Tynan smiled and opened his palm, displaying his bracelet there.
Margery stopped breathing.
Hands over her chest, Margery could feel her heart pounding as she tried to breathe, as love swept over her, overwhelmed her.
Donal and Tynan were kneeling in front of her. Holding lifemating bracelets.
Here. In front of everyone.
Tynan smiled slowly, as strong and stable as the mountain behind him. “Margery Lavelle, we are here to tell you that we love you and would have you as our lifemate in this life and all our lives to come.”
“We love you, Margery Lavelle. And we know you love us. We belong together.” Donal’s smile flashed, quicksilver as his personality. “Banfasa, healer, cop—we’re perfect for one another. Be our lifemate.” His dark brows drew together. “Don’t even think about refusing.”
Tynan’s amused snort was her undoing, and she burst into laughter—as did everyone around them.
Then, as she’d come to expect, the entire clan jumped in to offer advice.
“Say yes, banfasa.”
“Take the bracelets, Margery. Say yes.” Was that Bree?
“They need you, girl.” That was Angie’s voice.
“Don’t make them wait, or the healer will get his tail in a twist.”
“Yes, yes, yes. That’s the right answer.”
The voices around her faded as she fell into the love in her males’ eyes. Her own eyes filled with tears.
Because this was every dream she’d ever had and was coming true all at once.
“Yes.” Her voice wobbled, and she made it firm. “I love you both so much.”
Pulling in a breath, she added the ritual words that would please Tynan’s tradition-loving heart. “We will be lifemates in this life and all our lives to come.”
Because she couldn’t imagine being without them. Ever.
As the clan broke into gleeful shouts, Donal and Tynan rose.
Tynan slid the bracelet on her wrist, and pulled her into his arms for a long, thorough kiss. “I love you, mo chridhe,” he whispered into her hair and handed her to his brother.
Donal added his bracelet beside his littermate’s, pulled her in and whirled her around before kissing her. She could feel the joy bubbling inside him.
Then he stopped and frowned. “Wait. We get bracelets.”
Tynan laughed and opened his other hand to show two masculine bracelets that matched her smaller ones. “Mark us, Meggie, so all will know we’re yours.”
Happy tears trickled down her cheeks as she put a lifemating bracelet on Tynan’s corded wrist and pulled him down for a kiss. “I love you, Tynan, for this lifetime and into the next and the next…”
His growl of agreement made her heart happy.
She put the other bracelet on Donal’s lean muscular wrist. “I love you, Donal, so very much, in this lifetime and all the rest to come.”
He purred as he kissed her.
Tracing the lifemating bracelets on their wrists, she smiled. “My mates.”
“Yours,” Donal agreed.
“Ours,” Tynan said.
Whistles and cheers rolled over the forest and echoed off the mountains of the Gods.
Epilogue
Cold Creek, North Cascades Territory – end of summer
Why doesn’t she wake up?
In the chair beside Meggie’s bed, Tynan held her limp hand in both of his. And waited.
Waited.
Waited.
Her breathing was slow. Too slow? No, Donal had assured him—several times—that the rate was to be expected.
Her face was pale. Because she’d lost blood before Donal had gotten it stopped.
Herne’s hide and hooves, but he never wanted to live through anything as traumatic as the sound of her bones breaking. Crunching. His guts twisted, and when Meggie stiffened, he realized he was squeezing her hand.
He forced his grip to loosen and stroked over her forearm instead. Too late. He’d disturbed her, and her head rolled back and forth on the pillows. Her hands closed into fists.
Bloody hell, she was dropping into a nightmare again.
So many nightmares over the last day.
“Shhh, lass, everything is all right.”
If she would only wake up, everything would be fine. But, feck, she hadn’t even woken up during all the construction noise. He glanced behind him at the south wall where all the work had been done. He’d have to close the curtains before he left the room.
“You’re safe, sweetheart. I’m here. Nothing will hurt you.”
Except them. He’d let Donal hurt her. And Ben.
Gnome-nuts, why the feck did I agree to this?
“I love you, Meggie mine.”
Love was such a small word for all that he felt for her. How she’d changed his life—and Donal’s, as well. She’d come into his life like the spring sun after a bleak winter, warming his heart, bringing change and new life.
She made a whimpering sound that broke his heart.
“No, no, little wolf. You’re fine. You’re safe.” He opened her fingers and pressed her hand to his cheek, then kissed the palm.
The strain disappeared from her face, and her breathing slowed again. For the moment, he’d vanquished the nightmares that plagued her sleep.
With a sigh, he kissed her hand again. “It would be fine with me if you’d wake up soon, lass.”
Margery could hear a low Irish-accented baritone speaking of love and safety. Telling her she should wake up.
Wake up. But where was she? Pain and terror lingered in her memory. Was she in the Scythe compound?
So many images of fighting, blood, agony, and death were blurred together in one eternal nightmare. What had happened?
She froze. Don’t let them know you’re awake. Sense by sense, she tried to get a handle on where she was.
She lay on her side. In a bed. There was a pillow under her head, a sheet and blanket over her body.
Her eyelids lifted ever so slightly. Shadowy room. To one side, someone was pulling the curtains closed. The room darkened more.
Then he—a big male—walked out the door.
She listened and heard no rattle of gunfire, no screams, no shouting. From somewhere came soft noises and conversation. The voices were familiar.
Remarkably familiar.
Her brows drew together, and she opened her eyes completely. Sat up.
This was her bedroom. Her own room that was twice as big as her mates’ bedrooms on either side.
The curtains covering the south windows were closed, but the uncovered east window displayed the night sky. A light breeze brought the fragrance of roses from the bushes along the side of the house and an intriguing smell of freshly cut wood.
Another breath brought her the masculine scent of her mates from the linens.
The scent of home.
She was home, where she’d lived with Tynan and Donal since their lifemating over two months ago.
Okay, then.
Pulling in a breath, she tried to figure out what had happened. Why she felt so groggy.
She didn’t hurt like after the battle last Solstice. Her head was fine. No knife slices. Her ankle ached…but nothing new about that.
Although an aching ankle might have been what had caused all those nightmares—as well as the urgent need to shift during the horrific dreams.