness, and he couldn’t wait until he was home with his mate, alone.

  So he could hopefully make her his. Forever.

  “How does a ride back home on my basilisk sound?” Diesel asked.

  20

  Morgan had almost taken Diesel up on his offer to ride his basilisk home. But then she remembered that most of the people in town were already scared silly and probably didn’t need more giant shifter monsters around.

  Even if they had nothing to fear from Diesel.

  Still, that fight had been beyond crazy. Morgan guessed that people could probably feel the earth shaking for miles around while they’d clashed, and the sheer upheaval that had been caused would probably change the landscape forever.

  But they had won. Diesel had won and kept his promise just like he said he would.

  As they drove back into town, her hand in his warm, rough grasp, she thought about what had made her turn around and come back.

  All she could think about when she’d made the decision to go back were his words and how he’d been right about really living. When it seemed like she might truly lose him, it struck her that a life without him was something she didn’t want to fathom, even if it seemed safer.

  In that moment, it hadn’t mattered where they lived or where they went so long as they all went together.

  He looked over, the sides of his mouth quirking up in a smile, and he gave her hand a squeeze, and she squeezed it back.

  They still had things to talk about. But for the moment, they seemed to be all right.

  “I’m still mad I won’t get to ride a basilisk,” Grace grumbled from the back seat.

  Diesel chuckled. “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll make it happen.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  Morgan smiled and caught his eyes again. “Careful. I don’t think she’ll be satisfied with just one.”

  “Then it’s a good thing that I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon,” Diesel replied.

  A wave of warmth and affection went through her, and she turned back toward the window.

  When they got back home to the store, everyone was waiting for them. Gunnar and April were there, though Ajax wasn’t. Accompanying them was a couple that Morgan didn’t recognize.

  The man looked like a blond hotshot cowboy from a Western romance, but he was also solidly built, so much so that he must have been a shifter.

  “I’m Reno, a longtime friend of the basilisks. And this is my mate, Dani.” He introduced himself, his mouth widening in a bright movie-star smile as he pointed to the woman next to him, who had dark hair and a welcoming smile.

  “Morgan and Grace. Diesel’s told us all about you. It’s nice to finally meet you,” Dani said.

  Morgan shot Diesel a slightly panicked look, but he just shrugged. “All good things. I promise,” he said.

  The group laughed, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grace walk up to Reno, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

  “Are you a shifter? Like Diesel and Ajax and Gunnar?” she asked.

  Reno seemed to be amused. “Yes, I am.”

  “What are you?”

  “A wolf,” he replied.

  Grace looked as if she had too many questions and couldn’t decide on one. She readjusted her glasses. “Do you have any special powers?”

  “Yeah, he’s really good at charging phones,” Gunnar called out before April elbowed him in the side.

  Charging phones?

  Morgan would have to ask Diesel what Gunnar meant by that. But for now, all she wanted to do was get him alone so they could talk about everything.

  Reno rolled his eyes and turned back to Grace. “I can do more than charge phones. How about this? We’ll all go get lunch, and I’ll answer your questions while your mom talks with Diesel.” He cocked an eyebrow at them. “How does that sound?”

  Grace nodded, and Reno looked over at Diesel. “By the way, you’ll be happy to hear that Clark’s been handed over to the double dragons. Ajax is seeing to it personally. He’ll be taken care of accordingly.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t kill him,” Morgan said, putting her arm through Diesel’s, then looking at Grace. “Will you be okay, honey? If you want, we can make some lunch here and—”

  Grace shook her head, sidling up to April, who she was already treating like an aunt she’d never had. “You and Dad—I mean, Diesel can talk. Besides, I’m starving.”

  “Well, let’s leave these two and go get some food,” Gunnar said, leading everyone out as Morgan and Diesel headed up to their apartment.

  Once they were upstairs, they sat at the dining room table across from each other.

  Where to start…?

  “I’m sorry about what I said earlier today, about asking you to leave,” she said.

  He nodded slowly. “I understand where you were coming from.”

  Morgan took a deep breath. “For so many years, I hid behind feelings of fear, used them to avoid relationships. They’ve held me back all this time even though I told myself they were keeping me safe.”

  Diesel reached out and took his hand in hers. “I understand. I’m sorry I upset you. I never wanted to put you and Grace in danger because of what I am.”

  “Clark was after me anyway, so it wasn’t even you, right?”

  He considered that for a second, then sighed. “No, I guess it wasn’t. What was it that made you come back?”

  She paused, considering her words. “I guess I’m not afraid of losing you now. And you made me see that I couldn’t prevent Adam’s death any more than I could prevent myself from falling in love with you.”

  Diesel grinned. “You’re in love with me?”

  “Of course I am. I thought that would be obvious from earlier,” Morgan said, blushing.

  “Well, it never hurts to hear it again.”

  She laughed at that. “For so long, I think I was just surviving. When you showed up, you changed everything. I felt like I was finally living, finally enjoying the present and feeling hopeful for the future. Both for mine and Grace’s. Now I want to keep living.”

  “That’s really brave of you, Morgan. You’ve been through so much, but you still opened your heart to me.” He shook his head. “The way you’ve lived, how you raised Grace all alone, I don’t know how you did it. You’re strong and beautiful and amazing, but you won’t have to do it alone anymore.”

  She looked up at him gratefully, knowing finally that she’d made the right choice in being brave enough to go back. To trust her heart just one more time.

  Diesel took a deep breath and continued. “I didn’t think it was possible for me to love you as much as I do.” He shrugged. “I’m a fighter, and I can’t sit by while bad things happen to innocent people if I can prevent it.”

  “I love that about you. You don’t run from trouble.” She looked away and laughed. “Though, it doesn’t hurt that you’re basically indestructible.”

  “No, it definitely doesn’t,” he replied with a chuckle. “But I don’t know. All I knew was power and fighting… until I met you.” He reached across the table, holding her hand and leveling her with a passionate stare.

  Morgan held it for a second but, once she felt herself heating up, pulled away.

  “So, um, how does this whole mating thing work?” she asked, eager to change the subject.

  “Like I said before, a mate is a forever partner. It’s kind of similar to humans and marriage except it can’t be broken. Once we’re fully mated, we’ll share a lifespan.”

  Morgan’s eyes went wide. “How long will that be?”

  “Forever, give or take a few thousand years. Basilisks and dragons have long lifespans.”

  Whoa, that’s crazy.

  “What about Grace?” she asked.

  Diesel considered it for a second. “Not entirely sure. She should be tied to us as well, though she’ll still continue to grow up like normal.”

  That was good at least.

  “So what exactly does this whole mating thing entail? A blood pact? Contract? What?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “No, nothing like that. Just unprotected sex.”

  “What about getting pregnant?” she asked, though she was curious to know what a tiny version of Diesel would look like running around.

  He shook his head. “That can only happen if very specific conditions are met, like us talking about it and deciding beforehand. It’s much different for powerful shifters than it is for humans.”

  She just nodded. “That makes sense. Anything else?”

  “All you have to do is say yes to being my mate.” Diesel got out of his chair and stood up, walking over to take her in his arms. “Can you handle that?”

  Um, hell yes, I can.

  She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Then my answer is yes,” she said confidently, standing up from her chair. “You want to get started on that now? Or later?” She figured she knew the answer already just by the sizzling chemistry filling the space between them.

  There was fire in his eyes as he stared down at her. “There’s nothing I’d like better, mate.”

  Gosh, that word sounded so good when he said it in his deep, gruff voice.

  The next second, he took her lips with his in a passionate embrace. And before she knew what had happened, the ground disappeared beneath her as Diesel took them in the direction of the bedroom, not wasting even a second of time.

  To be honest, she couldn’t bear to wait a second longer either.

  Every moment with Diesel was precious, even if she was still looking forward to a million more like this with her sexy man.

  21

  Diesel’s mouth couldn’t be in enough places at once as he kissed Morgan on her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, moving to her ears and then to her neck.

  Her body seemed to hum with excitement in his arms. And when he strode into her bedroom—a place he was already quite familiar with, though it felt different now that they were finally going to be mated—and kicked the door behind him, she just held on tighter.

  “Do I really get to keep you? Forever?” Morgan asked, brown eyes warm with want, and the sight of her like this made him almost lose it right there.

  “Forever and ever. I’ll be right here. You’re safe with me.” He nuzzled his beard into her neck, and she shivered from the contact of it.

  “Right now… there’s something else I want more than feeling safe,” she said, her voice raspy.

  With a squeak, Diesel tossed Morgan lightly onto her bed, making her rock up and down on the aged springs. And when he crawled onto the bed over her, ripping off his shirt and tossing his boots aside, her eyes went wide with excitement.

  He pinned her arms at her sides and straddled her, growling. “After all, you’re about to be mated to a monster. Can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  She struggled a little in that way she always did, then relaxed even as he could hear her heart pounding with anticipation beneath him. Then he leaned into her ear and bit down lightly on her earlobe, enough pressure to make her moan.

  “Yes, you did,” she said, followed by a sigh. “And I love it.”

  Then, to his surprise, she bucked her hips up into his, enough so she pressed against his hardness, drawing a groan from him at how perfect she felt.

  His fiery little vixen, teasing a basilisk like that, trying to get a reaction out of him.

  He’d never stop loving that about her.

  Diesel gathered both her wrists with one of his hands and pinned them above her. Then, with a flick of his other hand, a black claw extended, which he stroked along the green T-shirt she’d had on since this morning.

  Morgan bit her lip and watched with rapt attention as he slowly sliced away her T-shirt, then her bra, before tearing the fabric away in tatters, leaving her upper half naked.

  He put the claw away, then leaned down to suck harshly on one bare breast. Morgan bucked again, this time in pure arousal, but he kept her held down with his weight and immovable strength.

  Diesel alternated back and forth, squeezing and kneading one breast with his free hand while he kissed and licked the other until both her nipples were tortured peaks.

  And the blush, which normally only showed on her cheeks when she was embarrassed, had moved down her neck and across the top of her chest.

  “Diesel… So hot… so—” Her words were cut off as he stroked his teeth lightly over one nipple, drawing a ragged breath from his mate that revealed she was closer than she was probably even able to admit.

  He kept her held down easily while he sat up and pulled her black leggings down to her knees, revealing lacy blue underwear.

  Fuck, his favorite color too.

  Too bad they had to go.

  Like tissue paper, he tore her panties away, showing her glistening mound that was wet with arousal. Morgan gaped down in embarrassment, and when she tried to look away, Diesel tilted her chin back up to face him.

  “What are you thinking, mate?” he asked even as his fingers twitched to feel her wetness right now.

  “Just… I never knew I wanted so many things until I met you. And… knowing I can have them, because I know you want me to be happy, it just all seems too good to be true.”

  “All of it is real, Morgan. My love for you. The future I want with you. And, of course, this…” He spread his hand over her belly, letting her relax for a second before bringing it down, down toward the apex of her thighs. “You can feel exactly how real this is when I touch you, right?”

  She nodded desperately as his hand slid up the inside of her thigh, teasing her with what he knew she wanted.

  On top of her like this, Diesel could see and feel Morgan’s every reaction. Feel her body’s every movement, every twitch and jolt.

  And even if she wanted to escape now, he wouldn’t let her.

  Not when he knew exactly what she wanted, where she wanted it.

  And when he spread her lips and pressed her clit directly, she came instantly, the arousal that had been building releasing inside her all at once.

  Diesel just grinned in satisfaction as she screamed so loud the sound bounced off the walls and came back again. Music to his ears.

  “It’s so strong when you hold me down like that,” Morgan said, nostrils flaring as she took in air.

  “Good.” Diesel ignored his own words as he started to flick against her clit more intensely, caressing her with two fingers as he used his mate’s own wetness to stimulate her.

  In minutes, she was gasping, writhing in ecstasy. And then coming faster than a bolt of lightning as rhythmic pulses moved through his mate’s body.

  Before he’d met her, Diesel’s hypersensitivity to the world around him had been useful but sometimes annoying.

  Now, feeling every tensing muscle, hearing every whispered word, knowing exactly how she was feeling by the way Morgan’s body reacted to him, Diesel couldn’t possibly be more grateful for what he was.

  Being able to crush anything that got in Morgan’s way was handy as well, he supposed.

  He released her hands, not wanting her to get sore from being in this position too long. Then he pulled her leggings off, spread her legs and positioned his mouth between them.

  His fingers had had their fun with his mate. Now his tongue wanted in on the action.