Chapter 441

My heart pounds for a long moment before dad’s face shifts into a wide, happy smile.

“Welcome to the family, son,” dad says, holding out a hand again towards Jacks.

Jackson stares down at it for a second and I hear mom sniff next to me, working hard to hold back her tears, because she very well knows what this kind of welcome means to him. To a boy who has never had a family before.

“An honor, sir,” Jackson says after a moment of pause, his voice thick, lifting his blue eyes to Dad’s green ones and smiling as he takes his hand, giving it a hearty shake. “The honor of my life, to be mated to your daughter.”

“We’re honored to have you, kid,” Dad says, laughing and smiling, and then slipping an arm around Jackson’s shoulders, turning him towards the door. “Downstairs, then! Everyone’s waiting.”

The two of them set off and I look at mom, a bit baffled. “It’s that easy?” I whisper. “I kind of…thought dad would flip at me being mated to anyone –“

“Oh, baby, we kind of saw it coming,” mom says with a laugh, giving me a squeeze. “Dad’s had months to adjust. And considering that Jackson has saved you twice now, rather spectacularly? And that he’s smart and cute and a good boy? And he’s an orphan, which means we don’t have to share you for holidays!? Come on. Your dad is well aware that he can’t ask for more than that.”

I laugh a little, leaning against my mom, incredibly happy and relieved that Jackson is being so warmly welcomed. I mean, not that I ever thought he wouldn’t be, it’s just…Alpha dads can be notoriously volatile when letting their daughter’s care and safety pass to another man.

But mom is right – with Jackson as that other man? God, who could complain.

“Hope you’re ready for a party,” Mom hums, light and sing-song, giving me another squeeze, in no hurry to take her hands off me. “Everyone is here!”

“Everyone!?” I gasp.

“Oh, we couldn’t keep them away,” Mom says, wrinkling her nose at me.

I laugh but then shake my head, glancing down at myself. “But we’re all dirty – and bloody – and I have to fill you in –“

“Oh, all of that can wait, daughter,” mom says, pressing a warm kiss to my cheek. “We all want a moment to feast our eyes on you, ensure ourselves that you’re alive and okay. Besides, wait till you see what Jesse did on the roof!”

I burst out laughing and follow my dad and my mate into the palace, my arm wrapped around my mom, my heart totally full of love.

A huge cheer bursts out in the room the moment we step inside and I tightly clasp Jackson’s hand even as tears again come to my eyes. I laugh a little, looking up at Jacks as I feel him tense and fight the urge to step back, still not used to the onslaught of love in a big family.

Fight or flight kicking in? I ask, mentally, beaming up at him. Atalaxian army you can handle, but all of Jesse’s siblings are too much?

He narrows his eyes a little at me, smirking as he stands straight. But there’s no time to reply as out family swarms around us, hugs going around liberally as well as shouts of joy.

I take my time holding each member of my family close, taking special time to cry over my sweet baby Markie, and my little cousins, and my grandfather, who each tell me how much they missed me, how worried they were. Rosie, in particular, whispers in my ear that she never thought I’d betrayed the nation, no matter what the news said.

I laugh and kiss her warmly, releasing her from my hug just in time to hear Seraphina shriek “Puppy!” and hurl herself up into Jackson’s arms. He gasps, snatching her out of the air like he’s scared she was going to hurt herself or go crashing to the floor, the true fear on his face making me again burst into laughter.

“Hello, trouble,” Cora murmurs, turning me away from the sight of her youngest child clambering over my mate like a jungle gym. “We were so worried for you!”

“We were,” Roger sighs, wrapping his arms around both me and Cora at once, making me grin up at him. “But clearly we should have just chilled out and let you handle it. Honestly we were all so stressed when we could have just had a spa day, letting you and Jackson end the damn war –“

“Hey, I helped,” Jesse says, and I grin as I peek over Cora’s shoulder to see him standing there next to Rafe, both clearly waiting to greet us last so they can take longest. My heart swells to see them standing side-by-side, remembering that they fought last time I saw them together. But clearly they’ve patched things up.

“Hey!” I say, laughing, reaching for both my brother and my cousin at once as Cora and Roger release me. Tears again stream ridiculously down my face. “Oh god, I missed you two jerks –“

“No, you didn’t,” Jesse murmurs, wrapping me up warm and tight. “Please, it’s creepy if you were missing me while you busy were getting that pretty new mark –“

I gasp, scandalized, and shove him away even as I crack up laughing, smacking him liberally on the shoulder and chest. “You’re such a creep! How could you even think that –“

“Two marks, right?” Rafe says, smirking at me and reaching for my bandaged wrist. “Damn, one or two weeks in Atalaxia sure turns a girl into a tramp, doesn’t it -”

I gasp, utterly scandalized again, and start to smack at my brother in turn as he roars with laughter and wraps me up in his arms.

“Jerks,” I grumble against him, not really meaning it, relishing their stupid teasing. Rafe hums his agreement, giving me a squeeze, and I sigh and shut my eyes, loving my brother a great deal.

“I’m happy for you, Ari,” he murmurs, kissing my hair and taking a whiff of my new scent. “Jacks smells good on you.”

“Thanks,” I sigh, pushing away a bit to smile up at him. “I think so too. Hey,” I glance around the room. “Where – where are Pippa and Elias and Benny? And Midnight?”

“Ben and Elias are going to come down in a bit – Pippa has begged off from the party.” He looks at me seriously now. “She says she’s been having minor labor pains for a few days now but…” he shrugs. “I don’t really know what’s going on. I don’t get the feeling that that’s the whole story. And Ben like…weirdly just wants to hang out with Elias. I don’t know. I don’t get it. Ten hours in Atalaxia and Ben is like…very dedicated to the two of them. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Rafe frowns and glances towards the door, clearly confused and waiting for our friend to come in.

Slowly, my face spreads into a grin as I look between Jesse and Rafe’s baffled expressions.

“Seriously?” I whisper, beaming, delighted to have a secret they haven’t figured out yet. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?” Rafe asks, snapping his head back to frown at me. He narrows his eyes. “Wait, what do you know?”

“Oh, nothing,” I say, crossing my eyes and looking directly at Jesse. “At least no more than what you know.”

Jesse narrows his eyes at me in turn. “What are you talking about?”

“Finally,” Jackson murmurs, coming up behind me and draping his arms over my shoulders, pulling me back against his chest. “It’s nice having a family and everything, but do I have to hug all of them every time I see them?”

“Jacks spilled the beans,” I say, haughty, leaning back against my gorgeous mate and grinning deviously at Jesse.

“Jackson!” Jesse gasps, his eyes flying wide to stare at Jackson. “You didn’t!”

“I – what?” Jackson sputters out, looking between all of us. “What beans?”

“I explicitly asked you not to, Jacks!” Jesse says, appalled. “As a favor to your best friend!”

“I didn’t spill any beans! I didn’t even have any beans!”

“I still maintain that I am his best friend,” Rafe murmurs, looking smugly up at the ceiling.

“It’s a turn of phrase, Jacks!” Jesse continues, ignoring Rafe and pointing an accusatory finger at Jackson. “It means you told her what I told you about the Underworld!”

Jackson gasps, satisfyingly scandalized, and steps back a little to glare at me, his hands still on my shoulders. “Ariel! I did not!”

“He told me a little bit,” I say, smirking at Jesse.

“Jackson!” Jesse gasps again, smacking his hand to his chest, the picture of betrayal.

“I hate this,” Jackson groans, tiling his head back in agony and closing his eyes. “Can we go back to the desert? This is so much – there are so many people here, and every other word is some kind of verbal trap - “

“That is your family, Jackson,” I say, grinning at him, kind of delighting in his torture. “How dare you insinuate that they’re too much –“

“Puppy, again!” Seraphina shrieks, dashing over to wrap her arms around Jackson’s leg and smile up at him, her sharp little baby teeth flashing. “Carry me! Pig back ride!”

He just stares down at her, completely baffled.

“Jacks how much did you tell Ariel, because seriously – that was a secret! I’ve been looking forward to spilling that to her for days!”

“All right, all right,” Cora says, coming over with a whiskey and a big, big glass of white wine her hands, pressing them towards Jackson and I. “Let him go, Fifs. Puppy and cousin are going to go clean up, because they’re all bloody and gross,” she grins between us and we laugh. “And then they’re going to come back and tell us everything. Yes?”

Seraphina sighs but releases Jackson from her grip as we take our drinks and turn towards the hallway with our bedrooms.

“Don’t you think this is done,” I say, narrowing my eyes at Jesse. “I want to know this secret. Jackson said it made him cry.”

Rafe and Jesse gasp, pretending to be scandalized by this, making me laugh.

“Almost cry,” Jackson grumbles, glaring a warning at the two of them before wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me close to him. “Damn it, Ariel, why do you always have to cause so much –“

“Trouble?” I ask, grinning up into his face and then bursting into laughter when Jackson realizes that he walked right into that.

“Yes, trouble,” he sighs as we pass into the relative dark and calm of the hallway. He pauses, dipping his head, and I stand on my toes and press a kiss to his mouth. “Always so much damn trouble with you.”

“Oh, you like me troublesome,” I murmur, biting my lip and snaking an arm around his waist.

He pauses for a moment, considering. “Yes,” he sighs, defeated and starting off down the hall again, taking me with him. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

I laugh and lean against him, happy and warm and safe and delighted.

“Do you think I could get something to eat?” he murmurs.

“Yes, baby,” I sigh, leaning happily against him. “We’ll have them send up a whole feast while you take a shower.”

Jackson hums, excitement running through him, making me laugh.