10=Beyond the Marius Brothers 2 Darcy Burke (1)

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spent some nights away from him, Desmond said hesitantly.
You re my brother s father-in-law-to-be, Desmond, Ayden replied with a smile. There s no
overstepping with us. A pack isn t normally like that. We believe very much in that it takes a village
to raise a child and the advice of the pack Elders is to be listened to.
Very wise, Ayden. Your parents must have been good people who would have been proud of the
man you ve become, Elena said gently.
Thank you, he whispered. Jalen s eyes filled with tears, and since he was sitting next to her, she
wrapped her arm around him. He leaned into her embrace as he wiped his eyes to catch the falling
tears.
How long ago did you lose them?
When Alpha Paul learned I was a Kappa, Ayden answered, swallowing loudly. We were all with
our pack coloring, but when we hit puberty, the Kappa in us came out and our eyes changed color.
They realized he d want me for himself and tried to run with us.
I m sorry for your loss. I knew Elena meant it with all her heart. She was one of those genuinely
nice people who really cared for others.
Thank you, my mate replied, clearing his throat. What s this solution you have?
The founding vampire families in this area picked here because it s always been rural farmland
mostly, Desmond explained. The economy of the past ten years has hit them hard, and while we
support local businesses, when some of the homes have been sold, the founding families take it upon
themselves to buy the land so we don t risk developers moving in. We own three other estates in the
immediate area. One is a farm that s falling apart, but the other two would need some renovations but
are livable.
You d be willing to sell to us? I asked hopefully, smiling when they did.
Can I speak with you in private a moment? Ayden said quietly as he stood up. I nodded, not sure
what I d done wrong, but given his troubled look, I knew things were about to get complicated.
Fuck.
Chapter 7
I m sorry, I said immediately once we were on the terrace alone. For what? he asked with a
laugh.
For whatever I did wrong.
You didn t do anything wrong, Darcy, he said gently, taking my
hand in his. I feel like I m doing something wrong and taking advantage of you.
How? I gasped, shocked to my core. This so wasn t where I thought the conversation would be
heading.
You said you tore down your old house and have been happy in your room at the warrior compound.
Then I come along with my problems and brothers that have nowhere to go and we have no home.
And suddenly you have to provide for us because it s not like we can get jobs, and it s not fair, I can t
do this to you and take advantage of
Stop right there, I growled, trying to keep calm. His eyes went wide and he immediately clamped
his mouth shut. I love you. We ve mated and your family is mine. You are not some ward of mine or
a burden. Don t you think I d want to give you a real home, a home of our own?
Yes, and that I would understand, my Alpha, he whispered, shaking his head. But Desmond just
said estate. Like the one they have. He waved his arms around, gesturing to the grand mansion we
were standing behind. This isn t some little cottage you bought for us to live in. I have nothing to
give you or contribute. I have no skills
But that s where you re wrong, I said gently, pulling him closer to me so I could cup his face in my
hands. He stared up at me, his eyebrows drawn together. What you did for the Mariuses was
amazing. To me that s better than any marriage counselor could do after dozens of sessions. What if
that was your job? You could help our community as if you were in the pack. Riley can heal people s
bodies, so why can t you heal relationships and their souls?
You have that much faith in me that you d trust me to do that? he asked, his eyes shining with hope
and a little bit of awe.
Baby, I have all the faith in the world in you, I whispered against his lips. You could help people
and we could get Jalen a tutor so he can finish high school. I m not suggesting you be my wife or
anything, but I have no idea how to run a household or make a place a home. I was ten when my
family fell apart. And it wasn t a loving place before that. I need you to help me learn how to be a
family and that s more important than any amount of money or the fact that I can buy us the property.
You make me feel so special, Darcy.
You are special. I know every person in that house adores you and sees that you are the big heart
behind your gift. Maybe we could even talk with Riley about you being a trauma counselor for our
community.
I d love that, he sighed, hugging me fiercely. I d love to make us a real home where Jalen and
even Caven could feel safe. I just don t know if I could handle a whole estate.
Just because the house is big doesn t mean that it needs to be as many people in it as this one. But
then again, maybe we could have some of your pack help us out until they get back on their feet. They
might be scared to stay with some of the vampires.
That s true, he admitted. Okay, let s go look at the places as long as you swear to me you don t
think I m abusing your generosity or your money. I didn t know you had any when I told you I love
you.
I know, I whispered in his ear. I swear to you that I don t think you have a single selfish motive in
any of this. You re too kind of a soul, and the fact that you brought this up just proves it to me. You re
my mate, Ayden. What s mine is yours, okay?
Okay. His smile was so wide I was ready for it to jump off his face because it ran out of room. I
gave him one more quick kiss before we headed back inside. Riley and Micah were now sitting at the
table, both looking exhausted.
I don t mean to interrupt but I had a question, Riley said before taking another drink of blood. He
was looking at Ayden, who nodded for him to go ahead. Victor told me you could heal people s
hearts. Is that just heartbreak or can you help people emotionally?
Wow, that s almost creepy, I replied, shaking my head. We were just talking on the terrace about
seeing if you could use a trauma counselor.
So you can do that? Riley asked with about as much excitement as he could muster given he was [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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