“Neither of those,” Slade murmured through their link. “I want you to see something better…someone I cared for very much.”
And then, just as she had before, Brandi was suddenly rushing down the long, dark tunnel of memory and seeing something from the big Kindred’s past.
As the memory came into focus she couldn’t help the small noise of surprise that escaped her.
“Oh! It’s…a woman.”
A woman with a full, plus-sized figure much like Brandi’s own. She had a long waterfall of black hair and purple eyes and her skin was a delicate leaf green. In Slade’s memory, she was looking over one shoulder and smiling shyly.
“She’s beautiful,” Brandi murmured through the link. “Who is she, Slade?”
“That was Cinda.” There was a little catch in his mental voice and she could feel the strong emotions attached to this memory. “The one whose memory I vowed to stay true to.”
Brandi felt a sharp stab of guilt.
“Slade, I’m so sorry. I never meant to make you break your vow. I never—”
“It’s all right, baby,” he murmured quietly through their link. “I’ve been to the Sacred Grove and made my peace with the Goddess and with Cinda. She loved me with her whole heart—the way I loved her. The same way I love you.” He sent a surge of love and devotion through their link that felt like a warm caress stroking against Brandi’s skin. “The point is, Cinda loved me and I don’t believe she would be upset with me for finding someone else to love and care for. I just wanted to show her to you so you’d know not all my memories are violent or bad.”
“I know they’re not,” Brandi told him. “And you’re making new ones everyday with me and Emmie and Bud. And hopefully my mom whenever she gets out of rehab.”
“How would you like to make good memories together the rest of our lives?” Slade asked softly.
“We will,” Brandi said. “We’re bonded, right?”
“Yes, but I’d like to make it official—by Earth standards I mean. Open your eyes, baby.”
Brandi did as he asked and saw that he was holding a black velvet box in one hand. It looked tiny between his large fingers. Slowly, he sank to one knee beside the couch. As Brandi watched, wide-eyed, he opened the box displaying a perfectly gorgeous pear-shaped diamond ring.
“Brandi baby,” he murmured, his deep voice hoarse with emotion. “Will you marry me? Will you be more than my mate—will you be my wife?”
“Oh, Slade!” It was the last thing she had expected and Brandi wondered how he had hidden it from her through their extremely sensitive link.
“Because I’m not a projector like you,” Slade sent back in amusement. “Been planning this for weeks—the other Kindred males told me it was a tradition in your culture to offer a ring when you want a female to join with you. But you didn’t answer my question. Will you be my mate—my wife—forever?”
“Yes!” Brandi slid off the couch and put her arms around his neck. “Oh yes, Slade,” she whispered. “I will marry you. I will be your wife!”
“Gods, baby! You don’t know what it does to me to hear you say that.” Slade slipped the ring on her finger and crushed her to him. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent. “Love you, Brandi,” he sent, his mental voice as hoarse as his physical one. “Love you so damn much!”
“I love you too,” Brandi whispered, nuzzling against him. “I can’t wait to get married.”
“When do you want the wedding?” Slade asked. “The jeweler in the shop where I bought your ring told me that sometimes human women take months or even years to plan such a big event.”
“I don’t think we need to wait that long,” Brandi told him. “In fact, I think the sooner the better because, well…” She bit her lip. “I have a secret too. One I’ve been trying really hard not to broadcast to you—but it hasn’t been easy.”
“You have a secret?” Slade’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Seriously?”
“You shouldn’t be that shocked,” Brandi said with mock severity. “I can keep a secret—especially one as big as this.”
Taking one of his hands, she placed his palm flat against her belly.
“Slade,” she whispered through their link, “I’m going to have your baby.”
“What?” His eyes flew wide and he looked at her for confirmation. “Really? You’re not just teasing me?”
“Nope.” Brandi watched him carefully to see how he would take the news. She well-remembered the scene when she’d told Earl she was pregnant with Emmie. He’d become enraged and pushed her out of his car, forcing her to walk home through the rain.
It hadn’t been pretty.
But Slade’s reaction couldn’t have been more different. He cupped her lower belly reverently, a look of wonder coming into his mismatched eyes.