Page 49 of Stolen

“What is it, mi corazón?” she asked.

“What if I don’t want to go away on missions?” he asked her. “What if I never want to leave you?”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that to you. You are doing important work. I know it’s dangerous, but it matters to you. I could never ask you to give it up.”

“I know you wouldn’t.” He trailed his lips up her cheek in a series of tiny kisses. “But what if I could help people in a different way? Protect them?”

She didn’t understand. “What kind of way?”

“Well, the mayor and I were talking, earlier this evening. He told me the sheriff of Rockhaven is retiring in a few months. He wanted to know if I was interested in the job.”

Hope blossomed in her chest, but she kept her voice neutral. “And are you?”

He kissed her forehead. “I’m thinking I could use a few years of breaking up bar fights and looking for lost kittens. Like, maybe twenty or thirty.” He kissed her nose. “And it would pay for your gardening tools.” He kissed her lips. “And the rent on this cottage.”

Ariana thought her heart would burst. “Truly? You would be happy, living here and being… normal?”

He burst out laughing. “Normal is a stretch, I think.” More seriously, he added, “But I would be happy being with you. And… the sheriff is the protector of the town. My wolf likes that idea. You and I could run together in the pine forest, under the full moon, like you always wanted.”

“How did you know I wanted that?” she asked him, surprised. “I never told you.”

“I know your heart, querida. And you know mine.”

He pulled her to him, and the blue light of their mating bond flickered around them, binding them together forever.