They settled down in the grass, her back against Jared’s chest, and he wrapped his arms loosely around her.
“I could see that, too,” she murmured. “Like a ribbon of golden light.”
Jared smiled against the back of her neck, breathing in her scent. “I hope it’s not too much of a disappointment, now that you know it’s not alien technology.”
She laughed softly, relaxing against him. “You know, in a way, dragons and griffins are even weirder than aliens. My dad always said that there are so many planets out there in space, there’s no way we can know if there’s life out there or not. And I think lots of people feel that way, that there’s a distinct possibility. But as soon as you bring up dragons, they look at you like you’re crazy.”
“Because dragons and griffins exist only in myths and fairy tales.” Jared chuckled. “But there’s a reason you humans have all these myths about us.”
“Tell that to everyone who laughed at me. Or pitied me. That was even worse.” She slowly shook her head. “Do you think... Would it be possible to tell my dad...?”
“We keep our world a secret,” Jared said, “but only from outsiders. Not from our family. If we’re mated, your dad will be family. Of course he should know.”
“Mated,” she murmured, then turned in his arms. “You really want this? Me? I warn you, I’m very weird. Everyone says so. Even my friends grew tired of me.”
She said it half-jokingly, as if she was used to mocking her own pain—but through the fragile bond, he could feel that there was pain.
She hadn’t just left her old life behind to set out on an adventure to find a mystical artifact. Before that, she would have tried to talk to her friends and family about the werewolf she’d seen.
Only to be laughed at or pitied.
Jared surprised himself as he hugged her tightly, all of his griffin’s protective instincts roused by the thought that the people who should have supported her had decided to mock her instead.
Never again. She’s got me now.
“You’re not weird,” he whispered hoarsely into her hair. It smelled of the pale mountain flower still nestling in her rainbow tresses. “You’re different. But in a good way. You’re you. Chiara, the woman I love, with her gorgeous pink-green-blue hair, enough courage for an entire army, and more knowledge about alien conspiracies than the entire internet combined.”
“That is the very definition of weird,” she said affectionately, drawing back to look at him with those warm, soft eyes that made his heart beat faster. “But if you like that about me, then I guess that makes you weird too.”
“Perfectly matched,” he murmured, a smile tugging on his lips.
There was one thing he was already entirely certain of: life with Chiara would never be boring.
“There’s one thing I’d like to know before... before we take this any further,” she said a little hesitantly. “Do you... do you want kids? Sorry, I know that’s probably really inappropriate at this point, but—”
“No,” he said, interrupting her apologies—because there was absolutely nothing she had to apologize for. “It’s a very good question, and something you have every right to ask. I’ve always wanted kids. I’ve always dreamed of a family, ever since I was a child. I want to—I really want to be a good dad.”
He didn’t say why—but he didn’t have to. He knew she understood from the way she looked at him.
And it was obvious, of course. He’d never known his real family. As much as he loved the family who’d cared for him and raised him, there was always that tiny part inside him that wondered what had happened to his real parents. Had they not wanted him?
Jared wanted children. A son, a daughter, shifter or not—it didn’t matter. But he wanted to give them all the love inside him. He wanted to be a good dad. Any child of his would always know just how much he loved them.
“I want children too.” There was relief in her smile—but still a hint of pain. Her voice was hesitant when she continued after a short pause. “My dad—we had a fight before I left. We said things—we both said things I think we now regret. He hurt me, and I miss him, and I’m angry with him, and I still love him so much.”
She’d stopped smiling. For a short moment, she closed her eyes. Then she straightened again with a sigh.
“It shouldn’t really matter. I know he probably didn’t mean it—and he didn’t know that I was right. Maybe not about aliens, but about the shifter world. But it still hurt. And all this time, I’ve been afraid that if I don’t manage to find proof, he’ll never believe me, and we’ll never manage to forgive each other...”
She broke off, swallowing hard. “My grandma always said I got my stubbornness from my dad. I guess she was right. Neither of us wants to be the first one to reach out and say sorry.”
Jared pulled her tightly into his arms once more. “I’m sorry he didn’t believe you. The next time you see him, I bet he’s going to apologize. But still. I’m sorry you went through all of this. You shouldn’t have been treated like that.”
She made a grateful sound against his shoulder. “I shouldn’t still be upset. Not now, when that’s finally all over.”
“Of course you’re upset. Your parents should have your back, even if no one else in the world does.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But you’re also right. All of this is over now. And I can promise you one thing. Any child of yours will be incredibly lucky to have a mom that gorgeous, brave, and adventu
rous.”