luca gave in. She laughed at Rafa’s wisecrack, at Nick’s complete failure at being annoyed by it, at the doom Nick had once again brought to Fiona’s décor, and at her own actual responsibility for it. She laughed out of relief that she was alive and safe, and that Nick would be all right. And she laughed in camaraderie with the people who cared so much about him. His team, his pack, his family. Her family.
Like Nick, Raluca had come home.
Epilogue
Raluca
Nick took Raluca’s elbow as they walked up to the roof of their new home, but not because he needed her support. After a week in bed and another week alternating resting with working out at the Protection, Inc. gym, Nick’s limp was gone and his strength was back. He held her arm because he liked to touch her as much as he could, just as she loved to touch him.
Dr. Bedford had set Nick’s leg and examined him, but hadn’t thought he needed her hospital. So once Lucas had flown Grigor to join Constantine in the dungeon, Nick and Raluca had moved into the bedroom at Protection, Inc. It had been easier on Nick than returning to either the hotel or his own apartment, and Raluca’s clothes were already there.
Lucas’s mate, Journey, came to visit Nick there once she returned to the US. She’d been traveling in Madagascar while Lucas had been working undercover. Journey had lived in Brandusa and visited Viorel, and loved both countries. Raluca enjoyed meeting her. Though she’d made America her home, it was good to have friends she could talk to about Viorel without having to explain everything.
Once Nick recovered enough to start driving again, he took her back to the diner and introduced her to the rest of the wolf pack and their mates. Kate and Dan thoughtfully provided her with a selection of fresh-squeezed, unsweetened juices. And Destiny made good on her promise of a girls’ night out, and gathered Fiona, Catalina, Ellie, and Journey for a wild night that started at a bar, continued at a club featuring men in varying states of undress, and concluded with a picnic beneath the stars.
Once Nick was ready to move out of the bedroom, they set out in search of a home to share. He refused to even show Raluca his apartment, which dated back to his gang days, saying it was so crappy that he was embarrassed to let her see it.
“I didn’t even let the team in,” Nick said. “You help me pick something better. I’m not poor any more, so don’t worry about the price.”
“I can pay as well,” Raluca replied.
But Nick shook his head. “I’m going to let you bedeck me. Let me pay the rent.”
They chose a spacious top-floor apartment with a roof where Nick could barbecue and lift weights, Raluca could take off and land, and both of them could relax and look at the stars.
On Nick’s suggestion, they decided to throw a housewarming party on the day they moved in. Before the guests arrived, Raluca and Nick turned to each other and said, “I have something—”
They both broke off in confusion, then smiled. She had an idea of what Nick might have; he’d vanished for a long stretch of the day before, and kept patting his pocket after he returned.
“Come up to the roof,” Raluca said. “There is something I wish to give you, under the open sky.”
Once they reached the roof, she opened her purse and removed a velvet bag. “Take off your jacket.”
When Nick carefully laid his jacket on a chair rather than tossing it over the back, she knew for sure. Her heart warmed even more as she opened the bag. “It is your mating gift. I know it isn’t exactly a surprise, but I wanted to be sure you would like it.”
With a grin, Nick offered her his left arm. “Go on. Bedeck me.”
She’d had it custom-made after a consult with Destiny on the meaning of “punk” and with Nick on the meaning of “guy jewelry.” Then she’d taken him to the jeweler to have his arm measured, so he knew it would be an armband of some kind. But the details would be a surprise. Nervously, Raluca hoped he’d like it.
He will love it, her dragon hissed. It is stunning. And punk.
Raluca snapped it on. Nick lifted his arm, turning it this way and that in fascination. A heavy silver dragon wrapped around his left arm, as if it had coiled itself around his tree branch tattoo. Its edges were cut with deliberate roughness, and it had no fine detail or inlay. But its deceptive plainness conveyed a stark beauty and a sense of power. The dragon was clearly not resting or sleeping, but lying in wait.
“I love it.” Nick’s voice was husky. “I was going to wear whatever you gave me, and like it because it came from you. But this is really... me. It’s like my tats. I want it on my body forever.”
Raluca gave a sigh of pleasure. It satisfied her to the depths of her heart to have finally bedecked her mate, to see him wear her silver, and to hear his sincere happiness at receiving it.
I told you, hissed her dragon.
“Now let me bedeck you.” Nick reached into his pocket and held up a velvet case. He opened it to show her an elegant band of silver set with a single, perfect diamond.
Delighted, Raluca held out her hand and let him slide it on to her finger. “It will be the greatest treasure of my hoard.”
They kissed until they heard the doorbell ring. Then Nick put his jacket back on, and they went to greet their guests.
The entire team showed up, along with Nick’s wolf pack friends and their mates. Everyone trooped up the stairs after Nick and Raluca; it was to be a rooftop barbecue. Raluca, who knew nothing of barbecuing, had left that part to Nick.
Once everyone reached the roof, Nick threw out his arm in a wide gesture. “Check out our view!”