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What the…?
I take off at a run, Enfys hot on my heels. We round the corner to find a crowd gathered outside Gruffydd's cave—human women and Sasquatch children in the front, Sasquatch adults in the back. There’s a hushed murmuring among them as they cast wary gazes at the open doorway.
Another crash. Another roar. My heart clenches painfully.
I elbow my way through, ignoring the startled grunts and growls, until I’m at the front of the crowd where I stare in stunned disbelief.
It looks like a tornado tore through the place. Log furniture splintered into toothpicks, possessions shattered, huge chunks of stone ground to dust. And in the middle of it all is Gruffydd, his chest heaving, his eyes wild and feral.
Oh, my god.
It looks as though he might head to the bedroom to tear that up too when he goes stock-still. His head tips back slightly and his nose twitches like he’s sniffing the air. Slowly, he turns to face me, his gaze a maelstrom of anguish and despair.
Did I do this? Here I thought he didn’t care enough to say goodbye. I thought he broke my heart. When the truth is, I think I might have ripped his clean out of his chest.
His eyes lock with mine. You could hear a pin drop as we stare at each other, an entire conversation passing between us without a single word.
Okay, Kiki, time to get real.
With trembling fingers, I slip off my glasses. Then I reach up and tug off my wig, shaking out my long, dark blonde hair.
The Sasquatches are silent, but shocked gasps erupt from the human women.
"No way.”
“Kiki Karaprtyan?"
“Our Maria is really Kiki Karaprtyan.”
I’ll explain to the women later and apologize for my deception if need be. Right now, I only have eyes for Gruffydd. I walk forward until I’m right in front of him. He looks pole-axed. Carefully, reverently, he reaches out to touch my hair, rubbing a silky strand between his fingers.
"Surprise," I whisper. "You're stuck with the real me."
His brow furrows. "You...You’re not going home?"
A tear rolls down my cheek, and my sweet, sexy, passionate beast wipes it away tenderly with his thumb.
Truth rings in my every syllable as I reply, "I am home."
The grin that splits his face is the biggest I’ve ever seen, and then I'm swept up in his arms, laughing and crying and clinging to him for dear life.
"I love you," he rumbles, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you and I will cherish you all my days.”
"I love you too, big guy." I lean back and look him in the eye. "But just so we're clear, I am not cleaning this mess."
Gruffydd holds me tighter as his booming laugh echoes off the cave walls.
Epilogue: Gruffydd
"It's done. The final wire transfer went through, completely untraceable." Olwydd looks up from the monitors in the control center. "Are you ever going to tell Kiki that you single-handedly funded the overthrow of one of the most ruthless drug cartels in history?"
“Absolutely not.” I cross my arms over my chest. For a second, I consider reminding him that I swore him to secrecy. But as quick as it comes, I brush the thought away. It’s not necessary. He’ll hold his tongue.
“Why’d you do it?” He raises a bushy eyebrow in question.
“So she had the option.”
I’m not sure my friend will understand, but if the rumors I’ve been hearing about him and one of the other human women are true, he might.
